It's really annoying when people take the time to write in books that they borrowed from the library. If the book's not yours, don't write in it. Simple. It's discouraging for other people who would take out the Book later because the various scribbles on the margins and over the words are distracting and take away from enjoying the literary quality of the book.
I had one dumbass' scribblings in a book I took out earlier this week. It was a chore to erase his trivial notes and incomprehensible questions ("why African-Americans no privilege in United States?") despite the book explaining exactly why that was the case. He didn't even note the relevant information necessary to comprehending the text. I saw various sentences circled, underlined, or placed in parentheses throughout the book which could have easily been removed from the equation and not would not have been detrimental to understanding the point the author of the text was attempting to convey. In other words, his attempted note-taking was completely fruitless.
If you do write in a publicly-borrowed book (or any book you've borrowed), it's assumed that it's your book to write in. People take notes directly in books so that they may serve as a sort of complimentary guide to the text. The notes you take to facilitate comprehension of the text are yours alone since each individual has a different level of comprehension threshold to be breached in order to understand the text sufficiently. And of course, if you're paying such close attention to the text, why not actually buy the book? Then you can have it for as long as you want and do whatever you like to it. Or better yet, why not grab a separate sheet of paper and take your notes down there?
I want libraries to actively take action against people who willingly defile their books like this. They cost money and aren't meant to be scribbled on, and it's a chore to remove them from the book. Libraries should order the individuals in question to pay a fine equal to the monetary value of the book printed on the back. The individual then gets to keep the defiled work of literature, and the library can order a fresh copy for future users to borrow. Of course, the library must ensure that every user is aware of the consequences arising from defiling a book so willingly. No matter how innocent the cause may seem, it's no different from vandalism of a public facility (bolstered by the fact that said book belongs to the library).
The preventative measures, when taken appropriately, will ensure that each user has the chance to enjoy the rich literary experience the library has to offer, without having it desecrated by some assuming idiot.
I had one dumbass' scribblings in a book I took out earlier this week. It was a chore to erase his trivial notes and incomprehensible questions ("why African-Americans no privilege in United States?") despite the book explaining exactly why that was the case. He didn't even note the relevant information necessary to comprehending the text. I saw various sentences circled, underlined, or placed in parentheses throughout the book which could have easily been removed from the equation and not would not have been detrimental to understanding the point the author of the text was attempting to convey. In other words, his attempted note-taking was completely fruitless.
If you do write in a publicly-borrowed book (or any book you've borrowed), it's assumed that it's your book to write in. People take notes directly in books so that they may serve as a sort of complimentary guide to the text. The notes you take to facilitate comprehension of the text are yours alone since each individual has a different level of comprehension threshold to be breached in order to understand the text sufficiently. And of course, if you're paying such close attention to the text, why not actually buy the book? Then you can have it for as long as you want and do whatever you like to it. Or better yet, why not grab a separate sheet of paper and take your notes down there?
I want libraries to actively take action against people who willingly defile their books like this. They cost money and aren't meant to be scribbled on, and it's a chore to remove them from the book. Libraries should order the individuals in question to pay a fine equal to the monetary value of the book printed on the back. The individual then gets to keep the defiled work of literature, and the library can order a fresh copy for future users to borrow. Of course, the library must ensure that every user is aware of the consequences arising from defiling a book so willingly. No matter how innocent the cause may seem, it's no different from vandalism of a public facility (bolstered by the fact that said book belongs to the library).
The preventative measures, when taken appropriately, will ensure that each user has the chance to enjoy the rich literary experience the library has to offer, without having it desecrated by some assuming idiot.
