Chris said:
A few of us swop books on a fairly regular basis. And then there are a few places where you can leave a few books and take a few books (mostly of the pulp fiction variety, good for going to sleep by). Rockies sometimes has a few books on the shelf and Sosua Business Services usually has a few books on a shelf. There are two more 'formalized' book exchanges (I know Ken's wife Barbara has something to do with one book exchange in Sosua - forgive my ignorance if I'm not reporting this correctly) and I know of one book exchange in the Cabarete area. If one is desperate, Productos Sosua usually has a few bestsellers on the shelf - both in Sosua and in Cabarete.
I really think we can all do with something more formal with regular hours. Count me in for starting a North Coast Library... :classic:
i have seen the books at Rocky's (some good ones, would be through them inside of a week) and i did see the posting at the Supermarket for the book exchange service. problem was they were mostly pulp fiction as you stated. i do enjoy reading the current novels as a break from the weightier stuff. i am an avid reader and i will read anything i can.
however, i am looking more towards the classics in literature. maybe some philosophy, poetry, business, history et cetera. some good meaty stuff once you've caught up on the best sellers. even some good books for children.
a
private library is pretty simple in design and is how most libraries were
started:
1) a small group of people act as founders with contributions in cash and any books they may have. a simple, basic charter is drawn up stating our goals and intentions.
2) new members are then allowed to join the library if they are sponsored/vouchsafed by an existing member. they would pay a fee to join and would be encouraged to donate books.
3) the number of books allowed at one time is low (under 5) and any serious defaulters are excluded from the group. that person's sponsor is ulitmately responsible for their actions. you might have new members post a security deposit or something...
4) you grow the membership to an agreed upon size that is comfortable for everyone. each member has a vested interest in the library.
5) the space required for hosting the library can be fairly simple. no staffing required as the honour system is used. a few comfy chairs and voila! no computers, no TV, no radio just the steady hum of the ceiling fan and lots of books.
6) other languages can be added once the library is established (Spanish/German/Hebrew...).
7) some method of offering books and access to others can be arranged as a way of contributing into the Sosua community. this might take the form of Spanish children's books or something useful. perhaps access on certain days to browse and read (probably not sign out books though).
there you go. i will tackle this when we move to Sosua (Jan-Mar timeframe). i'll be bringing all of my books to seed the project. i am sure others would get in the swing of things too. just think of all the good, used book stores in Canada, US etc... where the book hounds can source decent books and bring them back to the DR in their luggage. they don't have to be pretty, just a good price and good content.
anyone else interested?