Do your dc have their own library cards?

[Tracy]

My dd just turned 6yo, which means that she is now old enough to have her own library card. I know it would make her feel really grown up, but it seems that it would be nothing but hassle for me to keep track of two cards and two accounts. Does anyone else let their dc have their own library cards?

[Satori]

Well my daughter got a library card when she was 5, but that's just so we could check out more books. Our limit was 20. I keep the card in my purse and on my keychain though. If I just handed it to her, it would be lost within the week.

 

I keep both of our account numbers in my Google Tasks list so I can easily look up our accounts online as needed.

[boscopup]

My oldest does. I think we got cards when he was 2 or 3. We usually go to a different system though, where I have to pay for a card. I still have just my own for now. When we start hitting the limit (i think it's 30 books), I'll upgrade to a family account, so all the kids would have cards.

 

I keep all cards myself, and usually check everything out on one card anyway. If I use 2, it's not a big deal to check two accounts. The numbers and passwords are stored in my browser.

[silliness7]

My dd just turned 6yo, which means that she is now old enough to have her own library card. I know it would make her feel really grown up, but it seems that it would be nothing but hassle for me to keep track of two cards and two accounts. Does anyone else let their dc have their own library cards?

 

The more accounts one person has to keep track of the more hassle.period. I keep track of my account and my dh's account (because I use it very frequently) and that is enough!

 

I let my oldest 3 have their own library cards back in Sept. when they started a paper route. Now they have their own money for fines/damages and are also responsible enough to keep up with their account online.

 

My oldest dd, who is almost 9 is begging for her own card but I told her not til she has a job. Now she's begging for a paper route. :lol:

[SweetMissMagnolia]

yes but I'm not sure we've actually used his yet LOL it's just easier/quicker to pull mine out and do them all on one card..........

[K&Rs Mom]

Mine do - it's a rite of passage for them when they are solid readers plus able to fill out the form & sign their name on the back. It means they have a little more freedom in choosing books they want instead of what I want, and gives them some sense of responsibility.

 

To deal with the card-control issue, I folded an index card in half the short way to make a little pocket, stapled the sides shut, and stuck it on each dd's bedroom wall near their library box. All books must go in their library box or mine, and cards must go back to their pocket as soon as we get home. My younger has had a couple of fines, mostly from leaving her books in her backpack instead of putting them in the box where she can check the dates. Mostly, though, this has worked really well for us.

[Giraffe]

DD got her library card when she was 3. The librarian asked her if she wanted one and of course she said yes. I let her use it a couple of times, then she forgot about it. It's in my wallet and hasn't been used in about 9 months. If she remembers it I'll bring it back out, or if we hit a limit at the library (which we haven't, yet).

[mamakimberly]

Yes, they are 6 & 8.

 

I have everyone's account info on my computer- so I log in a total of 4 times to see who has what out...

 

All almost-due notices (we get 3-days-before-due-date notices) and hold notices are emailed to me and only me.

[Sew happily ever after]

Each of my 4 children have library cards. They got them when they turned 2! I didn't really use them much, until recently. Now the cards stay in a pocket in my purse, but when they are ready to check out, they each use their own card. Saves me time! They have children's cards which mean they can only check out books or magazines in the children's department and no audio visual items which means, no movies.

[Mommy22alyns]

Yes, each girl has her own library card. They need to have it for the summer reading program.

[CountryRose]

My DD has had her own card since she was around 5 or 6. She keeps it in her purse and has had to pay a fine once or twice out of her allowance. I think it has been a good lesson in responsibility for her.

[momto2Cs]

Well my daughter got a library card when she was 5, but that's just so we could check out more books. Our limit was 20. I keep the card in my purse and on my keychain though. If I just handed it to her, it would be lost within the week.

 

I keep both of our account numbers in my Google Tasks list so I can easily look up our accounts online as needed.

 

:iagree: I keep both my kids' cards (the keychain ones) in my purse. Ds keeps his regular one in his wallet, and I think dd's is in her little purse. They love having their own cards, and they have learned to place books on hold, search the online catalog, etc. I also have all our account numbers and passowrds stored so I can keep an eye on their accounts.

[ChandlerMom]

Well my daughter got a library card when she was 5, but that's just so we could check out more books. Our limit was 20. I keep the card in my purse and on my keychain though. If I just handed it to her, it would be lost within the week.

