Guidelines and Membership

Guidelines for the Use and Care of Our Books

Our library is a special place filled with the most wonderful books; we currently have nearly 5,000 treasures! We actively seek out specific titles and authors, because we know that these are among the best books that have ever been written for children - younger and older!

Many of the books in our collection are therefore rare and difficult to replace, but you can help us to preserve them as long as possible. Please keep in mind, as well, that they are in our family's personal collection, a considerable investment, too, and it is a privilege to borrow them.
Thus, we would like to share the following guidelines with you for the use of our books:

~ All library members MUST transport the books in a covered tote, so that they are protected from the elements. Please keep storage bins free from dirt.

~ There is no limit on how many books a family can check out at one time - you never know what exciting discoveries you will make, feel free to choose as many as you like. Just remember that when books are in your possession, you are responsible for them and that, for the sake of others, folks should not take more books than they can commit to returning on time.


~ Please keep our books away from food and drink and humidity (even from rain near an open window), that includes bathrooms as well. 

Water stains can add much ugly damage to books. This, unfortunately, has really been an issue in the past.

~ Turn pages from the top right corner, many tears in pages are the result of strain and wear when pages are turned from the bottom.


~ Please use paper bookmarks, not pencils or pens to hold your place, and do not place books face down with the pages open, as this puts strain on the spine.


~ Carefully extract books from the shelves, the top of the spine is especially fragile.



~ Books need to be returned on or before the due date.   


The checkout period is 4 weeks. 


A $0.10 fine per book per day will be incurred if books are not returned on the due date and I don't hear back from an overdue borrower, so please make sure you bring them back on time. If this is not possible, you can always contact me to make alternative arrangements and I can then renew the books for you.


~ A $2.00 fine per book will be incurred for damage to a book that does not require replacement (that includes tears). Please keep in mind that, if a book does need to be replaced, this can become costly. Some of the books in our library are difficult to replace and costs can add up quickly. 

Please do not attempt to repair damaged books. Many of the books in our collection are becoming increasingly valuable,  leave it to me to repair them.

Remember that others may be waiting to check out the very same books. We are really a "covenant library", let's bless each other's efforts to homeschool by returning books promptly and energetically so that other families have access to them when needed. The library depends on everyone's thinking of the others in the covenant.


~ If a family has not been using the library for 4 consecutive months, I will email them, asking if they would like to continue the membership, with an eye to others that are perhaps on the waiting list, hoping for a spot to become available.

~ I've gladly set aside regular hours for checking in and checking out books. This also allows time for me to reshelve boxes full of them! Please use these library hours when you return your books.


~P
lease do not check out or return books for friends. We want the family who has checked them out to be the one handling them at all times. This way we can keep a general overview of where our books are and books do not get lost as easily.


~ We welcome your children on library days, but ask that you control their behaviour for us. No running or roughhousing throughout the house. Please keep in mind that the library is in our home and we ask that you treat our property with respect and consideration.


~ Take some time to go over these guidelines with your children as well.


~ Above all, we want you to enjoy the books, my heartfelt hope is that you do not feel intimidated by these rules; please view them as tools to prolong the joy that these books bring to others. They have brought a deep richness and wonderful avenues of learning into our own lives and we are happy to share them!


Still, a few guidelines are helpful. You would be surprised:



Lending People Books



Why Books Are Not Returned


Thank you so much for your consideration!




Membership Registration 



You are welcome to send in an application request for membership which I will gladly review!
You may at first be put on a waiting list, though, until a spot becomes available.

Membership fee: $ 85 /family per school year (September - End of May/Beginning of June) 


This also includes the check out of the FIAR totes that go along with the Five In A Row curriculum.

Your membership fee is a symbol of your commitment to our library and helps contribute towards its maintenance. 


Length of check out: 4 weeks


Before you apply for membership, please  make sure that you have read and agreed to the guidelines on how to care for our books. Even if you have read them before, please familiarize yourself again with these, as some things may have changed.



Please let me know if you have any special book needs this year and I will do my best to find some treasures!


We are located just a few minutes West of Kitchener-Waterloo. 

Please contact me for location details.

Please send your application request to:  daniekoepke@gmail.com
Just a short description of yourself and why you would like to join.

I am currently accepting only a few families into the library, but I do keep a waiting list for those interested in a future membership. 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!


I'm looking forward to sharing our gems with you,


Dani





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