Connecticut: Milford Public Library Will Be Able to Keep Overdue Fines, Begins eBook Program
From the Connecticut Post:
Each year, the Milford Public Library collects about $27,500 in fees and fines, $4,000 from the photocopy machines and more than $500 from the sales of used books and other fees.
Up until now, that money, about $32,000 in all, was funneled back into the city’s general fund. But, beginning a few weeks ago, the library is keeping all the money it collects.
The library will use the money to stay open most Saturdays and begin lending e-books.
To provide e-books, the library has signed an $8,000, one-year contract with Baker & Taylor of Charlotte, N.C. Tsang said Baker & Taylor was chosen because, unlike other vendors, it provides a much higher level of privacy.
“Some people think that this is not a very big issue, but if you’re checking out a book on divorce or filing for bankruptcy or dealing with drug addiction, it’s not something that you would want the world to know about,” she said.
For this reason, the basic Kindle tablet isn’t supported, because its borrowing history is open to Amazon users, she said.
Filed under: Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.