Request: Please make library books available digitally so I don’t have to pay fines
I owe fines to both my local and city libraries for returning books late.
Dude. As a customer, piddley fines are not enough to make me return a book. Even big fines aren’t really enough to drag my myself onto the train. Hands up anyone who has long kept a library book from their schools days, too embarrassed to show their face at their local library until many years later, when all records have been scrubbed clean?
I love the smell of books more than anyone. Those soothing pages helped me from going totally catatonic at times. When I am stressed, the bookstore or library becomes my refuge to be calm.
But if I am going to borrow a book, I would like the itunes solution.
Itunes solution? Let me explain- itunes, as you know, is a multi-media manager of music and video crossed with an online store. Through the itunes store, one can ‘rent’ a video by downloading it to their computer. Then after the 3 day rental period is over it vanishes!
So where is the itunes for libraries? Where is the downloadable digital reader linked to my library’s catalogue? Why can’t I log in with my ID to the catalogue ‘borrow’ a book for my reader and then have it vanish after my borrowing period is over?
Oh yeah, and can someone waive my fines?
I totally agree on the owing fines thing! I think (some) librarians are the absolute worst at being library customers. I always have overdue books, the books I own are not picture-perfect no-crease-down-the-spine, no-coffee/bath-stains (though I am more careful with books people lend to me).
My problem with the iTunes solution though is that:
a) I don’t have an eReader yet and am not that keen on moving to the dark side
b) I need to keep them longer because I never finish them in time! Books are not DVDs, they take longer than 2hrs to read.
Great post though, and as a librarian of the future you have some say in whether this idea becomes a reality!