---
title: "Looks like I need a new library card"
date: 2005-10-25T12:05:58-04:00
url: https://blog.lmorchard.com/2005/10/25/looks-like-i-need-a-new-library-card/
author: Les Orchard
tags: [asides, books, detroit, royaloak, local, libraries]
---

# Looks like I need a new library card

You know, I just realized that I haven't stepped foot in a public library since I graduated college.  

You know what else I realized?  Our local library has [a great card catalog online][ro], in which I've found everything I tried looking for.  It even seems to have a queue / wishlist feature!  Don't I feel behind the times?  (Though, on the downside, they don't have a copy of *my* book.  Damn, so much for egosurfing in the stacks.)

Now, if only they shipped books around like Netflix.  But, I suppose it wouldn't kill me to talk to a few librarians.  :)

[ro]: http://ibistro.tln.lib.mi.us/uhtbin/cgisirsi/HVRMMxfh9D/ROYALOAK/180570296/60/1170/X "Royal Oak Public Library"

<!-- tags: books libraries local royaloak detroit -->

<div id="comments" class="comments archived-comments">
            <h3>Archived Comments</h3>
            
        <ul class="comments">
            
        <li class="comment" id="comment-221083369">
            <div class="meta">
                <div class="author">
                    <a class="avatar image" rel="nofollow" 
                       href=""><img src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=e9ef66919a3739fd90febd8bbc80a4ab&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png"/></a>
                    <a class="avatar name" rel="nofollow" 
                       href="">Tom</a>
                </div>
                <a href="#comment-221083369" class="permalink"><time datetime="2005-10-25T16:40:51">2005-10-25T16:40:51</time></a>
            </div>
            <div class="content"><p>Our library (http://kcls.org) does ship books around, at least to the branch of your choosing.  Maybe yours too.</p></div>
            
        </li>
    
        <li class="comment" id="comment-221083370">
            <div class="meta">
                <div class="author">
                    <a class="avatar image" rel="nofollow" 
                       href=""><img src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=e9ef66919a3739fd90febd8bbc80a4ab&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png"/></a>
                    <a class="avatar name" rel="nofollow" 
                       href="">Tom</a>
                </div>
                <a href="#comment-221083370" class="permalink"><time datetime="2005-10-25T16:47:35">2005-10-25T16:47:35</time></a>
            </div>
            <div class="content"><p>Looks like yours does too: http://ibistro.tln.lib.mi.us/iBistro<em>helps/English/i</em>need_material.html</p></div>
            
        </li>
    
        <li class="comment" id="comment-221083371">
            <div class="meta">
                <div class="author">
                    <a class="avatar image" rel="nofollow" 
                       href="http://blackcustard.livejournal.com"><img src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=96dd5db5ebd7a91a5df453707ffa8d8d&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png"/></a>
                    <a class="avatar name" rel="nofollow" 
                       href="http://blackcustard.livejournal.com">Matt Blackcustard</a>
                </div>
                <a href="#comment-221083371" class="permalink"><time datetime="2005-10-25T17:01:20">2005-10-25T17:01:20</time></a>
            </div>
            <div class="content"><p>If you request it they might well get it in for you. Get a couple of friends to request it as well and they certainly will...</p>

<p>That's the case at AADL, who also have an pretty good new website, complete with RSS feeds of your checkouts and requests, and librarian 'blogs' set up for news, recommendations etc: http://www.aadl.org</p></div>
            
        </li>
    
        <li class="comment" id="comment-221083372">
            <div class="meta">
                <div class="author">
                    <a class="avatar image" rel="nofollow" 
                       href="http://laughingmeme.org"><img src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=01457d1a0f0e533062cd0d1033fb4d7a&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png"/></a>
                    <a class="avatar name" rel="nofollow" 
                       href="http://laughingmeme.org">kellan</a>
                </div>
                <a href="#comment-221083372" class="permalink"><time datetime="2005-10-25T20:24:05">2005-10-25T20:24:05</time></a>
            </div>
            <div class="content"><p>I use my library <strong>just</strong> like Netflix, using the <a href="http://www.bpl.org/catalogs/frame_mbln.htm" rel="nofollow">website</a> to have all my books shipped to my nearest branch, and getting notified by email when they arrive. (that the nearest branch is only 3 blocks away helps maintain the Netflix-like feeling )  </p>

<p>The library bcomes a convient shipping kiosk (which given that our local branch can't have more then 500 books, is really all its opitmized for anyway)  </p>

<p>Be great to see a library system embrace this model, and start rolling out micro-branches.</p></div>
            
        </li>
    
        <li class="comment" id="comment-221083373">
            <div class="meta">
                <div class="author">
                    <a class="avatar image" rel="nofollow" 
                       href="http://david-s.net"><img src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=cff06f6d8b7e995393b9de12cc12d6b6&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png"/></a>
                    <a class="avatar name" rel="nofollow" 
                       href="http://david-s.net">David S</a>
                </div>
                <a href="#comment-221083373" class="permalink"><time datetime="2005-10-26T00:42:04">2005-10-26T00:42:04</time></a>
            </div>
            <div class="content"><p>I also discovered the wonders of the online library when I moved last year. They might not ship the books to your door, but as the others said, you should be able to get them transferred to a branch near you and get an email when they're ready. They'll even email you to let you know when they're due.</p>

<p>You could always donate a signed copy of your book to your local library as a thank you and encourage them to get the <a href="http://www.sirsi.com/Newsevents/Releases/20050625epsrooms.html" rel="nofollow">updated Sirsi system with RSS feeds</a>.</p>

<p>Here are a few links you might find useful:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://tech.tln.lib.mi.us/ibistrolinks/" rel="nofollow">Bookmarklet to search for current Amazon book at your library</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mundell.org/2005/07/07/seattle-public-library-greasemonkey-script-part-2/" rel="nofollow">Greasemonkey script to show if book is available at your library on Amazon book detail page</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ibistro.tln.lib.mi.us/uhtbin/cgisirsi/x/0/0/57/5?user_id=GUEST&amp;password=1234&amp;searchdata1=%s" rel="nofollow">Quicksearch for your library</a></li>
</ul></div>
            
        </li>
    
        <li class="comment" id="comment-221083374">
            <div class="meta">
                <div class="author">
                    <a class="avatar image" rel="nofollow" 
                       href="http://highearthorbit.com"><img src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=a25421f6c79d5f381fab65c82abf85e8&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png"/></a>
                    <a class="avatar name" rel="nofollow" 
                       href="http://highearthorbit.com">Andrew</a>
                </div>
                <a href="#comment-221083374" class="permalink"><time datetime="2005-11-13T23:06:08">2005-11-13T23:06:08</time></a>
            </div>
            <div class="content"><p>The SouthEast Michigan Library system has made me a believer again in the modern library. I already did manual searches now for books to be shipped to my local library instead of buying from Amazon, et al. Those greasemonkey scripts should be very nice.</p>

<p>Of course, the Royal Oak library (orig link) is currently closed for renovations. :p But then again, most of the libraries in the area were recently built/upgraded and each has a unique, and interesting thing to see - so I highly suggest a sojourn to the Livonia, Redford, and Northville libraries at the least.</p></div>
            
        </li>
    
        </ul>
    
        </div>