[Web4lib] Libraries: Standing at the Wrong Platform, Waiting for the Wrong Train?

[K.G. Schneider]

> Which opens up new avenues, if the libraries are willing to play the
> game - e.g.
> 
> If a library doesn't have a book in stock, it could offer to buy the
> book (new and/or second hand via Amazon) as an alternative to ILL (and
> the library could pocket the Amazon associate money). Also some
> libraries have looked into the feasibility of buying books ino via
> Amazon (again new or second hand) instead of ILL, and if the book is not
> something they want to keep in stock when the borrower returns it sell
> it off again via Amazon or ebay.

That's not even new; Marvin Scilken promoted that idea tirelessly decades
ago. He said if a library didn't own a book a patron asked for the library
should buy it immediately. I agree on the buying from Amazon. A small
obstacle is the processing, but there has to be a quick solution to that as
well--maybe a preprocessing barcode or RFID chip that would put the book
record in the ILS even though the item goes from Amazon to patron, so that
on its return it could get slapped with its spine label. Maybe use the ISBN
to munge a temp barcode to flag the item on check-in. 

It would probably be cheaper than most ILL!

Karen G. Schneider
kgs at bluehighways.com