Comments on: Steal this book? Don't bother

Libraries offer quick and legal access to loads of free content. The problem? Few people know about such services.
Finding free content for the taking

[ccobborg]

DVDs from Library

My wife and I don't go to our local video store anymore to rent DVDs. Instead, we go online to our local library and request copies of the ones we want to watch. They call and/or send an e-mail when they're ready to be picked up. If they don't have a particular title in stock, they'll work with other libraries to get a copy. Best of all, it's free! Well, not really free because our tax money is paying for it, but at least we're not paying the video store in addition to taxes.

[dondarko]

DVDs really?

I can, let's say, order Clockwork Orange and they will happily oblige for free?

[markomundo]

Fee for DVDs

My library charges $1.00 per video for an overnight period. I disagree with this policy and I have told the director my thoughts. Also, if the DVD is returned late, there is an additional charge. I will stay with my Netflix.

[jeolmeun]

Where's the Digital Library? Online Library?

Where's the online version of libraries where we can borrow licenses of copyrighted works online? They would just have to keep track of the licenses and not the physical media.

[durandal]

Libraries

Usually. If they have it in the library system, they will work to
get it to you. If they don't have it in their system, or in the
system of libraries they can trade with - then you are out of
luck. The best you can hope for is a chat with a staff member
mentioning you'd like them to get a copy at some point.

Who knows, they might even get it. Odds are, though - most of
their budget is going to go toward replacing books that have
been lost or stolen. The best way to make sure a library has
something for other patrons is to make a donation of the
materials to them. Most will take them, but only a few can even
give you a tax write-off for it.

[lchaos98]

LIbrary budgets

Actually, most book budgets go to new materials. In our library (Muncie, Indiana), less than 5% goes for replacements. There are many factors that go into determining whether a request is purchased though. Primary in these factors that are weighed is: will the material be used by anyone beyond the original requestor? If so, we buy it. If not, we borrow it. For instance, one customer has requested regularly requests high level language courses in the language spoken in Kazakhstan. Would anyone else in Muncie want this item that costs hundreds of dollars to purchase? No, so we borrow it. We have a customer request form on our website that is heavily used by our customers but we don't guarantee that we will purchase the item for them. We do always try to borrow the item from another library if we don't purchase it. If we can't borrow it from another library, it is because it is owned by none or few libraries in the United States.

[sandkicker]

Other side of the coin

Admittedly, it is a great resource, being able to browse libraries on-line [saves gas or a long walk].

But those suffering from paranoia, still see the on-line tracking by Federal and State entities as a threat to privacy. Perusing library content on-line just makes tracking a little easier since it appears that some states require a drivers licence or state issued ID to verify who is using their resources.

A wealth of information is available, but how many will use it. I say this because I have noticed fewer people using the brick and mortar libraries less and less over the last few years [but then than may be because fewer people can spare the time away from their tv's, ipods or cell phones].

Where are the libraries, try searching, not everything is going to be handed to you. Universities have been posting information on the internet for years, as have various digests.

[banzailibrarian]

Other side of the coin

Um, no. Paranoia's unnecessary. All states have laws on the books protecting the privacy of library records. Any records must be requested with proper court orders. And frankly we aren't as cooperative as "the man" might like -- witness the Connecticut Four who resisted a Patriot Act security letter. It's standard practice in libraries to keep information only as long as it's needed, extract the statistics, and dump it. When you check out a book, for example, it's only connected to your name in our systems for as long as you have it out. We don't want our users to be tracked any more than our users want to be.

[PLBriggs]

Waving vs. Waiving??

Folks:

This is supposed to be Journalism, not just raw test: "Several state library systems are waving the library card requirement altogether and using other means to verify residency." "Waving - really!

Nice job otherwise..............PLBriggs

[PLBriggs]

Yeah, and...

...And there I go, posting without a spell-checker! Sigh! Can you spell "the pot calling the kettle black?" ...PLBriggs