Brad, I don’t know how you manage to get your comments into that tiny textarea in the comment form, but thank you, keep doing it. I’ll argue however that a neglected library, mocked for it’s contents isn’t really serving anyone.

And it really could have done with some Fantastic Four and Spider-Man.

If pressed, I imagine I could put together a library with no worth, to almost anyone. And still, it would be worth noting, for it’s singular lack of worth.

There are very few libraries or bookstores that I don’t pass by shelves and rows of books that have no worth to me (that I know of at the time). Which isn’t to say that at some point I might appreciate one of the overlooked multitude.

Assuming the library was as disastrous as you found, there will still be some gems, for those stuck with what is there. And the ‘best’ (in what sense?) library will still fail to serve some of the patrons. Who will say some library is ‘crap’ because it doesn’t have the latest Spiderman or Fantastic Four or Mystery Men comic.

Librarians have very seldom been cherished by their communities - though often by patrons. The people that fund libraries and librarians seldom see more than a cash drain. The wonder isn’t finding a ‘crap’ library, but finding libraries serving their communities well. And I would expect to find that while the library is enriching their community, that community has already demonstrated that it values what libraries have to offer. You are just looking at one link in a ‘chicken and egg’ riddle.

seriously though, the true irony is when the custodians themselves start giving the truth out, its time to go, for the library i mean, not just the books

Actually, I went through the titles and authors. Looked at a few. Sniffed at a few. Plus it was sort of implied by the custodians of the library that the books were mostly crap. My cursory glance was a gem hunt, really.

…and there weren’t any.

…I mean that’s what I would do if there was a perfect book.