check out limits at the library???

[Hunter's Moon]

50 per card, but only 3 of those can be DVD's, and CD's and VHS can only be of each media type. The loan period for books is 3 weeks, but you can call and renew one time if it is not on hold for someone else, and that gives you two extra weeks. A DVD hold is 1 week. 

[2queens&1princenmyhouse]

Those of you who have a hundred books or more out: how do you keep track?  And how do you use all those books at the same time?  I'm trying to work out how it would look.

 

L

I consistently have 40-60 books checked out.  They are stored in the large ottoman in our living room and it is only used for library books.  After reading the book, it should be returned to the "take back" end of the ottoman.  The girls usually have the current book they are reading in their room and I have one on the bedside table, but everything else is in the ottoman.  About half are picture books for DS, the others are are for science, history and geography. I usually end up using all of the science as there are only 3-4 appropriate for DS's age.  With history and geography, I check out books appropriate for both kids' levels and then they choose what to read.  Getting them back to the library isn't a problem as I work there 5 days a week (and theoretically overdue fines shouldn't be a problem either, but occasionally I get those anyway).

[tammyw]

I consistently have 40-60 books checked out.  They are stored in the large ottoman in our living room and it is only used for library books.  After reading the book, it should be returned to the "take back" end of the ottoman.  The girls usually have the current book they are reading in their room and I have one on the bedside table, but everything else is in the ottoman.  About half are picture books for DS, the others are are for science, history and geography. I usually end up using all of the science as there are only 3-4 appropriate for DS's age.  With history and geography, I check out books appropriate for both kids' levels and then they choose what to read.  Getting them back to the library isn't a problem as I work there 5 days a week (and theoretically overdue fines shouldn't be a problem either, but occasionally I get those anyway).

 

Libraryelf.com helps me keep track of everything. Best $12/year ever!

[AmandaVT]

No limits at our local library - small town with a nice library. I asked once and the librarian told me we could take out as many books as we felt comfortable managing. 

[ThisIsTheDay]

Small county library here. No limits on books, for which I am very thankful.

[Haiku]

The regular limit is 99 books per card, no household limit. I got my card raised to 200 because they know we homeschool, and I also have a teacher card with no limits. Just with my regular card and my kids'/husband's cards we could have 596 books, but with the TC we could have a limitless amount.

 

We just got cards at the library in the next county because we love their children's librarian, and we were SHOCKED to be limited to 10 per card for the first TWO MONTHS. We had to put back most of our books.

[kiwik]

Ours is 35 per card. The lending period is 4 weeks and you can't extend. Reserves cost $2 each so I only do it if it is very important to me. There is a limit of 2 for kids DVDs and a 2 week lending period and $2 charge for adult DVDs except non-fiction. I don't think you can do holds - if you deserve it you get it when your name comes to the top of the list and you have 3 days to collect it. Otherwise you take your chances.

[awisha.]

This is from my libraries website.

 

Borrowing and returning items:

Members may borrow materials from any Library or Mobile Library. They are required to present their library card each time they borrow from the library. Members may borrow up to 40 items, including up to 15 items in each of the following categories – DVDs, and music CDs.

Loan periods:

Magazines: 14 days

Music CDs and DVDs: 14 days (high demand items 7 days)

Books and audio books: 28 days (high demand items 14 days) 

Renewals:

Loans may be renewed provided the items have not been requested by another member. Items may be renewed twice through the online catalogue, by telephone, or in person

[Mimmy]

We can do 100 books per card. We are only allowed 10 holds per card though so I use 3 cards to get all the books we need. Our library is tiny but part of a huge cooperative so we can get almost anything we want through the holds system.

[Sherry in OH]

Checkout limit – 60 items per card, DVDs limited to 10 per card

Holds limit – 40 items per card

 

The only times I’ve hit the checkout limit were when the library was short-staffed and there was a backlog of returned materials.  I regularly hit the holds limit.   I could work around it by getting cards for the children, but I prefer the occasional inconvenience of having to wait a few days to place holds to the constant inconvenience of having to monitor due dates on multiple cards. 

[historically accurate]

 

 

Does your library limit the number of books per card?  I was curious to see if this is a common practice and I have just been lucky enough to avoid it...or not.

 

 

I have 5 cards, Dh's & mine, and each of the 3 kids have one.  My DH doesn't use the library; I use his card for school stuff.  My card is usually used for overflow from my kids' cards.  

