Friday, June 01, 2007

Library Book Search

Have your library privileges been suspended due to lost or unreturned books? Are huge library fines looming over your head? Get up from your computer right now, gather the kids, and do a library book search.

If your library has a website where you can check your personal account, then go to it and print it out. Get a box, basket, or bag to hold all of the books that you find. As you find books, cross them off of your printout. Looking at the remaining titles will hopefully spark the memories of your children and they will remember where they last left the lost book.

Search the car, under the beds, on the bookshelves. Assign a different room to different children, perhaps having them work in teams.

One advantage to a library book search is that the house gets tidy in the process. I always say that if something is missing, all we have to do is tidy up and it's sure to show up. As the kids pull out all the stuff from under the couch in their search for books, have them put that stuff away in their proper places. As they search the car, have them throw out all the trash and bring in all the items that don't belong there. As they look under their beds they can take an extra 60 seconds to feather dust the cobwebs away.

If you recall leaving books at someone else's home, give them a call right away and arrange to get the books back to the library.

Now, once you've collected all the books, take them right to the car. If you really can't drive to the library at this very second, then leave the books right on the driver's seat so that you don't forget to return them next car trip. Books left in the car for weeks build up just as many fines as books lost in the house!

The library is an awesome resource for homeschoolers so do your best to keep library books in check and library privileges intact!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've found Library Elf to be really helpful as a way to keep library books under control. They send you a reminder notice at a time you choose (I chose day before due date) with a list of books that are due. It also lets me know when books I've put on hold are in.

And the best part - it's FREE!

MAB said...

Just to add to Taffy's comment on Library Elf: it lets you track multiple cards (like yours and all of your childrens) across multiple library systems. It must be pretty easy for libraries to participate, because when I requested that my library join, they were up and running that same morning. So if you don't see your library listed, just ask them.