**Opinions Needed**

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What is the biggest issue you encounter when obtaining books?

High Cost
40
59%
Time (travel time to bookstore, library; time spent in bookstore, library; time spent ordering online; etc.)
4
6%
Other
5
7%
I don't encounter any of the above issues
19
28%
 
Total votes: 68

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AngieIs
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Re: **Opinions Needed**

Post by AngieIs »

ianbuchanan wrote: 23 Mar 2018, 21:14
Awesome, thanks for sharing! Yeah, based on what I've found, many counties used to have a similar system but the costs just became too prohibitive because they simply couldn't charge enough to make the effort profitable or even a wash financially (as their mission as a public library in essence limits what they could charge as they are supposed to provide free services). How does Bookmobile operate? Is that independent of the library system or no?
Bookmobile is basically what it sounds like, a mobile branch of our county library system. It's a small-ish RV-type vehicle, driven by a librarian, that serves the small towns in our county. The idea is that since your county taxes are going to fund the library, you should reap the benefits too, but when your town is only 200 people it makes more sense to have the library come to YOU twice a month than it does to open a local branch. When I was a kid it used to come park in the school parking lot twice a month and all the classes would take turns making their picks. You could also request specific books out of county library system and they would pull them for you and bring them next trip. They expanded the library in a nearby (slightly larger) town, giving us easier access, so these days the bookmobile doesn't service us but it still serves dozens of other towns in our county, as well as a few of the local nursing homes.
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Post by ianbuchanan »

AngieIs wrote: 23 Mar 2018, 22:22
ianbuchanan wrote: 23 Mar 2018, 21:14
Awesome, thanks for sharing! Yeah, based on what I've found, many counties used to have a similar system but the costs just became too prohibitive because they simply couldn't charge enough to make the effort profitable or even a wash financially (as their mission as a public library in essence limits what they could charge as they are supposed to provide free services). How does Bookmobile operate? Is that independent of the library system or no?
Bookmobile is basically what it sounds like, a mobile branch of our county library system. It's a small-ish RV-type vehicle, driven by a librarian, that serves the small towns in our county. The idea is that since your county taxes are going to fund the library, you should reap the benefits too, but when your town is only 200 people it makes more sense to have the library come to YOU twice a month than it does to open a local branch. When I was a kid it used to come park in the school parking lot twice a month and all the classes would take turns making their picks. You could also request specific books out of county library system and they would pull them for you and bring them next trip. They expanded the library in a nearby (slightly larger) town, giving us easier access, so these days the bookmobile doesn't service us but it still serves dozens of other towns in our county, as well as a few of the local nursing homes.
Wow! I had no idea, but they sound like a great way to bring the library to those in areas that have less access, cool! They sound almost identical to the idea I had in mind. So does Bookmobile take orders from those in these areas online and then deliver? Or how exactly does the process work in terms of wanting and then getting a book?
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Post by AngieIs »

ianbuchanan wrote: 24 Mar 2018, 17:12
Wow! I had no idea, but they sound like a great way to bring the library to those in areas that have less access, cool! They sound almost identical to the idea I had in mind. So does Bookmobile take orders from those in these areas online and then deliver? Or how exactly does the process work in terms of wanting and then getting a book?

It is part of our county library system, so you use the online library catalog to request books just like you use interlibrary loan.
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Post by ianbuchanan »

AngieIs wrote: 24 Mar 2018, 23:17
ianbuchanan wrote: 24 Mar 2018, 17:12
Wow! I had no idea, but they sound like a great way to bring the library to those in areas that have less access, cool! They sound almost identical to the idea I had in mind. So does Bookmobile take orders from those in these areas online and then deliver? Or how exactly does the process work in terms of wanting and then getting a book?

It is part of our county library system, so you use the online library catalog to request books just like you use interlibrary loan.
And it brings it to the person requesting the book for free? Does it cost anything at all? How cool and convenient!
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Post by Jmteachmom »

I think this is a cool idea but in the area I live in there are many who do not have internet so picking books online could be an issue. There are also many who are unemployed and therefore don't have transportation. When you combine these issues this seems impossible.

Our community has started placing boxes at the schools for children to get books over the summer. Maybe something like this located throughout our low income areas with adult books could be good.

Personally I love to got to the library so I dont think I would use a service to deliver them to my door.
Cool idea though
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Post by ianbuchanan »

Jmteachmom wrote: 26 Mar 2018, 20:51 I think this is a cool idea but in the area I live in there are many who do not have internet so picking books online could be an issue. There are also many who are unemployed and therefore don't have transportation. When you combine these issues this seems impossible.

