Aubrey Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Our library has recently decreased the # of books that can be requested online. The number you can check out in person is the same, but online, you get 10. The branches in town are abysmal, though. Only the neighboring suburbs have books worth reading. I mean, the children's librarian at one of the *regional* branches here in town (read: very big city) had never heard of Lois Lowry. When I told her I was looking for young adult fiction (such as--), she suggested... Gossip Girl. I had never heard of the series, but the title did not do much to recommend itself. On that particular aisle of library browsing, however, I got quite an education. As a former highschool teacher, I'm surprised that such a brief gander through the library could illuminate so much that I had not already overheard from my students. So I rely quite heavily upon online requests for *other* reading material. I know it's because of budget shortfalls & cutbacks, but I can't help noticing that the good books are in the wealthy suburbs. The tripe is here, where there's all the loveliness that comes with the inward parts of cities. I remember when the library was a refuge from such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I can't help but feel that the burocrats who make decisions like that don't actually read or value reading. It makes me want to smack my head repeatedly into something hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithHopeLove Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Do you live close enough to one of the "wealthier" suburb libraries so you can get a library card from there and go a couple times a month? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted October 24, 2009 Author Share Posted October 24, 2009 Do you live close enough to one of the "wealthier" suburb libraries so you can get a library card from there and go a couple times a month? No, but they're part of our system, so I've been just requesting material online. It's hard to plan around that, though, & so I like to request about 3 wks' worth of history reading at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I would ask very nicely to see if you can get your limit upped as a homeschooler, it can't hurt to try, worst case they say no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I would ask very nicely to see if you can get your limit upped as a homeschooler, it can't hurt to try, worst case they say no. One library I use has teacher cards. You have to renew them each year, showing evidence that you are teaching that year (they include homeschoolers - I used an HSLDA card). Not only do you have unlimited checkouts, but they have a sweet service they do called collections. You give them a subject (like ocean study) and parameters (non fiction, grade level, type of book) and they will pull together a collection of books on the subject. It takes a couple of weeks for them to do this, but wow! Sadly, there is a constant tug of war between a library having books that are a better class of book and having books that are high circulation. I work hard to try to cultivate librarians. I have a few now that will help me out a lot (buying stuff for the library when I request it ILL). They are worth their weight in gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Get cards for the kids too. That way you can request at least 30 books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineFarmMom Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Our local small-town library is the pits so I sympathize with you. I went in the other day looking for a book on Vivaldi. Thumbing through the books on artists/composers, etc., I found books on Kanye West, rap musicians, Michael Jackson...but not one classical musician that I could see. :blink: Pitiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineFarmMom Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 No, but they're part of our system, so I've been just requesting material online. It's hard to plan around that, though, & so I like to request about 3 wks' worth of history reading at a time. If you request it online will they deliver it to your library for you or do you have to drive to the particular library where the book is? Last year, I drove 30 miles to the "good" library in the bigger city. They were a branch of about 12 libraries. I could put a hold on any book in that branch and they'd deliver it to the library within that branch of my choice. It was great. I just had to quit because of the drive. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Our limit is 5 per card, so no pity for you! :001_tt2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara in NH Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I request a lot of books both for pleasure reading & homeschooling, this is for my children mostly (the pleasure reading too) and we have a small library (600 is the population in our town). We have a really wonderful librarian, but she is terribly over worked--she is only there part time hours. I would request books and she would not have enough time to request them (inter-library loan) in a timely way. She would be very appologitic, but couldn't do more that she could do. I asked if there was any way I could help her, and she readily taught me how to do the interlibrary loans via the computer. I now do my own and help her, when I can, w/others requests too. I know this isn't your particular situation, but perhaps it could help others or be an avenue to pursue to solve your concern w/the library. It has made a great difference for our family & has made for a really great relationship w/the librarian (even better than before). As an asside I know many are saying that soon we will all read off computer screens--non-print books, but I really hope that does not come to pass. One I think it is different to have a book that you can hold in your hands and turn the pages. I also love to look at the stacks choose a book or find a new author to try. Second I think that the eye strain issue is huge and know that I now take breaks and use a special tinted pair of glasses to reduce eye strain for myself