A bright idea from a Bellray

The wonderful Bellrays

Justin, the really cool guitarist from the California band The Bellrays, came up with this great suggestion yesterday over a delicious dinner home cooked by our very own dynamic diva, Dorrie D.

As a voracious reader who’s on the road a lot, Justin’s become a big fan of the Kindle (or, rather, Barnes and Noble’s version of the Kindle, the NOOK). He told me that the Los Angeles Public Library, of which he’s a member, loans books digitally just as they do physically. The books are downloaded onto your device and are available to read for a specified period, say, three weeks, after which time the book becomes inaccessible from your reader. Presumably, you can renew the books just as you would in the real world.

I’ve been thinking about how I can incorporate new forms of publishing, e.g. e-books and digital devices into the library and this is a great idea. Users will also be able to borrow books digitally therefore being allowed to take them off the premises (dependent, of course, on them having a digital device of their own in the first place). On a side note, I’m currently considering options for bulk purchase and distribution with partners. All ideas welcome but thanks, Justin, for this one.

Check out The Bellrays (motto: Soul is the teacher, Punk is the preacher) at www.thebellrays.com.