h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Happy b'day, Ti And Ripley

When I do get around to buying a puppy - after Annie is gone, she would never put up with competition - I want one that doesn't shed. I am so tired of having dog hair all over everything. I comb and brush and she still drops hair everywhere.

One day closer to my mother going home. I am hoping for tomorrow, but am expecting it to be Friday.

Another b'day! Yay!!!! Ti, it's a magic cloak to keep you warm and dry this winter while you're waiting for the bus. And fresh spinach for Ripley.

Happy Birthday Titania!



It's an ultra ligthweight fleecy blanket that fits in your pocket, but can be whipped out and wrapped around your shoulders any time you're sipping cocktails on a roof-top terrace.

Happy Birthday, Ti!

. It's, um, a thingamabob, also known as a thingamajig. It's ever so useful, and can be used for those times when you know you need it, but can't remember what it's called.

[fg]

Happy Birthday, Titania. Here you go.



I haven't the slightest idea what's in it. I wrapped it before I left h2g2 for a few years. But it has your name on, so...

That should have read , and I should have hit "preview"

I haven't done a general weed since we moved back into our building nearly 3 years ago. It's time. I am going to be ruthless. For example, I just discarded a lot of Asimov that hasn't circulated in over 3 years. It's a shame, but I need the shelf space.

One of the things I like about being a public library is that I have the freedom to discard items that don't circulate. I really don't care who wrote a book. If it never leaves the building, then we don't need it. We need the room for new items, things our patrons actually want to read.

I can't imagine the nightmare of a library where the policy is to keep everything unless it literally falls to pieces. And with ILL so easy to do, why a public library would adopt that policy just blows my mind. One interesting thing about our 14 months in the temporary facility while our building was being redone is that our circulation figures didn't fall off nearly as much as we expected. The reason is because we only took items 4 years old or less with us and warehoused everything else. When people have less to browse through, they actually can find things they like easier than if they have to sort through thousands of things that don't appeal to them.

We will put our discards out for sale where they will be snapped up by people who could have read them for free. Fine with me if they clutter up their bookshelves instead of mine.

Happy Birthday Titania!

Happy Birthday Titania! gift ------> A year's supply of Purina Sloth Chow.

Must...hit...preview...

That's a for you *and* Mindspring.

I think University libraries keep things longer because there's always the chance that someone will need a book for specialized research or something, whereas public libraries have a different client base more prone to browsing.

Er...Ripley.

Dammit, no more posting this morning until I've spoken with Juan Valdez. Coffee please, Matina.

[tod]
Must wade through the 401 backlog !

best fishes.....tod

I always love those library sales... lots of great copies of books that I check out repeatedly, but which nobody else bothers to read! At first I was shocked by a library getting rid of books, but I forget that a public library is for the people, not the books.

Irv is quite right about university libraries. There's a chance that no-one looked at issue 90 of the Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society from its publication in 1984 until I needed it in about 2002, but the library still kept it. I imagine stuff in special collections such as Leeds's art and music libraries or Hyp's genealogy section is treated similarly.

Keeping journals in a university library or genealogy and local history in a public library is quite different than keeping fiction and general nonfiction that no one ever reads.

Indeedy, though there's always a risk you'll get a mad Asimov fan wanting to know why you don't have those books any more.

Mental note: If I want a library to keep a book in stock, check it out, don't just read it in the comfy chairs that they provide.