So this is the basic layout of the type of library I'd intend to start with. Parking would be minimal, most patrons would be very local, and it wouldn't have space for more than eight or ten people at a time. Perfect.
In time it'll be interesting to see if there are any statutory restrictions in place concerning setting up a for-profit library in a residential area. If not, great! I'll be very forward with the marketing. If so, then it'll have to be a PMA and advertising will be more subtle. Still, they can't stop this.
Inventory
Managed with custom Lua scripts. Ideally I'd have a computer system based on Forth. Because for whatever reason I really resonate with that style of programming. But practically, Lua over a basic Linux system is pretty good too. Reliable, simple, easy to learn, and the end product will be flexible and precise.
Flow of Money
Now there isn't a perfect answer for this. I ought to be able to keep the mortgage and utility costs below $400, for the type of property I'm eyeing. Then my next thought was, "well doubling that to $800, and then working out the membership fees from there would be reasonable, right?" Perhaps. I'm not sure. If this were a pure, moneymaking venture, I'd factor in the $1,440 a month it would take to compensate me for my time. But then again... this is more than that.
Sure the extra $400 wouldn't do much for me, personally; but it would be a significant contribution to the library as its own entity. $400 a month to acquire new books is significant, if small. Perhaps some people would donate early on too.
Even with the small size of 1000 books, that's still $5,000 of property if each book is valued at $5. If I manage things well, it's possible that the average book would be valued at $50.
$4 or $5 daily access fee seems doable. I think that's a nice value to put on daily access. And it meshes well with the monthly costs of running this thing.
Unrelated, it seems like a month of membership is approximately equal to a 1oz bar of silver. And I really appreciate non-inflationary forms of valuation. So for now that's what I'll use as a benchmark.
Simplicity
This is the greater challenge. While I love keeping things transactional, this effort isn't just a purely capitalistic endeavor. It's also about providing some glue for the literate community. And even — if I may be so bold — about raising the level of consciousness and knowledge in our community. Unfortunately though, the question of stealing, still needs to be addressed. What happens if an individual steals or vandalizes a $50 volume?
Accountability
Option number one, would be to demand $50 of collateral be deposited before the book was lent.
Option number two, would be to not let the book leave the library unless a background check was done. And to be fair, there is a lot of value in just reading (and photographing) a book within the grounds of a library.
Option number three, would be to assign credits to each account based on the time they've been an active member, the books they've returned, and the money they've invested. While this may add complication, I like the idea of weighting these parameters so that we strike a balance of accessible books and protecting our assets.
Trading
Regardless of the prior subject, trading will happen. Perhaps this will be where I make money. I love the idea of cycling volumes in and out. Having everything rated by what myself and our customers value. So that some volumes will be bought in multiples and slowly sold off. Others will be acquired for a pretty penny and only parted with for a shiny and pretty penny. While yet others will be ancillary tomes which come in and come out as quickly as the eBay auctions operate.
Trust
Let's be honest, there's no way I'm trusting someone who shows up out of nowhere and pays the $10 membership fee, with a book I acquired for $300. Yet a guy who I've spoken with, seen come in and out of the library for several months, and I have some information about him, of course I'd trust him with that book. Either trust has to be developed or collateral has to be provided. Perhaps this is the ultimatum.
Other
I can't really label this paragraph as a "conclusion" because the thought processes are always ongoing. That said, each thought-experiment moves closer to a practical plan. I really like this idea, though I'm not sure why. But it needs to happen. Even though I may not achieve a subsistence level of income from this at first, it can happen in the mid-term or long run. For example, trading books. Being able to hold volumes for a long duration is huge.
Also, despite not being a huge bibliophile, I have a huge interest in preserving knowledge. Having the gift of a property where I can trade in knowledge would certainly encourage me to preserve what I can, transcribe some of what I value, and pay for custom bookbinding for some of that.
My current interest in braille, for example, could result in me saving up $5,000 to buy a proper embosser, and transcribing/printing braille copies of popular works which aren't readily available.
Postscript
Anyways, this is super uncoordinated, but that's how I'm going to write right now. It just works for me, even though I get that this isn't a polished article. Hopefully someone out there gets some value out of this, and hopefully my thoughts become more polished as time goes on.
Thank you for your time in skimming or reading this article, and I hope to fire up some "GoFundMe"s someday soon and make these ideas a reality.
Cheers to a brighter tomorrow!
