[mamasneedlove]

Hi,

I'm a LLL Leader and I'm getting my CBE certification. As Leaders, my co-Leader and I struggle with our lending library because we want moms to be able to check out books and refer to them without having to buy them, but we know books often either don't come back or have to be hunted down with lots of effort on our part. We just replace them with funds from memberships.

As a future CBE and possible doula, I'm hoping to use the great library I have amassed to loan out to moms. How do you manage an individual professional lending library? I don't foresee wanting to replace them with my own money, but maybe I could set aside a budget from what I earn for replacing them. I don't want to hound moms in a sensitive, busy time, but I will want to be able to share the books with other moms.

Advice? Experience?

Thanks!

Jen Chendea

 

[WildDoula]

As a doula and student midwife, I also have a hoard of books that I have collected and find wonderful.

I have a small contract for lending library books, and a small $30 deposit. Basically just says that they will return the book and when they do they will receive their deposit back assuming the book is returned the way it was lent, beyond normal wear and tear. My moms don't mind usually, since it's just an extra piece of paper in amongst all they are signing and a small enough amount of money that it isn't significant to most. Obviously for moms that are struggling financially I don't require a deposit.

 

[mamasneedlove]

Ah, good idea! Do you include the price in your fee or make it optional? Do they ever want to check out multiple books? I'll consider that, thanks. Anyone else?

 

[WildDoula]

It's optional. And yes, sometimes I get multiple books checked out, but I try to limit it to 2 at a time.

 

[kcparker]

I am a birth doula and have a very simple system. When I give a mom something on loan (yoga ball, book, rebozo, etc.), I write it down on my copy of the contract. When they give it back, I cross it off. I have yet to lose anything by loaning it to a client, but I have lost a book or two to other doulas.