Lending libraries, such as West End’s Bowen Library, rely on their borrowers to read and return the library’s books in a timely fashion. When this is done, the books “circulate” among the borrowers. (One of a library’s major benchmarks is circulation: how many items were checked out during a particular time period.) However, when there are many overdue books, circulation slows down, and may get really clogged.

Bowen Library books can be checked out for four weeks; many, if not most, libraries limit the check-out period to two weeks and, for best-sellers or new arrivals, to seven days. We don’t charge fines for overdue books; we don’t list in the church bulletin or in West End Report the names of the borrowers who have overdue books (yes, I’ve heard of church libraries doing this!). But we do have a problem with overdue materials. Some of our new arrivals have been checked out once and not come back. There are UMW selected books that cannot be used by members of UMW to complete their Reading Programs because the books have not been returned. Children’s books are a particular problem because the child may not understand that the book does not belong in his or her own collection and needs to be returned to the library.
Please look around your home for books that belong to Bowen Library. You can tell if they should be returned by checking the date due you wrote or stamped in the book when you checked it out. If the book is overdue or if you are finished reading the book, please return it to Bowen Library–just drop it in the book return box–and keep Bowen Library’s materials circulating.