At the Library

1. At the Library:: Searching
2. At the Library:: Browsing
3. At the Library:: Sharing

Week 3 for the Six One Way Project.

Chaz, Topher and I spent a recent afternoon at the library. Oh how much do we love the library! We each have own little rituals when we go to the library. I like to do an online search at home for books I know I want to find. I write the call numbers down and then look for them when I get there. I don't always do an online request because I like to browse the stacks while looking for the book I want.

Chaz always does a card catalog search once he gets to the library. Even if he knows exactly where to find the books he wants in our little library, he still does a search. I think he just loves using the computer!

Topher always goes straight to the non-fiction books. Never the fiction books and never the picture books. He always has one subject in mind that he is interested in and those are the only books he will look at. He pulls as many as he can, browses to see if they have what ever bits of information he is looking for, and then comes home with 5-6 books on the topic. This week it's bald eagles. He's very interested to know what their predators are. Usually he will stick with one subject until he has made his way through ALL the books on the topic at least once.

Then we sit and read. We save the books we are checking out to read at home. At the library we read other books that have caught our eye but didn't make the cut this visit. I keep a little notebook for library visits. I jot titles and authors that catch my eye; books I want to remember for next time; books I've checked out and want to remember to find again. It's part of the ritual.

Just before we leave, I grab a few children's books that look promising. Sometimes it's an old favorite, sometimes it's a book that has been recommended, and sometimes it's just something that catches my eye. Topher always protests but he ends up reading them anyway - and liking them.



This time there was an added treat. They had a popcorn trolley in the outside lobby and there were little bags of popcorn for the taking. Anyone who knows us, knows that of course we took some popcorn. And anyone who knows us knows that of course we were quickly wishing we could have taken two - each!

A quiet afternoon of books and popcorn. That's a good way to spend an afternoon.