Keeping up with library books, due dates, and activities is a task. Luckily our library system allows me to manage our accounts online and receive text or email reminders. However, this is not fool proof!
Egee checked out two books on a day we typically do not go to the library. These odd ball due dates do not correspond with the numerous other books we have checked out. Somehow, I did not see the reminder to renew or return the books into the library. So, they are five days past due! We are definitely taking them back tomorrow. They would have gone back today, but the library was closed.
Little Man always keeps a few library books in the car. He loves checking out the comic books and 'reading' them as we go places. He picks up many words from the comic books and can follow the story line through the pictures.
The remainder of the books stay in the house. I have a big bag library bag and a small library bag that I keep the books. I try to be as diligent as possible to return the books to the bags after we finish with them during the day. The key word is try.
This doesn't mean that some evenings before a book is due back, we scour the house to find it. "Where did you last put it? What do you mean you don't know? If you were finished with it, why didn't it get put in the bag? Get your brother to crawl under the bed and look for it. Did you take to MeeMee's? " These are the typical questions I blurt as we look for the book.
There is many a time I have to just go on the computer and renew the book. This gives us a bit more time to find it. Rest assured when we do find it, it is returned to the library asap!
I had a close call with a book I check out. I had forgotten all about it and got the reminder of due date. Where was that book? I checked out the book a week before Thanksgiving and then took it to Mother's for her to read. I left it there for a few days and that is all I remembered. Did I bring it home? I wasn't sure. We had flooring installed and the house a mess. I had packed up so many things, thrown others away, and donated many books.
I searched everywhere. I called my mother and she thought my sister had it. I called my sister and she though my mother had it. Everyone was looking for the book. I really thought I probably threw it away with the sack of magazines my mother had sent for me to read. That was the only logical place it would have been.
I renewed the book to give me another four weeks to find it. Just in case it showed up as we reassembled the contents of the house, when the floors were done. I still didn't find it. I had given up all hope. I went to the grocery store and while unloading the bags, I saw it wedged on the side by our emergency bag!
A lesson learned, but with all the books we check out the best we can do is manage them to our ability. I do periodic book checks and round up the strays. So I guess we will see if we owe a fine tomorrow, when we return Egee's books.