because I was noticing a real change for the worse in vision, which I now think was being contributed to by eye strain from computer use. Hope you find a workable solution. I know that the library and the many books we enjoy has been an invaluable resource for us. Warmly, Barbara in NH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 We have cards for everyone in the family. Just think how many books you could reserve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Where I live I have to annually buy a Non-Resident [Nearest Town to where I live] library card. Actually, I have to buy 3 of these cards at $25/card (mine + 2 oldest kids). What I've done in the past is use this library card to sign up for the Tex-Share program which is a wonderful way to check out books from participating libraries w/o having to buy the expensive non-resident cards from each city. Last year, one of the participating libraries in a city near me decided to drastically reduce services it provided to Tex-Share card holders: no placing holds on-line; no requesting books, etc (period); only able to check out 5 (?) books at a time from that library; no renewals (period); no checking out audio books/cd's/dvd's (period). Their reason? The library wasn't making enough money because of the Tex-Share cards. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. Of course, this is within their rights (although they are going against the spirit, if not the actual rules, of the program). I wrote the library a letter expressing my disappointment and haven't been back since. Fortunately, there are still fully participating libraries within driving distance. I just hope and pray that Austin doesn't do as this other city has done or I'll have to budget much more money than I currently do for books. Anyway, this is a long-winded way of telling you that I feel your frustrations. Good luck trying to figure out what to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I can't help but feel that the burocrats who make decisions like that don't actually read or value reading. I believe, here in the States, the trend it "whatever we can do to get the kids in" and "it is the taxpayers money, and we need to provide what the majority want" rather than appearing snobby or elite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinRTX Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Aubrey, I know what you mean about the children's librarians. I never ask them for recommendations anymore. I spend so much time researching books for my 9yo. Do you have cards for your children and your husband also. I am usually maxed out on the holds for my card and my 9yo. We go to the library every week and I come home and immediately max out the hold limit again. It is the only way I can keep up with all our reading. I also check the day before to see what is due and gather up those books. I don't renew that day because it confuses my system too much. If I need to renew, I renew first thing library morning day (while I'm having coffee). We usually have several bags of books going here--I keep them in bags. One for each subject and one for books ready to return (not just read but ready to go back). I hope this helps some. I know your life is so much busier than mine since my four are all older than your four. My oldest at home has her own card and orders her own books and is responible for any late fees. The other two are in college or out of college. Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I would ask very nicely to see if you can get your limit upped as a homeschooler, it can't hurt to try, worst case they say no. Tell them taking more home at a time is like carpooling books. Saves gas. That's being a good citizen.:) Get hubby a card, too. At our branch, you can only pick up one's spouse's books with a note from him/her. When my husband asked why, he was told we "might be in the middle of a nasty divorce, and he could have stolen the postcard announcing the ILL book was in from my mailbox". He offered to check it out on HIS card (he had mine with him) so the library would know who had really walked out with it, but no, we "might be in the middle of a nasty divorce...". Sheesh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LND1218 Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Well my library only lets you check out 10 books per card. I would just use everyone's library card to request books. You could get a bunch that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Well my library only lets you check out 10 books per card. I would just use everyone's library card to request books. You could get a bunch that way. We can check out 30 books at a time, but only 4 per Dewey Decimal number at a time in nonfiction - and they go by the first 3 numbers only, not beyond the 'dot'. We do have cards for every family member but the library caught on that many families were checking out books on several cards to get around the limit. Now we have to show photo id for adults if we are using the cards. No matching ID, no books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted October 24, 2009 Author Share Posted October 24, 2009 1. Our library doesn't do teacher cards. 2. Since Library Elf only gives notices on one card per email address, I've been afraid to use the other cards. I accidentally checked some movies out on ds's card over the summer--I'd used his card to reserve extra books (for him)--& the guy *started* the checkout w/ movies. I almost stopped him, but thought--I'll remember. I've got other stuff on my card, & I'm going to get a notice about that. But the other stuff wasn't movies. At $1/day, by the time the library sent me a note, we owed about $50. Now, that's low for me, really, & I shouldn't even sweat it. But we've been here for 2yrs, & w/ Library Elf, I haven't been more than $5 over ever. THAT is amazing for me. So I should have signed up for the pay service. It would have been so much cheaper than this $50 fine. BUT despite the economic principle of sunk cost, I can't bring myself to pay the LE fees now that I've incurred the fines. Although pretty illogical, that's why I'm not using the other cards in my household. Plus, let's say I paid the LE fees & hadn't gotten the late fee. So library usage is around $20-$30/yr, if there are no fines. W/ *some* fines sometimes, it goes up to $40-$50, for argument's sake. Then I have to ask myself, do we really *use* the library (& the books we bring home) enough to justify that expense? Of course the answer is yes when you figure the library's free, but at this price...I'm not sure. It's not like they have a great selection of readily-available material. And reading, not to mention library trips, is a little hard to pull off these days. Why is it that we're so much more likely to read books we own than books we've checked out from the library? Is that just me? So I guess my problem is partly personal, partly library. It's tempting to just take my library $ over to 1/2 price books. