Book-Borrowing Etiquette
Dean Koontz recently came out with a new book, ”Odd Hours”, the fourth installment about an endearing young man who sees dead people and impending mass destruction. As soon as I heard about it, I logged onto Rockcat to reserve a copy from any Southern Wisconsin library that might have it.
The good news was: among the libraries in the Arrowhead Library System, there were 16 copies available!
The bad news was: 32 other folks had already reserved it!
As I debated whether or not I wanted to wait in line behind 32 other library patrons, I continued to click around RockCat. And I discovered something. There were three Large Print copies of “Odd Thomas” available... which no one had reserved. All three of them were just sitting on the shelf.
So, I clicked one.
The next day, it was on its way to me! No waiting!
Once I had the book in my hands, however, I stared at the white circle proclaiming the book to be a “Large Print”, and I felt guilty. I felt as if I had cut in line. What if someone who needed a Large Print copy needed this one? Is this the equivalent of taking the handicapped stall in the crowded ladies' bathroom just before the woman in a wheelchair rolls in?
To ease my guilty mind, I turned to “Cover-to-Cover” blog author, Stacy Vogel. As a maven of book-related things, she would surely know whether I had broken any library etiquette laws or not. I e-mailed an explanation of my predicament, and this is what she replied:
”I once took a large-print book from the library as a mistake. The huge text and few paragraphs per page bothered me, and I returned it the same day.
But if large-print doesn't bother you, I say go ahead. I find the library often has high-demand books in large print when the other versions are gone, so clearly there isn't huge demand for the large-print books. Besides, just because people want larger print doesn't mean they shouldn't wait their turn for a book just like everyone else.
Bottom line, if the normal-print version is available, take that one first. If not, go ahead and grab the large-print one. If you're still feeling guilty, you can always volunteer to record a book on tape for people who can't read at all. That's gotta erase any bad karma, right?”
Whew! It looks as if I'm clear.
I am now finished with Mr. Koontz's book and have returned to the library. So, if you're waiting on the regular print list... and you're in fairly good standing with karma... grab your library card and log onto Rockcat to get on the short list at your local library.
Jun 25, 2008 at 9:18 p.m.
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Some of my students have checked out the large print versions because it is less intimidating looking to them! And for some, it simply was easier to read rather than the very tiny print in some of the "regular" versions.
Jun 23, 2008 at 5:33 p.m.
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I am bad, the handicap bath is the first I seek out cause there Is room enough to get your pants up and down. sometimes the regular ones dont even have enough room for you to sit down w/o your knees touching the door.haha
Jun 21, 2008 at 5:26 a.m.
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I think it's kind of like using the handicapped bathroom. Clearly, if no one handicapped is in the line, you can use it like the others.....
Jun 19, 2008 at 5:35 p.m.
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I have been buying used books through Amazon or Albris Books. Some of them sell for pennies, or at most a few bucks, before shipping and handling.
For example, my aunt wanted a copy of "Postville". I bought it slightly used through Amazon for $0.04 plus S&H of $3.99...$4.03 delivered to my door. My aunt was thrilled, and she keeps the book.
I think libraries are great, but if it is good enough for me to read, I'll buy it, sometimes new if I want it bad enough. $3.99 for S&H is less than the gas I would burn driving to a bookstore or library. It's a "win / win" for me.
Jun 19, 2008 at 5:13 p.m.
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I like the treadmill suggestion!
Jun 17, 2008 at 7:10 a.m.
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I think the guiding principle is whether or not the library has those books reserved specifically for patrons who need the Large Print.
I am involved with the publishing side of Large Print and I have never heard of a library discouraging a patron from checking out Large Print.
Think of circulations as the currency of libraries. If a library can justify increasing it's Large Print budget because more people use those books, they'll be able to provide a broader depth of titles for the patrons who "need" and "want" Large Print.
My experience is that people use Large Print books for treadmills (easier to follow the line of text), "sunny weather" reading (the contrast is easier to read) and just because it's a more pleasant read - as well as those with visual impairment.
Jun 16, 2008 at 2:42 p.m.
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I like to go to www.half.com for movies or books. Theyre usually under $10 with shipping and you can keep it.
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