Musing Mondays (June 22)

 (Musing Mondays are hosted by Rebecca!)

This week’s question asks:

Do you restrict yourself on how many books you take out from the library at a time? Do you borrow books if you already have some out? Do you always reborrow books you don’t get to?

I never really restrict myself on how many library books I can take out. Our system lets us take out up to 20, but I’ve never even come close to that. I usually have anywhere from 1-7 books out at a time.

Mind you, now that I’ve been putting the kids’ books on my card, too, that total grows. I think we have 8 books out, total, right now (3 for my son, 4 for me, and 1 for my daughter). I put their books on my card because I don’t seem to remember due dates for them, otherwise, and we rack up late fees. :-&

I have no qualms with borrowing additional books if I already have library books at home. That’s the beauty of online ordering… I can keep going and going, and they come in at random. I love the online catalogue!

I don’t think I’ve reborrowed books that I haven’t gotten to, yet. There’ve been many, many, many books that I’ve taken out of the library just to browse through — with no real intent of finishing them. Another perk of the library system. If I’m just skimming, though, I won’t usually keep them for the full 3 weeks they’re checked out for — that doesn’t seem fair to the other patrons.

I love, too, that I can keep renewing my checked out books up to 3 times (given there are no other holds on them). That’s quite a while, so I usually can finish the book. Mind you, if it’s a huge book, and I’m enjoying it, but can’t finish it by the deadline, I’ll put it on my “to be bought” list, and just get my own copy. I recently bought “Anna Karenina” (by Tolstoy), and “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” (Chabon) for this reason.

I rarely have fines on my account… I’m a good patron, and keep very vigilant attention in regards to my library account. I know, off the top of my head, usually, when each book is due back. I’m into my online account several times a week to double-check. The librarians are always somewhat baffled that I seem to know which books have come in for me, when I go to pick up the books I ordered via the online catalog… but, see, when the automated system calls to tell me I have books in at the local branch, I usually go online, first, to check which books came, and then I head out to the library to get them. That way I’m sure to get everything that’s there, and there can be no, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see that one“, kind of mistakes.

LOL. Anal? Yeah, maybe a little.   But, I don’t care. I love my local library — especially in times like these, where money’s scarce, and buying (even at the goodwill store, where books are only $0.50 each) is hard to do.

PS…I, just the other day, joined in on the Support Your Local Library 2009 Reading Challenge hosted by J.Kaye. I wasn’t going to because I wanted to read more of my own books this year. But, given that I’ve already read as many as I said I would from my own piles, and I’m STILL borrowing a ton from the library, it just made sense.

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