Tess in the Burbs Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Today my son asked about elevators. We had read about the first ones here in hotels....which led to HOW they worked. We were on the way to the library so we spent time looking. Nope. Nothing about elevators. I found a short blurb in a science book about making your own but no explanation on HOW it works in the big ones. So we looked up the inventor. Nope. Nothing about this man Otis. Librarian said he isn't important enough. I bet people like elevators enough in our society the man could have one autobiography! Anyway, I was shocked and saddened a simple opportunity to teach a kid something was lost today....no books on elevators and how they work in detailed ways was available. I thought we had a decent library! :confused:what is your library lacking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Bookshelves. :D ETA: Whoops. Didn't read the close enough and assumed you meant my personal library. The local one is quite well shelved. It could use a LOT more educational DVDs though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Books. Seriously - they have hardly any. Especially classics. Completely void. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Overall we have a good library . . . except they are clearing out too many older classics and out of print books and replacing them with fluff. Many of those disposed of books belong to me, now!:D The one thing I wish my library had is digital ebook lending. The smaller libraries in neighboring cities have this, but our home library (and one of the county's largest) does not.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 More movies, and let us check them out for longer than a WEEK!!!!! (Esp since I have to pay for that week. Extra request--don't charge me $1 for a week with a DVD. And make sure they aren't scratched up so I don't waste my money. Anyone know another place to view Bill Nye or Signing Time?!) So far the books are decent, & they have a homeschool resource center, so bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Today my son asked about elevators. We had read about the first ones here in hotels....which led to HOW they worked. We were on the way to the library so we spent time looking. Nope. Nothing about elevators. I found a short blurb in a science book about making your own but no explanation on HOW it works in the big ones. So we looked up the inventor. Nope. Nothing about this man Otis. Librarian said he isn't important enough. I bet people like elevators enough in our society the man could have one autobiography! Anyway, I was shocked and saddened a simple opportunity to teach a kid something was lost today....no books on elevators and how they work in detailed ways was available. I thought we had a decent library! :confused:what is your library lacking? Did you try The New Way Things Work or How Stuff Works? I think one of these books might have a chapter/section on elevators. Maybe Building Big would too. FWIW, if you can find a good explanation of the mechanical advantage of block and tackle, that is the basis of an elevator. We're blessed with a great county system and a great base library. I'd say the only thing I've looked for in vain are historical fiction with a religious perspective (the sort of book that is found on Sonlight or VP booklists) and textbooks or teacher's guides for subjects (like high school science books. I would love to compare some textbook options. But they do have a lot of books like Biology Demystified or other such helper type books for math and science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 This is a thread hijack. Our library is too awesome to lack anything. I'm chiming in because I have a great resource for elevators: Nova: Trapped in an Elevator http://video.pbs.org/video/1631361631/ (I hope the link will let you watch online!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoforjoy Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Very little. Our branch library doesn't actually have much--it's got a decent selection of fiction for kids, but lacking in everything else, since it's primarily a special services library that houses the Bookmobile and the resources for the blind and visually impaired--but we can request books online and pick them up there. Between the main library and other branches, we can find almost anything we want, and our branch library is only about 3 blocks away, so it's a five minute walk to pick things up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 My library lacks books. Its an older library and was to be torn down and rebuilt but I don't know what happened to those plans. We visit two other towns libraries (that we can use our towns card at) and they are much much larger. I am also the queen of requesting books from other libraries. It stinks not being able to go in and find what you want on the shelf. Instead I have to wait days for them to get it from another library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Ditto that. It's a small town, but man it's a pathetic selection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty Mathy Mom Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Biographies. The children's section is horrible. If you want a book about a non American, you are pretty much out of luck. There are a few biographies for American presidents. They have Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, Kennedy, and 5 on Obama. They didn't even have anything on Florence Nightingale in the adult section. But they do have lots of biographies for popular sports and music stars. Just not one for Beethoven or Bach. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Decent children's literature. If you are looking for Hannah Montana or High School Musical chapter books, you are in luck. But forget any decent children's books. And all of the reference materials seem to be from the 60's. We rarely check out anything from the library. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 :iagree: I pay to use the library in another area because it is far better. It seems my library caters to older people and those who like popular novels. The children's department is very pathetic. What is really ridiculous is that this isn't a small town, and the residents are generally very well off. They actually yold me that they only keep things on the shelf if they are popular and checked out regularly. Ok -so how is a teenager supposed to stumble upon some wonderful book from 50 years ago?? Our teen and tween section is absolutely dismal - it's the same fluff others have complained about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakereese Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Funding. :( I'm just lucky it is open, I guess. But we have a fabulous ILL system, so I won't complain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Our library system is one of the largest and busiest in the U.S. There is very little that it lacks and if it doesn't have it, I've always been able to get it on interlibrary loan. Good books on inventions, including elevators, at our library are: "Ideas that Changed the World" by Julie Ferris, and "They Made America: from the Steam Engine to the Search Engine" by Harold Evans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecclecticmum Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I thought you meant our personal library as well. I was going to say it lacks a big cleanout and re-stocking lol., and some more shelves for reference books. We