My local small-town library just won some award for digital availability, but half the books are gone since the remodel a few years ago. They must be SOMEWHERE, because they can be requested, but the ugly old functional shelves which held a gazillion seductive and unknown treasures have been replaced by beautiful half-high curved walnut racks holding the latest Nora Roberts. Face out.
I rarely go into the book section myself - there’s nothing to browse any more. I just pick up my requests at the desk. It makes me sad sometimes, I used to love the library. I still love not having to buy every book I read, of course.
But with places like Half-Price Books, you can get books real cheap.
I’m still able to find books just by browsing the shelves, both in my little county branch and the two Mecklenburg branches I visit. I even take random books out in the “young adult” section sometimes. Maybe the main, downtown branches have been “updated” to serve the non-reading public, while they haven’t gotten around to it out in the ‘burbs.
I can’t imagine what it would be like having children/teens who didn’t read. Anoreth has so many books in her locker on the cutter that she was having to rent space from other seamen to store her boots! I told her to resell some of the books for cash ;-). She can’t use the library, since she never knows when or for how long she’ll be at sea.
Yeah, I see what you say. I rarely go myself, but it’s fun to go through the bookshelves and be able to find whatever book you want without having to go through the catalogue.
I’m just thankful I was born just before all the digitisation, I was trained under the old system.