Library Cards

[naomikritzer]

At what age should I get Molly her own library card?

I know she'd love the idea of having her OWN, for the same reason that she gets a huge thrill out of handing over cash at Target for her own purchases. But right now, I have my library card number memorized, making it pretty quick and efficient to log in to the Minneapolis Library web site and renew my books online. And they have it set up with an e-mail to remind me when books are coming due, which is great. If I got Molly her own library card, I would not consider it fair to make her responsible for paying her own overdue fines, since she's five, and relies on me for transportation.

Molly having her own card would be a genuine hassle.

But she'd think it was really neat. And I feel guilty for denying her this milestone of independence, especially since she's started reading.

Thoughts?

Comments

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

Can they give you a second card with the same number that she can use?

[naomikritzer]

I am pretty sure the answer to this is no. But I'll ask.

[winterswitchery.livejournal.com]

Hello, Ms. Kritzer :) I found your livejournal ..I forget how exactly ^^ I wrote to you a long time ago about how much I loved your book, Fires of the Faithful. I hope you don't mind me reading your LJ.

Could her things be renewable by e-mail/internet as well? My family got me my own card at five, but we would have a set library date every couple of weeks or so, so that I didn't have overdue fines.

[naomikritzer]

I don't mind you reading my LJ at all, and feel free to call me Naomi.

Her stuff would be renewable by Internet as well, but I'd have to log in separately to renew her books.

[magentamn.livejournal.com]

I was going to say that kids books don't have fines, but I looked at the website, and they now do charge fines. New since my time. And they have always charged for lost or damaged books.

I didn't have my own card until I was old enough to go there by myself, around 10 or 11.

If you do get her her own card, see if you can put your email address on it, so you get the notifications.

[naomikritzer]

They at least charge lower fines for the children's materials, but yes. (And would you believe I once checked out "You're Only Old Once" by Dr. Seuss, because Molly found it in the children's section and wanted to check it out, mind you, and then got socked with the adult material fines when I kept it out too long? When I objected to this, I was told that it was an adult book. When I told them that we had checked it out only because my preschooler requested it, and she had only requested it because it had been sitting in the box of Seuss books kept on the table in the children's area, the librarian grudgingly removed the fine.)

I think I would at least be able to get my own e-mail address connected to her card.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

I got my first one when I was...7, I think, as that was when we moved to the town with a library. Before that, I took books out on my dad's card from the college library, as they could be kept out for approximately forever since my dad was faculty.

I'd ask if they can give the same number to her, or alternately, link her number to your account so that you'd be able to renew her books from your account?

[naomikritzer]

That would be cool, but I'd bet they can't do it.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

which is really too bad, cause it would totally make sense in many families for all account info to be centrally accessible. My family, we used to take out so many books at a time that they'd just put all our checked out book cards together instead of keeping them in shelf order as everyone else's books were. :)

[naomikritzer]

One issue I've heard other parents complain about is that they will not give parents any information on what their kids have checked out, because it's a violation of the kid's privacy. Which totally makes sense when it's a teenager who's trying to read Our Bodies, Ourselves without clueing in their nosy mother. But rather less sense when it's a young kid who can't remember what they've checked out (and thus what needs to be excavated from under the bed and returned).

A "family library card" would actually make a ton of sense, for those who'd like the option. Ed and I pick stuff up for each other all the time. (The times I haven't had Ed's card, they've asked me his birthday in order to confirm that we're really married, then checked it out to him and handed it to me.)

[naomikritzer]

I did ask, this afternoon, btw, and the answer was no.

[ricevermicelli.livejournal.com]

The fact that it really could be a dreadful nuisance is overwhelmed by the part of my brain that thinks a five year-old with her very own brandy new library card is probably the cutest thing EVER, cuter than an entire litter of kittens playing with ribbons made of giggle. I recognize, however, that the cuteness is not a force for reasonable decision-making.

Can you set it up so that they email you when her books are due, until she's old enough to take the bus to the library herself?

[naomikritzer]

The fact that it really could be a dreadful nuisance is overwhelmed by the part of my brain that thinks a five year-old with her very own brandy new library card is probably the cutest thing EVER, cuter than an entire litter of kittens playing with ribbons made of giggle. I recognize, however, that the cuteness is not a force for reasonable decision-making.

ROFL

Yeah, that's definitely part of the problem here. It would be cute. And it's hard not to be swayed by the power of Teh Cute. *sigh*.

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

Arie got his first library card at the age of 3. Jan set up the same stuff for him with email and web access; I'm not sure if he's memorized Arie's number. He's good with numbers, though.

Hosmer gave Arie his own little wallet in which to carry the card, and now he takes his books to the self-checkout and scans them himself with fearful concentration. He loves having his own card. LOVES it.

Jan prints up a list of his books every week and they check off together which ones need to go back and which ones can stay here, and Arie packs them up in his bag and carries them. He feels enormously responsible for it.

I think all that is worth a little hassle, personally.

[naomikritzer]

Hosmer gave Arie his own little wallet in which to carry the card, and now he takes his books to the self-checkout and scans them himself with fearful concentration. He loves having his own card. LOVES it.

Yeah. See, that's entirely why I'm considering it.

I am thinking that we'll start making a regular weekly library trip. (There's a children's librarian at Roosevelt who I've met and really liked, and I think it would be nice for Molly to learn about the joy of getting book recommendations.) That could make this all a bit easier.

