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!

Homeschooling and Libraries Interview

My interview with world famous librarian and author Adrienne Furness is running at her blog: Homeschooling and Libraries. It's a seven parter.

Keeping Tabs on Your Library Materials

This is an awesomely cool resource: ELF: Your Personal Library Reminder Service.

If you sign up for their service, you'll receive regular emails telling you what you have out on your card, what's due when, and the status of any holds, inter-library loans, or inner-library loans. It's especially handy for heavy borrowers like me. It's also handy for patrons with multiple cards. (We have a total of nine library cards - one for each family member.)

Thanks to Adrienne for introducing me to this website!

Libraries and Homeschoolers

This is awesome news: Children's librarian writing a book on how libraries can serve homeschoolers. Looks like she already has a publisher. Check out the author's blog and leave her many comments on what you would like to see in her book.

Using the public library to it's fullest extent is THE number one way to be a Thrifty Homeschooler. Use this opportunity to get your voice heard and let librarians all across the country know what makes a great public library.

And while we're on the topic, go check out Nancy Brown's Yahoo Group: Homeschool Library Connection.

Homeschool Library Connection

A big way to save money in our homeschools is to utilize the library. Check out this great email list to get started using the library effectively: Homeschool Library Connection.

From the website:
Description

The library can be an awesome resource for homeschoolers, but is useless if it doesn't carry the books that we need.

The sole purpose of the Homeschool Library Connection email list is to help homeschoolers make purchasing suggestions to their public libraries.

I will present titles of interest to homeschoolers, including all of the information that you should need to make a purchasing suggestion to your library -- title, author, publisher, date published, ISBN #, price, and comments.

Let your voice be heard. If your library has a website go to it now and see if you can make purchasing suggestions online. If so, make a suggestion! If not, next time you visit the library ask for a patron request form and then fill it out!

Some tips:
--The form you need to fill out may be called a variety of things: patron request, item request, purchase suggestion, or something similar.
--Sometimes it's easier to ask a main library instead of a suburban or branch library.
--You'll have a better chance of a purchase at a big library than a small one which needs to get rid of books to save room.
--Titles published in the past year are more likely to be purchased. Librarians want their purchases to have a long shelf life and so are weary of older books.
--If you do suggest an older title, make sure to comment that it is a "classic" and will be checked out for years to come.
--Don't give up if you feel that your suggestions are ignored. Your voice will eventually be heard!
--Tell all of your like-minded friends to make purchasing suggestions too. There is power in numbers.

The Dewey Decimal Classification System

I stumbled upon this website today and plan to use it for teaching the Dewey Decimal System: Do We Really Know Dewey. It was put together by 6th grade students. There is a funny story about Melvil Dewey meeting aliens that actually helps children remember the classifications of the Dewey Decimal System, as well as puzzles, tests, and so on. Check it out.