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Bookends of entertainment
8/5/2009 10:27:49 AM
By Chad Kimberley
Splash Staff Writer
A library building has special memories for me.
As a kid I remember this huge baseball glove chair that was in the kids' section of the Des Moines public library that I would sit on while reading Hardy Boys books all day long.
I had my first date with my wife at the John Brown University library while in college. Well, actually it was in her mind a "study session," but I had grander plans that seemed to work out well for me.
While living in Wisconsin several years ago my wife met a fellow mom with two kids during a story time, and that chance meeting developed into a strong friendship between the two families that still remains despite the thousand-plus miles that separate us.
Of course there are some who have less than pleasant memories of the library. They remember the chaos the Dewey Decimal Classification System caused when they simply wanted to find a book about baseball, or they were the recipients of constant "hushing" from the head librarian.
But for me, it was always good memories, so when we moved to Liberty Lake just over a year ago, one of the first places we made it a priority to visit was the library. And from the beginning we have found the library a steady source of frugal family fun. Advertisement
Splash photo by Tammy Kimberley
Chad, Brianna and Rachel Kimberley admire the range of prizes offered at the Liberty Lake Municipal Library's Summer Reading Carnival last week in Pavillion Park.
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We love borrowing the free movies.
One of the highlights of each trip to the library is the borrowing of movies for family movie nights. My kids have been exposed to classics such as "Mary Poppins" and "Swiss Family Robinson" as well as borrowing newer movies like "Marley & Me" or "Nim's Island."
There of course is the downside of not always finding the movie you are looking for, but the flipside is I am not paying $5 at the big box movie rental store or even the $1 at the Red Box rental that gives me just 24 hours to watch and return. The library gives the family seven days and zero dollars to enjoy both new releases and old classics.
We love checking out books.
I have always been an avid book reader. My philosophy over the years has been to buy the newer books as they hit the bookstore, devour them in a couple of days and then place them on the our bookshelf to never be cracked open again.
This has begun to be an expensive philosophy. At $20 a pop for a newer book I now have some of the more pricey bookends that you can find. So my new goal has been to take advantage of the library.
The plan has worked well, as I have been able to read the newest books by John Grisham and Malcolm Gladwell as well as catching up on other books I never picked up over the years.
We love the kids section and Amy the librarian.
From our first visit over a year ago, Amy Dickeson, the children's librarian, has been a huge help in finding dog books for Rachel, chapter books for Bri and also breaking my son Jonathan from his Teletubbies addiction.
If you have never seen the show Teletubbies, consider yourself fortunate. If you have sat through this odd show with characters such as Tinky Winky and Dipsy who dance around with televisions in their stomachs you will quickly realize how important it is to break this addiction.
Amy has always been quick to help me steer Jonathan toward other choices, and now that we are on a Veggie Tale kick, it is much easier to avoid the scary creatures who I am convinced are simply the Wiggles in large costumes. The kids love Amy because Amy has gotten to know my kids; she knows their interests and helps steer them toward books they will enjoy.
We love all the extras.
Whether it is story times for Jonathan, crafts the girls can create or the yearly summer reading program carnival in the park, the library offers frugal family fun activities we all enjoy.
Pamela Mogen, the director of library services, said it best to me in an e-mail she sent shortly after this column series began running in June:
"The best deal in town can be found at the Liberty Lake Municipal Library. Free library cards give families access to books, DVDs, audiobooks, magazines and newspapers, not to mention the Internet on our computers. Then there are the Family Game Nights, Movie Nights and all the special activities. We're Family Fun Central."
My family couldn't agree more, and it is why years from now our library memories will include our time in the Liberty Lake library.
Borrowing movies: Free
Borrowing books: Free
Internet usage, Wi-Fi: Free
Crafts and contests: Free
Carnival games, prizes: Free
Frugal Family Fun: Priceless
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