I have yet to meet a homeschooler who
didn’t love the library. And I have yet to meet a homeschooler who hasn’t
contributed enough fine money to have a new wing named after her. It’s even
happened to us on more than one occasion. So, what’s the solution to this
conundrum?
At first, I’m inclined to shrug my
shoulders. After all, once my (then) 15-year-old daughter had to pay off her
own $40+ fine over time; a few months later, I found another stack of overdue
library books in her possession. Notice I even said that she had to pay the
fine out of her own money; the Bank of Mom does not cover library fines, no
ma’am. One would think that losing an entire month’s worth of babysitting money
would be an effective lesson.
Anyway, not having the answer to
teenage thought processes, I’ll move onto a few more practical solutions to the
library-book dilemma. Some libraries have started printing out a grocery-like
receipt for library books. Instead of sticking used gum in it at the bottom of
your purse, put it on the fridge next to the family calendar. Then, go the next
step and make a notation on the calendar date that the books are due.
Writing the due date on the calendar
can happen even if you don’t have a receipt for the books. If you have more
than one or two books, you can make your own list. If the kids are old enough,
they can help by making their own lists for the books that they checked out, or
the books that are specifically for their use. Again, post this list in a
visible spot.
Another idea that I employed while my
children were younger is to have a central spot for all library books: a
basket, a box, a milk crate, or a separate shelf on the bookshelves. Library
books had to live in the designated spot unless they were actually being read.
Of course, I had to remind my kids many, many times before they caught onto the
idea of returning their library books to the right spot when they were finished
with them for the day.
When we grew out of the
central-location-for-all-library-books idea, we moved onto each girl keeping
all of her library books in her own library bag in her room. They each have
several bags from summer reading programs, and I figured we may as well get
good use out of them. That idea still works pretty well . . . except when it
doesn’t (exhibit A from a few paragraphs ago).
Another option is using an online
program to track your library books. Some libraries actually have their own
computerized system that will email a reminder when your books are due. For the
rest of us, a quick Google search netted me a bunch of returns when I typed in
“online library books due.” I’m sure similar searches would produce more
results for software or online programs to help you keep track of your library
books and their due dates.
Of course, a program is only as good
as its follow through. The same goes for the other ideas I’ve mentioned for
keeping track of library books and due dates: they’re no good if you don’t
physically return the books to the library when they are due (or renew them
online).
Q4U: How do you keep your library books organized?
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