Something For Someone With The Means

[stephen_le8]

Have you seen those ads for blockbusters new video renting system, no? Well basically, you call the store and exchange the necessary details before the film is sent through the mail to your house. When I first saw it I laughed thinking that it's so typical of the way the world is spiralling into the deep dark oblivion that's laziness (how delightfully melodramatic of me). Books however. I know that i'd use it cuz none of the books i want to read are kept in my library and i can't afford to to be buying books every couple of weeks. You could have a "Blockbuster" type thing that serves a far larger area, possibly nation wide. It's a potential gold mine i tell ya.
I know it isn’t the most ingenious idea ever concocted but I thought I’d put it out there in the chance that someone would agree.

 

[Jenem]

A good idea, indeed, as long as the books are very sturdy. You get a bunch of books travelling by mail all over the place and everyone handling them and before you know it the spines and corners are done for. Also, shipping would be pretty costly depending on the size of the book. DVD's and CD's are pretty light, so cheap to ship.

 

[Ashlea]

I have actually seen a service like this, but the book selection offered was not very broad. I use netflix, which does something similar with movies, it works well, except for those moments where you really want to see a movie NOW and it hasn't arrived yet. No instant gratification.

The other issue is that there's that movie that you think you wanted to watch, but instead it just sits around forever, so you don't get a good value for it.

 

[fluffy bunny]

I'm not convinced with the idea myself.

1) The postage costs of a book are much higher than a DVD
2) DVDs generally take less time experience (ie watch) than a book, so you aren't waiting ages for them to be returned by someone else so the company can get the product to you
3) There are more books out there than DVDs, and for someone to stock up a few copies of each book out there would require quite an initial outlay cost (which would be passed on to the lender). Add that to the price of postage to you and back, and you may have well stuck to buying the books new, or off ebay.

Besides, my local library's quite good. If they don't have the book lent out somewhere, they'll order it for you, either from other libraries in the area, or they'll acquire it themselves.

 

[stephen_le8]

2) DVDs generally take less time experience (i.e. watch) than a book, so you aren't waiting ages for them to be returned by someone else so the company can get the product to you

Your rite, but surely the fact that you'll have the book for around 2-4 weeks justifies the postage more than having something posted to you that after two hours you’re done with and can send back. Hiring a DVD is more of an impulse thing than hiring a book so people are more willing to wait for a book.

3) There are more books out there than DVDs, and for someone to stock up a few copies of each book out there would require quite an initial outlay cost (which would be passed on to the lender). Add that to the price of postage to you and back and you may have well stuck to buying the books new, or off eBay.

Again your rite, but the council have set up ten times the number of libraries that would be required with this method. If they put all the books on one base outlet then the cost would be minimal while providing a far more wide spread service. (I’m glad your satisfied with your local, but I’m clearly not with mine and I’m sure that I’m not the only one.)
I realise that my idea has evolved away from the whole privatised thing a bit but I guess it would be more feasible if it was under taken by the government. It could be privatised after being setup I guess.

 

[Ashlea]

I knew it was somewhere:

http://www.booksfree.com/

Selection is OK, I'd consider it but I have so many in my TBR pile already.

 

[cajunmama]

Wow! Great site! Thanks Ashlea! Finances don't allow me to join now, but maybe soon.

 

[Cathy C]

Have you seen those ads for blockbusters new video renting system, no? Well basically, you call the store and exchange the necessary details before the film is sent through the mail to your house. When I first saw it I laughed thinking that it's so typical of the way the world is spiralling into the deep dark oblivion that's laziness (how delightfully melodramatic of me). Books however. I know that i'd use it cuz none of the books i want to read are kept in my library and i can't afford to to be buying books every couple of weeks. You could have a "Blockbuster" type thing that serves a far larger area, possibly nation wide. It's a potential gold mine i tell ya.
I know it isn’t the most ingenious idea ever concocted but I thought I’d put it out there in the chance that someone would agree.

I guess that "bookmobiles" are a particularly small-town American phenomenon, then? It's a library on wheels about the size of a moving van that comes to a central area like a grocery store lot and people check out books just like if they'd gone to the regular library. Then it's back in two weeks to pick the books back up. For shut-ins, like the elderly, they go to the person's house and ring the bell, ask what the person wants and bring it back to the door. I grew up with bookmobiles, so it's not a new idea to me.

Cathy
Penguins like bookmobiles because they can't climb stairs!