But for the price conscious general reader just inter-library loan.
If you want to buy To Kill A Mockingbird or The Hobbit be my guest, but any library in the US would have a few copies of those.
Public libraries are awesome. Use it or lose it.
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1. I omitted audio books and translations to the local language² from the counts.
2. I speak the language decently and can read it fluently, but my general policy is not to read a book in translation if I can read the original language. This does mean that some of the books in translation, if the native system in the other country has them translated to the local language (they have a much less robust public library system in general and I’ve not seen any indication of any significant numbers of English-language books) I can get those there.
So if books are expensive then our taxes buy fewer books.
San Francisco public libraries spend $200m per year, of which 15% is spent on 'collections', including books, ebooks, magazines etc.
That's $35 per resident. The denominator includes newborns, infants and others that can't read or don't like to read.
The total is $235 per resident per year.
But my point above wasn't about whether that number is high or low. It's that the price of books is paid by us, even it's funneled through taxes and librarians.
Seems like good value to me.
What do you think is the mean number of library books read by a San Francisco resident per year?
One reason I say SFPL is great for all^H^H^H many Californians+ is their book collection is available for free pickup at a your local library via the inter-library sharing program, Link+ [1].
((People, submit purchase requests at your local libraries. It's what it's for.))
The other is that they are subscribers to "O'Reilly for Public Libraries", which lets people access Everything from O'Reilly for Free [2].
[0]: https://sfpl.org/
Libraries themselves (and by extension, taxpayers) suffer from high book prices.
Separately, would you mind explaining this part, as I'm not familiar with university libraries: "Even most university libraries are switching to digital collections which can't be loaned out."
Does this mean you can only read the digital collections when physically present in the library, or that they're only available to members and not via inter-library loan?
A few years ago I suggested a book via this form: https://sfpl.org/services/ask-librarian/suggest-title I never received any response.
I've since (very recently) learned there's another way to suggest titles here: https://sfpl.bibliocommons.com/user_dashboard#overlay456
Just now, I went to suggest a book there and got a popup message saying they won't get that book because it's over 10 years old. It's a book about critical thinking. It doesn't need to be updated.
Most of the books I've bought got read by me, and then sit on a shelf forever. If a book is bought by a library, and used multiple times before it's weeded, that's a big win for $/read.
> Just now, I went to suggest a book there and got a popup message saying they won't get that book because it's over 10 years old. It's a book about critical thinking. It doesn't need to be updated.
I think the library is suggesting a 10 year old book might be better accessed through other means. Can you get it from interlibrary loan? Is it available on the used market? It may not be available through the library's usual sourcing, etc.
The book in question is still in print and still available new.
If they had a copy that wore out and it was circulated many times, they would have reordered it when they discarded it.
When I was a teen I got my local library to acquire copies of a number of tech classics:
SICP, K&R, Stevens' TCP/IP Illustrated, ANSI CL, ... all discarded to my everlasting disappointment.
And I can't request a copy because it's too old.
https://mtpfriends.bigcartel.com/product/what-s-more-punk-ad...
Some universities have it, but the only copy in CA public libraries seems to be at the Sharp Park branch in Pacifica (which I believe was acquired in the last couple of years - good on them!).
Berkeley public library has copies of the JS edition for what that's worth..
https://mitp-content-server.mit.edu/books/content/sectbyfn/b...
https://linkencore.iii.com/iii/encore/record/C__Rb51571246__...
btw, Andres Raba brought us the preferred online edition of SICP:
https://sarabander.github.io/sicp/
Also, I'd like to note that in my experience no public library can provision online-only books. I've been unable to get any to acquire Mastering Emacs for example.
Most library users select from the books on the shelf.
That's like saying you shouldn't write a book because no one wanted it in the past, before it existed.
Request physical copies of books you want to read, and that you think are beneficial to the community. And check them out from time to time.
I'm sure a librarian does their best to keep abreast with the latest best books.. but would they know the field better than someone in it?
I've been told they have experts that consult on title selection. But based on the 004-006 section at most libraries, I can only infer that is the IT guy at the senior center..
If the library buys it, that patron will come..
And I can't request a copy because it's too old.
Do you believe that no one in San Francisco ever wanted to read SICP?
https://sfpl.libanswers.com/faq/97320
Worldcat says it's at 1483 libraries: https://search.worldcat.org/title/Structure-and-interpretati... (although some of them may not participate in ILL, and some may only have eBooks that you probably can't borrow unless you have an appropriate account)
I'm sure SFPL does tracking on ILL requests and if something comes up more than once or twice in a reasonable period and it's available for purchase, a copy will be purchased to add to the collection.
Basically, they will buy books that nobody's had a chance to review yet or talk about, but won't buy books published a year ago that everyone cites and recommends. It's a broken policy.
I'd say it is a way to avoid the high cost of books tho, in that they are a shared resource. Dozens of people may check out a single copy within a year. E-books at public libraries are more accessible, but only a finite number of copies may be accessed by patrons at a time - less accessible than you might think. Additionally, e-books are not owned, but leased. And the cost is substantial and comparable to the cost of a physical copy, and re-paid every few years.
Another way libraries avoid the cost of new books is by relying on other libraries to expand their collection. When my local library joined LINK+, for instance, they substantially decreased the amount of new books they would acquire, and it's stripping influence from the individual patron. Good luck borrowing a copy of Laws of Software Engineering [0] anywhere. Or Crafting Interpreters [1].
As far as university collections go, most have large libraries with huge collections that are available to borrow - somehow. But most of the books are very old. The new acquisitions are primarily digital and may only be accessed through a locked terminal or web portal. Whether the general public has access varies and often costs quite a bit or is free for the immediate community.
Here is info on borrowing at a few:
https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/find/borrow-renew
($100/yr for CA residents, limited access to the library, no remote access)
https://library.claremont.edu/borrowing/
(limited to nearby county residents, but free. no remote access or ebooks)
https://library.stanford.edu/about-stanford-libraries/visito...
(range of options: $1000/yr to $35/two-weeks, remote unclear)
I have had some luck accessing some e-books at some colleges, but for the most part you need to have a login. It really depends on their policies and licensing deals with digital publishers.
Responding to the dead child comment: that's what common paperbacks are for. Don't don't mess up a nice hardcover or anything rare.
I'm not being black and white like that. Some books "are to be read, annotated, lived with and lent out" others should be treated with more care.
For an extreme example: if somehow you come to possess the Book of Kells, don't go scribbling your brain farts all over it. You're a modern person who can easily buy paper or a notebook to hold such things.
But objectively my reaction is wrong. Books are not mystical objects to be revered. They are objects to be used. Nearly all books end up in a landfill or recycled eventually. What does it actually matter if they end up there covered in annotations and filled with dog eared pages?
Books you have borrowed? Absolutely do not write in them or dogear pages. Books you intend to share with others? Generally the same. Rare books or valuable books? Of course. Normal books you got on Amazon or from your local bookstore that you use only for your personal enjoyment? Use them how you want.