In a recent post for The Guardian Books Blog, Shirley Dent discusses the "dumbing down" of libraries--with the classics hidden off on a back shelf. She says: "What is being forgotten in our libraries is any notion of the best literature for all."

So, should libraries offer something for everyone? Should they offer only the greatest classics, or only the most popular, or some combination of the two. The problem is that there never seems to be enough shelf space to make everyone happy. Who decides what's great, and what's not? In a library--at any rate-it's usually a librarian; but his/her choices may be open to some debate by both the patrons and other concerned citizens/readers in the community.

My grandmother was a librarian, so I grin whenever I hear talk of the discards from library shelves. She brought home boxes upon boxes of unloved (or unchecked-out) books. She said they were going to throw the books away. And, those books offered countless hours of entertainment for me: adventure, fairy tales, travel, and so many other stories and novels. I immersed myself in those volumes; and they offered some of my most cherished moments growing up.

So, what do you do when your local library doesn't have the book you want to read? If you rely on the library for your reading, your options may be limited. You could buy the book, request it from another library, check out a different book, or sometimes you can read the book online. But, your options may be frustrating (especially if you were looking forward to reading that particular book). So, what do you do? Vote in the poll.

Also, what do you think of the current state of libraries? We could talk about more funding for libraries, but will there ever be enough space on the library shelves to make everyone happy with the selection of books?



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