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Libraries charge to lend books. Late fines are almost universal, and lost items will result in a charge for replacement costs. -Wilhelmina Randtke On Fri, May 17, 2013 at 8:06 PM, BWS Johnson <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > Salvete! > > > > We've got $800 worth of filament which we expect will last us a long, > long > > time. > > Rather than charge for prints, we are trying to create a different type > of > > social contract in the space... we are encouraging heavy users to > > contribute back and donate time, expertise, and materials. > > If it sounds idealistic, that is because it is. But it is working. We > are > > trying to create a different culture in this space than is typical of > > libraries, and so far so good... > > > > Fingers crossed, I hope it can last! > > > I disagree that this culture is different than the typical culture of > libraries. We don't, for the most part, charge to lend monographs. So why > is it that most do charge for photocopying, et cetera? If it's any comfort, > my tiny rural library more than made up for in donations what we let go for > free where others feed their patrons to death. Would you rather a .10 per > page surcharge 3 or 4 times a year or a $100 from the same person that > remembered you letting them use the copier those same 3-4 times for free? > (I did have a 10 page threshold, but almost no one topped that.) > > So yes, the freer the better. :D > > Cheers, > Brooke >