Our community has started placing boxes at the schools for children to get books over the summer. Maybe something like this located throughout our low income areas with adult books could be good.

Personally I love to got to the library so I dont think I would use a service to deliver them to my door.
Cool idea though
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and ideas! Ideally, a telephone call or text message could also be used to order books as well! And the service would bring the books to the homes of anyone who places an order so no transportation would be needed at all!

And, yes, about books being provided to schools and students, one of the ideas I also had would be to make this service available to local area schools and therefore their students. We could bring books from the library to the school for the students and return them when they are done!

I, too, love to go to the library! However, though you may not feel this way, there are some days when I simply want to go home after work and have the book I want waiting for me rather than having to go pick it up, despite the joy I get out of the visit! This service could do just that!
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Post by AngieIs »

ianbuchanan wrote: 25 Mar 2018, 22:16
And it brings it to the person requesting the book for free? Does it cost anything at all? How cool and convenient!
You "pay" for it the same way the rest of the county library system is funded: all property owners in the county pay yearly property tax; a portion of that money goes to the county library system. The library money is combined with State and Federal grants, as well as the occasional private donation. Some curmudgeons make the argument that people who don't own property are getting the benefit of the service for free, but somebody usually smacks them (metaphorically at least) and tells the loudmouth not to be a jerk.

They bring your book to your designated "stop," (for us it was the school, for another town it is the cafe) and you were responsible for getting yourself there to pick it up, but the entire town is only ten blocks square so that wasn't usually a problem. I got tasked with delivering a book to elderly neighbors or friends more than a time or two when I was a kid. Requests are often put in online now, but you can also make your request to the librarian in person when she's there on her round (which is what we used to do) or call in a request.
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Post by ianbuchanan »

AngieIs wrote: 28 Mar 2018, 00:21
ianbuchanan wrote: 25 Mar 2018, 22:16
And it brings it to the person requesting the book for free? Does it cost anything at all? How cool and convenient!
You "pay" for it the same way the rest of the county library system is funded: all property owners in the county pay yearly property tax; a portion of that money goes to the county library system. The library money is combined with State and Federal grants, as well as the occasional private donation. Some curmudgeons make the argument that people who don't own property are getting the benefit of the service for free, but somebody usually smacks them (metaphorically at least) and tells the loudmouth not to be a jerk.

They bring your book to your designated "stop," (for us it was the school, for another town it is the cafe) and you were responsible for getting yourself there to pick it up, but the entire town is only ten blocks square so that wasn't usually a problem. I got tasked with delivering a book to elderly neighbors or friends more than a time or two when I was a kid. Requests are often put in online now, but you can also make your request to the librarian in person when she's there on her round (which is what we used to do) or call in a request.
I see, how cool! I could see how this could work well in a smaller town, may have some obvious troubles in larger areas. I see what you mean that everyone 'pays' for the service in some form or another, just not at the actual point in time the 'transaction' takes place. It sounds like if the library had more manpower (or money) that they could provide this service in larger areas and on a larger scale. Was this widely used in your community (i.e. was it popular)? I would certainly have used it!
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Post by Shrabastee Chakraborty »

ianbuchanan wrote: 01 Mar 2018, 20:36 Hi all,

I have been doing some research within the books/reading industry and have stumbled upon a potential solution to some of the problems you and others may be facing! Now, I would love to hear the opinions of those deeply ingrained in this industry.

What do you think of library book delivery? That is, library books delivered to your door, even if you are not a member. Books could be sourced from local libraries and delivered to anyone interested in reading any book, at any time. Deliveries could be completed quickly, and the price would be minimal as the books are never purchased, only picked up and delivered, leaving costs very low. The only charge would be for the delivery! That way readers can reap the benefits of fast delivery, not have to pay any shipping charges, allowing them to obtain books at a very low price, quickly!

Please, I'd love to hear any and all opinions! Poke holes in my logic, ask questions, offer advice...anything is helpful! Thanks everyone for the insights!
Unique idea! But if I am borrowing from the library, I would rather be a member and spend some time browsing books. However, for me the biggest issue is price, which I try to deal with by borrowing books, using used-book shops and downloading free ebooks (BOTD and other online sites).
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Post by DATo »

OK, I suppose someone needs to address this point and please excuse me if it has already been addressed. (I read most of this thread, but not all of it.)

