This is just an idea-dump based on the Fairfax Library article from this mornings links. Some are obvious, all have probably been figured out elsewhere.
* In a word: Netflix. The queue system is a perfect fit for books, maybe even a better fit than it is for movies. People will pay money for this service(perhaps not $20 a month).
* Removing unpopular books from shelves isn’t such a bad idea, but keep them somewhere, available for circulation.
* Stick a URL on the inside cover of every book that goes to an online discussion board for that book.
* Either after check-in or a week after check-out, email the patron an invitation to that discussion.
* If a discussion reaches a certain membership or activity threshold, make it easy to “graduate” to an in-person discussion, managing the reservation of a table or room at a particular branch.
When I say “maybe even a better fit than it is for movies”, I’m referring to the fact that there is (or once upon a time, was) spontaneity involved in renting a movie, a point I made in a 1999 review of some online DVD rental services. In books, I think that’s less of a factor.
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Interesting you mention this. BookSwim.com, an online library that allows members to rent unlimited books on a monthly-membership basis, is about to launch in February 2007. We will offer books with no due dates, no late fees, and no shipping charges. BookSwim is a sort of “Netflix for books”.
You mentioned printing a URL inside a book to go to a discussion site — that’s a brilliant idea. Wish we’d thought of it!
Add your email address at http://www.bookswim.com to get notification when we launch!
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[...] into a system for pushing ink and dead trees around. Intrigued by a comment co-founder George Burke left on a post here, I asked him whether I can put together a short email “interview”. COO Shamoon Siddiqui [...]
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