 

I keep both of our account numbers in my Google Tasks list so I can easily look up our accounts online as needed.

 

Same here. What gets us is can only have 5 books/DVD/CDs on hold per account -- we max that out all the time even with 3 cards!

[coffeegal]

I guess we're the odd ones here. I don't let my kids have a library card until they're 11. With a library card they get to check out as many books as they want, and they have access to the library's computer and the internet. They are also able to put books on hold. However, they pay all library fines and are responsible for their card and number. ;)

 

Before they're 11, I limit the books check out to they're age. It's easier to keep track of, and also the number of books a child can carry to the car. Seriously, 1 book more than their age and books are dropped the entire way to the car. Go figure. :lol:

 

The thought of dealing with little kids and library cards makes me go gray, lol. I like my life simple... or at least as simple and calm as 6 kids, a dog, and an energetic dh will allow. :D

 

ETA: Our library has a book limit of 50, although my limit was raised when the librarians realized the kids were all on my account. The kids also don't need a library card for the summer reading program. It all helps to keep things simpler.

Edited April 12, 2011 by coffeegal

[Daisy]

All four of us in our family have library cards.

 

Getting a library card is a rite of passage in our family. They have to be able to print neatly their first and last name and have memorized their address and phone number.

 

I keep the cards in my purse. We can check out 30 books per card and I often have nearly 100 books out at a time. We have a special shelf for library books and we've yet to have a problem with keeping track of them.

[Homemama2]

Depends on the library...

At one we can check out 50 books...so we only need one card

At another one you can only check out 10, so all four us have one....

Then at the little one in our town, they know you by name so you don't need one! (As in ....there aren't any cards...it's a really small town :D)

[BBarnes]

Not yet. He hasn't asked for one, and I'm in no hurry to have another account to keep track of. If or when he asks about getting his own card I will let him.

[blakereese]

Yes, my 7 year old has a library card. He couldn't wait to do it. :) He filled out the form, and signed the back...it was so cute.

 

He only checks out a few books with his card, he just likes to whip it out and "pay" for his books. He acts like it is a credit card. :lol:

 

We don't have a limit on checkouts, so I check most things out on my card, but I can easily check on his acct online. Pretty much every day I'm online checking to see if we have anything due or if there are holds to pick up. His acct. is under mine, so it is very easy to keep tabs on it.

 

Now my DD wants a library card, but to be fair I said she had to wait until she is 7, just like her brother. :001_smile:

[FO4UR]

Yes. I have all 5 of our cards on my keychain.

 

I fill up my card first. We don't often use more than 2 cards. 50 books is the limit, so I could have 250 books out at a time...but I shudder at the potential for fines, so we keep it to around 50 for now.

 

I went today to pay my fines.:tongue_smilie: On a side note...they rearranged the shelves so that all the twaddle is in the kiddie section and all of the good educational picture books are with the adult books by topic (science is all neatly divided by life/chem/phys and history by time period/geography) My kids were SO excited...you know you are a homeschooler when ...the only thing that excites them more than newly organized shelves at home is newly organized shelves at the library.:lol:

[Crispa]

DS was thrilled to get his own library card a few years ago! His and mine sit next to each other in my wallet. I give the card to him at the library, and he gives it back to me "for safekeeping" after the books are checked out, and we just use his to check out everything. It's no harder to put stuff on his card than on mine, and it gives him a sense of ownership or grown-up-ness, or something. :)

 

Maybe it'll become more of an issue someday when he has his own wallet to put the card in, and he's driving himself to the library, and he starts checking stuff out at different times from me. But for the time being, there's really nothing complicated about it.

[Jenny in Florida]

Mine were allowed to get cards in their own names when they learned to read.

 

Our library system actually pushes for even very young children to have their own cards. I'm sure it has something to do with their funding (showing how many people use the library or something similar). We resisted.

 

Although they got their own cards at ages five and seven, I maintain all of the accounts and keep track of what is checked out to whom. My daughter doesn't use the library much even when she is home. My son and I go through phases of trying to read from the library to save money, but we inevitably slip and start buying books again when we can't get the titles we want.

 

We don't use our library as heavily as it seems others on these boards do. So, the multiple accounts are not a big problem for us.

[Brenda in FL]

Yes - all my children received their own library card after they completed 100EZ lessons. It was a great incentive.

