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To: Reeses
You know most libraries and library "Systems" (Branches - dozens of libraries joined that you can borrow from) are online now. You go online to your System, sign on, search for books in your system by name, author, subject, etc., and then just put (click) them on hold into your account. They call you or notify you by email that they are at the library you choose to get them at and then you pick them up. No going in and having to ask someone to search for the books for you and put them on hold etc. There's no limit to how much you can request and put on hold, dozens or more, as fast as you and your family can read them all.

The "vanity" libraries are terrible, agree. One within our system - unbelievable, huge monstrosity and the hours are ridiculous - closed completely on Fridays and open only 2 hours on Saturday!!!
31 posted on 11/28/2006 8:33:44 PM PST by Esther Ruth (The Lamb SHALL overcome them for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings! Revelation 17:14)
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To: Esther Ruth
They call you or notify you by email that they are at the library you choose to get them at and then you pick them up.

Libraries are trying to improve but it's cheaper to close the buildings, lay off the government workers, and just mail you the books from a warehouse 500 miles away with a return box similar to how NetFlix operates. But that too will be replaced by web only book reading.

It takes a lot of getting used to but I joined a commercial technical library that has 4,000 always up to date books. I can check out, read online, and download and print chapters for offline reading, without having to wait for someone to return the book. The print quality on a computer screen is not as good as paper but it's catching up. There are other things you can do that can't be done with a book such as google-like text searching. It's a little rough to use but it will get better.

Check out the free Project Gutenberg which has 19,000 books. The number of online-only libraries is growing and now there are university libraries that have only computer terminals, no actual books.

Traditional libraries have become mini-socialist dictatorships. Any book that does not fit the propaganda objectives of the day is lost to the trash bin forever. Leftists have always been the biggest book burners and they have a lock on the neighborhood libraries. Every narcissistic politician wants to build a new vanity library as their legacy. The buildings are impressive but there's never much money left over for buying new books.

38 posted on 11/28/2006 10:23:36 PM PST by Reeses
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