Library Skills: Essential & FUN!

Posted by Leslie | 0 comments

I have fond childhood memories of visiting the library. We lived just 4 blocks from our local library, so at a fairly young age I was permitted to walk or ride my bicycle to the library. I spent countless hours there.

Looking back, I wonder if the librarians ever thought I was an orphan. During those early years, the children’s department offered a frequent variety of children’s programming. I do have memories of some of those programs but one of my favorite recollections is the day I found the huge card catalog in the adult section of the library. A librarian noticed me opening and closing the drawers, viewing the endless number of cards contained within. She asked, “Would you like to know what these are for?” With an affirmative nod of the head from me, she took the time to explain how books are cataloged and notated on the cards, as wells as how to use the information on the cards to locate the books on the shelves.

Today, card catalogs are a thing of the past. Most libraries have all information cataloged on computers. I am ever so grateful for this service, but the lack of the card catalog has also left our children without a meaning behind searching for books. In an effort to teach my children the who, what, where, when, why, and how of a library system I found it sheer drudgery. Those nostalgic memories had me feeling inadequate, to say the least. My children were easily irritated by library lessons. So, after a few unsuccessful weeks, I developed a FUN method of teaching library skills.

I made each of my children a detective; specifically a library detective.

This got their interests piqued right from the start. I then explained that many cases require deep investigation and if they were up to the task, they would be given secret assignments. The word secret produced a glitter in their eyes, but their body language of unsurety remained. At this point, we had already unsuccessfully discussed the Dewey Decimal system. However, they had enough information to begin teaching themselves.

Each was handed a secret assignment message written on it. The smiles on their faces told me they were ready for the challenge. On the message was written a little blurb such as, “You are working on a case that requires information about (topic). Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to use the following clues to uncover a book that will give us the needed information to crack the case.” This is followed by a few clues, such as location in the library, author, call number, or topic. They were eager to complete their assignments (each child had three) and now look forward to their missions on library day.

They are learning where to find information about a wide variety of topics, the computer, what questions to ask a librarian, and discovering all types of interesting books on new topics in a way that doesn’t seem like lessons, but much more like having an adventure.

Each week I pick three areas I would like to have the children learn; i.e. the layout of the library, a certain section of the Dewey Decimal system, books that are pertinent to topics we are schooling about, etc. Then I write a secret mission message offering clues based on my three main objectives for each of the children. They are given only one mission at a time. If they get confused, they either come to me, or seek out a librarian for help. When they complete a mission, they turn in that message for another, until all three missions are complete. Time from beginning to end of the “game” varies depending on what they are asked to find, if it is a new concept or one that have previously worked with, and how many books there are on a given subject. However, we average approximately 30 minutes per Library Detective session. This allows them to have FUN with the game, but also have plenty of time to explore the library on their own.

My memory of the librarian who took the time to notice a young child and teach her a lifelong skill is vibrant as ever. Did she ever realize the impact she had on my life? I am uncertain. I know she was employed there through my senior year of high school, as I often sought her out over the years, to assist me in research. Perhaps watching me grow up, she knew little more than the fact that I could navigate a library. However, her impact was so much deeper, as I learned how to research topics, ask questions to pertinent people, and critical thinking skills.

Part of our homeschooling goal is to teach our children to be good problem solvers. Learning library skills is an essential element to achieving this goal, but it can also be great FUN!

Leslie Valeska is the wife of Thomas and homeschooling mother of four children who reside in SW Florida. Her family operates Fresh Gear Solutions, LLC and enjoys RVing. She is the founder and director of Simple Journey Ministries which was established to encourage, inspire, and support women on their journey to Godly womanhood. Leslie is also employed as a vintage seamstress by Vintage Vixen.