Libraries Should Lend Out E-Books and Then Offer Patrons Opportunity to Purchase

Have you ever checked out an e-book from a library? It’s really interesting, it comes with specialized software, and the file automatically deletes itself from your computer after so many days. You can only make one copy of the file due to the DRM software, and this protects the library, the author, and the publishing industry. It’s all well and good, but what if the individual checking out the book wants to keep that e-book indefinitely? If so should they be allowed to buy that e-book once they’ve read part of it, or all of it if they wish to?

Should the publishers of that e-book allow them to do so as long as they got a large enough percentage of that e-book sale? I believe so, I think this is a very good business model. That’s why I really appreciated the Kindle Program at Amazon where people could read books because they belong to “Prime” which is a special service for e-book patrons. Now then, there was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on June 15, 2013 titled; “Libraries Check Out E-Sales,” by Jennifer Maloney which is definitely worth a read.

What I’m saying is this, before that e-book automatically delete itself, maybe the e-book library patron might get an e-mail notice reminding them that their book will disappear in five days, so they may wish to purchase it, and keep it for good, in which case it would not evaporate from the user’s computer. Imagine if this sale of the e-book were under that cost of a new book at a bookstore by 50%. There is a good chance that 20% of all people receiving the e-mail just prior to the deletion of that digital file would go ahead and buy the e-book.

This money could go towards the multimedia efforts of the local library, and help fund the libraries at a time when most municipalities and County government don’t have the money to keep the doors open with a legitimate set of hours. There’s no reason we need to cut library hours, there are ways that libraries can make money, keep everyone happy, and still keep up with all the services.

Yes, it will take a little bit of negotiation with publishers, and those who hold the rights to these books, but in the end this could work because it is a win-win situation for all involved; the library, the taxpayer, the municipality, the user, and the publishers who are having a tough go of it in the new digital book age. Please consider all this and think on it.

Book Review For Library – An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles

Library: An Unquiet History is a short, compact volume on the history of libraries throughout the ages. At the time the book was published, author Matthew Battles worked for Houghton Library and the rare-books library at Harvard.

Library begins with an engaging introduction that will appeal to book lovers and provides an insider’s look at Harvard University’s library. Battles describes his experience with the Widener Library by quoting Thomas Wolfe, “the more he read, the less he seemed to know,” on the subject of wanting to read everything in the library.

Battles follows a timeline of library history dating back to Alexandria in A.D. 641 and walking us through the ages up to book burning by the Nazis during World War II. We are also given a background of Dewey-decimal system creator Melville Dewey and why the cataloguing process in libraries came about.

The first chapter of Library called “Reading the Library” is the best portion of the book because Battles’ language style and word choice will draw you in immediately. “Reading the Library” also shines because we can feel Battles’ love for books emanating and radiating itself from the pages. I find it hard to engage into Library thereafter because the style and tone becomes droning and very dry. I definitely recommend Library to librarians, but it may not appeal to general book lovers despite the fact. I am quite sad that the rest of Library does not follow suit after the first wonderful chapter!

Matthew Battles has also written Widener: Biography of a Library, which I think I may have found more interesting than Library: An Unquiet History, since it revolves around the legacy that is Harvard.

Medical Students Use Book Library Software

Being a medical student isn’t easy. Even though you certainly have the smarts to get into medical school, taking care of all of your books and keeping up with the latest literature is a challenge, to say the least. With book library software, you can get a better handle on the many books you own now, while also getting a system in place for the books you have yet to purchase for your practice.

Keep Things Organized

One of the best things about book library software is that you can have someone else do the organizing for you. All you need to do is to enter in the books that you own and then categorize them as you feel necessary. You can put them in alphabetical order or perhaps in the order of their topic. No matter how you like things organized, you can utilize book library software to help you do this instantly. You can even have multiple libraries on your computer to help you keep certain books in certain orders, if that makes sense to you.

Have Access to Books at All Times

What many people don’t realize is that you can use book library software to see what books you have, no matter where you are. So, if you are at a bookstore and you see a book that you want to get for your personal reading or a class, but it sounds familiar to you, you can go online or to a document file you have stored on your phone to access the book catalogue you have built. This way, you don’t have to spend money you don’t need to spend, plus you can help others who might need to borrow a book from you. By looking at your book list, you will know instantly whether or not you have it ready for them to borrow.

Keep Notes on Your Books

For some, you might not have additional time to read each and every book, but you know that you like certain authors or topics. In your book library software, you can make notes of these likes and dislikes so that you instantly have the ability to buy other books by the same author, when you have the time. You might also want to keep notes on certain books when they have something especially important you need to remember. For example, if one book has really good pictures of certain processes, you can remind yourself of this in the book library software. Or if the book is one that is just a waste of your time, you can make a note of that too.

No matter where you might be at in your medical school training, having help is never a bad thing. With book library software, you can not only organize your library, but you can also make sure you are taking the time to note what books are going to be helpful in the future…and which ones you might want to avoid altogether.