LauraGB Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 I just received a personal email from the librarian at the branch we always go to to inform me that our inter-library loan is in. She also told me that we had a few over due items (a few days), and she renewed them for us so they are now due Oct 1. How incredibly cool is that? If you have a :party: for your library, weigh in here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 My library is AWESOME! Love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 Our library system just went to the policy where you can only get inter-library loans delievered to your "home" library (based on where you live) but I go to another closer library about 99% of the time. The librarian there got in the computer and changed my "home" library to that library so now I can continue to use it. I just received a personal email from the librarian at the branch we always go to to inform me that our inter-library loan is in. She also told me that we had a few over due items (a few days), and she renewed them for us so they are now due Oct 1. How incredibly cool is that? If you have a :party: for your library, weigh in here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 They have air conditioning. So fairly cool. :) What I like about our library is that it is beautiful. It also has very kind and knowledgeable staff. That's tax dollars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 Fairfax County is wonderful--great selection, can't check out once you reach $15 overdue (so you don't pile up even more fines on new stuff), and we get reminder emails 3 days before things are due. They will let you pay a fine over time, and they also will renew items that are overdue to stop the fines and give you extra time to get them in. You can only renew 3 times (3 weeks each time, except for some new items that you can only check out for a week) if no one has it on hold. Everyone is helpful. You can return books to any county library, even if you checked them out at a different branch. I love our library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brijen97 Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 We have a wonderful small, local library that is part of a county-wide system so we have access to multiple libraries plus interlibrary loan over a very large radius. I love that we have a choice of libraries to visit but usually we are happy at our own small one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 Our library is awesome! If you are a teacher or a "documented" Homeschooler (which is not any trouble at all) you can get a "collectors" card which lets you check out unlimited stuff, automatically renews them, no fines EVER, and you can claim 3 items lost per year with no charge. They also purchase just about everything I have ever asked them to purchase. My librarians at my branch are awesome, I can call them up with only my first name and they know who I am, etc etc and I get to use their meeting room for my writing club all year for free. Whoo hoo! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Fairfax County is wonderful--great selection, can't check out once you reach $15 overdue (so you don't pile up even more fines on new stuff), and we get reminder emails 3 days before things are due. They will let you pay a fine over time, and they also will renew items that are overdue to stop the fines and give you extra time to get them in. You can only renew 3 times (3 weeks each time, except for some new items that you can only check out for a week) if no one has it on hold. Everyone is helpful. You can return books to any county library, even if you checked them out at a different branch. I love our library. :iagree:I love the library system in Fairfax County! My favorite thing is sitting in the comfort of my home browsing the catalog for books to go along with SOTW and other school subjects, then picking them up from the hold shelf without having to search the library for them. I've even put holds on books that my 3yo wants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Our library has all of those features online. I love it. And yes, our librarian is cool also. She knows my children's names, talks to them about their interests, and ferociously defends our rights to homeschool. Now if only our hours hadn't been cut to only 2 days a week. UUGH, city politics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Well, one of the cool things about our library is that one of the head librarians in the children's department also homeschools her children :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 My library is totally awesome. Unlimited checkouts and interlibrary loans, no fines ever, and I've been using one of their meeting rooms two days a week for the past 3-4 years. This year the librarian called me and said "I've reserved your rooms at the usual time." - how's that for proactive? Meanwhile, the next town over, you can reserve a room once a year if you give them some blood and maybe your first-born, they fine everything and then act like it was a capital crime, and they give you dirty looks for just being alive. Oh, and they think they're such hot stuff that they refuse to be a member of any consortium, so you can't interlibrary loan there. Ew. Makes me appreciate my totally awesome library even more!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 We have a great library except for the one small fact that it won't let you do anything on-line (place holds, renew, ect.) if you have even the smallest fine. We used to be able to use three different libraries but since we moved to this house we have found that just the one is plenty. They always have new books. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 I love my interlibrary loan lady (LOL) too! We always chat a bit in emails and she's super friendly. Our library also does all sorts of different children's programs, which I like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Could I have just a smidgen of your library, please? While I live in a suburb of a large metropolitan city, our county library system STINKS. The librarians are one step above rude, never smile and heaven forbid if I have to ask them for some help. Last winter, I visited our DD in Minneapolis for 8 weeks when she had her baby. I didn't realize how bad our library was until I got a taste of a wonderful library system. While they knew I was only visiting, they went out of their way to find books for DS, called several times to see if we needed anything, and were just the most gracious people I have run into in a long time. Kudos to all the great librarians and library systems out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Mine is AWESOME! I get a phone call if an ILL is in. They also tell me all about new books they have in, especially homeschooling ones :) They also noticed me checking out Hunger Games for myself and thought it was for DD8 and felt they should warn me it was violent, which I thought was very thoughtful. I love me a nice small town library! