Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith

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Library Accommodating Homeless Readers

A library realized that homeless people were hiding books under cushions to finish later.  So the librarians designated a shelf for homeless readers to store their "in use" books.  This is a replicable solution that any library can use if they have a similar challenge.  Meanwhile over in Terramagne, this sort of thing is common.
Tags: a little slice of terramagne, activism, networking, reading, safety
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  • 5 comments
Absolutely! Some people sneer at the suggestion that kids want more substantial reading, and even I was thinking more of the teenagers who snub the children's room...yet when I worked in a library, the most common type of request I heard from children was "Where are the books that have more information about this topic? Can you take down those big heavy books from that high shelf for me, please?" (This would typically come from 8-to-10-year-olds; older kids already knew where to find and how to reach those books.) I remember a particularly adorable boy about 40" high wanting science books that were "Big and fat!" And yes, kids like that *do* remember which book they were reading, and want to pick up where they left off.
Well, yeah, and that's at least two groups: kids with a knack where they're way ahead, and gifted kids who are reading at the adult level when they're six. By the time I was even in school, anything written for children -- including all the textbooks -- was like reading the funnies for a grownup. Sometimes it was fun, but it only lasted a few seconds. If I wanted something to do then I needed adult books.

I probably hit adult level a lot sooner, but I'm sure of six, because that year my favorite was a home veterinary guide for farmers.
I liked the big ring-bound Betty Crocker cookbook at five, and "The Horseman's Bible." My brother was exposed to a different selection (neither of those two) and liked "The Better Homes & Gardens Garden Book." Yes, serious nonfiction with pictures that explain the words is fun for kids.