Learning about the Library

After we learned a little about the history of mail delivery, I thought we should read a little about a favorite place, the library. 

I knew my older children were able to look up books by keywords and use call numbers to find a book on the shelf, but I wasn't sure how much they really understood about the Dewey Decimal Classification System our library and many others use.  This was one topic I wanted to be sure to include in our library lesson. 

It was extremely easy to put together a lesson.  We found many books on our next library visit, and also a video for children explaining what each number and letter in the call number represented.  

We began by watching the video, Library Skills for Children: Using the Dewey Decimal System, together.  {Apparently, I needed a refresher course on how the system worked, because I was fascinated by the explanations and structure of the system.}

Next, I assigned books for each child to read.  I tried to match the reading level and topics to each individual child.  They were encouraged to read the other books as well.  Our youngest wanted to hear all of the books, which was fun for me to read and learn a little more with him.

Finally, the older children and I watched another video, The Real National Treasure: An Inside Look at the Library of Congress.  We saw lots of academic works, iconic items, memoirs, personal memorabilia, and so much more housed in the Library of Congress buildings.  It was fascinating!

Overall, the brief lesson has given each of us a deeper understanding and appreciation of one of our favorite places ~ our local library!

Resources:

Check It Out! The Book About Libraries, by Gail Gibbons

Bob the Alien Discovers the Dewey Decimal System, by Sandy Donovan

The Inside Outside Book of Libraries, by Julie Cummins

The Dewey Decimal System, by Allan Fowler

Library Skills for Children: Using the Dewey Decimal System, Schlessinger Media video

For older children:

The Library of Alexandria, by Kelly Trumble {also good for Ancient History studies}

The Real National Treasure: An Inside Look at the Library of Congress, History video

For Fun:

Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library, by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter