The Public Library: Books, CDs, DVDs, Events

Imagine cooped up in a hotel room in the middle of Illinois winter, with 3 boys. Only the TV and a few toys were available to entertain the kids. One of the first tips my sister gave me was to check the local library. We found one that was a 5-10 minute drive from where we are.

We visited one evening and was awed at the resources available for a family like us. We borrowed 3 bags of books on our first visit, which would bring much excitement to the reading exercises of my home-schooled children. My youngest who loved puzzles was wide-eyed with the variety of puzzles that can be taken home. Not just books though, there were computers for playing games, along with CDs and DVDs to be borrowed.

One impressive feature of libraries here is that they're online. You can bring your laptop and connect to the Internet for free. They have a book search capability at your fingertips. And, you can renew books from home by accessing your account online. (And let me gripe here, why can't we ever do this back home?)

We also visited a couple of events hosted by the library, one included a Wii playing session with other kids. Visits to the library are cheap (it's free!) but very educational times for the whole family.

The library that we visit is the Vernon Area Public Library.