Visiting Libraries During Your RV Adventure

If you’ve been following this blog or my Instagram account for a while, you probably already know that my family and I are library lovers. There are so many awesome reasons to visit a library… to read of course, but there’s more. Here are some of the reasons we loved visiting libraries during our RV adventure:

1. Reading new books (kind of obvious…)

We carry lots of books in the RV, considering how small the space is. But at the pace my oldest reads, we go through books super fast. I read a lot to my kids, so we end up cycling through the same books over and over. It’s nice to go into a library and read “new to us” books.

2. New toys

Most libraries have a kids’ areas with toys, puzzles, and more. The kids love discovering new toys at the libraries we visit, and they get super creative every time.

3. New books to keep forever

While we’re visiting libraries, we can’t really borrow books, because we don’t stay anywhere long enough to return them. While some libraries offer a “for a fee” card to non-residents, we don’t stay long enough in one place to justify borrowing anything, as we’d just have to give it back the next day. Enter library used book shops. Many libraries have a used bookstore, so we usually go through the books at these and choose one or two to bring “home.”

4. See a community up close

If you want to “see how the locals live” and really gain an insight into a community, a library is a wonderful place to visit. You can chat with the librarians, meet other patrons, and simply enjoy the place you’re visiting.

5. Architecture and photo ops

Some libraries we visited were truly incredible. It’s worth visiting libraries to notice the buildings and the history surrounding them.  

6. Free WiFi & quiet corners

Working at coffee shops all the time gets pretty expensive (as does using up all your data). Almost all libraries offer free WiFi to both residents and non-residents, and you can usually find a quiet corner to work. So if you’re a working nomad, libraries are pretty awesome places to get your work done.

7. Library Programs

While we never specifically visited a library for a program they were holding, we lucked out at a couple of places, where we showed up and it happened to be time for a kids’ activity. The programs offered are super fun: finger plays and rhyming books at the Calgary Central Library, learning how to make zines at the Chicago Harold Washington Library, crafts at Louisiana’s Slidell Library; free time crafts at Moose Jaw.

 

Going to a library offers a world of opportunity for playing, creating, and generally having an awesome time. We have all kinds of reasons to love the library. Stay tuned for a post about our favourite libraries from this trip.

What’s your favourite library?