11.20.2011

library lament

Some things are changing with the library's circulations and it's not good.  Well, for me anyways.

Until now, the library's limit for requests/holds and checkouts was 100 items.  I never had anywhere near 100 checkouts, but I consistently max out my list of requests, often times, checking out two books only to run to the website and request two more.

Starting January 1st, 2012, both the requests/holds and checkouts will be limited to 30 items.  That means that until I whittle down my request list by 70%, I will not be able to request any new items.  (I will concede, however, that my items requested until that time will be grandfathered in)(Still, I'm tracking at about 60 items read this year, so it will probably take me the majority of 2012 to whittle that list down)(So much for my great literary plan of 2012).

Plus, although I never got close to 100 items checked out at once, I frequently have between 25-35 items out at once; a mixture of CDs and books and sometimes other media.

Also? CD check-outs will be for only 7 days (in line with DVDs) rather than the 21 days like books.

I suppose this will mean that a lot of the super long waits on popular new releases will drop because people (such as myself) won't be able to load up their request list with them.  It will also mean that CD turnover will be quicker because CDs will need to be returned quicker.  (Hey, maybe I'll finally get that Solid Gold CD after all!).

And I also suppose that since CD checkouts will be shorter overall, I won't need to check out as many items at once because the CDs will be going back so quickly.

But wow, this is hitting me hard.  I have to say, I'm kind of bummed.  But I suppose that's why it's called a public library, and not my own personal collection.

Update:  Ok, so maybe this will be do-able after all.  After a moment of nerddom, I made a list and some calculations.  I have 51 books on my list; these are books that I will not be able to read this year and will be reading myself (as opposed to books requested for other people).  25 of those 51 are books where I am currently the 1st person in line to get a copy (as soon as I unsuspend it).  The rest I'm sure will open up over the course of the year.  4 of the books (half of which I'm #1) are audio books, which I don't count.  I don't count them because they are "read" during times when I would otherwise not be able to read a printed book, i.e. driving, knitting, at work doing data entry, etc).

This is starting to sound a lot more possible, and like a whole 'nother reading challenge alltogether