Mike Nelson has made a point I never thought about. The very first job I ever had involved nothing but putting books back in order. I didn't make much money, but I was performing a necessary job in a library with open shelves.
But now that we have scanners and PC's, is it REALLY necessary to have shelves open to the public? Can't we now tell if a book is IN the library based on the computer record? Wouldn't it cost less money to have someone pick books from stacks? And if there is some residual value in browsing, can't human ingenuity move the browsing to the computer? Let's face it, when America wastes as much money as it does on military adventues and corporate welfare, we MUST adjust by finding somewhere to cut. I like book-browsing, but it may have to go away as a sacrifice we make for our foolish decisions in other areass. And, just by chance, this also affects what kind of building we use for libraries. Environment-controlled warehouses then become feasible. I hardly GO to the Cental Library anymore. I visit the website, find books with the information I need, and then I order the book delivered to my neighborhood library. This cuts my travel time, uses less engergy, and makes one less task for downtown librarians. The Digital Divide, of course, does affect the people who can't do this. We do need to address this somehow (beyond the fact that computers for searching and ordering are available in the community library). But it is probably the way to go, and I think it may invalidate the whole concept used to design a replacement central library. -------------- Jim Mork--Cooper "Only a LUNATIC would cut schools in order to pay for more bombs." "Depart from me, you cursed of my Father. Inasmuch as you have not done it to the least of these my brethren, you have not done it unto me." Get your free Web-based E-mail at http://www.startribune.com/stribmail TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
