(Ever have something you want to write, and by the time Blogger gets around to loading, you think Damn, I could have written and emailed this already?)
I was just reading SusieJ's blog about something called Dance Club -- hmm, sounds interesting -- when I saw a different post about books on tape, and how useful they are for recurring car pool duties. I don't get to listen to books on tape, for two reasons: first, when my daughter's in the car, the radio WILL be set to a country station (I have learned not to hum along to tunes I finally recognize) and second, the library's BOTs suck, as a rule. My local library has a New Books section that about a third things like Your Prostate Exam -- And What It Misses, about a third 'Death and Dying: Do It Right', and a third The American Pomerian Book of Grooming. Occasionally, something good, but not too damned often. Well, take that, intensify it, and thats their BOTs. They are doing audiobook downloads now, and they've managed to make it even worse; they download for a specific period, and if you finish it early, you can't 'check it back in' (I know, silly; its electronic!), so the 'book' is unavailable even though you're done with it. And the selection is pretty dismal. I tend to think that its because the librarians are old and on the crotchety side, though I imagine funding is part of it. They don't have a lot. Course, without the good books, who wants to give them money? Except the lawyer whose name ended up as the library's 'official' name.
Ah, burgs.
4 comments:
Support your local library. I am sorry that you have such a traditional view of librarians. There must be someone there who will listen to your suggestions for adding to the collection...AND I am sure if you look at their budget you will cry.
I don't have a traditional view of librarians. I've met good ones. Even some of the newer ones locally aren't bad -- inexperienced, but not jaded. The ones who've been around though...ugh. They're not the prototypical spinster ladies, but they're not too fond of customer service, either.
I should mention that the download problem is actually the local Library System, which apparently either signed an agreement with the book owners that the RIAA would find strict, or hired mainframe programmers from the 50s to make this web-thingie work.
They never ask what books we'd like. I'm afraid to ask, given their generally nonresponsive demeanour. I have to keep reminding myself that their job isn't easy as it looks, to me. Talk about manual-intensive.
I agree about the budget.Libraries are one of the first things to get cut. We give money to their Friends of the Library fund.
When I was in Cam Ranh Bay, the base library was open till midnight. Even since, I've thought that made perfect sense.
When I ran a library overseas at a vocational school, since most of our island students were away from home for the first time, I kept the library open two nights a week until 9:00. Each of the nights we were filled to capacity with island boys and girls. And they were reading...not visiting.
I suggest that you ask if you can form a local group to make suggestions about what to purchase in terms of tapes...only problem is you may find that some of the group will be lobbying for the Disney tapes and that won't help with your collection problems. Maybe they have a local collection development committee?
Worse - they could be lobbying for the Fun With Your Diverticulitis series.
Still, thats worth looking into.
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