When I first read about BookSwim, I thought it might work. I have a relative who won't use libraries because she knows she'll never get the books back on time, and she doesn't want to pay fines. And I heard a librarian tell a story about a mother and child at the library to pick up DVDs. When the kid asked if he could get a book, the mom said, "No. We never get them back in time."
So, I thought, BookSwim could be just the thing for those folks.
Then I realized that if you don't want to pay, say, an 80 cent fine for a book four days overdue, what are the chances you'll want to pay a $15 to $25 a month rental fee?
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And, at the moment anyway, their selection is Not That Great. But that could change.
As I said over at my blog, it's made me realize that what I really want is a Netflix-like queue with my ILL librarian.
Hi, Gail,
Here in Massachusetts, and I can't believe Connecticut isn't as if not more civilized, we can renew books online. With a click you can order, you can renew -- it's fantastic! Or maybe your relative is loathe to do this, but there is no driving involved. Well, I hope this is problem solving and not chauvinist state bragging. Best, Jeannine Atkins
Yes, we can renew on-line also, and believe me, I do it. I'm not sure if every library in the state has access to that yet. On top of that, we get automated e-mail notices when books are coming due. Hmmm, I wonder if library income from fines is actually going down?
We've had the renew on-line system for a few years now. I'm always stunned by the number of people I run into who aren't aware of it.
We've tried and tried to publicize it, Gail, and still, three years later, we have people saying, "I can?" when we tell them they can renew online. We also get people who do! not! want! to hear anything about it. But many are absolutely delighted to learn they can renew (and place holds) from home. Personally, I love being able to go online at midnight to look up a book and place a hold on it. And it's sure handy to be able to renew my books late at night when I suddenly realize that they're overdue!
I used to work in a library where, if you had any overdue books, you couldn't check out more until they were returned. No fines. It was great. If another patron needed a book another patron had overdue, then we would get more aggressive. Grr.
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