Public libraries are becoming to home school families what school libraries are to public school students. With more and more families choosing to home school their children, the need for the public library to play a more vital role in the lives of children is increasing. According the the US Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics 2013 report, the rate of homeschooled children has risen over 17% in five years. Many public libraries are assuming the role of curriculum specialists, lesson extenders, and research and social hubs for home school families.
Read about one library's Home School Enrichment classes here. The Lovettsville Library in the Loudoun County, Virginia, Public Library system is providing exciting services to its home school families. Another library that is leading the charge in support of home school families is the New Albany - Floyd County, Indiana, Public Library. In her 2012 article, Make Room for Homeschoolers, Abby Johnson describes the many ways her library is serving the needs of home school families. Her discovery that "children educated at home can help make a library more fantastic", has impacted her planning as the Children's Services Manager. Abby also has a personal blog, www.abbythelibrarian.com, where she shares some tips and tools of being a Children's Librarian. She also tosses in personal posts from time to time to entertain her readers.
The next time you're at your public library, see if you can find information about the current programs offered to home school families. Why not volunteer to help with one of these events!
References:
Hunter, Christina. "The Perfect Partnership: Public Libraries and Homeschoolers." Publiclibraries.org. N.p., 9 Apr. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Johnson, Abby. "Make Room for Homeschoolers."Americanlibrariesmagazine.com. N.p., 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
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