What if we all volunteer to OCR 50 pages and put them on-line? (just kidding). Give them out as "thank you's" for finding speakers, hosting/organizing installfests, etc? A TCLUG Library is a great idea. But I could see it being a problem if people have to drive across town to get to wherever the books are housed. That's where the P2P thing you mentioned might make it better - with such a large group it shouldn't be difficult to get a book from A to B with a few hops in between. But then again, there's little accountability and some books may be lost. You could ask for a receipt when you GIVE the book to someone else, so you have proof that it's not in your possession. Then if someone wants to borrow it, they can WHO-HAS on the list, and if no one steps forward you can use the receipts to track it down. Not that the group isn't trustworthy, but I would be really surprised if this didn't happen eventually. You could probably make this even easier by hacking together some sort of check-in system, but instead of checking the book into the repository, you can check it into another LUGer. The requester fills out a web form requesting a check-out token, which would be a large random number, one time use, that only he knows. He gives the number to the current possessor of the book, who pops the number into a web-form as his "receipt". Then the system always knows who is currently responsible for each book. (No one can give away a book, since they won't have a valid check-out token from someone requesting it). Probably even better ways to do this, but my brain is fried since it's near the end of the week. On Thu, 2 Oct 2003, Clay Fandre wrote: > Lately I have gotten a few shipments of Linux books from various > publishers. I am trying to figure out how to distribute these books > that would benefit the group the most. Here are a few ideas: > > 1. Library - Let users "check-out" books on a short-term basis. They > would need to check them back in so other members could use them. > 2. Give-away - Have a drawing or something and give them away to a > permanent owner. > 3. P2P - Give them away and encourage the books find their way to > other members eventually. > > I would probably want some type of feedback/review no matter which way > we go. > > Comments? Suggestions? > > > > Here is the list of books I currently have: > > Managing Linux Systems with Webmin - Cameron > > Implementing CIFS - The Common Internet File System - Hertel > > Moving to Linux - Gagne > > 2 - Practical Programming in Tcl and TK (4th Ed) - Welch/Jones Hobbs > > Linux Server Hacks - Flickenger > > Understanding the Linux Kernel - Bovet & Cesati > > Managing Raid on Linux - Vadala > > Running Linux - Welsh, Dalheimer, Dawson & Kaufman > > UNIX Systems Programming - Robbins > > Building Secure Servers with Linux - Bauer > > Google Hacks - Calishain & Dornfest > > Complete Wireless Home Networking (Windows XP Edition) - Heltzel > > Linux on the Mainframe - Eilert, Eisenhaendler, Maththaeus, Salm > > I may have some others hidden in boxes that I have yet to unpack from > my move. > > -- Clay > > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org > https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > Adam Maloney Systems Administrator Sihope Communications _______________________________________________ TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list