Today i paid my library fine. I knew the book was due back but as my assignment was due i decided to keep it because i really needed it. I knew i would have a fine and was fine with that. However, it seems unfair that my local library in West Bromwich does not charge students fines if they produce their uni ID. This is the same for all council libraries. It seems unfair that the university charges i think 40p per day, when my local library waves the fine because I'm a student. I understand there has to be a deterrent for naughty people like me, but the 40 pence's soon add up. If my local library doesn't charge students, why should the university library when it is only for students? Maybe I'm wrong to think its unfair, it was just a thought.
There is an interesting article in the Guardian newspaper about library fines. Those for the fines say that readers enter into a contract and therefore rightfully should be fined; those against library fines say that they put readers off, which i agree with, but the university library knows us students need books and therefore will borrow books from them and pay the extortionate fines. I think the fines are a bit expensive, especially when the uni claims to understand students struggle financially and offer help with juggling your finances. Can 40p per day really be justified? Another thought i had was does this money actually go buying new books, or to paying the sour-faced security guards who stand around all day?
There is an interesting article in the Guardian newspaper about library fines. Those for the fines say that readers enter into a contract and therefore rightfully should be fined; those against library fines say that they put readers off, which i agree with, but the university library knows us students need books and therefore will borrow books from them and pay the extortionate fines. I think the fines are a bit expensive, especially when the uni claims to understand students struggle financially and offer help with juggling your finances. Can 40p per day really be justified? Another thought i had was does this money actually go buying new books, or to paying the sour-faced security guards who stand around all day?
Something else i have been thinking about whilst we are on the subject of books is the horrendous prices book stores like Waterstones charge for books. Its irritating to think i b
ought a brand new book the other day off eBay for £3.70 including post and packaging, which is currently on the Waterstones and Amazon websites for £19.99. I no longer buy new books, they depreciate as soon as you walk out of the book store door, and at the end of the day, they are always cheaper from places like eBay. Another good second hand book store i have bought in the past from is Pegasaurus books, and they, like eBay, deliver directly to my door. Its amazing how much you can save on books just by shopping around. I know books designed for students might cost a lot of money to make, but can the £20-£30 price tag really be justified? According to this website, it costs $12.38 to make a book and publish it, which is i think around £7.00? So on a £30.00 book that's an awful lot of profit for stores like W
aterstones. These stores know students need books and so have to buy them, so they figure they can charge what they want, which they do. Either way, i have learnt my lesson and now only buy second hand books, that way i get them cheaper, I'm helping the environment, and I'm putting my money into the pocket of a normal person or a family run businesses, instead of mega multi national stores like Amazon and Waterstones.
ought a brand new book the other day off eBay for £3.70 including post and packaging, which is currently on the Waterstones and Amazon websites for £19.99. I no longer buy new books, they depreciate as soon as you walk out of the book store door, and at the end of the day, they are always cheaper from places like eBay. Another good second hand book store i have bought in the past from is Pegasaurus books, and they, like eBay, deliver directly to my door. Its amazing how much you can save on books just by shopping around. I know books designed for students might cost a lot of money to make, but can the £20-£30 price tag really be justified? According to this website, it costs $12.38 to make a book and publish it, which is i think around £7.00? So on a £30.00 book that's an awful lot of profit for stores like W
aterstones. These stores know students need books and so have to buy them, so they figure they can charge what they want, which they do. Either way, i have learnt my lesson and now only buy second hand books, that way i get them cheaper, I'm helping the environment, and I'm putting my money into the pocket of a normal person or a family run businesses, instead of mega multi national stores like Amazon and Waterstones.Links
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