 

Dh & mine have a limit of 50 each, with only 5 DVD's/CD's allowed.  The books are checked out for 3 weeks, and the media is 1 week only.

 

The kids can only have 5 books, no media allowed except books on CD.  They are also 3 week checkouts.   

 

So I can have 115 things checked out at one time.  We regularly push that limit when I'm on my game for using the library for schoolwork.  

[Hoot]

Whoa!  Our limit is 99 items per card though only 10 DVD's out at a time per card. 

[zoobie]

I have no idea what the limit is because our library system is terrible. I've never found more than a handful, and they rarely have the books I look for specifically to place on hold. (Major metropolitan area, seems like it should be better!)

[shawthorne44]

...

I think there are two types of library attitude out there.  The "please use our library" attitude and the "we're suspicious of everyone using our library" attitude.  I feel very grateful that our library system is of the mind that more users is better, even if it occasionally costs them books.  We also don't have fines on juv. materials.

 

When I was a child, I noticed that attitude in librarians.  I even developed a test to see who were the good librarians.  I'd gather all the books in an area that I thought were interesting.  Stack them really tall.  One coffee table book would help to carry a lot of books.  Then walk across the library, quickly looking at the librarians looking at me.  None ever had a neutral expression.  It was broad smile or big frown.  I'd make note of who was who, and then only talk to the smilers. 

 

-------------

 

I was grumbling the other day because they put in a 20 limit on the hold requests.  But, I've never hit the checkout limit.  We can walk to our library, so we go often. 

[Bearcat]

We frequent 3 library systems and they are all different. 1 is unlimited number of items and 99 renewals ( as long as no holds are on it). Another is 50 out at a time. I have 3 cards there, so 150 at a time. The third is 100 items and we have 4 cards there. We don't ever max all cards at all libraries out though!!!

My biggest complaint is the library that only let's me put 10 holds on my teacher card. I am always hitting that limit and end up using my regular card for requests so don't get the extended borrowing time. But, with the number and types of cards we have it is rare when I can't get a book I want or keep it for the amount of time we need it.

 

As far as keeping track goes, we have a library day so everything is always due back on the same day of the week every week. The night before I print off a list(s) from the library websites of what is due and the kids scour the house for the items. They sort them into stacks for each library and then put them in the library cart and or bags. It has all become much easier since the kids have taken over the task of gathering/sorting.

[ScoutTN]

Ours is 25 per card. 3 week checkout with 3 renewals unless it's on hold.

Educators can get a special card (in addition to a regular one) which allows up to 50 items checked out for 6 weeks at a time. 

[momma aimee]

We live in a small town, which is surrounded by many other small towns...and we checked out a new library today about 20 miles away...and my intent was to let the kids each choose 5-7 books to check out and to simplify life today, I was just going to get one library card until we were certain that we would be coming back often...but when I went to do that, i was told that they would each have to get a card because you can only check out 8 books per card.  I was sort of shocked....we go to 3 other libraries often and I have never been told that I had to limit the number of books...being new, I could possibly see that...but the librarian said that was the policy for everyone...not just new patrons....that will be HARD for us...we probably won't go there very often...espeically since we have to drive 20 miles one way.

 

Does your library limit the number of books per card?  I was curious to see if this is a common practice and I have just been lucky enough to avoid it...or not.

 

i had never run it to it before, but the one here where we are now has a limit of 10 per card.  i got both boys cards -- so we can get a total of 30 buttttt we are always maxed out and juggling what to retrun to get new ones.  I use my card for school and a novle or 2 for me and the boys get to pick their's for their card ---

 

it is annoying and i feel pointless

[shawthorne44]

We'd be in serious trouble if we had to use multiple cards because of a hold limit.  We buy from the Friends of the Library sale (love that thing) which includes removed library books.  So we can't just gather up everything that "looks like a library book". 

[vonfirmath]

Checkout limit – 60 items per card, DVDs limited to 10 per card

Holds limit – 40 items per card

 

The only times I’ve hit the checkout limit were when the library was short-staffed and there was a backlog of returned materials.  I regularly hit the holds limit.   I could work around it by getting cards for the children, but I prefer the occasional inconvenience of having to wait a few days to place holds to the constant inconvenience of having to monitor due dates on multiple cards. 

 

*40* holds per card?!

Wow. I remember when ours used to be 10. Now its 5 and that's REALLY hard to work with :(

[ocelotmom]

I can't find any limits on our website, though I haven't looked too hard.