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OHGrandma Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Our library has recently decreased the # of books that can be requested online. The number you can check out in person is the same, but online, you get 10. The branches in town are abysmal, though. Only the neighboring suburbs have books worth reading. I mean, the children's librarian at one of the *regional* branches here in town (read: very big city) had never heard of Lois Lowry. When I told her I was looking for young adult fiction (such as--), she suggested... Gossip Girl. I had never heard of the series, but the title did not do much to recommend itself. On that particular aisle of library browsing, however, I got quite an education. As a former highschool teacher, I'm surprised that such a brief gander through the library could illuminate so much that I had not already overheard from my students. So I rely quite heavily upon online requests for *other* reading material. I know it's because of budget shortfalls & cutbacks, but I can't help noticing that the good books are in the wealthy suburbs. The tripe is here, where there's all the loveliness that comes with the inward parts of cities. I remember when the library was a refuge from such. I think the prevailing thought is that it is better for a child to read fluff than to read nothing. Get them hooked on fluff and they will move on to more substantial reading. So, the library stocks fluff. Unfortunately, I don't think kids naturally move past fluff on their own. It takes an involved parent or mentor to guide a child into reading more advanced material. Our library has 3 locations. One is in a college town, one within walking distance of a poorer neighborhood, one is in a brand new development. They all have a distinctly different 'flavor' to the juvenile books that are kept at each one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I understand your pain. Sometimes I am #100 on the hold list, so I think it only makes sense that I would be reading other things while waiting for that. My library, thankfully, believes that whatever encourages patrons to read is a good thing, so we have unlimited checkouts and unlimited holds. I think most people don't really check out that many items at one time, but I do. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 1. Our library doesn't do teacher cards. 2. Since Library Elf only gives notices on one card per email address, I've been afraid to use the other cards. I accidentally checked some movies out on ds's card over the summer--I'd used his card to reserve extra books (for him)--& the guy *started* the checkout w/ movies. I almost stopped him, but thought--I'll remember. I've got other stuff on my card, & I'm going to get a notice about that. But the other stuff wasn't movies. At $1/day, by the time the library sent me a note, we owed about $50. Now, that's low for me, really, & I shouldn't even sweat it. But we've been here for 2yrs, & w/ Library Elf, I haven't been more than $5 over ever. THAT is amazing for me. So I should have signed up for the pay service. It would have been so much cheaper than this $50 fine. BUT despite the economic principle of sunk cost, I can't bring myself to pay the LE fees now that I've incurred the fines. Although pretty illogical, that's why I'm not using the other cards in my household. Plus, let's say I paid the LE fees & hadn't gotten the late fee. So library usage is around $20-$30/yr, if there are no fines. W/ *some* fines sometimes, it goes up to $40-$50, for argument's sake. Then I have to ask myself, do we really *use* the library (& the books we bring home) enough to justify that expense? Of course the answer is yes when you figure the library's free, but at this price...I'm not sure. It's not like they have a great selection of readily-available material. And reading, not to mention library trips, is a little hard to pull off these days. Why is it that we're so much more likely to read books we own than books we've checked out from the library? Is that just me? So I guess my problem is partly personal, partly library. It's tempting to just take my library $ over to 1/2 price books. :lol: $20 annually is an absolute steal (it's $30 for me, b/c I still wind up with fines). Even $50 or more is well worth it for me - - a dollar used book is $4-$5 with shipping. Even if we could spend $50 and get 25 good books, 25 books is not even the tip of our reading iceberg. So, I definitely think the library is worth it, fines, waiting for books, and all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 ,,, We have a really wonderful librarian, but she is terribly over worked--she is only there part time hours. I would request books and she would not have enough time to request them (inter-library loan) in a timely way. She would be very apologetic, but couldn't do more that she could do. I asked if there was any way I could help her, and she readily taught me how to do the interlibrary loans via the computer. I now do my own and help her, when I can, w/others requests too. Ah, one of the librarians here also taught me how to request my own inter-library loan books! I'm another big library user. My husband jokes with friends that I don't max out our credit cards; I max out our library cards! Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.