I sometimes take the dogs at the SPCA here in Vancouver out for a walk. I usually pass a neighbourhood dog who barks like crazy when I go by with one of them. The other day its owner told me that the dog doesn’t have a problem with other dogs, just dogs on leashes. So she’s a dog activist and speaking out for more dog mobility.
This made me think, not for the first time, that I wish there were less leashes on books.
I’m a big fan of the Vancouver Public Library (VPL). It has a great collection of books, and when there is a book you want it’s easy to go online and get notified by e-mail or phone when it has arrived at your local branch. Pay attention if you read French books though. If you order Power Résumés, you’ll get a deadpan voice informing you “Your book … Power … Resumes … has arrived”.
I’m also a fan of Amazon, but for somewhat different reasons. I usually buy more than I intended just because it’s so easy to find other books that interest me. It’s also easy to maintain lists of books I want to buy later and view other people’s lists. The searching and browsing capabilities are also way easier to use than library catalogues, which often do annoying things like having the default search be an exact phrase search restricted to the title field. Searching solitude auster on the VPL catalogue won’t get you The Invention of Solitude by Paul Auster, but on Amazon you get the French and English versions right away with reviews and links to similar items by category.
I also like browsing local used bookstores. I recently discovered Abe Books which includes many used bookstores, but I wish it was easier to search by city.
So here’s what my ideal book service would include:
• Amazon’s searching and browsing capabilities. It would be great if they could adapt and sell their software to libraries.
• Showing the availability of a book in my local library, used and new bookstores in my city, and online sellers like Amazon.
• Maintainance of lists of books to read and wish lists for birthdays and xmas.
• Management of book recommendations to and from your friends and family.
• Information on local and online book clubs for the books I’ve read.
That said, it’s pretty cool how easy it has become to get books I’m interested in. And it will be interesting to see how new services to search for books like Google Books and the upcoming Microsoft’s Windows Live Book Search Program try to make books even easier to find.
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