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Originally Posted by tubemonkey
Doesn't sound promising if the library dude is in favor of charging a fee and physical visits to a library in order to check out ebooks.
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Really doesn't seem to be a very sensible idea. I can see what they mean about protecting footfall, but IMO, rather than get het up about ensuring that people make a physical visit to the library, it would be far better to ensure that the books that are borrowed online are credited to the library with which the borrower is registered, not (as happens in the county in which I live and the neighbouring one as well) to the library system as a whole. This current system obviously has a disproportionate effect on smaller libraries and on mobile libraries (which generally service areas with a more spread-out population and poorer infrastructure), which seems very unfair.
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Originally Posted by Catlady
The small fee idea seems less troublesome than the physical visit requirement. What possible reason is there to require someone to traipse to the library, during certain hours, when the technology exists to make that unnecessary? It's stupid.
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Precisely. If I'm going to traipse down to the library, I might as well get a pbook. Do any of these people understand technology at all?
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Originally Posted by danskmacabre
well that's fine, why not have a 2 tier system where those that are willing to pay can loan a book straight away and those who want to loan a book for free can wait in the queue...
There's no reason why both systems couldn't coexist
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It already does - if I want to reserve a pbook, I have to pay a small fee to do so, hence the precedent is already set, and the systems should be in place to allow it.
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Originally Posted by Xanthe
So let me test my understanding:
The people for whom the ability to access library ebooks online would benefit most - namely the ill and the disabled - are going to be forced to either physically visit a library for a digital download, or else use possibly limited funds in order to borrow a library book in the format that is the most usable for them.
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My thoughts exactly. By rights, this should fall foul of anti-discrimination legislation, but as talking books carry an extra fee, I suspect there's a loophole there somewhere.
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Originally Posted by Catlady
Well, yes, but the end result of an extra fee is more money for the library to provide services, at least in theory. So one can rationalize its imposition. But the physical visit requirement provides no benefit to the library or the library patron--it definitely is an inconvenience for the patron, and probably for the library too.
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And, unless the library is near enough to get to by walking or cycling, harms the environment too.
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Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx
Does one have to pay for using the public library in their local area now?
Would the librarians generally support the notion of 'payment' for e lending do you think?
We do not pay to belong to our local libraries in Aus, nor do we pay to borrow books, e or otherwise.
(The volume of ebooks on offer is ridiculously currently low.)
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No, there are no joining or borrowing fees
per se in the UK. There are fees for various other services, such as reservations, and for other formats, such as talking books and CDs/DVDs. I think most librarians would be very against the whole idea of paying for books.