David Rothman writes “In LISNews and TeleRead posts earlier this week, I suggested that libraries give away public domain CDs, DVDs and print-on-demand books. “Many classics from the Internet Archive servers are rather elaborately illustrated in old editions. No need for the state government of Illinois to be the source of all give-away books in the state!”
Well, lo and behold, it looks as if Ernie Miller and Jenny Levine have similar ideas (and were smart enough to play them up in separate posts, not hidden down in an item as I did). Good for them. May something happen! Particularly outstanding is the Miller suggestion that “you could have an option: check the book out and be subject to possible late fees, or pay $1 or so and keep the book. Might work out pretty well.”
David Rothman writes “In LISNews and TeleRead posts earlier this week, I suggested that libraries give away public domain CDs, DVDs and print-on-demand books. “Many classics from the Internet Archive servers are rather elaborately illustrated in old editions. No need for the state government of Illinois to be the source of all give-away books in the state!”
Well, lo and behold, it looks as if Ernie Miller and Jenny Levine have similar ideas (and were smart enough to play them up in separate posts, not hidden down in an item as I did). Good for them. May something happen! Particularly outstanding is the Miller suggestion that “you could have an option: check the book out and be subject to possible late fees, or pay $1 or so and keep the book. Might work out pretty well.”
Now here’s another twist. Perhaps, even without going to the library, families could call up specially prepared juvenile librarians and discuss POD book choices for the kids involved–and then pick up the books. Too, they could order via Web sites, along the way consulting with librarians via forms, IM or e-mail.
All of this would be far, far better than children just getting a standardized, state-blessed selection of books! I totally agree with a past headline in Jenny’s Shifted Librarian blog: “Giving a Child a Book Versus Giving a Child an Entire Support Institution.” Time to combine both library services and a feeling of ownership–which happens when kids can receive books they don’t have to give back!
What’s more, let’s see this idea extended beyond pre-school to cover all of K-12. (For kids old enough to write, libraries and schools could set up local, librarian-and-teacher-moderated bulletin boards and chat rooms where the children could share their discoveries with each other.)
If libraries in states beyond Illinois, can try this and if all library users of all ages can enjoy POD one way or another, then so much the better. At the neighborhood library level, no one’s talking about megabuck expenditures of tax money, especially if patrons can pay modest fees if need be.
Help the kids build their own libraries–while they and parents maintain contact with the real ones. Certainly this is in line with TeleRead’s permanent checkout concept.
Needless to say, by cultiviating an appetite for a wide variety of books, print-in-demand could hasten the mass popularization of e-books. But advocacy of specific formats shouldn’t be the real goal here. Rather it should be to help books–old and new–find appreciative readers.”
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