Very simplified: institutionalized lending and sharing not only for books but any kind of non-consumable items one might need for their everyday life.

[–] utopify_org@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wouldn't this be a bad idea, because nowadays many people don't have a healthy relationship to items. They live in a disposal world, where everything has to be thrown away and bought new.

I barely know people who are actually care for items, they don't even cleaned their smartphones once in their life (or barely), they just buy a new one.

People with a mindset like this will break/damage the items they've lend.

[–] evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

If you break/lose an library item, there's often a fine. Plus, this paradigm incentivizes the purchase of more durable items. E.g., tool rentals are often professional grade tools, not consumer grade, because they are more durable.

[–] poVoq@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you break it you have to replace it. Might actually teach them to care better for the items they use 🤷‍♂️

[–] utopify_org@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think it will be too stressful for people to take care of stuff and it's much easier to buy something new, which they own and can throw away.

And I don't even think saving money is a good argument for todays people, because many people throw out a lot of money and have debts.

I wish this system would work like mentioned, but this is something, which could have worked in the 90s, but there is not the right mindset nowadays.

[–] poVoq@slrpnk.net 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You are contradicting yourself 😅 If you think something "could have worked in the 90ties" there is no reason why it could not work today as well. Obviously it will not be possible to change everything over night, but people can and do change their attitudes and habits with the right incentives.

[–] utopify_org@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

but people can and do change their attitudes and habits with the right incentives.

I don't think they do, because they have no idea what it means to borrow something.

Nowadays nothing gets borrowed, no music, no movies, no video games. They all have services to buy it (even if they don't own the bought stuff) or to stream it for "free". There is not even a small thing people borrow nowadays, except of pencils in school. But to be honest, those who borrow something like a pencil nowadays, don't bring it back.

When was the last time someone (not a family member or really close person) borrowed something from you?

[–] poVoq@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Sorry, but this doesn't match at all with my lived experience. I regularly lend and borrow stuff to and from friends and acquaintances and we nearly always return it in good shape. And this really isn't that uncommon here in Europe. And libraries for books are also still a reasonably common thing, although I admit that with ebook readers being available I personally stopped using them.

People even lend and borrow expensive mechanized farming equipment here, and this is not a commercial service or so, just neighbourhood help.