 

In the early years I kept their library cards, except that they had the keyring lanyards so when we went to the library they had the card on their person. They loved waiting in line and handing over their own card. Now the two olders keep their library cards (and I keep all the keyring cards with me.) Hmmm - I need to get the 8 year old one of those lanyards!

 

I keep track of all the library numbers online - so it isn't a big deal. If they can't find a book when it's due - then they pay the fine. If its late due to my fault - I pay.

 

And as already mentioned - it's so helpful to have multiple cards when there are borrowing and hold limitations.

[Kuovonne]

Both of my DD have their own library cards. I got DD7 her card when she was two but held onto it for her until she was about 6. DD5 got hers as soon as she turned 5 and was able to print her name legibly.

 

They keep their library cards in their purses. They check out their own books on their own cards. They have their own book bags and are responsible for gathering and carrying all of their books every week to and from the library. (In general, I have them return all books every week, whether or not they are due.) DD7 sometimes asks the librarian for help putting books on hold.

 

I let DD7 check out as many books as she is willing and capable of carrying.

I let DD5 check out a maximum of 2 books at a time. Once she is capable of reading I'll remove that limit.

 

After checking out her books, each girl is required to show me her stack of books and her printed receipt. (Our library uses self-check stations.) We have a dedicated bin in our living room for storing library books.

[Sasharowan]

All of mine have gotten cards when they could write their first and last name without help. Mostly ds9 is the only one to use his. I have both boys' cards in my wallet, but dd keeps track of hers. Ds15's card is only used if I go over my limit. It is easy to check them online.

[bbsweetpea]

My kids have their own cards starting at age 5. We live outside of the city limits though so it is attached to our paid family account. In the summers they are allowed to have their own account (all school age kids can) but we have never switched it over just for that.

[justamouse]

Yes, they all do and it's something that they all loved getting. A homeschooing right of passage! :D

[Ellie]

As soon as my dc could sign their names, they got library cards.

 

However, we had a simple method of keeping track of library books: all books were returned every week, whether they'd been read or not. No exceptions.

[robsiew]

Yup! I have 5 cards to keep track of! I wish there was a way to see all our family cards at once...

[linders]

First, it's a kind of right of passage in our house (as soon as you can sign your full name you can get one). And second, our library limits just how many books you can have out at a time (25) so I have to spread our checkouts over at least 2 cards.

 

Fortunately, the electronic system at the library allows me to check all the accounts with one email/password, which I do every couple of days to see what's due.

[mommycheryl]

Yes, both of my kids have their own. I just keep the keychain tag on my keychain with my card and the vast number of store cards I have to carry around.

[iquilt]

Yes, but mostly so that we can check out more books. I use mine for "school" books, the ones I put on hold for history, science or math. We always have more than 20 fun books checked out along with the ones I choose so we need multiple cards.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Yes. It has been our "reward" for learning how to write one's name. They use it a few times, but eventually, it's a pain for me, so we stick to using just one card so I can keep track of all our books. From time to time, I use one when I'm maxed out or need to pay a fine, but want to reserve a book online. We have the "key chain" tab sized cards now, so I have a key chain with all of my discount cards, etc. that will fit on it and keep it hanging at the front door.

[sewingmama]

In Australia you can get your kid a library card as soon as they are born. All my kids have one because we can only check out 20 books at a time. I keep all the cards and just keep handing them to the librarian as each card fills up :D It's no real trouble to keep track of the books because I keep them all together in a plastic tub out of their reach.

 

As they get older I'll allow them more control over their card - but that won't be for a long time yet.

[Rivka]

Our library has a "first card" for children under six. They can only check out children's materials, and there are NO FINES for overdue materials. They promote it even in their infant/toddler story hour as a way of encouraging parents to get books to read to their very young children.

 

So my kids have both gotten a library card in infancy, and I use their cards for as many of the school books as I can manage. NO FINES!

[JennyD]

Yes. The librarians really push for kids to get their own cards ASAP because the numbers help with funding. I figure it's the least we can do, considering how much we use the library.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Our library has a "first card" for children under six. They can only check out children's materials, and there are NO FINES for overdue materials. They promote it even in their infant/toddler story hour as a way of encouraging parents to get books to read to their very young children.

 

So my kids have both gotten a library card in infancy, and I use their cards for as many of the school books as I can manage. NO FINES!

