Book Borrowing Etiquette

I love to read. I regularly borrow books from the library and occasionally from friends. I sometimes lend out books as well.   Unfortunately loaning out books can be a dangerous thing to do. Dangerous to the book and to the friendship.  If someone borrows your book and returns it in poor condition or does not return it at all, this can damage the friendship.

So if you are a book borrower, whether it be from the library, from a friend or from a coworker, here are some things to keep in mind.

Treat the book better than if it was yours.  I have on a couple of occasions hated a book so much that I threw it across the room. This was only when the book was my own property and it was not in an area to actually hit anything. I would never throw a library book or a borrowed one.

You should never write in a book that you have not yourself purchased or been given as a gift. This includes underlining things or taking notes in the margins. Do not dog ear the pages. I often get library books home and find the tips of pages tucked under. This is damaging to the book and distracting to the next reader.  Try taking notes or using those little sticky note tabs or even just sticking a piece of paper in to mark the page.

Do not eat or drink around a book that is not yours. It is easy to drip even if you are careful. How many times have you looked down and realized you have dripped food on your shirt or pants? Drips happen.  Keep them away from other people's books.

Do not read a borrowed book in the tub. I am a big fan of taking a paperback into the tub and soaking while I read. I would never do this with someone else's book.  Water splashes and on rare occasions, books have been known to fall into people's tubs.

Do not re-lend the book. A loan to you is not a blank check to do as you please. By all means, recommend the book to someone but do not offer to loan that which is not yours.

Be careful of how you transport or carry a borrowed book. It is easy to cram it into a purse that already holds too much and not think about potential damage.

Most importantly, return the book in a timely fashion. A loan is not an indefinite thing. You should read the book promptly and return it promptly. This is the number one complaint of the book lenders that I know. I personally loaned a book to someone last summer and have yet to see it this spring.  Do not be that person.

And the final etiquette rule, if you do damage a book you have borrowed, you need to purchase a replacement. You should do this immediately and without having to be asked. When you borrowed it, you accepted the responsibility for that book. If you are not willing to replace it, then think twice about borrowing it. Etiquette is not a forgiving thing and your friend may not be either if you ruin their book and expect them to pay for it.