Personally I am shocked and appalled by the lack of willingness on the part of people to do simple tasks without having to complain or resorting to a crutch of some sort. Why do books need to be delivered to your door by the public library? I can understand, and I would be perfectly willing to pay more taxes [read entire post] for a library delivery system for people who can prove that they are infirm or elderly and cannot easily get to a library due to personal physical limitations, and perhaps in some places such amenities already exist, but I am disgusted by the idea of people who have the advantage of a library system, are perfectly healthy, and perfectly capable of traveling there, but are too lazy to actually GO there to pick up a FREE loan of books or electronic media. What's next? Is society or civil government soon to be held responsible for hand feeding you your meals as well?

What is the difference between paying the library to deliver a book to your door or simply downloading the book for a limited fee / limited time to be read on an electronic appliance if convenience is the only issue? This would limit the liability only to those who WANT the advantage of this convenience. Is holding a traditional book in your hands worth the enormous task and expense your library system would encounter to set up a program such as the one described in the OP? I'm absolutely positive as a result of experience regarding other programs such as this that the delivery fee would not be enough to finance such a program, it would eventually require ALL the taxpayers to supplement the costs, which, when reduced to lowest terms, would amount to laziness being financed by the general public. We have enough of that already.

I am not an ultra-conservative, or anything like that; in fact, I tend to be quite liberal in my concerns about those who are disadvantaged, but my patience has reached its limit with subsidizing those who are perfectly capable of getting up from their couch and taking care of their own needs as well as taking responsibility for the fulfillment of their desires without dragging the general public along to help them satisfy their whims.



/
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
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Post by ianbuchanan »

Aryastark wrote: 08 May 2018, 05:32
ianbuchanan wrote: 01 Mar 2018, 20:36 Hi all,

I have been doing some research within the books/reading industry and have stumbled upon a potential solution to some of the problems you and others may be facing! Now, I would love to hear the opinions of those deeply ingrained in this industry.

What do you think of library book delivery? That is, library books delivered to your door, even if you are not a member. Books could be sourced from local libraries and delivered to anyone interested in reading any book, at any time. Deliveries could be completed quickly, and the price would be minimal as the books are never purchased, only picked up and delivered, leaving costs very low. The only charge would be for the delivery! That way readers can reap the benefits of fast delivery, not have to pay any shipping charges, allowing them to obtain books at a very low price, quickly!

Please, I'd love to hear any and all opinions! Poke holes in my logic, ask questions, offer advice...anything is helpful! Thanks everyone for the insights!
Unique idea! But if I am borrowing from the library, I would rather be a member and spend some time browsing books. However, for me the biggest issue is price, which I try to deal with by borrowing books, using used-book shops and downloading free ebooks (BOTD and other online sites).
Thanks greatly for sharing your opinion! Yeah, many individuals love to peruse the library shelves for a good book to read next, I just did so yesterday haha! But, I certainly think at times, as has been the case for me on multiple occasions, that readers are aware of the book they'll be reading next and the convenience of having it delivered for free (granted that they are a library member) would be of value to them. And yes, as most people should be, we are price-conscious consumers, and the idea is to eliminate this barrier, as libraries do, and allow for the convenience of household delivery!
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Post by ianbuchanan »

ianbuchanan wrote: 08 May 2018, 16:04
Aryastark wrote: 08 May 2018, 05:32
ianbuchanan wrote: 01 Mar 2018, 20:36 Hi all,

I have been doing some research within the books/reading industry and have stumbled upon a potential solution to some of the problems you and others may be facing! Now, I would love to hear the opinions of those deeply ingrained in this industry.

What do you think of library book delivery? That is, library books delivered to your door, even if you are not a member. Books could be sourced from local libraries and delivered to anyone interested in reading any book, at any time. Deliveries could be completed quickly, and the price would be minimal as the books are never purchased, only picked up and delivered, leaving costs very low. The only charge would be for the delivery! That way readers can reap the benefits of fast delivery, not have to pay any shipping charges, allowing them to obtain books at a very low price, quickly!

Please, I'd love to hear any and all opinions! Poke holes in my logic, ask questions, offer advice...anything is helpful! Thanks everyone for the insights!
Unique idea! But if I am borrowing from the library, I would rather be a member and spend some time browsing books. However, for me the biggest issue is price, which I try to deal with by borrowing books, using used-book shops and downloading free ebooks (BOTD and other online sites).
Thanks greatly for sharing your opinion! Yeah, many individuals love to peruse the library shelves for a good book to read next, I just did so yesterday haha! But, I certainly think at times, as has been the case for me on multiple occasions, that readers are aware of the book they'll be reading next and the convenience of having it delivered for free (granted that they are a library member) would be of value to them. And yes, as most people should be, we are price-conscious consumers, and the idea is to eliminate this barrier, as libraries do, and allow for the convenience of household delivery!
Sorry, I should clarify regarding the price. Upon recent discoveries, the idea has shifted to providing the delivery service on behalf of libraries, thus keeping the books free of charge to library members. The idea, if formed into a company, would make money from libraries directly for providing this value-added service to their members.
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Post by ianbuchanan »

DATo wrote: 08 May 2018, 06:48 OK, I suppose someone needs to address this point and please excuse me if it has already been addressed. (I read most of this thread, but not all of it.)

