I love the library. I LOVE it. I feel like a library missionary. I love talking to my friends and family about going the library and all the awesome things it can bring into their life. So here it is. My basic, starter, library 101 post. If you’re a library virgin it’s time to swipe that (library) card. (sorry)

Library 101

Your Library Card

The first step is to get a library card. How you do it will depend on your local library, but they pretty much all have directions online. Orem has online preregistration that made it extra fast – just fill it out online, walk in with proof of address and a photo ID and wham. You’ve got a library card.

If your town doesn’t have a library, you may have free or reduced cost membership to a nearby library. For example, you can get a nonresident Orem Library card for $100/year, $50/half a year. Neighboring towns will reimburse their residents for purchasing a nonresident Orem library card (Lindon, Vineyard, etc).

With that library card you can check out live materials in the library, but you can also log in to their online resources and never set foot in the library again if you don’t want to. (But I hope you will.)

What Can I Get?

Books of all kinds – fiction, picture, cookbooks, everything. Magazines. DVDs. H*ck, some might even have VHS. Books on tape and CD. Many libraries will also lend you the equipment to listen to them. “Maker” kits and learning tools, like lego sets, crafting stuff, etc. I know, right? Crazy.

Ebooks that will check out right to your phone or kindle. Audiobooks you can instantly download to an app called Overdrive on your phone (pictured above). Salt Lake County Library had this cool program where you can download and keep songs for free! (The only thing I liked living in Salt Lake County was their library system, integrated throughout the county. Baller.) E-magazines to your iPad !!!! I love. Like pretty much any magazine you can imagine you can download and read for free.

An Orem Library card also gives you access to Universal Class, which offers over 500 online classes on any subject you could want – writing, cooking, parenting, photography, everything. Free! There’s other cool online databases and programs you can get access to with your library card.

My friend’s library in Idaho allows you to check out AMERICAN GIRL DOLLS !!!!! with their outfits and a book to read and a journal to write in. Isn’t that amazing? Obviously not all libraries will have this, I’m just illustrating that your library has cool things they want to let you borrow! It’s so so much more than just old books. Trust me.

At the Library

So me and my girls are just now delving into this territory, and I feel it’s going to be a fixture in our lives hopefully forever. The library itself is a happy, welcoming place with stuff for everyone. Storytime is basically a feature of every library I’ve ever encountered. Music classes for toddlers. Orem Library offers a CoderDojo where kids and teens can come and learn basics of computer programming. They also have a Lego Night. Movie screenings, free concerts and exhibitions.

Meeting groups… like the Utah County Writer’s Group I’ve been trying to work up courage to attend. ReLaunch is for moms re-entering the workforce, which is awesome. They have a knitting/crocheting group! A LGBTQ+ support group!

You can also reserve their study rooms and meeting rooms for book clubs, study groups, or just a quiet place to work. Last summer I started getting a babysitter once a week and went to the library to work in an interruption-free environment. Yahtzee.

Especially during the summer the library will amp up their programs and offerings. Pull up your library’s calendar or sign up for their newsletter to see what will be available that month.

If your family is on a budget but still wants things to do, or free date night ideas, or somewhere to get out of the house when it’s too hot or too cold to go outside – library, son. Monday nights they have family storytime, family movie screenings, and more. They also have teen movie and game nights!

Holds/Requests

I’m embarrassed to admit how long it took me to figure out this process, so I want to make sure I share it with you. If you’re intimidated by a billion bookshelves and the Dewey Decimal system, you’re not alone. Most of the time you won’t even have to go search for the book – they’ll find it for you.

You log onto the library website and search for what you want in the catalog. Then you click “Place Hold.” A library fairy will go pull it off the shelf and send you a notification. Then you go in to the library and, usually somewhere close to the entrance, you’ll find the Holds shelf. Your book will be there, usually in a section marked off with your last name initial. You snag it, check it out at one of their walk up, self-serve checkout stations and you’re on your way. I literally park on the curb, leave my car running but take the keys and lock it, run in and grab my book, check out, and I’m back in my car in under 3 minutes without taking my eyes off my car with my kids in it lol. I promise I’m not a negligent mother.

It works the same for online materials, but you just get an email that says “your hold is available! click here!” and you download it and get on your merry reading way. You can also see how many other holds are before you, so you know roughly how long it will be before you get that book/movie/audiobook/etc.

One thing I did learn is that with our particular library they don’t always have the staff to go pull holds that are available. That means if no one has checked the book out they won’t go pull it off the shelf for your hold – you’ll have to go in and get it yourself. If the book is checked out they’ll just snag it when it comes in and put it on the holds shelf for you instead of re-shelving it. So sometimes you’ve gotta do the dirty work of pulling up a call number yourself, but they’ll have a cluster of computers near the entrance or a friendly librarian to help you find the call number, write it on the little slips of paper with a golf pencil, and go find it.