must be among the only homeschoolers whom don't go to the library. For 3 reasons: DD1 - Any book she wants, she wants, meaning she;ll want it for at least 6 months, and it to be read over and over again till all the pages fall apart DS - Is a challenging child (waiting to be assessed for autism) so his "borrowing books" could result in him scrunching the pages, or drawing on them, or only know what else. DD2 - Is in the "ripping" pages stage, so definately not good. Me - Anything I read, I usually read whilst eating, drinking, relaing etc, and theres no doubt, I will probably end up with some splotch or another on the book lol So for a messy family like ours, out of respect to the library...we don't use it. It annoys my MIL to no end, as she is a librarian lol, and is always talking about the unlimite potential of the library. We do just fine, we have our own library, and we buy all the books we need, and any books we plan to use for years to come, or reference books, are downloaded to my kindle anyway. I would love to use the library though, one day, it might possibly be a go-er, then I will need a truck each time I go rofl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I guess every system is different, but I'm wondering how funding actually works. Is it a set amount or is it based somewhat on how much lending the libraries do? It seems like a catch-22 if so, because I KNOW that more homeschoolers, at least, would do more borrowing if there were MORE books, but if they can't get more books... ?? I've talked to librarians who say over and over that the e-book/e-reader craze is reducing their "need" for real books. We kept our old library card active when we moved just in case we didn't like the library here in our new small town. Well, they only allow books out for 2 weeks and do not offer educator cards or have any special perks at ALL, so we drive an extra five minutes into our previous county to use our old system!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I haven't found anything my library lacks yet. We have about 25 libraries in our district and inter-library loans are free. We just go online to catalog and request what we want. I'm very, very lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 the video link was great! had a great explanation...unfortunately it also has a women talking about s*x in the elevator. My dd, 7, is asking what s*x is. Sigh. Parenting is never over LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Overall we have a good library . . . except they are clearing out too many older classics and out of print books and replacing them with fluff. Many of those disposed of books belong to me, now!:D The one thing I wish my library had is digital ebook lending. The smaller libraries in neighboring cities have this, but our home library (and one of the county's largest) does not.:glare: Our library is also getting rid of classics in favor of fluff for kids. We also discovered that there aren't any books about Earthquakes after Japan. I guess because we live in an area where we aren't likely to have them the powers that be figure we don't need to know about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Susan Wise Bauer's "Story of the World." Unless you want it in Korean. They have it in Korean :lol: Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actuary Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I love my library system - they have really latched on to the ebook trend and they offer audio books and ebooks that you can borrow. The selection seems to be constantly expanding which makes me happy. :)I'm trying to rekindle my love of reading so I'm excited that they have so many audio books and ebooks. Now I'm seriously having to consider getting a Nook! I do wish my library would buy more scholarly nonfiction books. They buy so many fluff books and it would be nice to have more well researched nonfiction books. I miss living near a university library and having access to so many textbooks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in TX Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I do wish my library would buy more scholarly nonfiction books. They buy so many fluff books and it would be nice to have more well researched nonfiction books. I miss living near a university library and having access to so many textbooks! This! Any time my dd16 needs to do a history paper, she has a very hard time finding more than one or two relevant books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindyD Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Educational books. The shelves for anything beyond fiction are more empty than full, and the books that they do have aren't worth the effort. I'm so sad about it. We had a fabulous library system in our old city. We moved a few months ago to a new area, and we very disappointed in the library system here. For example, the other day I wanted to get a generic book on weather for my ds to read and see pictures to go along with our science chapter. There was one. And it was worthless. Every single time I've tried to find a book on a topic we're studying, they don't have anything. I might have to start buying more to make up for, but dh won't like that so much.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 When looking for additional reading for SOTW 3, I found out my library has nothing on the Great Fire of London nor The Great Plague from that time either. I even sent a friend (who's awesome at finding books on history subjects) a message and I wasn't able to find any on her list at my library either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Susan Wise Bauer's "Story of the World." Unless you want it in Korean. They have it in Korean :lol: Bill :lol::lol: Ours doesn't have that either and I live about an hour away from SWB, you think her stuff would be more popular in our library because she's a "Local" author. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I haven't found anything my library lacks yet. We have about 25 libraries in our district and inter-library loans are free. We just go online to catalog and request what we want. I'm very, very lucky. :iagree:. My library system is awesome. I love it. DH and I are talking about moving and one of the things keeping us in this county is the library system. The only thing it is missing is a secret passageway from my house to it so I could sneak in and get what I need when they're closed. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Home delivery. I'm not kidding, a previous city I lived in would actually deliver requests to the borrower's home. Seriously, I can't complain, our library is great. Sometimes the waitlist for items is longer than I'd like, but it's still acceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Our public library system is extraordinary, but there are some weird gaps. They have almost no children's books about computers, and none whatsoever at our branch. When I mentioned this to the children's librarian at our branch she said that every year children come in looking for books on bioluminescence and there are hardly any resources on that, too. It is a amazing system, though. I did a chunk of my dissertation research at one of the city research libraries and they had sources that even some of the university libraries didn't, or at least not readily available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 For those who have gaps in the library material, are you able to request books? We can put in requests - the more specific the better. Often they will get the books requested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 funding and space The city is trying to pass a referendum for more funding and a new, bigger building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Friendly library ladies. Or men. Ours are sullen. I am at a loss as to how one can work among books all day long and be that crabby. