1st Bartering - Sandwich, MA Public Library

I like to go to the library. I use it for many reasons. However, this blog is not about that. It’s about bartering. I had lost my library card, and there is a fee for a new card. The fee is $3. I’m okay with it. The fee probably even written into law or something. Don’t let anything stop you from bartering. Many times people will waive something, especially if you can give them something in return. So, to get the fee waived, I offered about $50 in free books. The idea was to be somewhat charitable in addition to making the trade.

Naturally, there was a little stammer in by the librarian. She had probably never encountered something like this before. She was not the head librarian, so she said that she wanted to consult her superior before making the decision. In my town, I don’t know of many people that barter. That is a shame.

When the librarian said that she would have to ask her superior, I retracted my offer of the books. In Hyannis, I know that there is a place where I can leave books, and though I would get nothing in return for it, I feel laws should not be hard and fast, such that they can’t be waived. That is, I felt a need to give to charity, but it is important not to squander one’s valuables. If it wasn’t worth it to the librarian to give me a free card in return for about 7 books, 2 of which were hard cover, I didn’t want them to have my books. Seriously, I was offering them a trade of about $50 for a $3 card. If it wasn’t worth it to them, then I would take my books elsewhere, where there was nothing that could be offered to me in return. Maybe, the next place wouldn’t squander it? However, I am glad that there was no squandering, and I was proud of how my town acted with my generous proposition.

I prefer to give to charity locally before I give it away to places further away though it is important not to neglect places that are further away. In the story of the city of Sodom in the Bible, according to legend lack of hospitality was the reason the city was destroyed. As the legend goes, the people in Sodom would starve anyone who visited by doing things like raising the cost of bread. So, what this legend tells us is that it is important to be hospitable to everyone, and not just locals. This is why the Sandwich Public Library was my first choice to give books.

Luckily, the librarian made a split decision, and decided to waive the $3 fee. I am very proud to live in the town I live in. I like for it to be a nice place and a part of that is actually working to make it a nice place. Hopefully, by bartering, I have helped improve the world, and not ripped off the town. What do you think?