In Seattle, the catalog is online. If I hear an interview with an author, or read a book review in the newspaper, and the book sound interesting, I just go to my computer, find the book in the catalog and have the library guys send the book to my branch. When the book arrives, they send me an email, and I walk the 5 blocks up to the library and get my book. Is this a great country or what?!?!?
RobertSanDimas
· 12 months ago
Thanks for that, Emily. Good reminder. We have that here in LA too and I forget to use it!
Kipppppppppppp
· 12 months ago
Same here in Philly (my branch is literally across the street). Not just books - I can request transfers for CDs...free music, legally.
I know what Aravosis means, though - when I went into the NYC public library in 2001 I asked where the card catalog was and was directed to a computer. Is it still called a card catalog if there are no cards anymore?
metricpenny
· 12 months ago
The thing I like best here in GA is being able to renew online. No more late fees if you can't return items on the initial due date.
And you must not feel like an old man. Heck, you have a blog!
Patrick_Bateman
· 12 months ago
I found my old library card from the 70's recently. It had my photo on it!
The new cards are so flimsy and disposable.
sanfermin
· 12 months ago
Chicago public library system had a fairly terrible database that was recently replaced. The new system sounds similar to Seattle's -- online holds (book gets sent to your nearest library), online renewals, etc. It's pretty sweet.
NYCRaf
· 12 months ago
I cried when the Microfiche readers were retired.
RobertSanDimas
· 12 months ago
Man, does that bring back some midnight memories! Our ages are showing! :) (Class of '64 here)
Wild_Weasel
· 12 months ago
Just wondering . . . .
* Why has there been no serious investigation into Blackwater, and the tons of money they have been paid through no-bid contracts, to provide services that our U.S. military can perform at a fraction of the cost??
* What is the impact on U.S. military recruitment and retention to lose highly trained soldiers to a private mercenary military organization like Blackwater?
* Why have there been no serious top-to-bottom investigations and audits of the billions of dollars that have been paid out in Iraq??
red_dwarf
· 12 months ago
Read the history of the Trail of Tears, c. 1831 - where thousands of Inidans, woman and children were made to march hundreds of miles in the middle of winter, many without proper clothing, lack of shoes, food (many starved), etc. resulting in the deaths of thousands - very cruel and brutal deaths indeed of innocent peoples. When you finish reading up on this event, in great detail, re-visit your questions above. I think you will find your answer.
BooksAlive
· 12 months ago
North Suburban Library System (Illinois) has excellent online service. We are now getting reminders to renew or return so that we won't have to pay a fine. We can renew interlibrary loans as well. We have a nice selection of additional resources and references. I don't always need them, but a question about an early civilization artform that my son was interested in was answered by one of these reference sources. In order for him to access it online, however, I shared my library card number so that he could log on from Raleigh, NC!
Another handy aspect is that I can check the holdings in my daughter's library in California. If I'm thinking of buying something for my grandchildren, I will sometimes arrange that she'll check out the book locally before I purchase it.
Foucault
· 12 months ago
It's sad how many of the tech-savvy have abandoned libraries, because they believe that they can get everything they need online. Libraries are now so much more than a place to borrow books. Need help starting a business or finding a new job? They can help. Want access to the latest downloadable audiobooks? They have that service too. Want a place to hold a meeting, or want to be entertained or informed without paying a penny? Yep.
When I moved to the US 10 years ago, the first thing I did on my first free day was find the local library and sign up for a library card. Now I'm the President of our Township's Friends of the Library organization (Friends of the Library groups, among other things, raise money to supplement the library budget for "extras" like programming, equipment, etc.
Libraries are definitely the victims of poor PR. And poor Government funding. Our Township recently cut our library's budget, and they had to make the undesirable compromise (faced with the alternatives of laying off staff) of closing alternate Sundays. Sunday opening had only been introduced last year too.
Libraries are a worthy "Third Place" (you know, the place you go when you're not 1) at home; 2)at work - they deserve our support.
vkobaya
· 12 months ago
poor Government funding.
Yeah, when I moved to Orange County from Los Angeles, the libraries consisted of essentially, of comic books and "magazines." That wasn't bad enough, they kept saying the budget was in trouble and had to cut back hours until the libraries were open in the afternoons with a couple days of closure. Began to change when Democrats began to get the upper hand in some areas. Now, they have a reasonable book collection and hours you would expect. Truth is that even 30 years ago, Republicans did not want books around as those libraries helped kids learn, anathema to Right Wingers who want everyone to be just like their beloved Icons of Stupidity, Bush and Palin.
