Monday, June 25, 2007

Tips for those inclined to abuse library privileges

- Create category options for selection. For example, if I were/ did categorize my check out selections, I would have the following categories: art books, picture books, grown-up chapter books, young adult chapter books, classic chapter books, short stories, books on tape, cd lectures, Masterpiece movies, learning movies, travel books, poetry books, children chapter books, Victorian novels, and newly released books I have never heard of.

- Narrow selection categories down to five. You can also create generalizations that encompass more then one category, such as "non-fiction," "novels," "multi-media," "audio," and "children's."

- Only check out one thing per category. Examples of things that might be on your library receipt are: The Plot Against America, Parts 1 and 2 of Horatio Hornblower, "Life and Works of Joseph Hayden," and Zeke Pippin. You cannot substitute that trashy looking novel with the pink cover as "non-fiction." That would be slipping down a dangerous slope that only leads to a tape recording of Charlotte's Web lost in your backseat.

4 comments:

organized chaos said...

is it wrong to check out the large-print library books if you don't need large-print books? are they like handicap parking spaces and need to be left available for the person who needs them? do you have to leave them there, lonely in the library, even though no one who needs large print books is likely to read it, and it's the only copy your branch of the library has?

Tree said...

But don't books have feelings too? Won't the lonely book feel sad and dejected if it is never read? Slowly, it will let its words crumble into a dusty heap? These are things that concern me. Also concerning, why do we only have three weeks with a book? Is that really enough time to build sustaining relationship?

organized chaos said...

exactly, I'm only thinking of the book's feelings really. Plus, whenever you have a library book in your position it leaves more room on the shelves for the other library books. That means its easier for people to find them, right? So really, what is all the fuss with late-fees and due dates.
We shouldn't let a friend into our lives for 3 weeks only to put them back on the shelf. Do you want to do that to a book?

organized chaos said...

One of our new DRA books made me think of you. "The Lost Book", level 8 is all about a classroom searching for their lost library book. It really parallels my classroom very closely.