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Keeping Track of Library Books
Rated by 2 members
Talie and I are about to set out on our weekly excursion to the library. Library card, check. Book bag, check. Books to return? The pile looks a bit slight, considering it felt like I dragged in at least 20 pounds worth last Thursday.
We sigh and split up. Talie scurries up to her room to check under her bed, where books often fall to the floor with a thunk when she falls asleep reading each night. I head for the disaster area that is Caitlin and Ellie's room, where I find a couple copies of ADVENTURES OF TINTIN peeking out from under Cait's bed. On my way down, I remember that we borrowed movies, too, and swoop back to pluck MADELINE AND THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE out of the TV cabinet. We set off.
Forty minutes later, we've deposited our returns and approach the checkout counter with a fresh batch. The librarian who checks us out tells me we're missing a few books and renews all but one, which has hit its limit. (It's a paperback from the BORROWER'S series — the irony is not lost on me.)
I wonder what else could be missing. The librarian fills me in. It's those Potters again. Three Beatrix and one Harry. Meanwhile, a second librarian approaches, waving a DVD case; I'd forgotten to put the disc back in.
On the way home, we stop at the bookstore to pick up a new copy of the BORROWERS book, and swing it back to the library. I find the missing copy two days later, in the bottom of Caitlin's sock drawer.
Clearly, it is time for a system. First, I place a ban on teeny books. Sorry Beatrix, but in our house, your adorable stories disappear like bunnies down a hole. Talie and I agree to read these at the library instead.
Then we establish two places at home where all library books and DVDs must live — in a basket by the family room couch, and on a table in the upstairs hall, where it's easy to plop them after we read Talie's bedtime stories. I put a fluorescent note in the family room basket: "Check DVD case."
So far, our new system is faring well. And last time a book went seriously missing, I put up a Wild West-style "Wanted" sign in the kitchen, offering a $5 reward (cheaper than replacing it, I figured). Caitlin found it in 15 minutes.
How do you keep track of stuff you check out from the library? Click the comments link below to share ideas.
Member Comments On…
Keeping Track of Library Books
I use a rolling backpack when we go to the library. This really saves my back and helps me limit how many books we check out: if no more will fit in the back pack, we can't get anymore books and we roll on over to the checkout station. This also helps us keep track of the books at home- when we finish reading a book it goes back in the backpack (in theory...). I'm still "training" my 5 year old daughter to put the books back in the backkpack. She does not always remember, but having a place where they are supposed to go helps.
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I have three sons and we spend alot of time at the library. Since we borrow so many items, I have a bookcase dedicated to library books, videos and dvds. I keep track of renewals online. I still go on the big search for items once in a while, but having a central location definitely helps.
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We have a Care facility with 3 girls at various reading levels. It is hard to get to the library each week, so I ask the girls what they would like to read about for the month. When I go, I pick up books for them based on what they asked for. When I get home, each each gets to "check out" the book from my library basket. That way, when it comes time to go back to the library, I know who has last looked at the book and where to begin searching. Also, since I get a print out when I check the books out from the library, then I know what I have to take back. Works for us at least.
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First off, let's give ourselves a round of applause for TAKING our kids to the library! At my house all library books go into the library book basket when they're not being read (we have school and public library books). I get a reminder email from the public library, but it's a challenge to remember the weekly school "library day". When my son was in Pre-K a reminder note went home the day before every week. It helps if we can remember the night before and put them in the backpacks then.
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I bought a small chalkboard and hung it above a coat hook on a seperate wall in our mud room. On the chalk board I hang the list of books checked out, and I write the due date. On the hook I hang a bag and all books that we are done with or need to be returned go into the bag. This took some getting used to, but it has helped!
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In the beginning we were losing books like crazy!!! We now, have a pretty good system. When we take books upstairs to read they are brought back downstairs either by the me, when I read to the kids or by them the next morning after they read it in bed.
We also have a basket in the living room that the children put their books in after reading them. This gets us to the library with our books in hand. Now only if I could remember to renew them online before their due date. That's one of my favorite features of the library system.
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We also have the receipt from the library, a rule about keeping the books in the bag, and double check everything online. We've also had to pay a small fortune to the library before we became more strict about borrowing policies.
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I always lose the receipt immediately so I'm thankful our library lets me renew online. At the very least, logging on to see what's overdue lets me put a midstream halt to late fees and better remember the due date.
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That little receipt is a life saver for my family. I also schedule a reminder in my Google calendar the errand day before the books are due and try to return them then. The email that is send helps a great deal.
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Our Library doesn't print out a list (yet) but we are registered for their email reminder system. So I get an email whenever books (or CDs or DVDs) are within three days of being due. When the children were littler and we checked out more and smaller books, the first thing we would do is to pull out all of the due date cards and rubber band them together and clipped them to the calendar. At least then, I knew -how- many items were due, if not exactly which ones!
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