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My local library has a lot of books available that I can just download and read on my Kindle. Don't want to pay $9 for a kindle book you will read once, get it

by tnuc 13y ago

My local library has a lot of books available that I can just download and read on my Kindle. Don't want to pay $9 for a kindle book you will read once, get it from the library in 5 minutes for free. All you need is a library card.

eigenvector 13y ago
I live in Toronto, where the public library system has the highest circulation-per-capita in the North America, and even here we pay about $5.50 (in taxes) for each book borrowed from the library. Yes, it is free at the point of use, but libraries are not cheap to operate.
- bane 13y ago
  I'm not sure cost/book loaned is the best measure of a library's performance. In my local area (a suburb of Washington D.C.), I have 2 brand new libraries about 5-10 minutes from my house, with another one planned within walking distance. At both the extant libraries, book loaning is just part of the services offered by the library. For example, on any given day you can go in after school and the libraries will be packed to the gills with students using them as after school study centers -- with private group study rooms and the like. Private tutors often meet with their students in the library as well instead of people's houses as it lets them have a centralized place where they can see 3 or 4 students in a row with high efficiency. They also offer a pretty full schedule of community events, for example one of my county libraries has regular meet-ups for parents of autistic kids. The kids get together and play videogames and the parents meet with a special educator. I've also attended talks by authors of niche books that would never get a chance in a major book chain. One of the best I recall was a talk by a retired player about his days as a professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues. Libraries are more than just a cheap alternative to a book store, they're major community centers dedicated to learning in general. I'd happily pay $10 a book loaned to keep them around.
freehunter 13y ago
I joined my local library branch to try out renting ebooks on my Kindle, and ran into a very curious concern. All of the books I wanted to read were out of stock. Yes, the ebooks were out of stock. I understand that there is licensing that needs to happen on the side of the library, but seriously publishers, it's 2013 and these are ebooks. Get over yourself. This is the exact argument people make when they say piracy is not stealing. It doesn't cost a damn thing to make another ebook.

by tnuc 13y ago

eigenvector 13y ago

I live in Toronto, where the public library system has the highest circulation-per-capita in the North America, and even here we pay about $5.50 (in taxes) for each book borrowed from the library. Yes, it is free at the point of use, but libraries are not cheap to operate.

bane 13y ago
I'm not sure cost/book loaned is the best measure of a library's performance. In my local area (a suburb of Washington D.C.), I have 2 brand new libraries about 5-10 minutes from my house, with another one planned within walking distance. At both the extant libraries, book loaning is just part of the services offered by the library. For example, on any given day you can go in after school and the libraries will be packed to the gills with students using them as after school study centers -- with private group study rooms and the like. Private tutors often meet with their students in the library as well instead of people's houses as it lets them have a centralized place where they can see 3 or 4 students in a row with high efficiency. They also offer a pretty full schedule of community events, for example one of my county libraries has regular meet-ups for parents of autistic kids. The kids get together and play videogames and the parents meet with a special educator. I've also attended talks by authors of niche books that would never get a chance in a major book chain. One of the best I recall was a talk by a retired player about his days as a professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues. Libraries are more than just a cheap alternative to a book store, they're major community centers dedicated to learning in general. I'd happily pay $10 a book loaned to keep them around.

freehunter 13y ago

I joined my local library branch to try out renting ebooks on my Kindle, and ran into a very curious concern. All of the books I wanted to read were out of stock. Yes, the ebooks were out of stock. I understand that there is licensing that needs to happen on the side of the library, but seriously publishers, it's 2013 and these are ebooks. Get over yourself. This is the exact argument people make when they say piracy is not stealing. It doesn't cost a damn thing to make another ebook.