Hello,
Dr. Mark Carl Rom, who is researching for his project Profiles from America’s Public Libraries, has a question for the library history community about an intriguing phenomenon that we hope some of our members can help answer as copied below. Please email Dr. Rom at mark.carl.rom@gmail.com if you have any leads:
“I’ve come across a librarian in Marceline, Missouri who in 1932 created a “rental shelf” program. I’m wondering: was this a common idea, or was this an innovation? My searches have come up empty.
This is what I wrote (draft) about the program:
Olive brought an innovative “rental shelf” program to the library in 1932. The concept was this. A patron would contribute a book to the rental shelf, with the donor’s name placed on the book. Individuals could rent the book for five cents a day during the first three days and two cents per day after that. When rental fees were sufficient to buy another book, it would be added to the shelf with the name of the original donor included, and the process would begin again. Genius. In principle, this program could have a couple of benefits for the library and its patrons. Had I been able to participate, I would have contributed a popular book in the hope that it would frequently be rented. (Why donate a book that is unlikely to be rented to this program?) The next book I would have bought? Another best seller, probably, and I would have continued doing this until (maybe) my final contribution, which might be a book I really wanted to add to the library’s collection. If others acted the same way – and I think they would have – the library’s collection in number and scope of popular books would grow at no cost to the library, which could then devote its scarce resources to purchasing books of public importance, even if those books are less frequently used.”
Sincerely,
Mark
mark.carl.rom@gmail.com
Independent Researcher”