 

I have no idea what the hold limit is, but I vaguely recall hitting it once. We can schedule holds for the future (which is totally AWESOME from a scheduling perspective), which means I'm rarely putting more than a few items on active hold at a given time because I know I'm not going to get to everything at once and would rather space them out.

[sewingmama]

We live in a tiny country town. The public library is actually the school library (school has less then a hundred students). Even then we have a limit of 100 books per card. Our State has a one card system...which means I can access over 200 libraries using my one library card. I can borrow books from wherever I am and return them at any library. Their catalogues are linked to one system so if I want to borrow a certain book it will search for it in every library in the State and then I get it sent through ILL. ( no charges). We can have them out for 4 weeks and renew them twice..so up to 3 months if there are no holds on the book.

 

I usually have about 100 books out a time. I keep them in two rubbermaid containers in the lounge and the kids know where they go when they are done reading.

 

I dont borrow a ton from our local library. I feel guilty taking a large amount of books out of a school library used by the students...especially when its small to begin with. I borrow most of my books through ILL and the large city libraries.

 

I love our system. I rarely have to buy books anymore because i can usually always get what I need.

[Sherry in OH]

*40* holds per card?!

Wow. I remember when ours used to be 10. Now its 5 and that's REALLY hard to work with :(

 

 

My local library is small, but it belongs to a good-sized consortium.   Nearly 90% of my holds are for materials not owned by my library.  Most of the rest are for materials currently checked-out to someone else.   If I could only have 5 holds at a time, not only would every member of my family have to have their own cards, I’d be spending a lot of time traveling to larger public libraries.   I can’t afford to buy all of the books we read. 

[Luanne]

Our limit is 100 books per card and you can renew them online 3 times.  Basically that means you can have a book up to 12 weeks.... as long as no one else puts a hold on it.

 

I can't imagine only being allowed 8 books per card, but I live in a fairly large city (not huge).

[Jackie]

I worked at a small town library (ummm... 20 years ago) when they went from 8 items total to unlimited books and limited videos and CDs. I've never run into limits since.

[boscopup]

Libraryelf.com helps me keep track of everything. Best $12/year ever!

 

I also use libraryelf.com! Great service! It reminds me a few days before they're due, then again the day before, then again the day of.

 

I get it free because my library is a "beta tester". It's totally worth $12/year though! You can put all your family's cards on it, even from different libraries.

 

As far as keeping track of books (and we don't get 100 books - I can't even imagine needing that many for my 3 kids), I keep them in the library book baskets. They're not allowed in the car except on rare occasions, and they MUST be returned to the library book basket when done going in the car. Library Elf reminds me to go online and renew them the day they're due (our renewal starts the day you renew it, so I can't renew early) or take them back if we're actually heading to the library. Before we leave, I count books and make sure they're all there. I'll open up our online account to see what's missing if anything is missing, then send the kids to search for missing book(s). They're usually found quickly, if any are missing at all. The biggest thing is to keep the library books separate from the books we own, so they're not shoved on a shelf in the middle of our own books, making them impossible to find. Usually if they aren't returned to the correct spot, we find them on the floor or on the loveseat or something like that. The kids know not to put a library book on a shelf with our books. Even the 4 year old knows that. ;)

[AngieW in Texas]

Our library has a limit of 35 books/card and 2 dvds/card. Audio books count as regular books.

 

Checkouts are for 2 weeks, but you can renew online if there are no holds already on the book. You can't renew a book that has a hold on it.

 

You have only 5 days to pick up a book on hold.

[Tanikit]

You guys get a lot of books compared to what we can get here in South Africa - some libraries limit it to 2 for a child and 3 for an adult - I feel lucky to go to a library where we can have 6 per card with a 2 week renewal policy. At one stage you could get a schooling card that would allow more but they have even stopped that and now tell us if we want more then we must just have more children :)

 

I have never had to put a book on hold at my library though - people do not use books as much here so you will seldom not find what you are looking for - if the library has it that is - and the libraries almost never have what you are looking for. I also find it very expensive to get them to fetch a book from another library linked to theirs - I might as well drive to the other library if I want it that much or buy the book in some or other format.

 

The worst thing about our libraries is that you cannot get anyone to help you and since they are state funded (which means they are not funded) there is no computer system so you cannot look anything up yourself either. I use the library to find more books rather than specific books.