21–30 of 84 posts
The copyright police will fall on this like a ton of bricks. Publishers already hate libraries (yes they do), the last thing they want is more of them.
Libraries typically have a limited length you can keep the books before you must return them. If you really like the book then you will want to buy it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
But everybody knows what a library is and grassroots booksharing (aka drop off your old paperbacks in an agreed upon public place) is already a thing, so maybe not a dystopia? Also, buying books second hand is incredibly easy and cheap. And buying a license for an ebook is incredibly convenient and also tends to be rather cheap.
Why do you think ebook licensing is cheap? The big 5 all have "metered" licensing, where licenses expire and require repurchase after either a certain period of time or a certain number of checkouts. These are usually set up so that every ebook will have to be repurchased every 1-2 years. Furthermore, ebook prices are usually between 1x-3x the physical list price depending on publisher, date of publication, and popul…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
But everybody knows what a library is and grassroots booksharing (aka drop off your old paperbacks in an agreed upon public place) is already a thing, so maybe not a dystopia? Also, buying books second hand is incredibly easy and cheap. And buying a license for an ebook is incredibly convenient and also tends to be rather cheap.
Why do you think ebook licensing is cheap? The big 5 all have "metered" licensing, where licenses expire and require repurchase after either a certain period of time or a certain number of checkouts. These are usually set up so that every ebook will have to be repurchased every 1-2 years. Furthermore, ebook prices are usually between 1x-3x the physical list price depending on publisher, date of publication, and popul…
Also I'm talking about "buying" an ebook as a consumer, the licensing model for libraries might be terrible for all I know. It's certainly still pretty terrible for most library members. I imagine digital lending is terrifying for the publishers.
They should just make it easier for people to scan books. Or give incentives. Why mail physical books around when all you need is their content? Or just get people to upload photos from the backs of the books in their library. Then extract from those the titles. Match them up against books that are missing in the digital library and are being requested by users. Then send a message to the owner and ask them to scan t…
> Why mail physical books around when all you need is their content? Because physically mailing books is not copyright infringement. Physically mailing books provides a legal way of sharing the contents of books with more people.
I really only care about out of print and rare materials. Passing around a book through the mail that's been out of print for 80 years is rather dangerous when you care about its preservation.
For some reason we legally treat these as identical to some mass market paperback trade of say diary of a wimpy kid and that's stupid.
If we care about research, preservation of materials, having them available for future generations, then really, the sacred holy protection of copyright can take a hike when dealing with those texts.
I frequently have to get on planes and fly off to University special collections and sit in some special room where I can't bring in a camera and have to carefully read through something that can't be digitized because we're somehow not smart enough to see a difference between that and a Dan Brown novel you get at the grocery store.
Pisses me off. Holistically speaking, what the fuck are we doing? This stuff shouldn't be special and precious. We've had photography for over 180 years, this isn't some strange new phenomena here.
I should be able to browse such documents from the same bed I'm lying in now writing these words, not book a plane to fly across country because librarians are justifiably paranoid about some asshole copyright lawyers.
They should just make it easier for people to scan books. Or give incentives. Why mail physical books around when all you need is their content? Or just get people to upload photos from the backs of the books in their library. Then extract from those the titles. Match them up against books that are missing in the digital library and are being requested by users. Then send a message to the owner and ask them to scan t…
Scanning a book is as easy as ordering a second hand copy in Amazon to be sent to a book scanning service. But at that price, why bother scanning if you can buy it ?
To give those complaining about copyright the $$$ they're after?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why do you think ebook licensing is cheap? The big 5 all have "metered" licensing, where licenses expire and require repurchase after either a certain period of time or a certain number of checkouts. These are usually set up so that every ebook will have to be repurchased every 1-2 years. Furthermore, ebook prices are usually between 1x-3x the physical list price depending on publisher, date of publication, and popul…
Concur. E-book pricing and licensing conditions are so out of tune with the cost of distribution that it is easy to see piracy as a form of protest.
London has a number of red telephone kiosks turned into libraries. I belive they are administered by local groups which move the stock around once in a while but I would suspect it's difficult to manage this online since there is no check-in/check-out process.
London has a number of red telephone kiosks turned into libraries. I belive they are administered by local groups which move the stock around once in a while but I would suspect it's difficult to manage this online since there is no check-in/check-out process.
It sounds like the Street Library project here in Australia. Every little suburb and village now has multiple little enclosures that basically encourage to people to put in a book they have finished reading and take if they want. All grass roots driven and seems to work well with very little abuse. https://streetlibrary.org.au/
My wife has constructed, and contributed to, a few of these. I see them around town, even in residential areas; and, as you say, there is almost no vandalism or abuse.