No serious library woes at my own library, I am happy to say. Fingers and toes crossed that it remains that way. However, the public library system in my town has hit upon some seriously hard times. I thought the recession was beginning to come to an end. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case locally as the city government is very much in the red and is trying to come up with solutions to balance the budget. The library system is taking a hard hit. First all the branches had to close on Sundays (some are also closed on Mondays). Then their materials budget was cut. Now they are not only closing down one branch entirely (hopefully to be reopened in 2010), but the libraries (not sure if it is all or some) are not going to open until noon, and the worse case scenario--they've had to lay people off. The library has gone through three rounds of cuts now, and surely they've been literally cut to the bone. I feel terrible. I've not yet been to the library since the news came out, but I'll be returning books this weekend. I hope to see the faces I've come to recognize. Supposedly the library budget is going to get an increase in the next fiscal year (maybe to help repair some of the damage?), but as the city is still expecting there to be a shortfall in tax receipts, I'm not sure how they are going to manage that. It's a sad state of affairs and a statement of priorities when public libraries have to take so much of the brunt in situations like these.
What would Thomas Jefferson think?!
I've been trying to keep my library borrowing low key as I "catch up" (I've come to the conclusion that there's no such thing) with my reading. That's been pretty much thrown out the window as I went through my new and noteworthy lists and had a heyday adding my name to the queues (and maybe it's better to give the library as much business as I can?). Hopefully they won't all come in at once. Though with services likely diminished I'm just lucky I found so many books to request at all.
On a happier note author Deanna Raybourn has begun working on book #4 of her Lady Julia Grey series. And there are whispers of even more books to follow. Now if word would come of something new by Clare Langley-Hawthorne and Jacqueline Winspear, I'd be a happy reader. I'm already looking forward to September 1 and the release of Tasha Alexander's new book. I need to decide whether to splurge and buy it or wait for a library copy. In the interim I still need to read Silent on the Moor, but I can't help looking ahead.
And on a totally unrelated note, is it just me, or are you too being walloped by spammers. I deleted 84 spam comments yesterday and about half that number the day before. Luckily they mostly get caught in a filter and I can delete them in batches. I still contend--if there is a hell, and it resembles Dante's version of it, then I hope there will be an extra special level solely for spammers. I like to visualize it as a scene from a painting by Hieronymous Bosch (see right panel, please). Honestly, I'm not a cruel person (only when it comes to spam on my blog). Just stay on my good side.
So please don't spam me. I'll just delete you, so it's not worth your time and effort, since your comment (if I have anything to do with it) won't see the light of day on my blog.
Now that I have that out of the way, happy weekend reading everyone.