5 Things to Keep in Mind If You Lose a Library Book
Today, we’ll take a look at what you should do if you ever lose a library book. For those who enjoy reading, libraries are fantastic worlds that open doors to hundreds of different stories and lives. In addition, from a young age, children should learn the importance of going to libraries and using and borrowing the materials on offer.
Visiting the library on a regular basis is a habit that encourages children to read. What’s more, it gives them the possibility of continuing to carry out these visits as they grow up.
There are many families who go to the library and enjoy the material that they can borrow there. Books are the most popular among the public. However, there are also other items that children like very much, such as children’s movies, magazines, etc.
Among so much material there is to borrow, it’s possible that, on occasion, you may lose a library book. Therefore, today, we’ll tell you a little more about the aspects you should take into account if you lose a library book and how to act.
Things to consider if you lose a library book
1. Check all the rooms in the house calmly
Although it may seem obvious, on many occasions, this can be overlooked. Therefore, the first thing to do if you lose a library book is to check all the spaces where it may be. Remember that children may have used it and it’s very likely that they have left it in a hard-to-find place.
2. Things that can happen
Ruining a book, CD, or DVD, or even losing them, isn’t something you do voluntarily. Therefore, if any of those things happen to you, you should stay calm.
In the first case, i.e. if it gets damaged, you should check if it can be fixed in an easy and simple way. If you see that this isn’t something you can do easily and quickly, then don’t do it, as the damage may be even greater. Once you’ve searched and haven’t found the book, or you see that the damage is beyond repair, you should move on to the next aspect.
3. Go to or call the library to report it
Undoubtedly, in the series of things to consider if you lose a library book, this is the most important. Although again, it may seem obvious, many people prefer never to return to the library so that they don’t have to have a hard time explaining what happened or, on certain occasions, have to pay for the damage.
As we’ve said before, this is something that can happen to anyone, so the library staff will understand.
In addition to understanding, they’ll give you instructions on how to repair the damage. As we said in the previous point, sometimes books can be repaired if the damage is minor and the library staff is trained to do so.
More things to consider if you lose a library book
4. Replacing the material
If you lose a library book or destroy it beyond repair, you’ll need to replace it. To do so, the library staff will provide you with the details of the edition of the book so that you can purchase a new copy. Or they may simply charge you for it.
If this happens with a new book, you’ll have no problem finding it. However, there are editions of books or even titles that are out of print.
What does this mean? It means that the book is no longer in circulation at any point of sale, an aspect that is common especially in children’s literature for all the titles that are published. In this case, the library staff will give you the possibility of buying another book of their choice.
5. What happens if you lose your book because it’s been stolen?
Unfortunately, material things are often stolen. If for some reason you were carrying a library book in your bag or backpack at the time, before going to the library, you should file a report with the police.
Once the police report has been filed, you must go to the library with it to prove the information. In this case, it’s the only time that the library itself replaces the book and not the person who lost it.
