At this moment in time, I know where every last library book is. In my house and life, that's a minor miracle. The books almost always get back on time, but it sometimes involves a whole lot of searching and stressing.
Now that I know where everything is, I'm going to see if we can make it through the year with no fines. A while back, I posted about my strategies for avoiding library fines. They work well, as long as I don't stick a book in an unexpected place or completely lose track of what the date is.
Until this week, I'd been playing hide-and-seek with a quilting book since mid-summer. They'll usually let me renew a book for a fourth time if I explain that I'm still looking for it and ask nicely. This time, I got a librarian who gave me a huge lecture and warned me that she was putting a note in my account that I'd had the book for way too long. All she had to do was say no. I knew I was on thin ice and would have been absolutely fine with that.
Another three weeks passed with no sign of the book. I renewed the other titles that were due on the same day, over the phone because we hadn't received the replacement router yet. I told the lady I was talking to that I knew I couldn't renew that one and would pay the fines the next time we were in. And without missing a beat she renewed it for me again.
The next day, it turned up in my knitting corner, exactly where I'd looked a dozen times. It's back at the library now and I'm determined to keep better track of things.
I hate to say, but it's nice to know that there are other grown-ups who struggle with library fines ;) Our library changed the system about 10 years ago and it's a lot harsher now - and there is no cap on the fines! YIkes! Surely it's because of folks like me who are not well behaved with their borrowing.
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me to make it my goal also for 2017 - no late books, no late fines! I can do this, one check out at a time :)
I can renew online, but I never remember to do it so the library has started automatically renewing my laggards, as long as no one is waiting to get them. They send an email notice telling me, which is a gentle way of reminding me to get it back to them!
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