Recently, HAFHS was approached by the Living Books Rescue Library about housing their Charlotte Mason style lending library within our facility. The hope was that this would allow more access to quality books for area homeschool families. We are excited for the future and hopeful that these treasured books will enhance your learning experience. HAFHS is not affiliated with the Living Books Rescue Library. Subscribing to the LBR Library is not required to be a HAFHS member. All questions about LBR Library operations may be directed to Tracy at trborn1@gmail.com or 412-606-6917.
Message from Tracy, founder of Living Books Rescue Library
Hello! This library exists to serve you and your families, and I am so happy to get to share it with you all! If you have questions, feel free to email, text, or call me.
My email address is: trborn1@gmail.com 412-606-6917.
Additional Information on my library can be viewed here.
Thanks! Tracy Born
LIBRARY HOURS:
Mondays and Wednesdays, when Home Away from Homeschool is open, 11am-3pm. Fridays will be reshelving and organizing days and will give me the opportunity to add new books. If you have special book requests, feel free to let me know! I may have it in my home library, or in my “for sale” books, and I may be willing to lend it out instead. 🙂
Library visits: Please supervise your children at all times while they are in the library area. No running or rough-housing in the library area. No food or drink in the library.
Length of check out will be four weeks. If you need more time for a very long book, an extension will be given.
Please return books on the rolling library cart, along with any other books that your children have removed from the shelves, so that I can make sure that they are put back in order.
Check out: If I am personally in the library, on a Monday or a Wednesday, when you visit, I will take a photo of the spines of all books borrowed. (I do not have a fancy scanning system;) I will email or text this picture to you, so that you can double check the photo before returning the books, to make sure that you have them all. If I am NOT in the library, I ask that you please take a photo of all books that you are borrowing that week, and text it to me, along with “Hi Tracy! This is “Your name”, and these are the books I am borrowing this week.” Easy peasy!
BOOK CARE: Help your children to think of our old books as precious elderly friends. You would never step on an old person, throw them on the floor, clutch them with grubby hands, write on them, or bend them in the wrong positions. When your children notice crayon additions in our books you can remark on how some mistakes cannot be fixed.
- Always turn pages from the top right corner. Pages receive unnecessary wear and risk tearing when turned from the bottom or middle of the page. I have done it myself, and I have cringed!
LOST OR DAMAGED BOOKS: Every time a book is used it ages (just like us). Obviously, books do not have eternal life and we hope we aren’t conveying the impression that we think they do. However, since many of them are unavailable or extremely expensive to replace, you can help us preserve their life as long as possible. Inevitably though, even the best made books see their last day and fall apart. For this reason please note our requirements:
a. Examine the condition of each book before borrowing it and determine if you are comfortable taking responsibility for it in its current condition. If you are not comfortable with it, feel free to tell us and leave it in the library for repair
b. If you find a book that has damage, bring it to our attention immediately. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPAIR damaged books. Leave it to me to repair them.
c. When books are in your possession, you are responsible for them. If a book is lost or damaged, you will be responsible for our cost to replace it. PLEASE DON’T REPLACE THE BOOK YOURSELF—notify us and I will do my best to find the most cost-effective equivalent copy available.
d. If you bring a book back to the library with damage (even if you didn’t cause the damage) that does not require replacement, you will still be responsible for the $3 processing fee, to cover the cost of repair supplies. This includes tears to pages.
e. Remember that every time you use a book it is aging and though a book may possibly disintegrate on your turn, you have helped to age many books that may fall apart on someone else’s turn. When you sign a book out, you are committing yourself for its care and/or possible replacement.
f. Never pull books on a shelf from the top of the spine with your finger. Carefully extract them by grasping them on either side of the spine.
g. Always use a paper bookmark and never lay open books face down or dog-ear corners to hold your place.
d. It’s so tempting, but do NOT read TLB books in bed, in the car, or in the bathroom. Never leave these old friends on the floor or furniture.
BOOK CHECK-OUT:
a. When you check out books, you are taking responsibility for them while they are out of our home. For this reason, though it may seem inconvenient, we cannot allow friends to check out or return books for one another. We want the family who has checked them out to be the one handling them at all times. This also prevents potential conflict in your relationships if books are lost or damaged. If unforeseen circumstances arise preventing the timely return of the books, please contact me, I will work it out with you
b. There is no limit on number of books that can be checked out at one time. Just remember that you are responsible for all the books you check out.
c. When you borrow books from our library, you will double check that each book is in acceptable condition before you leave the library. If you’d like, you may take a picture of a problem in a book (torn page, crayon mark) to document its condition upon checking it out. If I am not personally in the library, *please snap a picture of the books you are borrowing, and just send it to me, along w a message (Hi! This is __ __, and these are the books I am borrowing this week:)* I REALLY appreciate it: I do not wish to lose track of what is where. Thanks!
d. A list of the books checked out to you will be emailed to you. (Along with the picture of their spines) It is your responsibility to ensure that every book listed returns to the library on your due date.
THANK YOU for your diligence in caring for our special collection of books! Please understand that this is an enormous investment and the guidelines we have established are for the protection of that investment and to bring enjoyment to the many families who use the library. In essence, these rules amount to loving your neighbor as yourself. We want you to use our books confidently and feel free to enjoy them. Remember that they are our family’s personal collection and it is a privilege to borrow them.
Bookishly yours,
Tracy
“Children must have books, living books; the best are not too good for them; anything less than the best is not good enough.”
Charlotte Mason
Home Away From Homeschool 