Confessions of a Jaded Bookworm

Today, I'm feeling especially random, so I'm just gonna go with it.

After a few recent trips to the library, I am beginning to wonder if libraries operate according to specific business plans. Perhaps I am naive but I have always been under the impression that libraries, like parks and other government-regulated or city-owned establishments, are media through which citizens can experience a greater quality of life. Mass appreciation/enjoyment is the name of the game. They're not in existence, like essentially everything else, to make money. Are they? The reason I ponder this, is because I have visited the library three times in the last two weeks, have searched for a total of 14 different books, and do you know how many of them have been available for use? ZERO. Mind you, I am not looking for titles that are hot-off-the-press, or rare, hard-to-find ones either. Most of the books have been in print for, at minimum, three years. Several of the titles I have searched for on each of my visits, just to see if they may have been returned. Nope.

The library has a computer system that allows one to look at all copies of a particular title, which location they are housed in, if they are checked out, being repaired, or if patrons have placed it on hold. A few of the books I want are somewhat popular titles and so the library owns several copies. All were checked out and many of the copies had waiting lists three or four people deep. As I stated before, these are not new titles; if the lines are this long and the books have been out for five years, what kind of waiting period was to be expected when new? You'd think some person has the job of monitoring the flow of books, how many times a particular title turns over, and then orchestrates the buys accordingly. I can't help but think that the library ought to buy more copies of these books. Call me crazy.

Or, are they trying to create demand? If so, what would be the purpose? The only way the library makes money is through late fees, right? And, if for some reason they're trying to create demand, it ain't workin' so hot; the only thing it's doing is pissing me off and making me want to go out and buy the damn books. And how will that help them? It's one less book I'm checking out from them, at the very least. If I get REALLY pissed off, I may not want to check out books from their library ever again, and then how many books will sit on their shelves and gather dust? A lifetime of books not being read by me...and I read like a mother fucker!

It's just impossible to comprehend the damage they're going to inflict upon themselves.

I just wanted to read some books, damnit. Instead, I've been forced to make threats that I'll feel obligated to follow through with now that I've put them in print.

Damn those cheap ass, scheming, library-owning bastards.