Ephraim
· 12 months ago
Through my local county library, I can also download audiobooks (DRM-locked, of course). I use my neighboring county library for database access through their website (Gale Virtual Reference library) for business research.
Deacon_Blues
· 12 months ago
I work in a university library, and if there's one unwritten story, it's how libraries and librarians nationwide dug in their heels and passively resisted the Bush administration's spying. Libraries obeyed the law, but they didn't make it easy for the Republican gestapo, and they made sure lending records contained as little information as possible -- and were purged often.
mikeyDe
· 12 months ago
Many libraries also have wi-fi for people with laptops. Here in Delaware we get many summer tourists and student workers who use the libraries for internet connections. So many are from eastern Europe that the library has instructions printed in Russian.
Vince in Cedar Rapids
· 12 months ago
I saw an article where the Saudis want to be sure we bring the price per barrel of oil back up to at least $75. What do they not understand about the concept that when the entire world is in recession, raising the price of energy will only prolong that recession and lead to less consumption? They want to hurt the world in a way that will bring pain right back to them.
Tyke
· 12 months ago
Well lets see. Bin Laden declared that his primary goal was to bring the west down through economic chaos and Bin Laden is Saudi and has very strong ties to the Saudi royal family and many other prominent business and government leaders.
So - maybe not so confusing at all?
mike
· 12 months ago
I think that's a little simplistic. There are a lot of oil-producing countries in the world who contribute a lot to the global economy. The Middle East countries for instance have tens of billions of orders for new planes from Boeing. It won't help the US if they have to cancel those. What's needed is a balance between the producers and consumers. $75/bbl sounds just about right to me.
Dream On
· 12 months ago
Can't speak for all library systems, but the Seattle library system is great. LOTS of DVDs, CDs and just-released books that have saved me many thousands in the last 3 years. Libraries rule!
Bob
· 12 months ago
Please encourage your readers to take advantage of their public libraries. A really good, but under used, tax payer instution. Thanks for the mention.
Nawyecky
· 12 months ago
NYC libraries are the greatest-- tons of DVDs, bestsellers and obscure books sent to your branch library usually in a day or so. Plus the Science, Business & Industry library in Manhattan has all the latest computers (Bloomberg Terminals, Dow Jones) for free use. And the Brooklyn Business library has mentors from SCORE (the Service Corps of Retired Executives) provides free business counseling. Everything is online of course too.
Chino_Blanco
· 12 months ago
Best idea I've heard all year: Meet Our Families Day
Here in Michigan, we have what is considered one of the best Electronic libraries in the world. Not only can we get a book from practically any library in Michigan, but Michigan citizens can access thousands of magazine and research article. Check out www.mel.org
AC_In_Mich
Gene
· 12 months ago
Public libraries remain one of the very best resources available. They are often underfunded and understaffed, but especially in times of economic troubles, they shine. I always make a point of voting in favor of any bond or referendum that would increase funding for our public libraries ... it's one of the very best ways in which to invest in the future, and to help us in the here and now.
dacnova
· 12 months ago
Where's the link to the editorial cartoons? I miss Joe. ;-)
Rob Mule
· 12 months ago
Interesting nugget from time.com's coverage of Mumbai:
The Mumbai attackers were combat trained. You do not sustain a military assault for three days, taking only combat naps, unless you know what you are doing. You have to have been shot at before. You cannot be intimidated by flash-bang grenades, or commandos ...the longer the wars go on in Iraq and Afghanistan, the more combat-experienced men there will be available to planners of terror attacks. And we should count on the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan going global.
You know, honestly, reading these entries, starting with John's mention of course, has made me want to check out our local public library. It's one of those things where I just have forgotten about them and in my mind, they are all still 1970's and 1980's technology (I know they aren't, I just haven't been in about as much time as John). I know they serve a great purpose and I've always supported them but for myself I just head to the local bookstore or surf the net.
I'm going next week to our local branch, checking things out, and seeing what I have to do to get a card!
I hope that under Obama, Libraries will become even more high tech and get the funding they deserve.
BlueShoes
· 12 months ago
Glad to see so many readers are fans of public libraries! Our local Friends of the Library has semi-annual book sales, which are known to many as Book Recycling Days; donate books, buy books, donate books at the next sale, etc. When the opening day prices are $1 hardback and $.50 for paperback (cut both in half for the final third day), what's not to love? All proceeds go to fund equipment/services that aren't sustainable in budget-cutting times (and libraries are usually at the front of line when budgets get cut), and make a library a real community organization. If you want to do more than just use the library, consider volunteering at your local library as a contribution to the new community-based Obama administration!
