Suggestions re: library books

[accidental_hs'er]

Specifically, where do you keep them?

I am trying to get more organized before heading into the next school year. We live in a fairly small house already over run with our own books. On top of that we frequent libraries in two towns. One because I help run a co-op that is part of a library program - and we need to boost their circulation to keep our co-op running. The other is my local library. So, we have so many books all over the place and when the time comes to run out the door with the right set of books I usually end up missing one or two.

I have 2 dks and they take out over a hundred books a month easily. I was looking at recycling bins from Ikea with a flip up lid in front that you could stack and thinking that may be one way to help me out. They are pretty ugly though.

Has anyone come up with a good solution?

TIA!
Michelle

[phathui5]

I keep ours' in a rectangular basket next to the couch. (It's a pretty big basket). When we're reading one, it's out, but when we're not reading it, it goes back.

[Grace and Granola]

I have the same problem. We usually check out 50 books at a time and I have a book area in every room. Either a basket or bookcase. The problem is that because we also have our own books, it's really hard not to get them mixed together. I thought I would try to keep library books in the family room in the "book basket," but we just can't help taking those books into the bedrooms for nighttime reading or one kid takes one into the car or walks around the house with one to show daddy something neat. Every couple weeks, I just have to go through the books and try to find them all. I hope someone has a clever solution to this problem. But as my husband says, "We could have worse problems!"

[mumm]

In the little kid bedroom with have sling shelves so the front of the book is facing out. We also have one in the main living area. (well, two- one for library books and one for our books.) Then we also have 4 canvas boxes (old bike panniers) that the older kids keep library books in.

Then we have an office where more books are stacked near our home library.

[One_Girl]

We use the cloth shopping bags and I keep them in my room by my shelf. When my dd takes a book from the bag she generally puts it back. We were having trouble with her putting the books on her shelf, but she has stopped because I told her she would be responsible for the fine from now on and she hates to part with any of her money.

[frugalmama]

We have a small bookcase next to my desk just for library books.

Ours also does online renewals, so I can pull up a list of what we have with dates to make sure nothing is late.

[SparklingGemini]

We use baskets too. I keep one basket upstairs and one downstairs and those are strictly for checked out library books.

When I'm doing my daily reshelving(I swear! If I had known I would be reshelving books this often, I would have become a librarian!), I just pop the library ones into the proper baskets.

I also keep a printed list next to my calendar, so I can keep track of what is due when.

Originally Posted by frugalmama

Ours also does online renewals, so I can pull up a list of what we have with dates to make sure nothing is late.

Yes! My library's webpage has been invaluable to me for placing holds and keep track of checked out books and paying fines . We check out soooo many books that I really don't know what I would do without accessing my account online.

[ChinaDoll]

I have a bright pink crate sitting on the bookshelf, and all library books must stay there/be returned to there while we have them checked out.

[luv2homeschool]

We have a big brown bucket/container that they are supposed to go in, but right now dd6 had them all over the floor of her room. She has just taken to reading chapter books, and is breezing through them! We need another container just for her room.

[nov05mama]

We have a crate/basket that sits on a shelf on one of our small tables in the school room where we keep all the library books for DS. My books from the library usually stay in my room our on the computer desk. I am not sure what I would do for multiple children though...maybe a crate per child?!

[skueppers]

I have the same problem with multiple libraries. The libraries' online systems are the only thing that keeps the situation halfway under control for me!

We have a special shelf for library books in our living room, but I think we're going to need a bin upstairs near the kids' bedrooms, too.

[MyLittleWonders]

We have specific baskets in the den for library books. When I check out books for myself, I typically keep them in my room (mainly because the boys check out so many themselves that there usually isn't room for mine in the baskets with theirs). They are allowed to take books into their room, but they must be kept out in the open - usually on top of their cubbies so I can easily track them down. They are not allowed out of the house - if they want a book in the car they take one of ours.

I too utilize our library's on-line system as well as Library Elf (I sucked it up and paid the yearly subscription so I could put all 5 cards on my email/account). It is a lifesaver to know exactly what is due and when. (The only time it doesn't work out as nicely is when we check out something that our library has logged in as "paperback" instead of having it in the system by title/author - then I have to look up the barcode to make sure I return the correct book.)

[AAK]

We do things a bit different. I have specific spots for the books we own. I don't want library books getting lost in there. I also have a library "bag" (well, usually bags)--large canvas bags that we use for our library books. However, I really don't want the books put there UNTIL we are done with them. That way, I can just grab the bag(s) when we head out the door and not worry about bringing something back too soon. The "in process books" are usually found in a variety of spaces. Read alouds are on the end table. My books are by my bed, Anna's are kept by her bed and the other girls have a bin. But, I expect them to be everywhere, really. And, like others have said before. . . the online renewal, etc is a lifesaver. My library also emails me three days prior to a due date.

If I had two library systems, I would still do it this way since the libraries all mark their books pretty well and it would be easy to do a quick sort before dropping them in the slot. I might try to keep separate bags, but would expect to check them first anyways.

Amy

[akwifeandmomma]

I'm subbing. I need serious library book help.

We check out from two different libraries - city and homeschool charter. Three kids choosing books and reading in bed, the schoolroom, family room, outside.... along with a mama who reads voraciously, all over the house... yeah. We are always scrambling to find a missing book or 3...

[karemore]

I love hearing about other families who take out stacks and stacks of books. Our library knows us, but when we visit other libraries in our system they always seem shocked.

Library books have their own shelf in my room. They can be taken anywhere in the house, but go back on the shelf when they aren't being read. When we're done with a library book it goes into a huge canvas bag to be returned.

We can return books at any library in our system, but if I have dozens I try to return them to the library we got them from by using a different canvas bag for each library. When I know we're going to or near a certain library, I move the canvas bag near the front door so I won't forget it.

I do make a point of returning all library books every few months. For a week we use only our own books. Then we start up with the stacks of library books again. This helps me to sort out our own books that we've outgrown and to find books we should be using more. (And it's nice to have less clutter for a short time.)

[BeanyMama]

We have one of those big, flat laundry baskets on the fireplace for them and them alone. I also try to limit our checked out stuff to three books each per child per week, but that's sometimes tricky

[Forsanda]

In the library bag right next to the homeschool cabinet. They're easily accessible and they're all in one place when it's time to return them.

[daytripper75]

We put ours in canvas bags.

[Momma Aimee]

2 part plan here.

1. a tubbie by the book shelf, each night as we clean up all the Lib books go in the tubbie, i try to encourage then being retruned there all day -- but the boys are young.

2. i started making a list of books, when we arrive home i make a list of all the books we got that day (I now blog it each time we go, and talk about the books).

so far so good, only one lost -- and found a few months later -- in our own shelves.

i have also found, the cleaner i keep the house, the less books get missed and also the more we read the ones we have too

also -- OT I lust after a lib with a Net system for looking up book and renewing books and so on ...