Against. Yes, that is what a library should be for, except how public money is funnelled away from funding said libraries in order to bid for more Barnes & Noble stores.

dear nic, book stores do not take funding from libraries. there is no danger of libraries becoming obsolete because bookstores rent books. In fact libraries are known as institutions these days, being more than a place to check out books.anyway, the idea is to get "expensive" books into circulation, and yes I think it would be beneficial to the authors too.

One way to do this is to buy the book new and then resell it as used on Amazon or Half.

dear barry, I was thinking of this as a way for bookstores to be more profitable and for the consumer to have an inexpensive means of access to the latest stuff. It would be nice to rent magazines too, it seems such a waste to let them sit at home. Think of all the magazines I don't get a chance to thoroughly read because all I ever do is "see" them at the store. (or "very" old ones at the doctors' offices, even those I don't get to really read).

Harold,I think you may be on to something, I too spend countless hours in the book stores, get excited at the ENORMOUS selections but get really paranoid when at the counter trying to buy things I know I may not be able to afford. I think there should be a percentage rent rate charge. Meaning, rent the books out at say 10% of the full cover price. The lenght of the rent duration should be determined by the number of pages and the condition of the books upon return should be inspected and further costs stipulations should be imposed on the renters (I wouldn't worry about this one because I treat all of my books immaculately).

There've been quite a number of rental bookstores which have been springing up in Kuala Lumpur, and there seems to be 2 distinct & favoured models.

Most of the stores with large collections of old / used books, tend to rent out their books at a pre-determined rate, usually around 10/20% of the original price, and depending on demand. The customer also has the option to purchase the book (in its used form), at a rate which is usually indicated on a litle sticker on the inside. This is usually more than the rental rate, and no more than 70% of the original price.

Another model sees bookstores that sell both new & used books. A new book is sold at its cover price, but the bookstore offers the option to buy it back for about 70%/80% depending on the condition. Subsequently, the book is sold at a value which matches the number of times the book has been "loaned" out. Of course, the bookstore makes a profit on every sale.

it exists. http://www.booksfree.com

This idea is something that I really get excited about. It would have to be in very central locations where people pass by frequently - so there's enough circulation. Would have to get one of the big book companies behind it though to ensure your cost is low enough.

This idea was common in the UK 1820-1860 before Public Libraries took off. i.e. like bookfree.com, novels were rented from specialist shops, just like VHS/DVD is now.This was how most people learned to read, not for practical reasons, but for entertainment.

If you are interested in non-fiction, you take a note of books you are interested in, then weed them out by looking up price/review on amazon.com! Put it on wishlist for relations to buy xmas.Or buy/sell 2nd hand through amazon.