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December 19, 2007
Ice Hockey
Are there any lending libraries that are fee libraries? A library system that charges a fee to borrow books?
I want to read a particular book, "Shorthanded: the Untold Story of the Seals", a history book of North America's National Hockey League in the late 1960's and early 1970's. I do not want to purchase this book.
My local public library does not purchase many books with the subject Ice Hockey. I asked the library to borrow this book from another library.
I received an e-mail message this past weekend telling me that libraries who own this book are not willing to lend it out.
I have never heard of a lending library that charges a fee, but because I am not willing to buy this book, I will not be able to read it unless I can find another way to borrow it from a library. Thank you, James
Posted by Perkins at December 19, 2007 6:25 AM
Comments
Actually, lending libraries that charged a fee used to be quite common-place, though I wouldn't feel able to debate the relative merits of one system over the other as I don't know the details.
However, situations such as the one you outline above are one very good reason that Google's book-scanning product should be supported. Welcome to the Long Tail of print.
Posted by: Paul Raven at December 19, 2007 10:07 AM
Unfortunately Google's book-scanning project won't help, as the book is still very much in copyright. It is, however, also very much still in print. I would suggest that your best course of action would be to write to the Head Librarian of your local authority, pointing out that the Library holds few books on ice hockey, that it hasn't been possible to obtain "Shorthanded" on interlibrary loan, and would he/she consider purchasing a copy for the Library. Inform him/her that the current cost of the item is £8.53 on abe.com and also offer to make further suggestions of suitable books on ice hockey that could be added to stock.
I would be interested to hear the response that you get.
Posted by: Martyn at December 19, 2007 10:23 PM
A search of OCLC only found 13 locations, all of them North American. Why not ask your library to buy it for stock? It's available easily enough.
The leading subscription library is the London Library, but they don't have a copy and their fees (recently increased) are prohibitive.
Posted by: R P Dutt at December 20, 2007 2:53 PM