Way back on World Book Day, I shared some thoughts on digitising the library experience via Linkedin. I’m revisiting it and would love to know your perspectives.
The original post:
I was asked recently on an internal Shell podcast about my favourite digital tools. So, I thought I would share one on here that takes away customer friction, especially as it is #worldbookday2021
As a kid, I loved going to the library and can vividly remember consuming the entire back catalogue of Tintin before graduating onto the full range of Agatha Christie novels. You’ll have noticed that this post is not a high brow book recommendation post!
In adulthood, accessing the library seems full of friction: not knowing what selection is available, carrying heavy books around, clunky renewal, reservation or inter-library loan processes, late fees, limited and decreasing opening hours. My library usage had waned to practically zero.
However, it’s been a joy to discover that the book lending aspect of the library has been reinvented for the digital age for ebooks via the Borrowbox app.
So, what happens to those frictions?
Easy to search; Instant download to your phone/ tablet; Renew in the click of a button; Reserve if your book has been checked out by someone else; Return automatically at the end of your loan period (so no late fees); Available 24/7.
So, it’s still a lending library, digitised. Hopefully enabling flexibility, for those that have smart phone and internet.
My current Borrowbox reads - still not high brow!
And here is the question that I didn’t ask the first time. Does this work for everyone from a business model perspective? Do royalties flow back to authors? What is the pricing structure for our cash strapped local library?
A little research highlights various business models:
“One copy, one user” – this is the digital equivalent of having a physical copy of the book to be borrowed by one person at once. Publishers receive a single payment.
“Cost per checkout” – the library can lend to as many people who want to read the book. The publisher receives no payment upfront but a (lower) rate per loan with potential upside if their book is popular. This also means libraries can list more books without incurring costs, which is also good for authors.
Contrasting with a subscription service like Kindle Unlimited, authors are paid a royalty rate against the number of pages read. So, an author’s earning potential is limited unless people read to the end. Hence, the bizarre mix of books on Kindle Unlimited; lots of self-published, romance fiction and early books from well-known authors. If you want the latest Jack Reacher, you’re not going to find it on there.
One thought that strikes me, which will probably come up in this newsletter time and time again, is the proliferation of formats of the modern age. Reading an ebook or listening to an audiobook is not necessarily a one-way ticket to never touching a paperback again.
Likewise, borrowing an ebook from the library doesn’t mean that you might not want to sometimes purchase to have that new release in your hands as quickly as possible; or wouldn’t delight in receiving a book as a gift; or a friend dropping off a copy of a book saying, “You have to read this. I loved it”1.
What we're reading:
Ghost stories by Jeanette Winterson, who is this months writer-in-residence on Substack. This is an interesting take on AI, #DeathTech (see the previous issue of this newsletter) and a great read.
What we're watching: If you need a mood boost, for an instant pick-me-up, I’ve been watching this. This is the sort of thing the internet is made for - dog meets big piles of leaves.
What we're enjoying: This dictionary of business buzzwords from Forthwrite
Can you tell, this is one of my absolute favourite things, alongside coffee and chocolate?
Newfangled #4: Libraries?
Thanks Helen, an interesting thought provoker as always. Just to add my old fashioned view...there's few things as calming as a wonderful old room full of books! Keep up the good work.