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 For those who have gaps in the library material, are you able to request books? We can put in requests - the more specific the better. Often they will get the books requested. You have no idea how many books I request/discuss with our Children's Librarian :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomandlorih Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Can't complain about our library (system)! It's a huge library system that involves 12 branches in different towns plus the main huge library. And if they don't have something I want.. I can have up to five inter-library loans going at any time. They will find and borrow the item from another library system anywhere in the country! You might see if your library has the ILLiad service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Susan Wise Bauer's "Story of the World." Unless you want it in Korean. They have it in Korean :lol: Bill Ditto. Our library system is sorely lacking in SWB books. Almost 10 million people paying into our library system and there is a handful of SWB books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 You have no idea how many books I request/discuss with our Children's Librarian :D Bill Has SOTW in English been one of them?;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 We have a lot of books and no books if that makes any sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 (edited) Friendly library ladies. Or men. Ours are sullen. I am at a loss as to how one can work among books all day long and be that crabby. Terri Ours are too! I never saw such a sad/unhappy group of people then the ones working at our library. I think it sounds like an awesome job ... except for the fact that I would have been fired on the first day for sneaking off with a copy of Jane Eyre and hiding in the stacks to read all afternoon. Edited May 25, 2011 by aggieamy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Has SOTW in English been one of them?;) I had a hard enough time getting it in Korean, thank you very much :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Our local library is pretty small, and undoubtedly lacks a lot, though I can't think of anything specific off the top of my head. Our library system doesn't lack much, and I can request anything within the system online and pick it up at the local library. Our library computer system totally rocks and has really awesome features for homeschoolers (the ability to schedule holds in advance being my favorite). Oh. Rosetta Stone. It lacks Rosetta Stone. Oh well, I'll live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Friendly library ladies. Or men. Ours are sullen. I am at a loss as to how one can work among books all day long and be that crabby. Terri I was goign to say personality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Our local library is pretty poor. It lacks a big variety of childrens non fiction. It is ok if you happen to be after something in the areas that they consider important (Egyptians, Romans, Elizabethans etc..) but outside of that its very poor. There are shelves and shelves of childrens cookery and crafts but not a lot else. I noticed last week that classic children's fiction seems to consist of a couple of narrow shelves and its totally segregated from the rest of the fiction and hidden next to the child/baby health section (all adult books). It would be really hard for kids to just happen upon some incredible classic titles. Its expensive to get inter library loans and they tend to turn up about a month or two after ordering if they are in the system at all. Oh and the computer system is so basic, makes it hard to find the books to put on hold in the first place. Its why I spend so much at Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunD Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 It lacks both books and interlibrary loan. I've learned to look things up online before I bother going. Really? You don't have The Tale of Peter Rabbit!? The branch an hour away does, but I would have to drive there and get it myself, and bring it back there myself in two weeks. No thanks. They do have a lot of magazines and computers, which is mostly what the other patrons use the library for. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I haven't found anything my library lacks yet. We have about 25 libraries in our district and inter-library loans are free. We just go online to catalog and request what we want. I'm very, very lucky. We're probably in the same library system. I agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 :lol::lol: Ours doesn't have that either and I live about an hour away from SWB, you think her stuff would be more popular in our library because she's a "Local" author. Ours only has book 1 (And that in bad/falling apart condition) I get the feel it used to have them all but they got worn out and were never replaced for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Ours only has book 1 (And that in bad/falling apart condition)I get the feel it used to have them all but they got worn out and were never replaced for some reason. I misread that as, "Ours has only one book." Now that's a bad library! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Our library is lacking in a lot of good quality books because if a book is lost, that title is not automatically replaced. They are, however, good at purchasing nonconsumable books you specifically request. In the past two years, they have purchased all of the SOTW books, WTM, WEM, OPG, FLL 1/2, WWE (the hardbound reference) as well SWB's two books geared towards adults. They've also purchased a number of books recommended by the SOTW AG. :) Of course, the waiting list for those books is now umpteen people long. In all seriousness, our library has become a daytime homeless shelter. Our taxes are being raised to pay for a new $18,000,000 facility with more computers and meeting spaces and fewer books. The running joke is that they should put in showers in the bathroom as so many patrons are asked to leave because of their odor. (I should say that our town has two daytime shelters with showers available.) They recently had to put in a security guard to keep patrons safe as many of the homeless have addiction or mental health issues that cause erratic/dangerous behavior. It's really, really sad. I would never allow my child to wander unattended in a library that just 5 years ago was very safe and very child friendly. :( I now request all of our books online, pick them up, and leave unless I have dh with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/elevator.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorCalMom Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Room....our little library is crowded when there's more than 20 people in it. :) But the good news is that it's part of good county system where I can get almost all the books I need from neighboring larger cities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Books in English. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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