Last week I was looking for a new book to read, and next in the queue was China Mieville’s Perdido Street Station. I didn’t have the book. A friend did, but he was on his way out of town. Next I thought I could make a run to the local bookstore and buy it. Then I remembered that there is a building downtown that is filled with books that you can just take. For free, no less. Seems like there should be a catch (or that it must infringe on someone’s IP rights). Well, they do make return it when you’re done. You can even request the book online and then pick it up at the local library when it’s available.
This worked so well that now I want a library that just loans out video games. One stocked with recent titles and the classics so the younger generation can experience the rich history of the form. Let’s face it, kids today aren’t going to read Oliver Twist or Moby Dick, but they might play a video game based on the novel. Provided that Ahab is armed with a whale-killing BFG, of course.