Library Tech
The days of overdue books, hefty library fines and interminable waits for best-sellers are over in Chicago.
The city of Chicago just got a big tech upgrade to its library system. Patrons can now reserve and renew books online, resulting in fewer overdue books. (Link from Blog of a Bookslut)
Not, to gloat, but we’ve had that at the Minneapolis Public Library for ages. (Suck it, Chicago! Heh, heh. Just kidding.) It’s a great system. I hate to burst the bubble, though, but there are still interminable waits for bestsellers. For example, I’m 116 (of 163) on the request list for the Into the Wild dvd, and I placed the request in January.
Have you visited your local library lately?
June 26th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Good grief! I liked that movie so much I bought it. Want to borrow mine? You can email me your address and I’ll just drop it in the mail (cheaper than gas, sadly).
June 26th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
That’s funny! I live in a little rural community of about 6,000 people in Stevens County, Washington. Our Stevens County Rural Library District has been online and high tech for at least 8 years now. I always place holds and renew online. And, yes, we do sometimes have to wait forever for holds on popular items. I had to wait so long for New Moon that I just went ahead and ordered it from Barnes and Noble. Gotta love free fast shipping!
June 26th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
After reading this blog out loud to dad, I asked him today if Kelley’s Island even HAS a library. He said, “You know… I have no idea.”
Not a metropolis, Kelley’s Island…
June 26th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I can’t say for sure how long Nashville has had this “revolutionary” system, but at least for the past three years since I’ve lived here, I’ve always been able to request and renew my library books online. They also have these automated checkouts situated throughout the main branch (and I would presume others, but it’s the only one I visit) so that when it comes to checking out, you can DIY.
I’m a big proponent of libraries, especially when it comes to testing out books I’m not quite sure if I’ll love. I generally try to get the books selected for my book club there, especially, since in that situation I’m not even the one dictating my reading content! Also, I’ve recently come to the revelation that a lot of books on my shelves at home are unread, in large part because I cannot resist the allure of bookstores and the siren songs of their book tables (Borders’s “Buy 2 Get 1 Free” is largely to blame for much of my unread content, I think). I’ve decided I need to populate my bookcases with books that reflect me as a reader - not merely books that I’ve read, but books that I’ve loved and intend to re-read. Which is why I’m going to be trying to limit my bookstore purchases to books that I’ve already read, and confine my literary explorations to my library loans. That way if a book underwhelms me, all I’ve invested is my time. If I read something I love (such as “Then We Came to the End”) I’ll run out and buy it to support the author. I think this is a good balance and a judicious approach to one of my greatest indulgences!
June 27th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
I always find it interesting to see which posts prompt readers to comment. I can never predict! I see I”m preaching to the converted here about libraries.
Even if there is a long queue for an item, I don’t mind waiting. I’ve got more than enough stuff piled up at home to watch that it’s rare that I’m in a hurry. What I do mind is that they lowered the limit from 50 to 20, so when the items move slowly, I can’t request any more, and my TBR/W/L lists get out of hand, as they are now.
June 29th, 2008 at 11:46 am
I have a question about Into the Wild–I heard that the movie softened the lead character a little bit. I read the book and felt ambivalent about it at best, but a number of people I know who only saw the movie really loved it. A friend of mine who teaches the book to college freshman has also been surprised by their enthused response to the movie, less so to the book. My problem was the main character, and it seems perhaps he was more sympathetic in the movie and less the (in my opinion) selfish idiot from the book. Anyone who has read the book and seen the movie have any thoughts about that?
And yes, the Capitol Area District Library here in Lansing has had an online system since we’ve lived here (five years or so). We also have a bookmobile, so all I have to do is reserve a book online (or tell the bookmobile librarian I want a book, or a book shows up the librarian thinks I’ll like, or my son will like) and he’ll bring it directly to my neighborhood twice a week. My husband and my close friends refer to it as my crackmobile.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:07 am
OK, Kate wins coolest library. Book delivery? I’m making the Homer Simpson, Mmmm… sound.