[lilisonna.livejournal.com]

I'd give her the card. If she can read, she'll love to have it.

Plus, it gives you a head start on memorizing her number as you're going to have to do it some day.

[naomikritzer]

It is a fourteen digit number.

And every time I memorize a new number, I forget one of the ones I already knew. Sometimes it's one I don't need anymore, like the phone number for my first grade best friend. But I'm afraid that one of these days it'll be my Social Security Number.

[pants-of-doom.livejournal.com]

I got my first library card before I could read and thought it was awesome, so I vote she gets the card.

[snippy]

I'm opposed to giving her a card until she can prove she is responsible for the books. That is, until she can check out her own books and return them herself to the library, or go online herself to renew them. But I'm a hardliner on privileges and responsibilities, plus I wanted to keep a parental eye on what my kids read.

Unfortunately for my little plan the public school took them to the county library and got them cards without my consent. The books were kept at school. When they incurred fines for not returning the books, of course I had to pay them!

[naomikritzer]

Oooooooh, that's rather annoying.

When I was in grade school, in fourth and fifth grade we did a monthly classroom trip via bus to the central library for our city (Madison). (Our school lacked a school library, though each classroom had some books.) My teacher expected us to keep our library cards at school so we'd have them handy for the class trip. Which was ridiculous, I thought -- why would she assume this was the ONLY time I'd want to go check out books? So I kept mine in my wallet, and tried to remember to bring it on library days.

My parents always made me pay for my own overdue fines.

[snippy]

I did take the fines out of their allowances. But it was very annoying nonetheless.

[squigsoup.livejournal.com]

Rachel has her own library card, as well as a special pocket in her book bag to keep it in (thanks, Grandma!) she thinks it's pretty neat, but we have a weekly date at the library for storytime, so things rarely get overdue.

Could you just set hers up over the internet, as well?

We get a receipt-type thing printed out every week when we check out our books so I can doublecheck that we have returned everything. They will put both Rachel's and mine on the same sheet if I ask.

[naomikritzer]

Ooooooooooooh, a special library book bag with a pocket for the card. That would solve several problems, actually. (1) The question of where to keep the card. (2) The issue of how to limit the number of books she chooses and expects me to somehow haul home for her. I could limit her to the books that would fit into the bag. (My limit as a kid was, no more than I could carry.)

[kythiaranos.livejournal.com]

My twins got there own library cards when they were about five and we settled in our current location. I took actual physical custody of the cards, at least until recently (the twins are 11 now), and I make sure I hang onto the printed due-date slips they give us at the library. Not a perfect solution, but the kids were really excited to sign on the line and become people in the eyes of the All-Powerful Library Ladies. *g*

I guess the key question is, will the inconvenience outweigh the joy she'll get out of having her own card?

[orthoepy.livejournal.com]

LB got his own card at five, and it hasn't been a huge hassle. However, we don't use the library as much as we ought ...

It was adorable, esp. as he had to sign his own name, first and last, to get it. He practiced for a week.

Personally, I'd get her a card and then keep checking things out with mine unless she was right there with me.

[cassiphone.livejournal.com]

Hee hee. I got Aurelia her own library card when she was six months (she's now one). :) Turns out that where I am (Tasmania, Australia) kids get a way better deal on library cards - they can keep books out for longer, and don't have to pay fines (but you still have to pay book replacement costs if it never comes back!) and if it's overdue you can still renew it online. I have her card hooked up to my email address, so keeping track of it isn't a problem.

Of course, I do take out lots of books for her, but often on my card. I use hers for the books I think will take me more than 3 weeks to read.

Is that wrong??? :)

Live and learn

[(Anonymous)]

Naomi, did I already tell you this story? I can't remember how old I was, but when I was pretty darn small -- kindergarten, maybe -- my mom told me I could buy a candy bar if I also bought a copy of the paper and brought it home. The drugstore felt so far far away. It was down the hill, beyond the library and across from the Fletcher Jones car lot, and I'd never made a walk like that alone. But the lure of candy (and the sense of daring) was strong, and soon every week I was trotting off confidently to the store. Not a great parallel to your current situation, but responsibility is such a basic part of life... best to instantiate it early in a variety of ways. What's a little inconvenience?

[(Anonymous)]

Our family card is in our son's name. That way it's HIS card, and whichever parent takes him to the library can check stuff out and have ir all be on the same card.

[(Anonymous)]

Our local libraries suggest that kids can have their own cards whenever they can write their name. And they can put your e-mail address on there for the "due soon" notification (which also provides a list of everything checked out to the card). I like it a lot. My 4 yo has just started writing her name independently (and "Miranda" is a long name to do!), so next year we'll probably let her get her own card. My son's card either stays in a pocket in a book bag, or in my wallet. The only thing I wish was that kid's cards were a different color, so I didn't have to turn the card over and check the signature before handing it to the librarian every time.

Sandy
http://imponderabilia.blogspot.com/

[slystick.livejournal.com]

Little is more important than a love for books, which makes the answer obvious -- "Yes."

Library Cards and Overdue Fines

[thetruthsquad.livejournal.com]

Naomi was such a frequent visitor to our neighborhood library that the library staff knew her by name.

Contrary to her memory, Naomi was NOT required to pay her own library fines until she was making her own regular trips to the library.