If i could chuck the book into my mailbox to return it I’d stop by more often.
Many years ago, as a teenager, I went down to the main library to return some books I had borrowed. I knew I was late and I knew I had to pay a fee because of it, but I'd rather pay the fees with my savings than lose access to the library.
The librarian at the desk is the same man that has been driving the bus for as long as I can remember. He takes the books, taps at the keyboard a bit, hand me my receipt, smiles and wish me a good day. I ponder for a few seconds about the late fees, but decide against just walking away - I really don't want it to somehow result in suspending my card. So I tell him that I believe there is some late fees that I need to pay. His takes off his glasses and his face turns serious and say "Someone that has been visiting my bookbus since he was about this high (signaling around waist), don't have to pay just because his miss the return date by a week. You returned them, that's what matters".
I still think about this, and if he is still alive I wish I could somehow tell him this story. He was passionate about his job and he made a difference.
Lots of logistics and not very likely but I know it would remove my primary impediment to using the local library.
That and the durable plastic cases.
You could do this for small paperbacks in padded mailers, but it'd wear them down faster than they already wear.
I imagine the main cost-factor is size/weight of the books. The post office having to deliver an encyclopedia would be more costly than delivering a small paperback.
Maybe there's a way to work around that. It would at least encourage the readership of physical books (and maybe books in general). I don't go to to the library either, and really don't read books that much, but it certainly would be interesting to have the capacity to see reading materials online and have them mailed to me. Then again, if they are currently available for free at the library today, I suppose there's only so many excuses to make for my own laziness.
Not really. Fourth class mail used to be called "book rate." It's slow, but it's super cheap, and was established in 1879 to encourage reading and literacy.
I think a better innovation would be for one of the SV "tech" delivery companies to team up with local libraries to deliver and retrieve books from people in their offices.