OH!...a girl can dream....NO FINES! That would save me enough for math books each year!

[isitnaptime]

Does anyone else use this? There is a website called www.libraryelf.com . You can register your library cards there and it will email/text you when your books are due. I LOVE it. I set it to email me the day before they are due (you can chose a range). You can add all of your families cards to one account to keep track of childrens due dates as well.

I don't know if it works for all states, but it does in WI and it is a life (fine) saver.

Speaking of due dates, I got an email yesterday that I have 17 books due today. I better go round them up.

[elise1mds]

DS has one; DD will probably get hers this summer. I get them one as a reward for completing the summer reading program independently. They're linked to my account, though, which is nice.

[Rivka]

Our library has a "first card" for children under six. They can only check out children's materials, and there are NO FINES for overdue materials. They promote it even in their infant/toddler story hour as a way of encouraging parents to get books to read to their very young children.

 

So my kids have both gotten a library card in infancy, and I use their cards for as many of the school books as I can manage. NO FINES!

 

OH!...a girl can dream....NO FINES! That would save me enough for math books each year!

 

I know! When my little one turns six, I'll have to have another baby. ;)

[ayden]

My 13 year old doesn't, but my 8 year old does. It was part of a Girl Scout thing she did a couple of years ago. It was required that I have an account first, and her card is really just an extra card on my account, but with her name on it.

[AliciainNC]

Yes. Once my children learned to sign their name (around the age of 5), we applied for a card. I do monitor their accounts via my computer. It was not cumbersome to hold onto their cards. It makes them proud to check out their own books.

[Tammyla]

Mine have both had their own cards for years. We have on-line access which makes keeping track easy, although mine are old enough that I don't need to keep up with their accounts.

[stripe]

In my library, the parent doesn't have the right to monitor checkouts, so I wouldn't want to be ultimately financially responsible for fines but not see what's going on.

 

My library has no limit on checked out items so I don't need extra cards for that purpose.

 

My kids also don't go to the library by themselves. I used to go by myself when I was 10 and older, so that's another consideration.

[swellmomma]

yes all 4 of my children have their own cards. that means I am keeping track of 5 cards at a time and usually have all 5 maxed out at once, meaning around 200 library items checked out at a time.

[Stratford]

Sort of. My kids have their own cards, but all of the library cards in our family are linked to one account (including DH and I.) Our library does not have a limit on the number of items you can check out.

[Guest]

All three of my kids have library cards, even the five year old. I know it's easier to just have one account, but it's more fun for the kids to have their own!

 

ETA: They even got to pick the design they wanted on their card (from several options)... really cute!

[Amie]

Our library has a 50-book limit, I think (we haven't ever maxed it out), so I haven't had need for another account yet. I remember when my Mom let me get my first card. I felt all grown up. :) I don't remember how old I was, but I was old enough to read/understand and fill out the form all by myself and sign my name to it. I was also at the age where I began using my own wallet and keeping up with such items on my own. In fact, I still have that original library card! I will probably wait until my kids seem old enough to do the same. That is, unless I move to a new place where the book limit drops considerably. In that case, I would get a new account(s) for my family--either through dh or the kids.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

Library cards here are tied to responsibility. My oldest got a card when she was 10 because I knew she could keep up with her books, when they were due, etc. She gets a printout each week with the books she has checked out and is very good at checking her account while we're at the library to see if any books need renewed or returned the following week. I only check her account if she asks me. My second dd is currently 10 but not nearly as good at personal accountability at the present. She'll probably have to wait a few years.

[smjlangley]

Yes, all 3 of mine got theirs as soon as they turned 5. They love checking out their own books with their own card - always have! I keep all the cards in my purse though. Our library sends 1 email to me when the books are coming due and it has everybody's account with names of books and how many in the one email so that makes it much simpler too!

[Mom0012]

I let mine have their own cards until our library recently moved to a fine system. Then, I returned all the books on their cards and we only use my card. My husband even uses mine!:tongue_smilie: I just can't keep track of 4 different library cards and I'm sure we'd wind up owing a ton of money if everyone used their own card. As it is, we still get hit with the occasional fine, but, so far, that has been very minimal. Even if my kids took on the responsibility for tracking their due dates and paying their own fines, it would still be on me to make tons of extra trips to the library to meet all the different due dates.

 

Lisa