Nylund
· 12 months ago
I WANT to go to my local public library, but whenever I check the catalog online they never have the book I am looking for.
Older_Wiser
· 12 months ago
I've been a fan of public libraries since 3rd grade. Sadly, the little podunk branch in this rural area is geared toward high schools, tending to romance, mystery, religion and pop culture figures and, yes, everything is on computer. There are many books I can't afford, but are not available here, even interlibrary. Of course, this is a very conservative area as well. I probably have more variety available in my own house. : ) I mean, you won't find William Burroughs or Gabriel Garcia Marquez or many other writers, books on feminism, anything considered "left" or other like subjects by major writers, either.
james k. sayre
· 12 months ago
America the Grotesque, where crazed shopper-terrorists kill one, with three shopper-terrorists wounded in the 5 AM Wal-Mart Assault in Valley Stream, NY. One day after "giving thanks."
After the vile Palin turkey killing/turkey pardoning, I lost my appetite for roasting a turkey on Thanksgiving...
smoke
· 12 months ago
reading is fundymental
Indigo
· 12 months ago
Here in Orlando, I can go on line to look in the card catalogue, order the book, have it mailed to me, return it by mail and never interact with a human librarian at any point in the process. Is that a good thing? I doubt it, somehow, but I do it anyway.
A funny comment from my wife, a veracious reader, about a recent trip to the library here behind the Orange Curtain:
"I prefer bookstores, where they offer the books like they are colourful and tasty treats, organized in distinct, smaller meals. Libraries seem to hide knowledge and try to keep it that way with such an impersonal organization and the 'help' here acts like this a Masonic Lodge"
paulinsf
· 12 months ago
HeHe. I know exactly how you feel John. I bought a half gallon of milk the other day for the first time in about the same time frame and almost ripped open one end of the carton before discovering that they now include a little plastic spout. When did they start doing that?
High Crimes & Misdemeanors
· 12 months ago
A very interesting perspective on what is happening with the destabilization of Southwest Asia. The British are up to no good again. *^$##^!!!!!
-------------------------------------------
"Early today, the Indian Express published a headline article, "Dawood Gave Logistical Support to Mumbai Attackers," identifying a leading figure in South Asian Dope, Inc. smuggling operations, Dawood Ibrahim, as a key logistical figure behind the asymmetric warfare attack on the Indian city of Mumbai over the past days.
Although currently based in Karachi, Pakistan and Dubai, Dawood Ibrahim for years was the central mafia figure in Mumbai, and in the Indian Bihar region, bordering with Nepal, smuggling gold in and out of India, and establishing links with South Asia's major opium smuggling networks. In 1999, and again in 2001, Dawood Ibrahim was linked to major terrorist incidents, including the hijacking of an Air India commercial flight, rerouted to Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan (1999), and the assault on the Indian parliament in New Delhi (2001). Since 2003, Dawood Ibrahim has been on the U.S. State Department's list of international terrorists, for his links to Al Qaeda and to the India- and Pakistan-based Lashkar e-Taiba (LeT). He has been identified as an asset of MI6-linked elements of Pakistan's ISI.
Dawood Ibrahim's gold smuggling operations in Dubai are part of Britain's offshore money laundering apparatus, which has existed since the time of the British East India Company's original opium war against India and China, during the 19th Century. U.S. intelligence sources have recently emphasized that the British offshore operations in the Caribbean and in the British Isle of Man, have been extended to Dubai, to facilitate the destabilization of Southwest and South Asia.
Indian intelligence sources, after interrogating several of the Mumbai attackers, concluded that the attacks could not have been carried out without significant "inside" help. The still-powerful elements of the Dawood Ibrahim apparatus, which maintain a dominant position in the Mumbai underworld, and launder massive amount of illegal gold through India's "Bollywood" motion picture industry, have been now confirmed to have been key to the attacks."
MaudGonne
· 12 months ago
QUES: Do you think the attack on Mumbai was planned to de-stabilise the conciliatory efforts of the Indian and Pakistani governments? Ahmed Rashid: I think the attacks were strategically planned by al-Qaeda through the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants they train. It is trying to work out a space for itself in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). They have been hurting very badly in there because of pressure from the Pakistani army and US missile attacks.
