rental library
Definition
- Noun:
- A rental library is a commercial establishment that lends books, periodicals, or other materials to customers for a fee, typically on a short-term basis (e.g., daily or weekly), as opposed to a free public library.
Usage Examples
- (A fee-based lending service.)
- (Historical context of commercial lending.)
- (Specific stock selection.)
Advanced Usage
- "to operate a rental library": to run a business that lends books for profit.
- The shop owner operated a small rental library in the back of the bookstore. (A commercial lending service within a larger store.)
- "rental library fee": the charge for borrowing an item.
- The rental library fee was five cents per week. (The cost of borrowing.)
Variants and Related Words
- Rental (adj): relating to the act of renting.
- The rental agreement covered the library's lending terms. (Pertaining to renting.)
- Librarian (n): a person who works in a library.
- The rental library's librarian kept a careful record of borrowed books. (A staff member.)
Synonyms
- Lending library: a library that lends items, often for a fee.
- Circulating library: a historical term for a rental library.
- Commercial library: a library operated for profit.
Idioms and Fixed Expressions
- "rental library subscription": a paid membership allowing borrowing.
- He purchased a rental library subscription to access new releases. (A prepaid borrowing plan.)
- "rental library collection": the set of books available for rent.
- The rental library collection included many bestsellers. (The inventory.)
Related Idioms
- "to have a rental library mind": (rare, figurative) to think of knowledge as a commodity to be borrowed temporarily.
- He approached learning with a rental library mind, never truly owning the ideas. (A metaphorical usage.)
Phrasal Verbs
- Rent out (from a rental library): to lend materials for a fee.
- The rental library rents out books for a small charge. (To lend commercially.)