#ILoveNYLibrariesDay

Growing up in Queens, I frequented two branches of the Queens Public Library.  It was always fun to go down to the main branch in Jamaica on the weekends. They had bins and bins of albums that you could check out.  Being a kid (copyright?) I remember playing and recording the songs I liked on my portable cassette player.  The Briarwood branch was more like home.  I could walk over there after school, do my homework, dive into random subjects in the World Book Encyclopedia (so much more kid friendly than the Encyclopedia Britannica set in my living room) and chill.

When I moved back to New York from stints in Maryland and Maine in 1996, I landed in the Capital Region without a job. My boyfriend, now husband, and I lived in an apartment. I spent a lot of time at the Guilderland Public Library searching for jobs. This was way before I became a librarian. Since 1999, the Castleton Public Library has been my home library.Yeah, I'm not feeling old right now.

I met some good friends at that library once I became a mom.  We would go for story hour and stay. And stay. And stay. We started making a lunch pot luck. "I'll bring the PB and J." "OK. I'll bring the goldfish."  "I got the juice boxes."  It got so crazy that one of my friends sewed a special tablecloth just for us to keep down there. Good times.

Today, more than ever, New York libraries have a lot to offer.  Have you checked out the Castleton Public Library website lately?  There are so many free resources.  Even if you don't have a library card, you can still check out books   They have additional databases (ie, Tumblebooks math) and even ideas for virtual field trips. Check out this LINK for a curated list  of activities and ideas for kids and teens.

Want more? Check out the New York Public Library page for tons of remote resources for parents, families, kids, and educators.

Of course, I have to include resources from my original home town library, the Queens Public Library. Check out their Facebook page for a calendar of all their virtual events. Just have to throw this out there--growing up in Queens that has made me who I am today.  Anyone from Queens can probably agree.  I am forever grateful for that and I love the Queens Public Library.

But we can't leave our upstate friends out.  Gosh, in just a few clicks, I'm realizing that you could go to any public library website and find virtual things to do.  After reading a tweet from my Buffalo friend, Maria, I went to the Buffalo Public Library page and woah! They have a ton of activities in their calendar! Between all these libraries, you could be busy literally every minute of the day! And we didn't even mention reading! If that doesn't make you love New York libraries, I don't know what will.

Yes, I love my friends in Texas. I proudly wear my Texas Bluebonnet award shirt. I have a Texas flag postcard by my circulation desk. But, I am undeniably a born and bred New Yorker and I love ALL my NY libraries. The ones from my childhood, my 20s and now. #ILoveNYLibrariesDay

PS: I got some amazing snail mail today from my friend, Elisha Cooper.  Could it BE more appropriate for #ILoveNYLibrariesDay ?  I don't think so. And a great way to end a celebration of #NationalLibraryWeek.  Thank you, Elisha.

I was hoping you could get a bag, too! So I went searching, sadly unsuccessfully, on NYPL's website.  Maybe when this is all over you can purchase one at the branch? However, I did find a link to free downloads of crosswords, wordfinds and coloring pages for kids and adults. Check it out.  And if you still need more to do, you know where to go! I 💙 Libraries!