Libraries

I read a report that the level of eduction a person attained was linked to the number of books that were available in the home.  The 20 year study showed that having a library of 500 books or more propelled a child 3.2 years further in education on average.

Growing up, we had lots of books in our house.  I’m not sure that we had 500 books or if there was any relation to the level of education we reached, but I did enjoy reading and flipping through the various books.

Back then, most homes did not have a separate room called a library.  Our books were located in the living room where there was no tv.  The room was always quiet and the lighting always seemed right.  I remember, especially in the winter, coming in to the always warm room and curling up on one of the soft velour couches with a book from our “library”.

Luckily, our home has a separate room for books where (hopefully) our children will enjoy to read.  But of course, after reading this article, I had to find out if we were anywhere near 500 books.   To my complete shock, we actually have more thanks to the used library book sales.

Images:  My Home Ideas