QUES: What is the objective? Ahmed Rashid: It is a military strategic objective to get the army out of Bajour and stop the US from stepping in. If tensions between India and Pakistan escalate, the army will be moved to the Indian border, as happened in 2002. After the attacks on the Parliament House in Delhi, India built up troops on the border. Pakistan responded by moving its army from the Afghanistan border to the Indian one. And al-Qaeda had a free run of FATA http://ibnlive.in.com/news/alqaeda-wants-pak-to...
scottinsf
· 12 months ago
You were in a public library that time I saw you here in San Francisco doing the radio show with Michael Signorile.
I know what you mean though.
John Aravosis
· 12 months ago
LOL that's right, I forgot about that. Well, this was the first time I stepped foot in one, knew it, and tried to actually look at books and stuff :-)
bago
· 12 months ago
The other day I saw physical files in a physical file folder and was struck by the dissonance. I've been paper free since I was 18 over a decade ago, and seeing the metaphor in materia was really quite jarring.
Robin Gilbert
· 12 months ago
My local library system, Los Angeles City, is fantastic. At home I can: search the entire library system; put books on hold (and deliver to any library within the system); renew an item; and pay fines. If I want a copy of something that is in the reference library and thus can't be checked out, and they have a great selections of sheet music, I order it, they copy it and send to any library in the system for me to pick up. That costs $0.25.
ShirleyGoodnessanMercy
· 12 months ago
Los Angeles does have good libraries, but pretty much every library in America has all the things you listed these days, even in the smallest of towns.
Interesting observation from photographer at the beginning of the attack; says armed police just watched or hid, rather than shoot back at the attackers.
MaudGonne
· 12 months ago
Three weeks ago, in the Kashmiri capital of Srinagar, I met a young surgeon named Dr Iqbal Saleem. Iqbal described to me how on 11 August this year, Indian security forces entered the hospital where he was fighting to save the lives of unarmed civilian protesters who had been shot earlier that day by the Indian army. The operating theatre had been tear-gassed and the wards riddled with bullets, creating panic and injuring several of the nurses. Iqbal had trained at the Apollo hospital in Delhi and said he harboured no hatred against Hindus or Indians. But the incident had profoundly disgusted him and the unrepentant actions of the security forces, combined with the indifference of the Indian media, had convinced him that Kashmir needed its independence.
Remember how the first George Bush looked when he "discovered" the supermarket scanner...
'Nuff said.
Milli
· 12 months ago
Lol John. We even have those new-fangled electric lamps in libraries now. And indoor bathrooms........
This may make some librarians squirm, but in the university library where I work, drinks are now allowed throughout the building as long as they're in spill-proof containers.
ShirleyGoodnessanMercy
· 12 months ago
Good lord, John. The DC libraries have had an online card catalog for almost 30 years. Pretty much every library on earth does nowadays, even in remote places in Africa! In fact, DC libraries have downloadable books you can access from their website at dclibrary.org.
Dave Donelson
· 12 months ago
In addition to all the wonderful online holds, databases, downloadable audio books, collections of DVDs, CDs, and even books, our libraries also offer help with career searches, job counseling, and even assistance with medical insurance problems. We provide free wifi connections, run the largest network of online computers (over 500 in the county), and just installed the first book vending machine on the east coast so you can literally check out a book 24 hours a day. Libraries are democracy's greatest asset. I hope you'll use yours and support it! PS--I'm not only an author (with my books in many libraries), but serve as a library system trustee--one of the most rewarding things I've every done.
Foucault
· 12 months ago
One more thing - libraries are not perfect. As Dave Donelson says, they're one of democracy's greatest assets, and as such, they need public input to thrive. Get involved in your local library. Support its Friends of the Library organization and advocate for libraries. Make your library better.
lovepeaceandallthat
· 12 months ago
Our library is closed every Monday. And Sundays during the summer. And the hours are short on Friday and Saturday night. And they open at 10 am but I am sure could get lots of people in earlier. They have cut staff back to the bones, cut back programs, and they depend on Friends of the Library organizations for funding events and special programs.
This is ALL due to a shortage of funds. Our libraries, as far as I know, are really hurting. They have changed for the better, but always suffer from lack of funds to do what they *really* want to do. I know there are people here that know much more than this than me, but it seems to me that it goes without saying that libraries need or support. So many people depend on them! Our democracy depends on them!
