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Ok, I felt the urge to ask : Could someone explain to me why this is a bad idea and it couldn’t happen in, let’s say, Montreal ? Like if I rent a flat, arrange

Ok, I felt the urge to ask : Could someone explain to me why this is a bad idea and it couldn’t happen in, let’s say, Montreal ? Like if I rent a flat, arrange it as a library, put books everywhere and we all pay to have access to books, or the place itself to chill and read ? Am I dreaming ? Could that work ?

arcbyte 3y ago
Public libraries are a bit of a modern invention. Historically, most libraries were private ones, often arranged by small groups of people who housed their collections together so books could be loaned to each other. Local governments and rich philanthropists helped spread the public library concept to be what it is today.
thereisnospork 3y ago
In America you would run into at minimum the following, or a summary of why we can't have nice things: Cost: rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in a major metro, even split 10-20 ways, could still be a few hundred a month. Permitting: Even if the apartment is zoned appropriately for a club or business, still need construction permit for the shelves/weight stored on them, fire permit for the storage of flammable materials, fire permitting/review for maximum occupancy, plus at least one other that won't be apparent until neck deep in the project. Incorporation: Would be very, very wise to do this under an LLC (in CA, an extra 1000/year tax + minor fees and hassle) Liability: Need insurance in case someone gets hurt (e.g. someone trips over a pile of books left on the floor) Lease: Boiler plate leases will typically indirectly disallow this sort of endeavor (via guest limits or similar) (This isn't even considering any library-specific laws or requirements, which presumably exist in at least some jurisdictions)
- creer 3y ago
  "club space" in America is a nightmare, yes. You forgot to mention the neighbors not liking you and making trouble. But hacker spaces in particular do exist, usually on a small budget, and they make it work. Not impossible. For that matter, the hacker space Noisebridge in San Francisco houses a large collection of data books and other often dated technical books. If you need to find the paper, they are a reasonable place to go and look.
ta_vf7xjd34cc 3y ago
Book shelves (like aquariums) are heavy. My concern would be traffic and weight. Public buildings are designed with thicker/wider and more numerous structural elements compared to residential buildings. I believe the residential standard for concrete structures in India (where I am) specifies a minimum live load bearing capacity of 2kN/m2 (approx 200 kg/m2). This is much higher for schools/colleges/libraries/auditoriums etc.
- morelisp 3y ago
  Most shelving materials as well as paper itself floats, so bookshelves can't be anywhere near as heavy as an aquarium even if you have them packed impossibly dense.
  - ta_vf7xjd34cc 3y ago
    Edit: Some one deleted their reply to you listing densities of paper and water. Here are some figures from Wikipedia - The density of paper ranges from 250 kg/m3 (16 lb/cu ft) for tissue paper to 1500 kg/m3 (94 lb/cu ft) for some specialty paper. Printing paper is about 800 kg/m3 (50 lb/cu ft). - Water: 1000 kg/m3 So they are not that far apart when you consider that the average bookshelf is often bigger than the average aquarium.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
eschneider 3y ago
Private libraries have been a thing for a long time (I currently belong to one in Boston...) I don't think you could pull it off in a flat, but in a commercial space? Sure.
- jvandonsel 3y ago
  Would that be the Boston Athenaeum, by any chance?

arcbyte 3y ago

Public libraries are a bit of a modern invention. Historically, most libraries were private ones, often arranged by small groups of people who housed their collections together so books could be loaned to each other. Local governments and rich philanthropists helped spread the public library concept to be what it is today.

thereisnospork 3y ago

In America you would run into at minimum the following, or a summary of why we can't have nice things: Cost: rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in a major metro, even split 10-20 ways, could still be a few hundred a month. Permitting: Even if the apartment is zoned appropriately for a club or business, still need construction permit for the shelves/weight stored on them, fire permit for the storage of flammable materials, fire permitting/review for maximum occupancy, plus at least one other that won't be apparent until neck deep in the project. Incorporation: Would be very, very wise to do this under an LLC (in CA, an extra 1000/year tax + minor fees and hassle) Liability: Need insurance in case someone gets hurt (e.g. someone trips over a pile of books left on the floor) Lease: Boiler plate leases will typically indirectly disallow this sort of endeavor (via guest limits or similar) (This isn't even considering any library-specific laws or requirements, which presumably exist in at least some jurisdictions)

creer 3y ago
"club space" in America is a nightmare, yes. You forgot to mention the neighbors not liking you and making trouble. But hacker spaces in particular do exist, usually on a small budget, and they make it work. Not impossible. For that matter, the hacker space Noisebridge in San Francisco houses a large collection of data books and other often dated technical books. If you need to find the paper, they are a reasonable place to go and look.

ta_vf7xjd34cc 3y ago

Book shelves (like aquariums) are heavy. My concern would be traffic and weight. Public buildings are designed with thicker/wider and more numerous structural elements compared to residential buildings. I believe the residential standard for concrete structures in India (where I am) specifies a minimum live load bearing capacity of 2kN/m2 (approx 200 kg/m2). This is much higher for schools/colleges/libraries/auditoriums etc.

morelisp 3y ago
Most shelving materials as well as paper itself floats, so bookshelves can't be anywhere near as heavy as an aquarium even if you have them packed impossibly dense.
- ta_vf7xjd34cc 3y ago
  Edit: Some one deleted their reply to you listing densities of paper and water. Here are some figures from Wikipedia - The density of paper ranges from 250 kg/m3 (16 lb/cu ft) for tissue paper to 1500 kg/m3 (94 lb/cu ft) for some specialty paper. Printing paper is about 800 kg/m3 (50 lb/cu ft). - Water: 1000 kg/m3 So they are not that far apart when you consider that the average bookshelf is often bigger than the average aquarium.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

eschneider 3y ago

Private libraries have been a thing for a long time (I currently belong to one in Boston...) I don't think you could pull it off in a flat, but in a commercial space? Sure.

jvandonsel 3y ago
Would that be the Boston Athenaeum, by any chance?