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Babs
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| Posted: Oct 10 2009 at 2:39pm | IP Logged
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I am wondering how other mom's handle the library. We have four sons, 26 to 8, so we have acquired many, many books in a wide variety of "boy" interests over the years. My younger boys, 11 and 8, have been requesting to go to the library. We don't go very often because I have to weed out so much really icky stuff that I dread going. If only there was a library where they could choose from good, decent books. Anyway, it is often hard to tell what a book contains without spending some time looking through it, even if it sounds ok in the summary.
Would those of you who use the library more often explain how you handle this? Do you give them more direction to start with as far as authors or other ways to make their choices? Do you keep all of the books hostage when you get home until you can check them out? Are there screening places online where you can check titles, like you can with movies? That would be wonderful, you could even check from the library. My boys love to read and can read books that are meant for much older readers. Sometimes although a book appears fine there can be things woven into the story that I would prefer they were not exposed to.
I even considered letting them go through book lists and books about book lists that we have and then let them order what they want online from the library. I'm not sure how they would like that, it might work for a little while. I don't know if it is our county or if all libraries are like this. It was easier to screen the picture books but those days are slipping by.
God Bless,
Barb
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Erin
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| Posted: Oct 10 2009 at 2:58pm | IP Logged
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Barb
As you say it was easier when little. When mine were little the children used to grab a heap of books, and I would weed out before we left the library, generally most were twaddle.
Now I find it far easier to reserve online and go pick up; mostly I am the one who does the research; here and book catalogs, and then I reserve. I skim before I hand over the book, saying a prayer that anything objectionable jumps out. Now that my 16 yr is older we are entering a new phase.
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Paula in MN
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My kids have their own library cards, but anything that they want to check out gets approved by mom first. Like Erin, I do most of the research, reserve online, and pick up.
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 Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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ekbell
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| Posted: Oct 12 2009 at 2:21pm | IP Logged
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With my oldest dd who is eleven, I allow her free choice in the Juvenile section (our library is quite good about the choice of Juvenile books, there is twaddle but I can trust it to be free of the nastier stuff- all the nastier stuff ends up in the teen section  ).
I also spend time with her at the library and point out the better books. I do read and discuss books with her as well, the better to deal with material that might have slipped through. We go to the library about every third week and she doesn't tend to take out a large number of books so it works.
All material meant for older audiences goes through me. I go through lists from recommenders I trust and make massive use of the hold function. My dd's seem to find the shelf of everchanging books from the library to be a good thing. :-) (it's likely one of the reasons that my dd doesn't feel a need to take out a large number of books herself)
These are the review blogs and sites that I check most often Treasure chest for tweens which is a catholic blog which reviews books for this age group, A Catholic Mom's guide to Books and the Love2learn website and blog .
When I was in my late teens I sometimes ended up being the one checking over the library books taken out by my tween siblings. :-) If you have a son old enough still at home, this might work for you as well.
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allegiance_mom
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| Posted: Oct 12 2009 at 6:09pm | IP Logged
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I approve everything before we check out.
I must say that we are in our library at least weekly and I am known to have ninety items out at a time. Many titles I order online, but only the ones which must come from another branch. I could "order" the titles in my home library, but that just makes the librarians have to get my books off the shelves for me. I don't like to waste their time like that.
My latest gadget is an iphone, and there is a free Amazon app for it. So I can read all of the Amazon reviews for any title from my phone. That has really come in handy when shopping too. I have also uploaded most of the good Catholic reading lists to it so I have them at my fingertips.
Yes, there are dangers, especially in the adult section, which is on different floors that the children's floor at our branch.
I think being diligent and discussing the reasons behind why your son can't have a book is important too. Once my then-nine-year-old son picked out a book from the nonfiction entitled Christian Heroes. He thought it would be great. They did have bios of the Apostles and early saints like Augustine, but then the "heroes" profiled were the Protestant revolters like Luther and Calvin. So we discussed that while some material might be good, the overall bias was anti-Catholic and so we shouldn't read it. He was fine with it and I think he was glad to be told why he wasn't allowed to get the book.
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Anastasia
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| Posted: Oct 15 2009 at 9:41pm | IP Logged
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Does the library have a website? Some allow you to pick up online all the books you want, and then the kids can pick them up.
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melanie
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We haven't had to deal with this too much yet...I haven't found anything objectionable in the children's room yet, and my 13yo hasn't found the young adult section yet, but I'm sure that's coming. I know that's not true everywhere. Another local library caused an uproar in my homeschool group because it had a "I have two mommies" book in the board books section.
