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Yes, it could be that 'books' would only be available until they'd been 'borrowed' 100 times, at which point the library would have to buy/license additional 'c
by blacksmith_tb 5y ago
Yes, it could be that 'books' would only be available until they'd been 'borrowed' 100 times, at which point the library would have to buy/license additional 'copies' or patrons just couldn't read it any more. In some ways that seems fine, but there's a sadness to the idea of the library as a repository of knowledge going away, and being replaced by a vending machine.
- nfriedly 5y agoI think the current "3 copies out at a time" model also has a 100 borrows and then the library has to buy it again. limitation. (The number is probably higher than 100, though.) Edit: I was wrong, it's lower than 100. From the article: > In 2011, HarperCollins introduced a new lending model that was capped at twenty-six checkouts, after which a library would need to purchase the book again.
- selykg 5y agoFurther proof that the library system is just plain being broken by publishers. There's a lot of bad shit in this world, but oh boy do I wish some of our country's leaders would solve problems like this. We don't elevate youth or those around us by limiting access to knowledge.
- blacksmith_tb 5y agoThat passage though does provide some more details: "For a classic work, which readers were likely to check out steadily for years to come, a library might purchase a handful of expensive perpetual licenses. With a flashy best-seller, which could be expected to lose steam over time, the library might buy a large number of cheaper licenses that would expire relatively quickly." At least perpetual licenses are an option.