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Original poster

An MN library style thing idea here, shoot me down in flames if not suitable!

146 replies

piffle · 04/04/2005 21:40

My mum reads about 6 new release paperbacks a weeka dn gives them to me, I read and then send to second hand shops
What I thought was for the price of 2nd class postage (about 80p for paperback) I could send on to a Mn'er who wanted it, they then could advertise on the book title thread when they had read it and could send it on, I know Tescos sell them for £3.73 which is cheap and a library is free, but would anyone be up for this?
I have HUGE list of titles, good stuff to set up with and anyone coould donate?
Whaddya think
Am off to bed now but will look tomorrow and see what people think?

OP posts:
littlerach · 09/04/2005 19:30

Can I join please?!

kalex · 09/04/2005 19:35

Count me in. Fab Idea

Wallace · 09/04/2005 19:37

Sounds brilliant!!! Would love to take part.

Miaou · 10/04/2005 14:46

Anyone have any further thoughts on the practicalities? Any suggestions and/or improvements?

Like I said before, I am happy to play administrator but really don't want to tread on piffle's (or anyone else's) toes. I thought we could keep bumping this over the next few days for feedback then maybe set something up in the next week or so.

kid · 10/04/2005 14:54

I think it sounds like a great idea, however, would it be better for the lender to pay the sender postage costs? (I'd prefer to pay postage rather than the person sending it to me having to pay)
Another thought, once a book has been borrowed and read, do we keep it until someone else wants it, or does it eventually get sent back to the owner?

Miaou · 10/04/2005 16:39

Good suggestions, kid. The reason why I suggested the sender paying postage is that it would get so complicated if amounts of 80p were being sent by BACS or cheque - hardly seems worth it! Also, if you are lending you are borrowing too and therefore it should even out over time.

The other possibility I suppose could be that when the book is returned, the borrower includes with it stamps or money for the cost of sending it. That way only the borrower pays for that book.

Re sending the book back - that could be up to the individual borrower/lender to agree - as long as the central database knows where it is it wouldn't really matter, unless the lender requests its return.

Not good at explaining things - I'm sure all that sounds more complicated than it actually is!

kid · 10/04/2005 18:28

You explained it fine!

bran · 10/04/2005 19:23

I'd like to join too please. I read voraciously and usually end up giving the books to jumble sales to make space as we have very little storage. I once started to add up how much I'd spent at Amazon since 1998, I had to stop when I got to £1500 as I just didn't want to know anymore (I think I only counted up to sometime in 2001). Hopefully this might mean a reduction of my Amazon addiction.

lilibet · 10/04/2005 19:37

I think if the borrower returns it to the lender with stamps to cover postage that would be a good idea.

Miaou · 11/04/2005 14:14

Just thought I'd bump this for the weekday crowd.

Original poster
piffle · 11/04/2005 15:10

what I thought was that everyone paid the postage for sending it on 2nd class etc
obv if you never requested or received a book you'd lose out but if you are receiving one then sending it on, it would even itself out IYSWIM?
I have have about 30 books to send out though!
OUCH!

OP posts:
Miaou · 11/04/2005 16:50

piffle, if the cost of posting out the book was included in the parcel when the book was sent back to you, then you wouldn't be out of pocket; you just wouldn't get the money until the book was returned to you.

I think it probably makes more sense that the borrower bears the costs. This would get more complicated if the book goes straight to a third party but I think it would still work.

Eg. 1. Miaou borrows a book from Piffle. Piffle sends the book to Miaou and pays 80p postage. Miaou returns the book to Piffle enclosing 80p in stamps.

Eg.2 Miaou borrows a book from Piffle. Piffle sends the book to Miaou and pays 80p postage. Lilibet then requests the book. Miaou sends book to Lilibet. Lilibet returns book to Piffle enclosing 80p in stamps. Miaou hasn't lost out because she would have had to pay to return the book anyway. Lilibet hasn't lost out because if she had borrowed the book straight from Piffle she would have enclosed Piffle's original postage costs.

How does that sound?

kid · 11/04/2005 17:59

When doing it that way, the lender has to pay to return the book plus the cost of enclosing the stamps.
If the owner of the book didn't mind, could the book be sent to a lender and the lender then keeps the book until it is requested by someone else? Otherwise the book could be going backwards and forwards, we could save some money on postage by not returning it to the owner each time. Maybe if a book hasn't been requested after a set period, it could be returned then?

anchovies · 11/04/2005 18:21

This sounds like a really good idea! Can I play?!

