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In searching for great NH towns to live in, one thing that is important to our family is having a great library.
You know, one that has all kinds of programs for kids: summer reading, arts & crafts, variety of story hours, magic shows... ours in NJ even has a pajama story-time at night!
A great library is not just for children, but for adults as well, with book discussions, sewing clubs, guest speakers and the like for the public to enjoy.
So, NH... Can anyone tell me Who LOVES Their Library and why??
Anne & I love the Londonderry Library. We consider (well, I consider) the Library to be the heart of a Town. A free library where anyone can study the history of a free society and what that freedom has cost is the core of our exprience. Without a Library we would loose our culture. Libraries are vital and we love ours.
Excellent question! Both of my kids love our local library. They have always participated in fun nights and take books out weekly. I would like to know more about Goffstown and the Bedford town librarys, myself. Thanks, WinterWonder, for thinking of that!
- lots of kids' programs like pizza and a movie night, storytime, etc. Also projects that get kids involved with the community - for example, they raised money for pet supplies by reading books, and then took a field trip to the local animal shelter to donate the supplies.
- Summer reading program where kids earn tickets for every hour spent reading. At the end of the summer, there's a blow-out where they can spend the tickets on donated toys. My son had a BLAST and was so proud to "spend" his earnings. There's also an adult summer reading program where you get entered in raffle drawings when you turn in book reviews. I won a gift certificate to the hardware store.
- A kids' room stocked not only with lots of kids' books, but also with toys, puzzles, art supplies, etc. This is great when the weather is bad.
- The librarians are super nice. When a bunch of kids (including mine) were running around making a racket and I apologized, one just said, "that's what kids are for." One of the librarians always has a dish of her homemade candy out. And her cat comes, too! I was only in town visiting family and they still send me the online newsletter.
- This is a small town and it's a real community meeting place - everyone from the local school kids to summer people go there. There's a rack of free magazines - you bring 'em in when you're done with them so someone else can have them. The ultimate in recycling! People also donate books which they sell quite cheaply to raise $ for the library. The library has its own float in the Old Home Week Parade every year.
- Free wi-fi & computers. Rotating local art on display. Speakers & author lectures, etc.
Just a wonderful and very active library. I agree with you 100% - libraries are integral to the health of a community, especially a small town, and this is a great one!
The Peterborough Library is wonderful - the oldest public funded library in the country! They have a decent amount of programming and a mix for young and old (for example they host a monthly fiddle workshop and concert on Saturday nights), knitting circles, storytimes, etc. They are planning on rebuilding a new library, all green and with more space for programming in the next few years.
I said decent amount because we came from a library system in a major city where there was almost non-stop programming and an amazing access to books. It would be very hard for this town to pull that level of services off. They do a great job with what they have though.
The Smyth Public Library in Candia has everything that has been listed above (well, except for fiddling and knitting circles), plus it has big comfy chairs around a fireplace and a reading garden with benches outside. No matter what book you ask for they will get it, whether they purchase it or borrow it from another library.
~clairz
(I live in New Mexico now but was in Candia for almost 25 years and never ran out of books to read)
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