I hope the wave of the future is to combine our public schools, libraries, museums, community arts, community colleges.... team them all up, link them up technology wise, make public education a priority!!!!!!!! I would gladly pay more taxes for healthy public (adult and child) education.
lovepeaceandallthat
· 12 months ago
John, I am stunned that you haven't used a library in two decades. But when I think about it, it does make sense that many people would develop a habit NOT to go to the library instead of the other way around. Sad! Tragic!
Perhaps you should have children, John. I don't know any parent that doesn't go to the library quite often -- and not just for books. I live in Salem, Oregon. Our library has excellent children's events (magic shows, theatre...) as well as adult events also. Book clubs meet there, downtown workers meet for lunch to discuss books. People with no access to the internet (remember, poverty abounds!) depend on the library.
I am a gardener and like to read those big, fat expensive books but can't afford them so of course I check them out. My goodness, the list goes on and on. It is such a nice atmosphere: quiet, peaceful.... no one is going to trample you to get that book they wanted. ;-)
I read a political cartoon years ago that featured Cheney in a library with one of his minions and Cheney is saying "Free books for everyone? What is up with this?" or something like that.... it was really funny and I always quote that cartoon when discussing how the neocons want to privatize everything.
Godfroi
· 12 months ago
Hi John,
Amazing! I never thought that I would be one step ahead o ya. I go to the library almost once a week - rent CDs, dvds, books. I was shocked when they went to the electronic catalog, uh, like 25 years ago. LOL!
All Comments
I know what Aravosis means, though - when I went into the NYC public library in 2001 I asked where the card catalog was and was directed to a computer. Is it still called a card catalog if there are no cards anymore?
And you must not feel like an old man. Heck, you have a blog!
The new cards are so flimsy and disposable.
* Why has there been no serious investigation into Blackwater, and the tons of money they have been paid through no-bid contracts, to provide services that our U.S. military can perform at a fraction of the cost??
* What is the impact on U.S. military recruitment and retention to lose highly trained soldiers to a private mercenary military organization like Blackwater?
* Why have there been no serious top-to-bottom investigations and audits of the billions of dollars that have been paid out in Iraq??
Another handy aspect is that I can check the holdings in my daughter's library in California. If I'm thinking of buying something for my grandchildren, I will sometimes arrange that she'll check out the book locally before I purchase it.
When I moved to the US 10 years ago, the first thing I did on my first free day was find the local library and sign up for a library card. Now I'm the President of our Township's Friends of the Library organization (Friends of the Library groups, among other things, raise money to supplement the library budget for "extras" like programming, equipment, etc.
Libraries are definitely the victims of poor PR. And poor Government funding. Our Township recently cut our library's budget, and they had to make the undesirable compromise (faced with the alternatives of laying off staff) of closing alternate Sundays. Sunday opening had only been introduced last year too.
Libraries are a worthy "Third Place" (you know, the place you go when you're not 1) at home; 2)at work - they deserve our support.
Yeah, when I moved to Orange County from Los Angeles, the libraries consisted of essentially, of comic books and "magazines." That wasn't bad enough, they kept saying the budget was in trouble and had to cut back hours until the libraries were open in the afternoons with a couple days of closure. Began to change when Democrats began to get the upper hand in some areas. Now, they have a reasonable book collection and hours you would expect. Truth is that even 30 years ago, Republicans did not want books around as those libraries helped kids learn, anathema to Right Wingers who want everyone to be just like their beloved Icons of Stupidity, Bush and Palin.
So - maybe not so confusing at all?
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diar...
AC_In_Mich
The Mumbai attackers were combat trained. You do not sustain a military assault for three days, taking only combat naps, unless you know what you are doing. You have to have been shot at before. You cannot be intimidated by flash-bang grenades, or commandos ...the longer the wars go on in Iraq and Afghanistan, the more combat-experienced men there will be available to planners of terror attacks. And we should count on the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan going global.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1...
I'm going next week to our local branch, checking things out, and seeing what I have to do to get a card!
I hope that under Obama, Libraries will become even more high tech and get the funding they deserve.
After the vile Palin turkey killing/turkey pardoning, I lost my appetite for roasting a turkey on Thanksgiving...
"I prefer bookstores, where they offer the books like they are colourful and tasty treats, organized in distinct, smaller meals. Libraries seem to hide knowledge and try to keep it that way with such an impersonal organization and the 'help' here acts like this a Masonic Lodge"
-------------------------------------------
"Early today, the Indian Express published a headline article, "Dawood Gave Logistical Support to Mumbai Attackers," identifying a leading figure in South Asian Dope, Inc. smuggling operations, Dawood Ibrahim, as a key logistical figure behind the asymmetric warfare attack on the Indian city of Mumbai over the past days.
