One other really nice thing that my local library does is that if they don't have a book, I can click to see if any library in the state of Michigan has it. A huge number of libraries all over Michigan are linked together to share books with each other. So if my library doesn't have the book I want but another library does, then I can request it (for free) and have it magically appear at my local library in a few days. I love that! I've occasionally run across books I wanted that I couldn't find anywhere in Michigan, but it's rare.

I adore the way libraries are re-inventing themselves for the Internet age. My local library is an amazing place -- open and airy, welcoming to everybody from birth to ancient old age, ecologically friendly, full of many types of media (not just books, though there are lots of those), and *very* Internet-connected.

I did a web search for a picture that would show how airy and open my local library branch is. This one sort of does, but it's actually even airier and more open than it looks in this picture:
http://gallery.gundo.com/gallery/Mal...Creek/director
(I have no idea who took the photo. I've never met the library director.) It just amazes me that I can use all the features of this neat building, for free.

-Valerie