Jay Walker’s library
I know this has been all over the blogosphere lately, but in case you missed it, go take a look at Jay Walker’s personal library.
Words fail me.
Insomniac linkage
I am currently wide awake in the middle of the night. In order to see some benefit from this, I’ll share a few things that have been open in my browser for the last few days:
- The Globe and Mail has an article about why reading fiction is good for us. Just in case me telling you so wasn’t enough.
- BestCollegesOnline.com have posted a list of what they consider to be the 25 most modern libraries in the world. Apparently, “Libraries aren’t just musty places to store books with librarians shushing anyone who makes a peep.”
- ReaderGear.com has come across a little rack that lets you read in the bath. Of course none of you would dream of risking this with a library book would you?
- Bookhuddle.com is a new entrant in the LibraryThing/Shelfari/etc genre of websites to list your books and interact with other readers. I’ve only had a very brief look and don’t think that it will take me away from LibraryThing at the moment. One thing I notice is a very strong Amazon connection. Amazon reviews, ratings, and descriptions appear in the book details pages and there are links to buy the books. It also automatically sets up a few “lists” for you, like “books I have read”, “books I own”, “books I want to read” etc. You can make more lists of course.
Similar Posts:
- 2009 reading tip for the year - dare to be different
- Why I like LibraryThing
- Book rental
- A couple of recommended reading lists
- You do not have to finish a book just because you started it
Book dispensing machines
Users of the Contra Costa County Library no longer need to panic if they forget to take a book on the train. They can just grab one from a book dispensing machine.
Brilliant. I’m a big fan of making libraries more accessible so this sounds great.
You can also read the official press release from the library, or look at some more pictures of the machine.
Similar Posts:
Reserving and requesting books at your local library
Let me paint you a picture. You hear that JK Rowling has decided to write another Harry Potter book and it is going to be called “Harry Potter and the never ending high school”. You jump online, visit your library’s website and check their catalogue. It’s not there yet. Of course not - it won’t be published until December. So you figure, maybe they’ll order it in November sometime. You check in mid-November and there are already 75 reserves on it. Aaarrggh.
Here’s the tip: as soon as you know about a new book coming out, if it is not on your library catalogue, ask if you can request it. Even if you know for sure that the library will be buying the book anyway, this gives you a better chance of getting your name near the top of the list. Of course, all libraries are different so your mileage may vary. However, when a new book by an author like Rowling is announced, one which the library will obviously be buying, they will most likely be adding a record to their catalogue as soon as they know about it and know for sure what the title is. So get your name in early. Maybe you’ve stumbled on the information before the librarians have got around to adding the record. Let them know. Ask if you can reserve it now.
Another scenario: you see a book in a shop, on a blog, or in a newspaper review and it sounds great. Once again, your library doesn’t have it. But this time it’s not an upcoming book, it’s been out for 6 months. Maybe they’re not going to get it? Well, the best way to increase your chances is to ask them to buy it. Yes, put in a request. Did you know you can do this? If the book is still available from the publisher and it fits the library’s collection development policy, then they will consider buying it. Obviously I (and they) cannot guarantee they will get it, but it’s worth trying.
While I’m talking about reserving books, here’s another tip. I often have people come in on Monday afternoon or Tuesday or later in the week wanting to reserve a book they read about in the Saturday paper. That’s no problem, and they go on the list. But if a book got a good write up on Saturday, chances are it has already gained a bunch of fresh reserves by Monday or Tuesday. So jump online Saturday and get your reserve on early if you want to get higher up the list.
So in summary, if you see or hear about a book you would like but your library doesn’t have it, ask them. It’s that simple really.
Let me know how you go. What is your library’s policy on requests?
Similar Posts:
Book rental
A few weeks ago I noticed an ad in a magazine for Slim Ink book rental. Until this point, I had not been aware of this sort of service. In fact, it had never occurred to me to see if such a thing existed.
I had been aware of the Melbourne Athenaeum Library, which is a subscription based library service. A $65 yearly membership allows you to borrow 1 book at a time. There are also more expensive options that allow 2, 5, or 10 books at a time.
Slim Ink has some similarities to this, but is a web based service with all books being delivered to and from you. A quick web search turned up a couple of similar US based services too. BookSwim and Booksfree. There may well be more, but I didn’t search too hard.
All of these services operate with a similar loan policy to the one described above, with a membership allowing a certain number of books to be borrowed at any one time. Pay more, and you can borrow more. The idea is that you maintain a list of desired titles and when you return one book (or lot of books), the next available book(s) on your list are delivered.
The beauty of this system is that there are no late fines, and the books are delivered to your door. The main drawbacks from my perspective are the cost when compared with a free public library, and the limited number of books you can borrow at any one time.
The cheapest and most expensive plans for each of the three are:
- Slim Ink: $14 AUD per month for 1 book at a time, $60 for 12 books.
- BookSwim: $14.99 USD per month for 2 books at a time, $35.99 for 11.
- BooksFree: $9.99 USD per month for 2 books at a time, $37.99 for 12.
There are obviously various conditions attached along with various plans in between the ones listed above. All three services include free delivery both ways.
Whether this type of service suits you obviously depends on your personal circumstances. If I didn’t work in a public library I could see a huge benefit in their convenience. Whether I would be willing to pay $28 AUD per month for a 4 book plan (probably the minimum I would consider) is another question.
This of course raises in my mind the question about public libraries offering a delivery service. Would it be possible to provide this service for free, or a minimal cost? Perhaps only charge enough to cover postage? Perhaps I’ll have to poke around and see if I can find any that do it already.
What are your thoughts? Would you consider using a book rental service? Do you already use one? Why or why not?
