One More Thing to Love About the Glenview Public Library

I love to read.  My average is at least one book per week, and has been for many years. But when I started making blankets with our local chapter of Project Linus, it really cut into my reading time. So I went to the and took a look in the audio section. There were plenty of books from my “to be read” pile (OK, it is a bookcase. An overflowing bookcase.  With piles in other rooms.) to be found.  I began checking them out and was back “on pace” in no time.

In an attempt to control the size of the “to be read” pile (“TBR” to the bookworms), I generally borrow audio books from the library that I already have in some other form at home. 

Eventually, I started to run out of audio books to borrow from Glenview. Which is not to criticize the size of the collection, I really am trying to clear out the TBR pile and sticking to that list of books. So I started checking them out from Northbrook’s library. It felt like cheating on Glenview, but you gotta love the reciprocity. 

The Glenview Library’s website even has the online record of audio books I have checked out from Northbrook, so I receive the same reminder e-mail when they are due.

One day, when I went online to renew a book, I saw a link that says, “Suggest an item for the Library to purchase.”

Whoa. I can ask the Library to buy a book just so I can borrow it?! Sign me up.

I blindly looked at my bookcase and submitted some titles, requesting audio format.  Within a couple of days, I received an e-mail from a librarian saying that none of my requests were available in CD audio, but a neighboring library had one of them in cassette form.  She asked if she could reserve it for me.  I wasn’t interested, but really happy that the response was so quick and thorough.  

I tried again, this time checking Amazon.com to see if a CD audio version existed before putting in the request.  (Note: I realize that Amazon.com is not the all-knowing resource, but it is easy and helped me to refine my request list a bit.)   This time, it took a bit longer for a response.  But when it came:

Three of the four books I named are being ordered!

The website is careful to remind us that not every request can be honored.  As in my case, sometimes things just aren’t available.  And of course, we know there is a limited budget. But this just made my day.

I hit “Reply” and told the librarian so.