Personally I am shocked and appalled by the lack of willingness on the part of people to do simple tasks without having to complain or resorting to a crutch of some sort. Why do books need to be delivered to your door by the public library? I can understand, and I would be perfectly willing to pay more taxes [read entire post] for a library delivery system for people who can prove that they are infirm or elderly and cannot easily get to a library due to personal physical limitations, and perhaps in some places such amenities already exist, but I am disgusted by the idea of people who have the advantage of a library system, are perfectly healthy, and perfectly capable of traveling there, but are too lazy to actually GO there to pick up a FREE loan of books or electronic media. What's next? Is society or civil government soon to be held responsible for hand feeding you your meals as well?

What is the difference between paying the library to deliver a book to your door or simply downloading the book for a limited fee / limited time to be read on an electronic appliance if convenience is the only issue? This would limit the liability only to those who WANT the advantage of this convenience. Is holding a traditional book in your hands worth the enormous task and expense your library system would encounter to set up a program such as the one described in the OP? I'm absolutely positive as a result of experience regarding other programs such as this that the delivery fee would not be enough to finance such a program, it would eventually require ALL the taxpayers to supplement the costs, which, when reduced to lowest terms, would amount to laziness being financed by the general public. We have enough of that already.

I am not an ultra-conservative, or anything like that; in fact, I tend to be quite liberal in my concerns about those who are disadvantaged, but my patience has reached its limit with subsidizing those who are perfectly capable of getting up from their couch and taking care of their own needs as well as taking responsibility for the fulfillment of their desires without dragging the general public along to help them satisfy their whims.
/
Thank you very much for sharing your opinions and concerns! I hear them loud and clear. Before I address some of the topics you bring up here, I will say that the original idea has shifted from one that charges the end reader to a model that works alongside and on behalf of libraries to be the book delivery service provider. As a result, books would remain free to library members, whether they are delivered or not. Of course, this requires, if this idea is to be turned into a business, for libraries themselves to pay the company directly, as compensation for the value-added service it would provide to their members. While this would require a likely increase in funding to accomplish long-term, ample research has shown that increased usage of libraries, a pattern this idea would almost certainly create, results in increased public funding being directed to public libraries, which would optimally benefit libraries and the delivery service-providing company who generates revenue from these publicly funded libraries. If increased taxes to fund such a program would result, which is not or ever will be a goal, I think, any initiative that benefits community members, in this case granting wider-spread access to books, would we generally well received. Of course, taxes are taxes, and they are rarely taken lightly, which is why raising taxes to fund the service is not desired nor is it part of the idea.

To touch on your sentiment towards laziness and its increasing prevalence among consumers...I agree, as a character trait, it is deplorable. However, today, with time being of such importance, why not save it whenever possible. Wouldn't you rather enjoy your time with family or experiences than traveling to the library? I would strongly hesitate to even really consider a preference for delivery over in-store shopping lazy at all. We all want to save time, so why not do it when we can? It's the only thing in life we cannot get more of so we must protect it when the opportunity arises.

Please let me know what you think about my comments, I'm very interested in continuing a discussion and appreciate your insights very much. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
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Post by nikkyteewhy »

[youtube][/youtube]That is a very good idea because the main reason I don't get to pick up books is time. I am a student and I really do not have the time to go to the bookstore or library to pick books that are not related to my course. I'm a bit free now because I took a semester break but with this semester half of the problem of obtaining books will be solved.
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Post by ianbuchanan »

nikkyteewhy wrote: 12 May 2018, 14:23 [youtube][/youtube]That is a very good idea because the main reason I don't get to pick up books is time. I am a student and I really do not have the time to go to the bookstore or library to pick books that are not related to my course. I'm a bit free now because I took a semester break but with this semester half of the problem of obtaining books will be solved.
Thanks for sharing! I can totally relate to your frustrations, as I share them as well. Spending time traveling to libraries is never convenient really, which is how the idea came to mind. You say half of the problem of obtaining books will be solved if this idea were a reality...just curious, what is the other half of the problem? Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
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