Hi all well its spring and a few people at work want to barrow some of my books. i dont mind i trust the few how asked.
my tip for this is the sticker adress lables you get in the mail. i have hundreds of them and i put one in the cover of all my books that way, they cant forget who they barrowed it from.

Good idea! I'm usually pretty generous with everything in my life - except my books! I lend out very few books because I'm very fussy about my books. I can count on one hand the number of people I lend books to - and they are friends who appreciate and value books as much as I do. Thanks for the tip, Kawalabear! For anyone that's a 'book borrower', I'm sure your suggestion will make it much easier to remember who to return which book to!

Kawala--just where are you that it's SPRING!!!!???? My feathers are being ruffled right now with a winter storm warning and I am about to go out and try to drive 30 miles in the crap. At 4 in the morning to boot. So spring, what spring???? It looks like a damn winter wonderland out there. Pine trees sagging with the stuff. Bunny tracks all over the place. Drifts filling the ditches so you really can't tell the ditch from the road.

Can you tell I'm close to dangerous when someone mentions the "S" word?

But today is ground hog day, and no matter how you look at it, there's 6 more weeks of winter.

One thing that I do that helps me keep track of who has what book, is I make up 3x5 index cards with the book title, author, etc up at the top, and then on the lines, I pencil in the name of the person that I loaned it to. That way, I KNOW who has my books! That, and I put a label with my name on it on the inside cover so that I can PROVE that it's mine when I need it back!

well that was a typo "spring" OH DO I WISH! getting ready for spring is more like it . i am in md. on the eastern shore so its warmer here than most of md. but i still have a few inches of snow on the ground but its melting fast. and the only place it looks like spring is my kitchen wich is covered in little plants waiting for warm weather. hope its here soon the only thing i can do outside is turn my compost.

I found a cute little rubber stamp one time, and have since lost it, but it said "Lighting may strike if this book is not returned to-" and then it leaves a space for your name.

There are only three people allowed to borrow books from me anymore. Two are my parents and one is my oldest and dearest friend. Everyone else brings them back in such apalling condition I can't stand it. Or else they don't bring them back and I have to go to their house and hunt them down.

Instead of lending the book I offer to look up the appropriate information and make notes or a copy or whatever.

I'm with Topofthehill, I loan very few books out. I've lost too many of them. Even when I loan to the handfull of friends on the 'loan list'. I still write down their name, book taken and date.

I really like my friends and I hate to be mad at them and I do get made if I lose a book, rather if someone is inconsiderate enough to not return a book. See what I mean? I lose my tolerance...

You all make me feel better. I was feeling so selfish after I added my comments to this post! Now at least I know I'm not the only one who gets aggravated when someone hands back a book they've borrowed and says "Oh...sorry...Jimmy spilled his Coke all over it". Ugghh!!! I treat my books like gold and having stuff spilled on them, pages ripped, etc. is maddening! Even more upsetting are people who have a very 'Oh well' attitude about it - never offering to replace it, or even offer a heartfelt apology. It didn't take too long for me to realize there are people who like books and people who love books, and people who cherish their books. So many times when talking to a friend, I'll think to myself "Oh, I should lend them that book"....then I think "Don't do it - you'll be sorry". And it's funny really - I would give anyone anything I have if they needed it - not a stingy bone in my body. But books are different! I used to feel bad about my selfish ways where my books are concerned, but now I don't feel that way anymore. Glad to know I'm not alone!