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SarahA
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Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: May 02 2009 at 9:57am | IP Logged
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So many great ideas and answers--I'm really just reiterating others' ideas. This is our first year of homeschooling, but we've collected books for years, and have a large library, mostly reference and classic literature. We do have lots of children's classics as well, and a mixture of "twaddle" easy reader books and good ones (gifts, road trip buys, etc.)
Because we've moved, and will continue to move, we can't rely on libraries as our sole source of books. We mainly use the library for the "fun" books, or as ideas for gifts. There are several I've seen that I've since ordered as gifts for children (mine and others'.) I let the kids each pick out 1, 2, or 3 (depending on our time constraints or busy schedules in the next few weeks) and I am the only one to pick out movies. They can make a request, but I have final say, and the most we get is 3 (we only keep get them a week and movies are treats, not daily viewing.)
I only have 1 strong reader currently (my oldest being almost 8, the next being almost 6), so most of the books are picture books. The kids tend to pick good ones, and we get Caldecotts frequently. They also like de Paola's that I can't find online. Occasionally, my daughter will pick out a Barbie or CareBears, but it gets read once and then back to the library...my oldest son has started reading Hardy Boys mysteries, which I don't want to buy. We also found a Molly: American Girl DVD that we found very helpful in telling the kids about my husband's deployment. 
With little ones, though, we too can't spend a lot of time in the building. Our post library has a great playground, so we go there before or after. We use the military library (mostly), as opposed to the local county library. The book selection on a large post is comparable, and it really cuts down on money for fines. Fines have been mostly for movies, since we don't watch very often, so although the local library has better ones, we get them from the post (no $ fines for only a day or so overdue.)
Because of the moves, though, and not wanting to purposefully buy twaddle, we try to buy only great books for our permanent collection. The "junk" books can be donated, or get messed up due to being paperback and have to be thrown. We do have some good youth lit in paperback (from my younger years) that I just haven't replaced in hardback yet. My Narnia collection will have to be replaced after another reading or 2...sentimentally sad for me because I've had it since 2nd grade!
So glad for this thread--I used to feel a bit guilty for not utilizing our libraries more! 
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Sarah
Army wife, Mama to (so far...) 2 boys, 1 girl, then 2 more boys
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sunnyviewmom
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| Posted: May 04 2009 at 3:28pm | IP Logged
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Just want to say thank you to Melanie for the advice about finding library books sold online. Thanks!
Dana
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Capsela
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| Posted: May 05 2009 at 10:19am | IP Logged
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We haven't stepped foot in a library in over 2 years. If we want a book we buy it or borrow from a friend. I have always been a book hound though or at least ever since I read Fahrenheit 451 as a kid LOL
We save all our change in an old coffee tin marked "Amazon money". Once or twice a year we take it to one of those coinstar machines and turn it into an amazon certificate.
We recently moved to a new state and there is a flea market here once a month. I can find lots of bargains there. Recently I got a lovely leather bound Catholic 1950s Missal for $3!
We also request books for the kids from grandparents for birthdays, Christmas, etc. Every little bit helps ;-)
Kelly
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LeeAnn
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| Posted: May 05 2009 at 5:23pm | IP Logged
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We don't have library fines in our local system--just guilt!
I don't use the library much. I buy what I need and we have tons of non-school books for pleasure reading. I am at the point now where I am mainly buying free-time fiction for my oldest only, since our home library is heavy on picture books and younger kids fiction.
I have gone through phases of making use of the library but we ALWAYS have late items. In the summer, if my kids want twaddle to read, we head over there, but otherwise, a lot of what we read isn't available.
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my four children are 17, 15, 11 & 8 - all now attend public school - we read many 4Real recommended books at home
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mayappleridge
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| Posted: May 06 2009 at 2:03am | IP Logged
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I think of library fines as a donation to the library.
Then again, I've been blessed with decent libraries and kind staff. (When we left Indiana, my oldest had to make a special trip to say goodbye to his "librarian friends".)
Now that we are here in Wales, I'm finding that a lot of the books I knew and loved as a child aren't readily available. I'm finding new ones I love, but not as many of the old ones. I have a list of books to get when we go back to the states.
What we do, is have a limit. Each person gets 5 books. DVDs have to be asked for. My oldest does a fine job of keeping up with his books. I keep up with the littler guys books. It's better when we keep to a regular library day, but I'm not driving here yet so that has made it hard to do.
There is something special about having your own books, but my ds would whither away without the library.
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Servant2theKing
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| Posted: May 08 2009 at 12:48pm | IP Logged
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I can't resist responding to this thread...this is a favorite topic in our household! We have a rather extensive home library, but we rely very heavily on our public library for many, many books and materials, to supplement our home library. I can't imagine homeschooling without open access to the myriad of extra materials the library provides, all of which we could never possibly afford to purchase and would certainly never have the space for. Our lives would be dramatically different and our children less well-versed in many subjects without the added benefits the library brings to our lives.
This is a dramatic change from our earlier years of homeschooling...I had some rather negative encounters with the powers-that-be, in our former library system, over the types of materials they displayed, the increasing influx of books on witchcraft and sexually explicit materials, as well as a very liberal policy that allowed children access to any and all books or materials in the library (without parental consent or knowledge), etc, etc, etc. We discarded our library cards and didn't step foot in a library for many years after unsuccessfully battling those issues. At some point in time I finally realized I had essentially been cheating my family of many materials that we simply could not afford to provide ourselves. We came to a compromise...we now choose materials, very selectively, using the online library catalogue. I rely heavily on catalogs, online reviews, or suggestions from trusted sources (like the ladies of 4Real!) to guide me while navigating the online library catalogue.
Since we're in a rural area, which only has a small locally funded library, we pay $50 for yearly membership in a much larger library system, in the city where my husband works. They don't charge fines for overdue books, and only minimal fines for other overdue materials, so that's not a major issue for us, especially since we can easily track materials we've borrowed online. Having a special basket, tote or shelf, specifically designated for library items, is also very helpful. Family members are trained to return library items to the place established for library materials, just as they would re-shelve an item in the library itself when finished with it. I try to keep a printout in the library basket at all times. We're also able to renew materials online, so if we're still interested in keeping materials beyond the due date, I simply renew those times for a few more weeks.
We still purchase many books, new and used. Our choices are often based on those not available through the library (usually Catholic books and books pertinent to homeschooling) or books we have previewed through the library that we feel we just can't do without.
We've also been incredibly blessed to find many books through used book sales. The library in the city where my husband works has a wonderful used bookstore, which we frequent every few months or so, which has been the source of many favorite books, particularly some out-of-print treasures. We've also made some incredible finds while traveling...we once went away from a book sale at a Catholic Church with 6 large grocery bags overflowing with older Catholic gems that are absolutely priceless.
Homeschooling families can enjoy the best of both worlds, creating a home library that best suits their budget and supplementing with materials from public libraries. Based on personal experience, I would always be cautious and discrimnating when visiting any library in person, especially with younger children.
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All for Christ, our Saviour and King, servant
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: library books vs. buying your own