I think when we get to that point, I will make her up some reading lists to pick from...I have several that I trust...anything else she really wants will have to be pre-read by me I guess. I remember reading some really yucky stuff when I was a preteen.
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JodieLyn
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I've started taking my older kids to the library two at a time. I do preread a great deal. There are some that either I remember enough not to have to pre-read or some that a friend has recommended.. one of those friends that you know their standards are so much stricter that there's no need to pre-read if they recommend it. 
At this point my older kids like books that I like so that makes pre-reading easy on me. Right now I'm reading Beauty by Robin McKinley, with an eye to letting my oldest read it. But I certainly am enjoying it myself.
Forgot to add.. that I do let them pick things out and I check over it there to weed out things I already know are a no, or things that are pretty obviously no. And then pre-read at home.
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ALmom
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My dh takes the olders who have figured out how to be discerning on a fairly regular basis - or on a by request basis. He picks up anything we've hunted for on-line first - if it really does happen to be there, and isn't lost. I rarely take the youngers now, and only when I have time to preview. My youngers grab by the pictures on the cover and often a pretty picture covers an obnoxious book. Sometimes I'm able to just slip it back into the stacks before we head to check-out. Other times they get put up high and dh returns them on his way to work first thing in the AM. It is just that with a variety of ages, and the different sections of the library being spread out and the library being in not the best area, that I find it too stressful for us all to go together at one time.
I think we just drifted away from this due to frustration with the library, the time involved in the car and my own stress. The children could request titles which dh would pick up on his way home.
In order for them to have an opportunity to browse and select - we frequented Catholic bookstores at EWTN or Sister Servants, or let them circle requests (they initialed these) in catalogues or worked out exchanges browsing each others shelves (ie homeschooling friends with whom we then traded books for a week or so). We also discovered that the best books ended up in the Friends of the Library sales, so we often took the children to these and allowed them a guided selection which they then owned. I got some of my best living history and lots of science related books here (granted some of the science is outdated but my children seem to be able to sort that out and for some reason older texts were more clearly written so you can figure out the basics from them better- imo).
Honestly, I got so frustrated with what is not available at our library that it was more a waste of time than anything - other than them getting experience looking for books and using the dewey decimal system. So while I go some so they have experience finding books; it works much better for us if everyone has a plan to start with. We either have a pretty good idea of which books we will be looking for or at least a topic and criteria for selection.
Janet
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florasita
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| Posted: Oct 17 2009 at 9:23am | IP Logged
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We are so blessed our library & librarians do not focus on twaddle at all . We also have a brand new library ! We love our library .
I go online and preorder our books . You could do this too . I look up books in the back of other books we've enjoyed and order them .I get ideas from 4real etc. and go online and order books . You could do this and then when you get there the kids could look at some of the books you've ordered . We have a library which uses themes and has beautoiful displays . The most recent is on jazz ! they have old records , instruments etc. in the display then the kids can look at the books linked to the theme .
You could also do this with your boys . Pick a theme like China or food etc. before going to the library . have them use thier skills once they get there . Have them search out the books . Either asking librarian where or if old enough to look the book up on the library site and then locate the books on the shelves.
We have taken some twaddle out when I've had grandson with us he is 3yo and he saw beginner readers that have spiderman etc. on them so we took a few out .
Our boys have never liked twadely books at all . I think it is because they just never went to public school , where our girls did and they always had those horrid goosebump books coming home .
I'm like Paula our boys have cards too .I keep them though in my wallet as they always loose them and it costs $3 to replace it .
Our library has many computers as well our boys like to use those too . The computers all have time limits and there are childrens and adult computers so you can tell the kids beforehand no adult computers .
When we started off as a new family I used to take the kids to story time but once we had over 4 children this became to difficult .I like doing it as a family much better . We also used to go to the big main library down town .It was awful because we had to pay for parking . The last straw was our dd then 6yo went running off with another homeschooled child down the escalator. That was it . I took her by the hand said we are never coming here again and we didn't . I like the smaller libraries
Also if you have ideas for your library , speak up . Libraries are public property you own it . You have a say in what goes on there . Maybe once they know you they be open to listening to ideas . All the librarians know me , they ask how my mum is since she moved away . they know the books I like . Some of the ladies even take out books I return after 
You can make the library your friend ! 
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Library
