When you're borrowing books from someone, there's a certain, unspoken protocol you follow. That will be the topic of tomorrow's post. Today, however, I want to talk about tips for those of you who are nervous about loaning out your books.
Loaning out your books, especially your favorite books, can be a difficult experience. Even if you know and trust the person, your books are another thing. So here are 7 tips for loaning out your books.
Tip 1: Make your boundaries known.
If you don't want your pages dog-eared or don't want the person to go off somewhere (like on vacation) with the book, let them know. Expressing what your boundaries are will help the person understand better what to do (especially what to not do) with your book. Yes, there are pseudo, unspoken "rules" to borrowing books, but letting a person know your specific book boundaries helps set the standard.
Tip 2: Lend a bookmark with the book.
If you are someone who gets livid at seeing dog-eared pages, lending a bookmark with the book most likely will guarantee that your pages won't be dog-eared. Even if the bookmark isn't actually used, it still prevents the possibility of it happening.
Tip 3: Let the person when you hope to get the book back.
Loaning out a book to someone obviously puts pressure on them to return it to you in a timely fashion. However, things happen, and our lives get in the way. Letting the person know when you hope to get the book back eases the pressure, but let's them know that you still want your book back.
Tip 4: Stick a post-it note with your name on one of the inside covers.
Let's face it: no matter how young we are or how good we claim our memory is, it sometimes fails us. And on some of those occasions, we may not remember who we borrow books from. Sticking a little post-it note with your name on one of the inside covers will help to remind the person "Oh, yeah. This is [insert name]'s book."
Tip 5: Keep track of the books you're loaning.
Piggybacking off of Tip 4, keep track of the books you're loaning, and who's borrowing them. (You can buy personal library kits on Amazon.) Whether you do it via a whiteboard, notebook, document, or other, keeping track will help you in the long run.
Tip 6: Don't lend books you yourself are borrowing.
Just don't do it. Yeah, someone may enjoy the book, but it isn't yours to lend out. There are other places someone can borrow that book from, like a local library or apps like Libby and Overdrive.
Tip 7: Make sure it's a book you don't plan to use or read soon.
If it's a book you don't plan on picking up for a while, then that will probably be a good book to loan out. However, if it's one you need for whatever reason, then it's not a book to loan out in that moment.
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