Bring Your Child to the ACLD

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Take Your Child to the Library Day takes place annually throughout libraries in the United States and Canada on the first Saturday of February. For 2024, that day falls on February 3rd. The holiday was founded in 2011 by retired librarian Nadine Lipman at a Connecticut library. For more information on its history, check out the website for Take Your Child to the Library.

The best way to celebrate Take Your Child to the Library Day is to take your child to the library. Children who can regularly attend a library tend to gain skills that give them an advantage in life. Early literacy programs for preschoolers and babies teach social and academic skills that that aid in early academic success. Children who are proficient in reading by third grade are appreciably more likely to graduate high school. Children who attend the library have access to the internet and other important computer software, which is helpful to reinforce the proficiency they develop at home; or, in the case of children in a home without internet or a computer, is essential on getting them started on a level playing field with the rest of their generation. The after school programs that libraries offer can improve school performance and aid in establishing foundational life skills.

Lastly, libraries can transform lives. Every day your library offers collection materials, programs, a safe place, and caring adults, all of which can ignite curiosity, create connections, and enrich lives. There is a reason why the Alachua County Public Library's mission statement is to be:  "A key to building a better community by creating opportunities to participate, connect and discover."

Public libraries offer:

• Education and Enrichment Programs for children, teens, adults, and all ages. Check out our event calendar to see what's coming up at a branch near you.
• Board Game Collections, Toys and Puzzles. These are not circulating items and not guaranteed, but many of our branches offer these items in-house for you to enjoy during your visit.
• Library of Things. With a valid library card, you can check out sensory toys, STEM kits, birding kits, book club kits, wattmeters, and exploration Backpacks.
• Seed Libraries. All 12 of our locations have an in-house seed library where you can "check out" seeds for keeps. Whether you want to teach your child about nature, or grow plants of your own, we have something for you. The ACLD Seed Library contains a selection of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds, depending on the time of year.
• All 12 of our locations have a selection of in-house physical newspapers and magazines for your perusal.
• Our physical collection houses thousands of items designed for all-ages, and in all available formats.
• Want some community in your reading? Check out our book clubs to see what suits your tastes.
• For help with school or research, ideas and craft instruction, guidance for car repairs and so much more, please explore our databases, all free with a library card.
• Free internet access. All 12 of our locations offer free, in-house internet access to any visitor, whether or not you have a library card. Additionally, and with a library card, you can check out a wifi2go, which is a hotspot that provides free and portable wifi for up to five devices at once for up to seven days per check out.
• And so much more!

Picture books about the library

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Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn. Lola loves to hear Daddy read a new library book each night, an activity that spurs her imagination and results in inventive play the next day.

 

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Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss. When the children go back to school, the animals on the farm are bored, so they go into the library in town trying to find something to do.

 

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Do Not Bring Your Dragon To The Library by Julie Gassman. A child brings a dragon to the library and learns a valuable lesson--libraries and dragons do not mix.

 

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Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp. Reluctant reader Madeline really wants to earn a star at school, so when Mrs. Dimple, the librarian, suggests she read to a dog Madeline gives it a try.

 

 

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Saving Eli's Library by Ruth Horowitz. Eli loves his local library, so when it is threatened by a flood he and his father help save the books and, after the storm, join their whole community to make things better. Inspired by a true story.

 

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The Library Fish Learns to Read by Alyssa Capucilli. Library Fish, who calls the library her home, decides it is time to learn to do what everyone around her loves doing--read.

 

Find out more about obtaining a library card. Also, find out more about materials available for check-out and borrowing privileges. You need to visit the physical location to get a card, and so isn't this a great time to start?