🚀 go-pugleaf

On Thu, 24 Jul 1997 patrick@namesecure.com wrote:

> is perfectly reasonable. A public library IMHO should not be in the
> business of "selling" information, which is what they are apparently
> engaged in. My understanding was that a public library was *anyone* could
> go to and have equal access to the same information, free of charge, which
> does not seem to be the case. 

General library policy is to provide service to the best of their 
ability. Back in the days when Dialog was king, we would always charge 
someone if they requested a Dialog search.  One search would often cost 
the library hundreds of dollars.  Often it was for business startups 
using things like trademarkscan.  Those who needed that service paid for 
it.  Otherwise any 13 year old kid could request questionable searches 
and literally bankrupt the library.

> "Rental books" at a public library? I find that appalling. 

Most libraries don't offer this.  The ones that do offer rental books for 
two reasons, 1)Best Sellers -- so the library can provide multiple copies 
of a best seller for people who don't want to wait.  We'll often purchase 
2-3 copies of a best seller and have a waiting list of 8-10 people.  That 
means a two month wait for the book.  We operate on the same principle as 
the ISP except instead of 10:1 we use 8:1.  If 8 people are waiting for a 
book we get another copy. 2)Longer checkout -- most libraries lend out 
books for 2-3 weeks.  Often on a best seller it gets shortened to a week 
if a lot of people are waiting.  Many people can't finish a book in two 
weeks let alone a week.  If they can pay a fee to get a longer checkout 
they are happy to.  The other option is to return the book unfinished (or 
keep it anyway and pay a fine, but that would be unfair to others who are 
waiting).

Jay...

============================== ISP Mailing List ==============================
Email ``unsubscribe'' to inet-access-request@earth.com to be removed.
Think carefully about your reply -- is private email more approriate?