Libraries (Overdrive) are slowing down

[CRussel]

It's all because us evil Kindle owners have taken over the library system, of course.

[RDaneel54]

Yes, it is the massive popularity of the Kindle in all its forms that is causing the slowdown.

At least post hoc ergo propter hoc establishes this as a legitimate cause.

Before y'all pull out them sixguns, I was jestin'.

[speakingtohe]

My local library (British Columbia) has a limit on holds and books borrowed. I imagine that this causes some people to cancel holds when something else catches their eye, and/or opt for shorter lending periods.

I also agree with a previous poster that more users will in time increase the amount of available books and services.

As well even if the book I really really want is unavailable, I have always been able to find something interesting to read.
Helen

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

My local library has

52 copies of The Help ebook. There are 70 people on the wait list.

57 copies of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. There are 112 people on the wait list.

Seattle Public Library

• The Help: 91 copies, 209 wait list, 21-day loan
• Girl with Dragon Tattoo: 53 copies, 278 wait list, 21-day loan

[RDaneel54]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Seattle Public Library

• The Help: 91 copies, 209 wait list, 21-day loan
• Girl with Dragon Tattoo: 53 copies, 278 wait list, 21-day loan

Columbus, OH

The Help: 100 copies, 453 on wait list, 14-day loan
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: 30 copies, 575 wait list, 14-day loan

Philadelphia Free library

The Help: 32 copies, 280 on wait list, 21-day loan
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: 22 copies, 178 wait list, 21-day loan

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by RDaneel54

Columbus, OH

The Help: 100 copies, 453 on wait list, 14-day loan
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: 30 copies, 575 wait list, 14-day loan

Philadelphia Free library

The Help: 32 copies, 280 on wait list, 21-day loan
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: 22 copies, 178 wait list, 21-day loan

Sure glad neither of these books interest me.

[abookreader]

I'm sure glad I bought both of those way back in the days before Agency pricing when they were very reasonably priced.

I'd have to go look but I think I bought The Help for less than $5 and now I own it and don't have to mess with the Overdrive wait list to read it.

I checked out a book last night and sighed with huge relief when I finally was handed over to the Amazon page. Every Overdrive page was taking 3 or more minutes to load.

Sadly (or not so sadly to some who resent all the other library users who get in the way by using the personal playground of the entitled patrons) I think many new Overdrive users are going to try it out once or twice and get too frustrated with the page load times to consider it a viable resource.

[whitearrow]

Los Angeles Public Library. I am on the waiting list for John Grisham's The Litigators.... I started at well over 200 when the book came out, now I am down to 27 of 220 with 29 copies.

The Help: 30 copies, 202 on waiting list
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: 14 copies, 171 on the waiting list.

I'm pretty sure all books there can be checked out for 21 days. You can return them earlier with the ADE software, which I've done a few times.

[DianNC]

Originally Posted by abookreader

I'd have to go look but I think I bought The Help for less than $5 and now I own it and don't have to mess with the Overdrive wait list to read it.

Me, too! And as I recall, it was from a tip right here at Mobileread...which rocks! Might have been a 'daily special' deal at amazon.com...can't remember.

[gracie]

Sadly (at least in my opinion, sadly), as of 1/1/2012, the Hennepin County library system in Minnesota has terminated all non-resident use of the system for obtaining ebooks.......

I liked HC because they had a 15 book request limit instead of a THREE book limit (honestly, THREE? With wait times in the months for popular titles, THREE?) of my local library system.

I called and the librarian with whom I spoke told me it was done because of the "sudden" huge increase in the popularity of e-readers, to only support the taxpayers of Hennepin county.... Reading between the lines, I suspect this really meant some library board members got stuck with long wait times for titles they wanted and shoved through an emergency change to kick out all the unwashed interlopers from other counties...

My guess is that all the other counties will do, or have already done, the same thing so that everybody can be a parochial as possible.

In conversation with one of the local librarians, I was told that their budget for new books has been cut by 25%...

And yes, every library web site I've hit since 12/25 has shown a HUGE performance slowdown... And it's persisting.

[pidgeon92]

I just received two of my holds from the Chicago Public Library. I went to put two more books on hold, and they have dropped the hold limit from 6 books to 3.

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I just received two of my holds from the Chicago Public Library. I went to put two more books on hold, and they have dropped the hold limit from 6 books to 3.

I can't even log into the Chicago Public Library. I think they kicked out all reciprocal borrowers-but just last night I checked out a book I had on hold!

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

I can't even log into the Chicago Public Library. I think they kicked out all reciprocal borrowers-but just last night I checked out a book I had on hold!

That's horrible. Must be some new rules for the new year. I keep waiting for my Philadelphia Library card to be rescinded.

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

That's horrible. Must be some new rules for the new year. I keep waiting for my Philadelphia Library card to be rescinded.

Thanks. I was kind of lazy about the ebooks my library was buying. They buy all the bestseller fiction books, political tends to be more conservative, but where I really have a problem is the romance novels they buy. Only gay romanaces. This month, there are SIX books on the transgender lifestyle. I have nothing against that, but if I can't rely on the Chicago Public Library, I am going to ask them to justify the demographics of what they are buying. Chicago only buys a handful of books in Spanish, and I suspect Spanish-speaking people make up a larger portion of Chicago than gay/transgender makes up of the suburbs.

I hesitate to post this, because I really don't have anything against gay or transgender persons. As a matter of fact, I do charity work for the Howard Brown Clinic in Chicago (focusing on gay individuals). But if Chicago won't feed my jones (and they have every right to focus on tax-paying Chicagoans), I have to make sure my library reflects my community.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

That's horrible. Must be some new rules for the new year. I keep waiting for my Philadelphia Library card to be rescinded.

I don't think it will be rescinded. I think if they do stop it, it just won't be able to be renewed after it expires. Otherwise they will have to refund some of the money you've paid them.