Library Elf

From the time I graduated from college until I had children, I was oblivious to late fees on library books.  I read whatever I bought in airport book shops when I traveled for business.  In fact, other than during the two years I spent in business school, I don't think I set foot in a library.

Typically, the kids and I visit the library once a week and are really good about bringing our returns with us, so we're never late.  So it was a bit of a shock when I stepped up to borrow more books for my kids at our local library and was hit with the late fees for the last batch of books and DVDs we'd borrowed.  These were the books and DVDs that had come due while we were on vacation and then sat collecting dust for a few days afterward while we recovered from said vacation.

Here's our local library's schedule of late fees:

Books	25 cents/day
Books on tape & CD	25 cents/day
Music CDs & audiocassettes	$1/day
Movie DVDs & VHS tapes	$1/day

It wasn't so much the late fees on the books that got me - it was the DVDs.  We were eight days overdue on our stack and the late fees added up to almost $20.  Good grief!  Where am I, Blockbuster?

As I forked over the cash, the librarian looked at me over her glasses and asked if I'd heard of Library Elf.

"I don't think we read about that one.  Is it in another volume?" I thought she was referring to the Spiderwick Chronicles, which were in my stack.

"No, no," she chuckled.  "Library Elf is a free email service that warns you when your library books are coming due.  You should sign up."  She handed me a flier and I went online to sign up when I got home.

Today, I received my first reminder, three days before my books are due.

It really is very cool.  You get the heads-up about the deadline and you have the opportunity to remotely renew your books.

More great, green, money-saving technology.