Agree with Kid, seems a shame to keep returning the book, borrower will end up paying 2 lots of postage. Only problem with that though I suppose is that the original sender wont get their postage back until it is eventually returned.

Would it be possible to just keep posting them on rather than anyone paying postage, I suppose the book owner would be out of pocket but if everyone puts books into circulation it wouldn't matter? I wouldn't mind as it would still save me a fortune!

dyzzidi · 11/04/2005 18:24

Could the person lending the book begin by sending the postage to the books owner? once recieved the owner can post book and the lender then becomes the owner until book is requested by someone else then the cycle start agian.

that way no one looses out and those wanting to clear up space do so without the books coming back to them??

anchovies · 11/04/2005 18:25

Good idea dyzzidi, would be slower but by far the simplest way of doing it!

kid · 11/04/2005 18:30

I personally would trust a MNetter to return my postage cost after I send a book out (no need to wait for the postage to be received to send the book).

dyzzidi · 11/04/2005 18:31

It would save having unwanted books back in the house which seems to be one of the main reasons people want this. And ther is not limit on how long it takes you to finish the book then.

Where would you search for available books??

Some kind of database or in message boards The message boards can be quite long to look through.

Maybe start a post with the books name. When 'purchased' buyer could type CLOSED and ask mumsnet to close the thread?

Sorry I am not very technical but an really interested.

anchovies · 11/04/2005 18:32

Good point - 80p reckon I could risk it too

dyzzidi · 11/04/2005 18:38

I would risk it without hesitation, but as you know there is always one person who wouldn't. I suppose intentions could be stated in an email when sending home addresses.

Miaou · 11/04/2005 23:25

More good thoughts here. I think the postage issue could become a problem though. As Piffle pointed out, if she (or anyone) ends up sending out 30 odd books almost straightaway then it is going to leave her out of pocket unless she is reimbursed.

Do take the point about sending books back unneccessarily though. Maybe the borrower could send the owner the cost in stamps in an envelope and keep the book until requested by another person.

Personally I wouldn't mind sending a book out and not getting the postage back, principally because I think I would borrow as much as I would lend out, so I think it would even out over time.

Dyzzidi, re the database/list of books - there could be a list of a hundred or more, so I would suggest that we create a database on excel which can then be attached to an email and sent to any/all mn library joiners, updated on a regular basis. I think this would be easier to handle and less confusing than creating threads to lend out books. If you see a book you want to borrow, then you contact the person holding the book to arrange sending.

These are only my ideas - god I sound really bossy! Please feel free to dib in and suggest other ways of doing it!

giraffeski · 11/04/2005 23:33

Message withdrawn

SaintGeorge · 11/04/2005 23:43

Please can I join in?

Have followed this with interest and debated if I should feed my reading habit any further - but hey, there are worse addictions

Re excel database - wouldn't Access be better? There is already a template for a library type set up.

Willing to throw my hand in if any admin assistance needed.

PS - have run mini libraries in the past if that is any help

Miaou · 11/04/2005 23:53

Hi SG - not used access before, the only reason I suggested excel was because I was familiar with it! Sounds good though - is it a basic tool that most people would have? My Dh is paranoid about downloading stuff and I imagine he is not alone, so a basic, available to most/all tool was what I was thinking of.

Re the library knowledge - fantastic!

Giraffeski - I haven't got broadband, and I don't think it would become too unwieldy - a huge text document takes up far less memory than a photo, for example. Maybe someone with more technical expertise might have an opinion on that one. Not sure about the yahoo bit, no experience of it - anyone else?

SaintGeorge · 12/04/2005 00:04

Do you have any other microsoft products besides Excel? A lot of people have the Office Package, which includes Access. I suggested it because it is a database program, so ideal for the job. Set up with the right data fields and people could search for books by content if they didn't know the name or author for example.

I am just having a quick refresher look at it myself, haven't been around it for quite awhile (I once had a life, before kids - those were the days ). It is pretty straightforward.

The initial input of all the info into the database might take a while, but like I said I'm happy to help.