I know it was just a few weeks ago that I wrote that post about how amazing libraries are for your kids.  Guess whaaattt???  I’m going to rant about this again.  We went to library classes and did some outside stuff (like nature walks, reading 15 minutes plus everyday, drawing favorite characters from books,) and look what DC earned:

That’s a baby-backpack, a board book, a sippy cup, and magnetic letters.  A lot of them.

They’re having a summer reading program, too, where you can earn stuff.  There’s one for kids, and most libraries have one for adults, too, where you can win a tote bag and an entry into a contest or something.

Which brings me to today’s rant.  LIBRARIES AREN’T JUST FOR KIDS.  All those classes they offered for everyone in elementary school are great, but there’s also classes that are fun, and sometimes extremely practical for adults.  For example, look at what the Carnegie Libraries are doing just in this next week:

• a class for non-profits to make their website into a marketing tool
• Job Seeking Basics:  An eight-week series to gainful employment
• Conversation Salon-from what I can tell this is the adult version of the current events club your high school hosted
• Ladies Only Monthly Card Game
• Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion
• Board Game Night
• Gadget Lab-Learning to use eReaders and mp3 players via  the library’s services
• Let’s Speak English-An ESL class
• Resume and Cover Letter Assistance
• Italian for Beginners
• Take a Wise Walk–Walking Group for your Health
• Nitendo Wii:  Gaming @ the Library
• Knit One Crochet Too–Learn how to knit/crochet
• Fiction Film and Fun:  The Stoning of Soraya M–Discuss the book and watch the movie
• Friends of the Library—I admittedly have no idea what this is.
• Speak Spanish:  Spanish for Beginners
• Spanish Club:  El Club de Conversacion en Espanol–A conversational group for Spanish speakers of all levels
• Chinese Conversation Club–prior knowledge of Chinese is required
• Bound Together Book Club:  Library & Museum Collaboration–Look at art at the museum in the context of literature
• Haiku Poetry Discussion Group
• Resume Writing Class
• Yoga with Phyllis
• The History of Women in Mining:  Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Meeting
• Korean for Beginners
• Korean II-I’d imagine Korean for Beginners is a prerequisite
• Writer’s Workshop-a writer’s support group
• Saturday Matinee- this one is a production of a Cold War Era inspired spy novel
• Edgewood Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players Concert
• Excel Basics
• Quilting Group for people of all levels
• Mock Interviews—one on one assistance
• Keyboarding 2
• Unlocking the Classics-a Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra member comes to talk to you about music
• City Councilman Lavelle’s Mobile Office—talk to your city councilman in person
• German Discussion Group-intermediate to fluent levels
• Japanese for Beginners
• Coffee and Computers-basic computer help
• Word Beyond the Basics:  Computer Class
• Craftybags!  A group for any type of crafter (beader, sewer, knitter, etc.)
• Internet Basics
• Japanese Coversation Club-intermediate or advanced skills
• Stretch and Relax–a mix of aerobics and yoga
• Community Meeting–be a part of organizing clean up Lawrenceville later in the year
• Excel Beyond the Basics
• Monitoring School Progress–make sure your schools are working for you kids and your community
• The Art of Storytelling for Educators
• Skills for Success Speaker Series–Know Your Credit, Avoid Identity Theft
• Spanish II