Although currently based in Karachi, Pakistan and Dubai, Dawood Ibrahim for years was the central mafia figure in Mumbai, and in the Indian Bihar region, bordering with Nepal, smuggling gold in and out of India, and establishing links with South Asia's major opium smuggling networks. In 1999, and again in 2001, Dawood Ibrahim was linked to major terrorist incidents, including the hijacking of an Air India commercial flight, rerouted to Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan (1999), and the assault on the Indian parliament in New Delhi (2001). Since 2003, Dawood Ibrahim has been on the U.S. State Department's list of international terrorists, for his links to Al Qaeda and to the India- and Pakistan-based Lashkar e-Taiba (LeT). He has been identified as an asset of MI6-linked elements of Pakistan's ISI.
Dawood Ibrahim's gold smuggling operations in Dubai are part of Britain's offshore money laundering apparatus, which has existed since the time of the British East India Company's original opium war against India and China, during the 19th Century. U.S. intelligence sources have recently emphasized that the British offshore operations in the Caribbean and in the British Isle of Man, have been extended to Dubai, to facilitate the destabilization of Southwest and South Asia.
Indian intelligence sources, after interrogating several of the Mumbai attackers, concluded that the attacks could not have been carried out without significant "inside" help. The still-powerful elements of the Dawood Ibrahim apparatus, which maintain a dominant position in the Mumbai underworld, and launder massive amount of illegal gold through India's "Bollywood" motion picture industry, have been now confirmed to have been key to the attacks."
Ahmed Rashid: I think the attacks were strategically planned by al-Qaeda through the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants they train. It is trying to work out a space for itself in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). They have been hurting very badly in there because of pressure from the Pakistani army and US missile attacks.
QUES: What is the objective?
Ahmed Rashid: It is a military strategic objective to get the army out of Bajour and stop the US from stepping in. If tensions between India and Pakistan escalate, the army will be moved to the Indian border, as happened in 2002. After the attacks on the Parliament House in Delhi, India built up troops on the border. Pakistan responded by moving its army from the Afghanistan border to the Indian one. And al-Qaeda had a free run of FATA http://ibnlive.in.com/news/alqaeda-wants-pak-to...
I know what you mean though.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-ne...
Interesting observation from photographer at the beginning of the attack; says armed police just watched or hid, rather than shoot back at the attackers.
I thought back to this conversation last week, when news came in that the murderous attackers of Mumbai had brutally assaulted the city's hospitals
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/no...
Remember how the first George Bush looked when he "discovered" the supermarket scanner...
'Nuff said.
This may make some librarians squirm, but in the university library where I work, drinks are now allowed throughout the building as long as they're in spill-proof containers.
This is ALL due to a shortage of funds. Our libraries, as far as I know, are really hurting. They have changed for the better, but always suffer from lack of funds to do what they *really* want to do. I know there are people here that know much more than this than me, but it seems to me that it goes without saying that libraries need or support. So many people depend on them! Our democracy depends on them!
I hope the wave of the future is to combine our public schools, libraries, museums, community arts, community colleges.... team them all up, link them up technology wise, make public education a priority!!!!!!!! I would gladly pay more taxes for healthy public (adult and child) education.
Perhaps you should have children, John. I don't know any parent that doesn't go to the library quite often -- and not just for books. I live in Salem, Oregon. Our library has excellent children's events (magic shows, theatre...) as well as adult events also. Book clubs meet there, downtown workers meet for lunch to discuss books. People with no access to the internet (remember, poverty abounds!) depend on the library.
I am a gardener and like to read those big, fat expensive books but can't afford them so of course I check them out. My goodness, the list goes on and on. It is such a nice atmosphere: quiet, peaceful.... no one is going to trample you to get that book they wanted. ;-)
I read a political cartoon years ago that featured Cheney in a library with one of his minions and Cheney is saying "Free books for everyone? What is up with this?" or something like that.... it was really funny and I always quote that cartoon when discussing how the neocons want to privatize everything.
Amazing! I never thought that I would be one step ahead o ya. I go to the library almost once a week - rent CDs, dvds, books. I was shocked when they went to the electronic catalog, uh, like 25 years ago. LOL!