UK to Review eBook Lending

[shalym]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

What more do you get?

When I read a book, chances are I'll never read it again. So bought ebooks have a decided advantage, because they won't clutter your house like bought paper books would.

With a paper book, you can sell it or give it away if you don't want to re-read it.

Also, just because you don't re-read, doesn't mean that others don't. I don't keep every book I've ever read, but the ones that I've kept I have re-read at least once. I HAVE to read. I've been reading myself to sleep since I was 4 years old, and before that, my parents read me to sleep. If I don't have something to read before I fall asleep my brain doesn't turn off properly, and I toss and turn all night. If I had to choose between food and a book, I would choose a book--I know this, because I've had to make this choice before in my life.

Shari

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by shalym

With a paper book, you can sell it or give it away if you don't want to re-read it.

Also, just because you don't re-read, doesn't mean that others don't. I don't keep every book I've ever read, but the ones that I've kept I have re-read at least once. I HAVE to read. I've been reading myself to sleep since I was 4 years old, and before that, my parents read me to sleep. If I don't have something to read before I fall asleep my brain doesn't turn off properly, and I toss and turn all night. If I had to choose between food and a book, I would choose a book--I know this, because I've had to make this choice before in my life.

Shari

Do you still buy paper books?

[shalym]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Do you still buy paper books?

I haven't bought one for myself in the past year or so, but I have for other people. Right now I buy mostly ebooks from indie authors, or digital replacements for books I already have in paper. It's easier for me to read on my kindle at this stage in my life--between the small font sizes in mass market paperbacks, and the weight of hard covers or trade paperbacks, digital usually wins for me.

Shari

[LuvReadin]

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

And, unless the library is near enough to get to by walking or cycling, harms the environment too.

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.)

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.

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

What more do you get?

When I read a book, chances are I'll never read it again. So bought ebooks have a decided advantage, because they won't clutter your house like bought paper books would.

Yes, that's an advantage of buying an ebook over buying a paper book, but it means there's even less difference between borrowing and buying an ebook. (In fact, I was already kind of counting that. I don't really re-read much either. Buying an ebook is more of a rental, for me. So borrowing an ebook from the library is exactly the same, only free.)

I listed the advantages of buying a paper book in a previous message: you get the physical object, usually in better condition (than a library book), that you can display, lend and resell. Those might not be important to you, and aren't all that important to me, but I think they are important to enough people that libraries didn't wipe out book sellers.

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

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?

Their librarians might be in a librarians union which among other things can prevent volunteers from performing services that librarians provide. It certainly does feel that the essential functions of a library could be provided remotely via the network and some decent algorithms, or are they already provided thus? I wouldn't discount early morning storytime though, there's always going to be a need for that.

[LuvReadin]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

Their librarians might be in a librarians union which among other things can prevent volunteers from performing services that librarians provide.

Don't think this applies - certainly my local library is staffed almost entirely by volunteers now.

Originally Posted by Giggleton

It certainly does feel that the essential functions of a library could be provided remotely via the network and some decent algorithms, or are they already provided thus?

Some certainly are; mine offers a number of services online. As well as being able to take out and return ebooks, I can search the catalogue, reserve and renew pbooks and other formats, request items that the library doesn't stock, consult a number of reference sources. There's also a drop-box for returning items out of hours, and some libraries have a self-service checkout (which I never use, any more than the ones in supermarkets).

Originally Posted by Giggleton

I wouldn't discount early morning storytime though, there's always going to be a need for that.

How interesting - why early morning? I've only ever seen them being done here in the afternoon - usually fills in the gap between the little 'uns coming out of preschool and their siblings leaving 'big school'.