Library Stuff

Guardienne of the Tomes – “As it was stated in the Billings Gazette: “phasing out services associated with the library as public space” is part of the plan. *sigh* Those pesky patrons again, bothering us in person, when they could just do it via IM so we could work from home in our pjs, with coffee. Besides, everyone knows that the days of library as public space are dead and gone, right? I mean, the New York Public Library, the Louisville Free Public Library and the rest of them are really just making libraries look bad, catering to all these folks in person. How old-fashioned!”

Brent Wagner – “Why are an increasing number of libraries and librarians in the library field jumping on this Barnes & Noble–like bandwagon? We haven’t the fiscal support to compete with businesses, and why would we want to? We do so much more than dole out information and find DVDs. We manage meeting rooms, conduct tax preparation seminars and ESL classes, help transients, and provide readers’ advisory. Libraries are the fulcrums of communities. In short, the library is more than a business, and patrons are more than mere customers.”