Duluth library book sale browsing goes high-tech
August 17, 2010 at 7:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
Browsing for books has gone high-tech for many people attending the annual Friends of the Library book sale at the Duluth Public Library, with some prospective buyers using handheld scanners to help guide their purchasing decisions Tuesday.
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I attended this library sale yesterday. I am a local book dealer.
I wanted to provide a voice for other book dealers who use scanners at sales. The news article paints a rather bleak picture towards “scanners.” I am one of those “scanners.” I also deal in rare and out of print books that I don’t scan. Scanning is very competitive, and we don’t really have a lot of time to make sure every book is straightened if we want to make a living at this. It is our profession. There was a woman who literally followed me around yesterday and straightened all the books after I finished looking at them. She rudely reached in front of me while I was trying to work. I asked her if she worked at the library, and she said that she didn’t but that she used to work at a library and she wanted to make sure every book was put back into place. There was another older woman that was obviously irritated with me as well.
A woman in the article insinuated that we don’t have any respect or love of books. That we don’t care about them. Maybe it was the same woman that was slowing me down yesterday.
Let me just say that I do have a lot of respect for and love of books. That is why I went into this profession in the first place. I am currently writing a novel. This offends me even more because I am local. I was born and raised in Duluth. This is my home. And I feel like my profession is being treated with disrespect. And let me also just point out that all those “scanners” and book dealers out there are contributing to our local library more than most others that will be shopping there this week. My husband and I spent over $500 yesterday. Thank you for listening.
Margaret
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I definitely agree with you, Margaret–from one book lover to another. I don’t know much about “scanners”, but if it means buying more books and putting more money into the library, I am all for it! Try not to let those “followers” bother you, and do what you do best!
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If two random strangers were irritated by your behavior, you should probably take a deep look at what you’re doing to see if it is considerate of others.
If you are pulling books out of stacks and leaving them in a state where someone would have to put them back after you were done, then you’re being inconsiderate and rude.
Yes it’s your living and you’re trying to maximize time, but you’re need to save time doesn’t trump the extra time a librarian will have to use to pick up after you.
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My wife sells books and music on Amazon part time, mostly as a hobby, and also owns a scanner. This line from the article is pretty funny:
“Not everyone using a scanner did so with turning a profit in mind. A couple of people downloaded the titles from their CD collections into their scanners to ensure they didn’t end up with duplicates.”
My wife usually uses a similar line when people ask her about the scanner, which are less frequently seen at auctions and book sales here in Fargo and out west. She’s busy working and doesn’t want to explain that she’s connected to the Amazon database.
The argument that businessmen and women who sell used books don’t love books is ludicrous. My wife is often looking for books for her collection as much as she’s looking to for items to sell.
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I was there today (Monday) and found out the library was giving away books that had not been purchased. HEAVEN! Rows of book…for free! I only took three.
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