Hiring out Trades

[Rob H]

I'm just curious as to how many of you actually hire trades out from your local library. My local library has everything from "The Watchmen" to "Daredevil Yellow" to "Preacher". I'm beginning to think that I should have taken the opportunity to make the most of this a while back. Never too late to start I guess.

If you have been hiring your trades and graphic novels, does it help cut back on the actual buying or does it encourage you to buy more?

[west3man]

I'm just curious as to how many of you actually hire trades out from your local library. My local library has everything from "The Watchmen" to "Daredevil Yellow" to "Preacher". I'm beginning to think that I should have taken the opportunity to make the most of this a while back. Never too late to start I guess.

If you have been hiring your trades and graphic novels, does it help cut back on the actual buying or does it encourage you to buy more?
First of all, let me say, that I've been hesitant to respond because I didn't realize what you meant by "hire trades."

In my neck o' da woods, we say that we "check out books (or whatever)" from the local library. They may or may not say the same thing in other parts of the U.S.A.

Anyway, I thought that was an interesting difference.




I have *not* hired trades (I'm trying) from the libraries here. I don't know what their inventory is, but I need to find out since this is the third time I've heard this in the last couple of years... and I STILL haven't checked.

I think it might help me cut back, IF the books were always available in the library. If they weren't, though, I'd probably want to have my own. I dislike having to wait til someone else *feels like* bringing a particular item back.

[Donald M.]

While having trades available at the library, theft is pretty rampant. Something like half the trades in in the BPL system are listed as "Item Missing".

[DonC]

I check trades out of the library all the time. Mostly stuff I wanted to try, but not badly enough to actually pay money for. The library about a mile-and-a-half from my house actually has a graphic novel section.

[Wesley Dodds]

My library has a massive collection of trades in circulation. I get to read a lot of things I couldn't normally afford.

[Rob H]

Sorry about that west3man. I should have made it a little more clear.

I'm off to the library to pick up a stack of trades today. The only problem I have with it is that I like to own what I read. Too bad I don't have the cash to support that need.

[west3man]

Sorry about that west3man. I should have made it a little more clear.

I'm off to the library to pick up a stack of trades today. The only problem I have with it is that I like to own what I read. Too bad I don't have the cash to support that need.
Bah. No need to apologize. I just thought it was interesting and different.

I needed another reminder to take my arse to the library, anyway. Thanks.

[Rob H]

We use the term "check out" aswell but I'm so used to Aussie slang that I forget where I am half the time cobba (you'll notice that I used the Aussie term "cobba" with an attempt to display a hint of ironic humor. I don't even know what it means). ;)

[DarkBlade]

That's okay, I don't either...

[venuscameback]

My library has a massive collection of trades in circulation. I get to read a lot of things I couldn't normally afford.

the Nottingham, UK library has a decent trade section.

on the one hand, i get to read a lot of trades which i couldn't afford to buy. on the other hand the ones i loan and really enjoy i then want to buy to have my own copy of them.

so i wouldn't say it means i buy any less comics. but when i do buy trades it means i'm more likely to know i'll really enjoy them because i've read them once already.

there are a lot of trades and graphic novels that interest me, but because of the cost i'm reluctant to buy them, especially by new or new-to-me writers, in case i don't enjoy them and fear i've wasted my money. so i would buy fewer trades witohut the library service, although i read probably five from the library for every one i go on to buy. i love that the library has a good range of trades.

also if the Nottingham library - which already has a decent-sized section - doesn't have a copy of the trade i want in stock, they can usually order a copy in from another library or from the British Library. so there's not a lot i can't get, even if it's not on the shelves the day i want it.

i appreciate what the previous poster said about not wanting to wait to read a trade until someone else decides to bring it back ... but any trade that i'm that desperate to read i'd probably buy righ tout anyway, or have bought the single issues. because i buy lots of monthly issues, there aren't many trades that i'm, that keen to get hold of immediately, and i always have a big "to read" pile awaiting my attention.


venus

[Shellhead]

I'm just curious as to how many of you actually hire trades out from your local library. My local library has everything from "The Watchmen" to "Daredevil Yellow" to "Preacher". I'm beginning to think that I should have taken the opportunity to make the most of this a while back. Never too late to start I guess.

If you have been hiring your trades and graphic novels, does it help cut back on the actual buying or does it encourage you to buy more?

I'm curious now. Is "hire trades" just a figure of speech, or do you pay a fee to borrow books from the library? Or is there at least an annual fee? Just curious.

[Rob H]

Three years later...

It's just a figure of speech. There's no annual fee. From what I can recall, the only payment made was for a library card.

[Shellhead]

Interesting. Every library card I've had has been free, but the late charges get a little expensive after a while. Currently, if I have four late books, that would be $1 per day.

[mgs]

While having trades available at the library, theft is pretty rampant. Something like half the trades in in the BPL system are listed as "Item Missing".

that's sad. for irresponsible people to ruin things for others using a public service makes no sense to me.

[Hellbaby]

I get lots of trades from the library. They have a pretty good selection, so I go rather often.

Sometimes I buy more because of the library, and other times I buy less. They don't have many volumes of a single title, so if I like Volume 1, I'll buy volume 2.

But if something stands alone (V for Vendetta) or I don't plain like it, I won't buy it.

[mattx110]

Every time I see this thread I see it as "hiring out tirades" and I wonder why Paul McEnery hasn't posted yet.

[Rob H]

Visited two libraries today and "checked out/borrowed" the following....

Powers (v1-9)
Preacher (v2-9)
Preacher (Ancient History)
Seaguy
Marvel 1602


Awesome. :)

[Wesley Dodds]

I do have one thing to say against libraries having TPBs -- if my local library
hadn't had the Cerebus trades I wouldn't have read them.

...

[Slappy san]

I'm just curious as to how many of you actually hire trades out from your local library. My local library has everything from "The Watchmen" to "Daredevil Yellow" to "Preacher". I'm beginning to think that I should have taken the opportunity to make the most of this a while back. Never too late to start I guess.

If you have been hiring your trades and graphic novels, does it help cut back on the actual buying or does it encourage you to buy more?

I checked out Watchmen recently. I never bothered reading it. Good thing I didn't buy it first. I wish my library had been loaning out tpbs for longer. I could have saved myself from buying books I bought from Amazon and never bothered reading like "From Hell", "Box Office Poison" , etc.

I hope Austin's library system is stocked.

[doctrinedee]

Through my local library I can pretty much order any graphic novel more than 3 months old - and I'm content to read almost all mainstream books this way, as much as I'd love to own them. TPB's are hardly cheap, and I rarely read them again. Obviously there are classics I do buy.

Indie books, however, are another matter altogether. Those poor creative souls need my cash.