I Heart Libraries

As a writer, I appreciate everyone who reads my words. As a reader, I love the experience of being lost in the characters, the story, and the details of another's life. As a parent, I know how valuable the love of reading can be to a child as he grows. As a citizen, I am pleased that some of my tax dollars go to supporting valuable resources like our public libraries.

The popularity of libraries seems to wax and wane...and I'm sure you've heard the recent rumblings about e-books being the demise of libraries. According to The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project’s Reading Habits in Different Communities report: "City dwellers were most attached to their libraries: 71 percent say the library is important to them, and 59 percent have library cards. While slightly fewer suburbanites, 69 percent, say the library is important, slightly more have cards, at 61 percent. Some 62 percent of rural residents say the library is important and 48 percent have cards."

In honor of National Library Week this week, I want to share some of my favorite things to do at my local library.

• Catch up on current events with The Week magazine
• Find a book about local history
• Stand in the back and eavesdrop on the children enjoying storytime
• Trace my family tree
• Be inspired to try a new author or genre
• Check out a DVD on gardening
• Listen to beautiful music on a CD
• Donate my used books for the library's book sale
• Learn  a new language
• Take a class or listen to a lecture

There are simply too many wonderful things to do and learn at the library! What are some of your favorites?