Returns & Renewals

Most modern libraries have an external drive-through drop off. You can simply slide your stuff into the slot and cruise on down to Sodalicious. Some stuff you have to return inside, like large or fragile books.

If you’re not quite done with your book, you can renew it online by clicking the box “renew” under your checked out items in your account online, or you can renew by bringing it back into the library. This will give you another 2-3 weeks on your checkout. Sometimes you can’t, if there’s like a billion holds on the item or you’ve already renewed it once. But it’s still nice if you want to keep it a little longer.

Librarians!

They’re the cutest! I mean, they’re usually introverts so speak softly, but they’re awesome. They WANT to help you. They’re so happy to give you suggestions, help you find your book, place holds or request new titles for you. My friend Danica said that she highly encourages getting to know your local librarians in the sections you most use because they will come to love you and your kids and snag all the best books for you. PRO. TIP.

Ask them for help. Ask them for directions. Ask them for recommendations. Get to know them. I’m excited for Reese to get to know the librarians. That way they can be more patient when she runs through screaming “YO HO YO HO A PIWATES WIFE FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEEE.” Which has happened. More than once.

Your Library Trip

Now, I know. It can be overwhelming to walk in there. There’s like a billion books. Just take it slow. You can ask a librarian for a tour and they’ll be STOKED. Or ask for a map. Walk around that library and just start getting acquainted. Orem is weird because it has two separate wings, with multiple levels. So you can go upstairs and think you’re finding your book, and then it’s like HI I’m in the wrong wing and have to go all the way down and across and back up to find my stuff. It’s ok. It’s fine. We’ve all been there.

Check out the kid areas. Reese loves the little kid tables and the big stained glass windows at the Orem library. Note where the workspaces are in case you ever wanted to go work or read there in peace.

Find the “Recommended” or display shelves. Nearly every area will have them, where they display staff picks, seasonal books, new releases, etc. This is a great way to find a book you would have never encountered otherwise. Sometimes they’ll have a shelf labeled “If you liked _________” with similar books. I love it.

Kids

I’ve already mentioned toddler story time, music & movement classes, and the cute play areas. Orem has toys and lego sets you can play with, which is so awesome. I’m trying to get Reese accustomed to going to the library. I super want to brainwash her into loving it. But she’s also a toddler so it can be hard.

They’re actually cool about toddlers running all over. They get it. So sometimes I let her run around and check out the toys and look at the Harry Potter Castle (yeah, Orem has a model Hogwarts, it’s the best). Then I look up on a computer books about whatever she wants. Usually it’s pirates, but this time we also got an Alice in Wonderland and a supey-heroes book. I write down the authors’ last names on their little scrap papers and then walk around to pull all the books. Sometimes Reese helps me, sometimes she just runs around nearby.

Sometimes she sees books on display and gets interested in them, so we pull them down and add them to our pile. As she gets older I hope she’ll always have a fun topic to find, but also that she can make her way down the shelves and pick out stuff that looks interesting to her.

When we find a book we liked, I add it to our wish list on Amazon. That way I don’t just buy trendy books she doesn’t like, I have books we enjoyed that she’ll love and read. Voila.

Last week I posted on Insta Stories about these kits. Many libraries have some type of kit system – boxes or backpacks that center around a theme. We checked out the pirate kit, which had 5 different books all about pirates. They had kits for holidays, animals, topics, types of books, and author sets. Genius for when you just want to get in and get out, because sometimes looking up books and going to find them is just NOT going to happen with your toddler.

Many libraries also offer audiobook sets for kids. They can listen to the audiobook and read along, which can be incredibly helpful for kids learning to read, or kids who are behind grade level. 10/10 recommend, and that’s my professional educator opinion y’all.

And make sure you ask about reading challenges. Orem library does a cool one in the summer for kids and teens that includes prizes and parties! Woohoo for incentivizing reading!!!!!

Love Your Library

I highly recommend following your library online. Most have an Instagram or Twitter account which will alert you to events, book reviews, new items, and other cool things. Sign up for their newsletter, or just check out the library website once a week to be up-to-date. Orem library has a blog with lots of book reviews, info, and even recipes.

But really? Just go. Go check it out. I promise it’s not scary. It’s about to make your life a whole lot better. And the very best part about a public library? It’s free. They’re amazing. Not to go full Hermione on you but… who am I kidding I’m always trying to go full Hermione on you.

Let me know if you have other awesome library tips that you’ve discovered or if you use your library in an entirely different way! I am always looking to beef up my library experience. Ugh I just love it so much.