Take the library home

Shayla Bradley | Mar 09, 2022

Busy parents, busy grandparents, busy aunts and uncles — busy everyone with kids in your lives, I’m busy right there with you! I have two young kids, a desire to keep them entertained, and a dwindling reserve of good ideas. 

Of course, given where I work, we use a lot of library resources: plenty of books, a steady stream of audiobooks, the occasional borrowed video game, and some take-home kits and programs to fill in the gaps on P.A. days. 

I’m lucky — I can just run down to the first floor of the Central Branch to get what I need, but what about you?

Good news! Most of our take-home kits can go to any branch now. Instead of being scheduled for pickup at a specific branch, when you register for a kit you can choose your preferred location, just like you do with a book. There are some exceptions, such as kits that are first-come, first-served, but in most cases you should find your access to fun activities is expanded thanks to this recent change.

If I lost you at ‘kids in your lives,’ I hope you’re still reading because these kits aren’t just for children! We recently sent some of our Valentine’s Day romance reading kits north, and hosted an online felting workshop for teens that included a full set of supplies. 

Now, if you’re like me and you have a hard time remembering to sign up for things that look like fun, I have two suggestions.

The first is to sign up for our newsletters. The best place you can get information on our upcoming programs and events is on our website, but there’s something to be said for the newsletters coming right to your inbox, highlighting exactly what is coming up in the next two weeks. The Grow newsletter is ideal for families and Connect is perfect for teens and adults. 

We also have Create, which is a quarterly edition focused on creative pursuits and community makers, and we’ve just added Engage KFPL. Sign up to receive invitations to help guide KFPL’s decision-making!

You can subscribe and unsubscribe to these email-based newsletters at any time, so it’s not a big commitment.

My next suggestion is to try our circuitry or robotics kits (or both!). These used to go out like our take-home kits, rotating through the branches, but now you can borrow one just like any other item you can borrow from the library.

Just search for the kit online, or give us a call, and reserve it to go to your branch of choice. These kits are perfect for kids but I will admit to playing with the Dash robot long after my kids wandered away. 

As always, if there’s something you’d love to let us know about your KFPL experience, or you have any questions about what we’re up to, I’d love to chat with you! Give me a call at (613) 549-8888 x3524 or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Happy reading, and enjoy those take-home kits!