Our Book Basket

You know what? I love this about My Father's World. The Book Basket!

I bring my teacher's manual to the computer -- open up my local Public Library's web-site. I start putting books on hold, left and right... My Father's World gives you a list of specific books to look for. But if my library doesn't have them, then I search the subject we are studying for the next 2-3 weeks, and I just check out what I can. Since I go into town the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month for our Co-op's Activity Day... I just get 2 weeks worth... sometimes 3.

The library workers pull them off of the shelves for me. That last time I did this -- the lady thanked me for giving her something to do. HA HA... during the school year -- they must get sort of bored with no public school kiddos running around the place.

I go in drop off the old and pick up the new, and check them out. Oh and -- pay any fines I may have. Who said anything in life is free... LOL. No browsing... no searching for missing kids... no pulling my hair out. It's very nice. Walk in -- walk out.

We can check out 20 at a time/per card. Between Tori, Mansel, and I... we've got 3 cards. Ü That's quite a few books. Then I bring them home and fill up my book basket and for 15 minutes each school day -- they kiddos are required to look through the book basket. You know what? My kiddos are sneaking into the book basket during non school hours. ::giggle:: I don't really mind -- would you?

I TRY to keep all the library books in that one corner. That way they don't get lost and I don't have to really search for them when we need to return them.

One other great thing about our library system... I can RENEW books on-line. So there really is NO REASON for any fines. Unless -- I'm a dope or something. I've started putting a little post it note on the calendar and moving it to the next due date so I have no excuse for forgetting to renew them. Sometimes we lose a book -- they seem to be very good at letting you renew a book 4,000 times until you find it. I'm pretty sure the little book I Love Daddy is lost. If not -- when we find it -- it's ours.

Oh my goodness... how can I forget the other great thing about the on-line system? On the day before we go to the library -- I print off our list of books that we have. You can do that by card. NEAT idea. Then we take the paper list and check off the books as we pile them up -- no surprises when we get to the library. I KNOW if I can't find one... or if we have them all. That's GREAT if you check 20 or more books at a time.

So -- you My Father's World users... what tricks have you learned about the book basket? Anything else I need to do or know? What do you like about the Book Basket? And you NON My Father's World users... this is a good thing to adopt into your school schedule. A very useful tool. Thanks MFW!!