"I'm sorry Mrs. Wittmann, as of the new year, you can have no more than fifty books checked out at one time," the librarian told me apologetically.

"Oh no! I have forty Cinderella books on hold for a unit study the kids and I are working on. I probably have twenty books out on the Civil War, and then there are the books we check out just for fun. This is terrible!" I exclaimed, breaking out in a cold sweat, totally forgetting about the ten or so "real" math books sitting at home.

The librarian sought to comfort me and kindly suggested "You could check them out under your children's names."

That is how my 3- and 5-year-old children came to have their very own library cards.

At any given moment, I have somewhere between fifty and ninety books checked out from the public library. Because "real" books provide the foundation of my homeschool, the library has become a very necessary resource.

I have also found good textbooks on the shelves there, so always check with your library before making purchases. This is very easy to do if your library offers their catalog on the Internet.

Keep a Log and Designate a Special Place for Books

The library can be a free resource to homeschoolers, or it can be a financial drain. To keep things thrifty, it is absolutely necessary that you be organized. Otherwise, late fees and lost book charges will pile up.

I keep my library items organized in two ways. First I keep a log and second I designate a special place for library items.

Keeping a log is very easy for me, as my library gives me a printout of the books, videos, and magazines borrowed when I check out. This printout also includes the date they are due for return. If your library does not provide this service, then make up your own log of items borrowed. [See http://www.catholictreasury.com/ and click on "downloads" for free logs.]

Write down the actual date returned when you take books back. Sometimes libraries miss books that have been returned. If library records indicate I have not returned an item, I check my log and notify the library clerk of the date returned. The clerk then puts a "search" on the missing item. Because I use the library quite frequently, this has happened to me a few times and I certainly don't want to pay for books I did indeed return.

The log can also double as a reading list for your homeschool. It's a very good idea to keep track of books read by your children for several reasons. For one thing, it impresses any nay-saying relatives. It also makes keeping a portfolio easier. At the end of each year, I go over our reading log to see just what we've read so far. This helps me in planning the next year's curriculum, plus it reassures my husband and me that our children are doing a great job.

The second thing I do to keep a handle on library books is to have a special place designated for library items only. I have a large wicker basket I found for almost nothing at a garage sale. All items checked out from the library are to go into this basket. If a book ends up on one of my many bookshelves, it may not be found again for a long time.

Just doing these two things, and training your children to do them, will save you a lot of hassle on library day and it will save you money.

Get to Know Your Librarian

My friend Dawn spends a lot of time at her small-town library. So much time she is on a first-name basis with her librarian. Seeing that this mom of eight is dedicated to her children and to reading, the librarian seeks out Dawn's advice in making book and magazine purchases. Though a small library, they carry several homeschooling titles (they even carry The Catholic Homeschool Companion) and magazines, as well as children's books popular with homeschoolers.

The library has little worth if it doesn't offer what you need. Get to know your librarian. Always smile and say "Hi!" Let her know how much you would love it if she subscribed to Heart and Mind and other favorite homeschooling magazines. Make mention of your favorite children's titles and let the librarian know there are many other homeschoolers who would check out such books.

If you're too shy to speak up, that's okay. Most libraries provide suggestion cards for your convenience. My library allows patrons to make book purchasing suggestions at their website. You can't get much easier than that. Take sixty seconds to complete one card each time you visit the library or their website. Ask all your homeschooling friends to do the same.

Not too long ago, the children's librarian at my library told me that she had a big order to place and wondered if I had any suggestions. I wish that I had a Bethlehem Book catalog handy to give her at that moment but I didn't, so instead I sat down and spent some time talking to her about the children's books I love.

Get to know your librarian; you never know when he or she will ask your advice.

Books Are Not All That Libraries Offer

Do you ever feel like you carschool instead of homeschool? I have days when I feel like the children and I have spent more time on the road than in our home. We take advantage of that car time and listen to books on tape. Buying audio books requires a large financial commitment, so we get them free at the library. It is a great way to make use of time that might otherwise be idle.

Other free offerings we've found at our library includes a toy and game lending program, educational videos, DVD's, musical CD's and cassette tapes, CD-ROM's, meeting rooms for club meetings, lecture series, Saturday movies, and story time.

Not all libraries offer these free services. Some do not offer them at all, while others charge a fee. You may have to weigh the costs of library fees against the benefits received. Either way, take the initiative to find out if and how the public library can be an asset to your homeschool.