I appreciate the suggestions regarding our local library, but I've done the research and there really aren't any options available.
The local library director is an empire builder. It's her way or the highway--she reconfigured the library board (supposedly her bosses) to her own liking, among other interesting antics. It's her call as to whether her library will accept the Michicard, allowing patrons from outside her service area, and she decided against it. I don't know who set up the system whereby ILL is only in these northern counties, but a librarian friend from another state looked into that for me, and said it was to save money on the shipping costs. To my mind, the easy answer there is charge the cost to the patron--which I would be glad to pay, so long as it's not next day air or something :) But since the 'empire builder' is in charge of the closest library, in the town we consider our 'home town', and work and shop in, we can't use that library anyway. The one we're 'supposed' to use has an even smaller, older collection of bestsellers from the 50s and 60s (they weeded out most of the 30s and 40s I think), is at the top of a steep hill that you need 4WD for in the winter, and takes twice as long to get to at that season because we have to go the long way around (the close way is snowed closed, often by 1 December). Winter being 5 months around here, it just doesn't make sense to go there--I can't get the truck often enough to make it worth the trip, particularly since there's not much there to start with. Ron, I appreciate your suggestions to run for office, etc. But I'm too thin-skinned :) I'd be a basketcase before I could get started. One thing I keep forgetting to try is the online library for Michigan. I don't have any idea what the collection is like--you have to use your driver's license number to access it, and I've never remembered to do that. It's not the same as reading a real book, but maybe there will be some interesting things there :) Holly To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
