In 2010, a study done by the national Home Education
Research Institute reported that an estimated 2.04 million American children
were schooled at home, with a projected growth rate of two to eight percent
each year (Ray 2011). The 2012 statistics indicate 49.8 million children are
enrolled in American public schools; therefore, potentially more than four
percent of children are homeschooled. These families inherently understand the fundamental
role a public library plays within their community. As a former home educator
myself, and director of the Old Town Public Library, I have experienced
first-hand how libraries and homeschoolers work together in a creative,
productive, highly innovative, and mutually beneficial manner. (Click here for the entire article.)