Print on Demand

Related to my last post, a timely article: http://www.boingboing.net/2007/07/31/ny_public_library_gi.html NY Public is doing the print on demand for books.  While early in the program, this is certainly an interesting trend to watch.  Does this mean that libraries and bookstores merge at some point?  There are titles that I want to own, but I read many books that I don’t really want on my shelves at home.  In my mind, collection development based upon random requests from the public can lead to an interesting collection.  It may better reflect the needs of our local community.   So if the customer wants a book, but doesn’t want to own it; we check our shelves.  They can check out the copy we own, or we can print them a “library-owned” copy from the machine and when they return it, it goes on the shelves.   This is something I want to watch.  It has very exciting potential, but can indicate some major changes in how we think about things.