Libraries

I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.” — Carl Sagan, Cosmos

I was astonished to read on Joe Wikert’s blog that he “hasn’t set foot” in his local “great library” in months. He’s an executive publisher at Wiley!

I work across the street from the main branch of the San Francisco public library, so I’m in there all the time (the photo above was taken in November 2005), but even when I worked elsewhere I was always a frequenter of libraries. At the SFPL they have a great service where you can request a book or CD from any of the library’s branches and they will bring it to your local branch and have it waiting for you. (This service has vastly expanded my music CD collection.) I mean, you don’t even have to go hunt up the books, and you can renew them online without visiting the library — how could you not take advantage of service like that? Plus, they have an excellent historical photo collection (which I relied on heavily in writing Bridge to Understanding).

I don’t get it.

LINK: Libraries Worldwide Gain Street Cred
A NEW LINK (7 Aug 07): Need inspiration? Go to the library.
ANOTHER NEW LINK (7 Aug 07): Books by mule