Do you still go to the library?
#31
$2 for book-borrowing?!? Any value over $0 for that matter?!? Unspeakably lame!
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#32
I respectfully disagree. In the UK, we have a scheme called the inter-library partnership something or other, and it means I can obtain and lend books from libraries outside my area. If the book I want is in stock in a library in my region, it costs 65p to reserve it. If the book is stocked outside my region, say for example at a university library, or even The British Library, the fee to reserve and lend each book is £3.

At one point I was paying an average of £60 - £80 per month in lending fees, for books (that simply weren't available online at that time, and is still the case for many), but it was worth the money. All the books I got out were academic in nature, with some retailing at £500 per book. If it wasn't for the lending scheme, I would have had to fork out thousands and thousands of £s on books, which I don't have, so it's the libraries who allow us access to the materials we can't afford to buy ourselves.

It was explained to me that most of the fee went on paying the drivers who collected and delivered books all day long, and the petrol expenses, although my library itself got a small cut which went into a fund to buy new books, so I don't mind paying the fees because it's value for money.
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#33
I don't know how this system works, but it seems to me that you're getting ripped-off; if I had to pay, I would want to keep the books/DVDs/what have you, forever. But it's not forever. That's what I have a problem with.

I'm not saying that everything should be free, and all that crap, but you're withholding a right that was granted to the rest of the world! Even the USA has that, well, at least for Canada as well. Then again, I hear that Great Britain great healthcare, so I guess it's a trade-off.

If you don't like me or my comments, I apologise. I'll back off now.
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#34
(Jun 21, 2014, 02:44 am)RobertX Wrote: If you don't like me or my comments, I apologise. I'll back off now.

Don't be silly Rob. You should never apologise just because your opinion differs from someone else's, and we're all grown up and civilised enough round here to respect each other's opinions anyway. Besides, while I think the £3 fee per book is value for money compared to the costs if I had to buy them, I do think any fee at a public library is a rip-off on the whole.

I should point out that the books I was ordering were rare and specialist, with one being the sole copy in existence in the UK. It was housed at The British Library, and the distance between there and where I live is too far for me to collect it myself (it would actually cost me a good £100+ in travel to go in person), so £3 is a bargain in that respect.

Like you, I would prefer to keep what I read, but some of these books were 1000s of pages long and weren't the kind you reread or look at again. The average non-fiction book (fiction being cheaper is usually always available in all areas) requested by the average library user won't have a fee attached to it as it'll already be in stock and available, so books ordered using this scheme do tend to be quite specialist (or out of print), and I've never heard anyone grumble about having to pay the fee, but I hope one day, we won't have to pay a penny for anything, especially for knowledge.
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#35
hell ya! But what I do is find a comic book/graphic novel I wanna scan I check it out, scan it real fast, edit the scans and return the book and then share the scans. Done that several times already. Why spend money buying books when you can find them in da library?
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#36
I can't stand reading e-books. Physical books are much better. To me, It's similar to watching a movie on a tablet compared to in the theatre. It's maybe more convienent and easier to get it on a tablet, but nothing compares to the theatre.

Paper books are much better imho.

And I'll mention a book that I've mentioned at least 3 other times. 'House of Leaves'. An amazing book. One of the best books I've ever read, and impossible to read as an e-book. It has writing that circles the page, and writing in different colors, and chapters that 'tunnel' through the pages, etc. Nothing that is able to be done in an e-book.

That may be an exception, but I'd rather read a physical book than an e-book any day.

The point is, I go to the library Tongue
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#37
Over here where I live, there are book sales in the library.

I've bought a couple of books.

You see, I would rather spend the money to buy a book than to borrow one because once I buy a book, I can read it as much as I like and I can keep it in my collection. There would be no due dates and, thus, no fines.

In this respect, I don't usually borrow books from the library; I buy them.
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#38
I LOVE going to the library!!!  Let's see... I've gone to....9 Different libraries.

In CT, as long as you have a library card in the city you live in, it connects to all other libraries in the state.  Each has their own different positives... 1 has unlimited internet , others feel like a Barnes and Noble. That's really the only place I've been reading paper text books... What I ususally do is find a book I like, take it out, start reading it, then try to look for the Audio or Ebook online...

As far as fines... I've rechecked a book out, extending my time... I can't wait until I move back to Bristol... 1 of the Bristol Libraries and the Terryville library are my favorite get away places.  Although for being smack in the middle of the ghetto, my Waterbury library does the trick...

but YES, again, I love the library!!!
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#39
I hardly frequent the library. Ebooks will suffice for now (though I do prefer physical copies for easy scribbling and highlighting).
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#40
has been ages, last if i remember was back in 2011
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