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 :party:I love my library! This week alone I downloaded a book (free) to my dd14 iPod, selected over 100 books from the comfort of my computer, received a lovely phone call when the books arrived at my home library, went to pick up the books to find that the librarians had them checked out and boxed for me. The librarians had also checked my account and renewed any books that were close to the due date. I love my library and the librarians are angels in my eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 My library is so wonderful that there are three other libraries closer to me, but I go to my favorite instead:) Even though my out-of-town card costs me $50/yr (no cost at two of the closer libraries), it's STILL 100% worth it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Our library and librarians are the best! The absolute best! Just today, my friend S and I were commenting on how awesome our library is! And how lucky we are!!! 1) Everything can be done online: a)browse catalog b)reserve books: they pull them off the shelf for you c)renew books d)check to see what is overdue e)can sign up for emails of recent releases of types of books (mystery, scifi, chicklit, etc) or new dvd purchases 2) The bookmobile a) brings reserved books b) staff knows our names..and I don't even carry my library card to the bookmobile c) staff homeschools their kids d) telephones us if the bookmobile is out of service and renews our books automatically in this situation e) no overdue books if the bookmobile is out of service or on vacation f) is air conditioned g) has a stop at the park 3 blocks from our house; a perfect family outing! 3) Our library a) staff knows our names b) allows community rooms free for public use if for nonprofits or events open to the public (like knitting club) c) shows tons of movies in the auditorium d) books music groups once a month e) books music 1X/week in the "Bookends at the Bandshell" event every summer at Bandshell Park. f) provides volunteer opportunities to special needs and disabled individuals g) allows one to renew books multiple times (unless requested by another person) h) will let one work off fines by shelving books i) collects Campbell Soup Labels j) allows food and drink anywhere in the library; it is a good place to stop for a packed lunch and some playtime with the kids k) has auto repair manuals online that you can access from home 4) Our Childrens' Room: a) offers childrens' programming from infants through teens b) has a special teen loft area, and has teen "lock-in"s at the library c) has Harry Potter film festivals d) has awesome reading programs with prizes from beanie babies to books to swim pass coupons, free cookie coupons, ice arena coupons, free ice cream coupons....plus special drawings like "lunch with a librarian" or "ride on the bookmobile to get ice cream." e) has an infant reading program in the summer with prizes that....are NOT for infants (like dinner for two at a nice restaurant). f)has a playroom that consists of puppets, a lego table, a puppet box (and puppets can be checked out!), and many, many toys! It's a great place to go on a rainy day! g) can check out board puzzles, childrens' musical instruments, flannelboard sets of books h) has its own mascot and book written about it (written by my friend Kay!) http://catalog.amespubliclibrary.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=12835J4X7572L.18153&profile=main&uri=link=3100018~!413490~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&ri=3&source=~!horizon&term=Marner%2C+Kay.&index=PAUTHOR i) has Spanish, Russian, and Chinese story times for children j) has little cards of common topics of story books on their wall: toilet training books, going to school book, new baby arriving books, popular CDs of preschool actions songs k) has a few computers for computer games that the kids can sign up for. This is a good way to preview childrens' software before buying it! l) offers Friday afternoon movies for the kids all summer long m) staff puts customer service first: their first job is to help people to find what they need and use the library to the fullest....no matter what else is on the desk that needs to be done! Keep in mind, this is NOT a major metropolitan library. Our town is ~50K people; half that when the university students leave for the summer. They were recently evaluated and told that for the volume of use the library received, they needed a building twice as big! ETA: has homeschool "lunch bunch" activities...that we haven't gone to yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 I love the main library in my city. It is huge and beautiful. Every single book I've ever needed I've found there. The librarians are very, very helpful and just amazing. Since our car broke down, the one I go to know is a few blocks away. Very small and usually doesn't have the books I am looking for but still an interesting little collection and one librarian there is just hilarious! The one I grew up with was amazing and some of my best memories are there. It was small but I remember all the puppet shows, magic shows and read-a-louds. I won Harry Potter books 1-4 there when I was younger. I had Pneumonia but I begged my mom to drag me down there anyways to claim them. We have inter-library loan and they're usually pretty cool when it comes to overdue books. As long as the fine is under $10.00 we can still take things out and if it is $5.00 or less they usually wave it. There are a few grouchy librarians but for the most part, they're helpful and very much people persons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 One of the directors of our library is a huge homeschool advocate. They stock curriculum; and have a seperate "educational resources" aisle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 My library has a drive-through window. :D I don't think it gets much cooler than that. Three of the librarians know me by name, know I'm a homeschooler, and will often offer recommendations based on what we're currently reading. For instance, I checked out an Animals Encyclopedia this week, and the librarian told me, "Oh! We have this wonderful book on Mammals! You would love it." Then she found it and put it on hold for me. :) I get great service there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 No overdue fees for children's books. Otherwise it's mediocre. But I do like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 We love our librarian, Miss Hope. She's very cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 I have a great library too - Central Rappahannock Regional Library. They have all the Story of the World volumes and the CDs and The History of the Ancient World. Most of the librarians know me and some even pull my holds when they see me come in. The one who helped me yesterday homeschooled her children, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Ours is pretty terrific too. The librarians all know us. They will always renew our overdue books, and a lot of times they will waive our fees. They have an awesome interlibrary loan system with no fees for use. They have lots of fun children's and teen programs, including Wii games and Yu-gi-oh card tournaments (LOL) - which is right up my 13yo's alley. The only thing I am sad about is that recently they decided to get rid of all their VHS videos, I guess because they figured everyone uses DVDs these days. But some series that we really liked were only available on VHS and now we can't get them any longer. Boo hoo! Other than that, I love our library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaissezFaire Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Our library actually CALLS me when we have a book in if I haven't come and picked it up right away. I have had my fees waived a couple times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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