the library

I really miss the Edmonton public library this week.

I am going to a conference in Lake Tahoe tomorrow and I realised to my disappointment that although it is at a lake in Nevada it is not warm and sunny as I was predicting, due to the fact that the lake happens to be located on the incline of a 6000 ft above-sea-level mountain. Damn. I'm going to be stuck in a tiny tourist village on the top of a mountain where the only things to do are skiing and shopping (and golfing when the snow melts), none of which interest me at all. So I decided I had better get some books out of the library so I will not be bored to death when I am not attending the conference (I would have needed some anyway for the flight).

I have had various unsuccessful encounters with the Montreal library system and was prepared for the worst this time, but it was actually better than it could have been. I went to the Fraser-Hickson library in NDG (corner of Sommerled and Grand) which I had heard is quite good. Cote St Luc library is also good, but is too far away to walk and the bus service from our place to the library was not good at all, so I didn't bother going there. All the libraries are completely separate here, there is no single centralized library system like there is in Edmonton. In fact, the different bouroughs (which at one point were individual cities and may be again if they demerge) own their libraries, so technically they can refuse membership to anyone who does not live in their bourough. Although this does not appear to be the case for all of them, as with Westmount library I just had to pay $2.

Montreal institutions seem to have a fixation with you carrying around your phone bill and presenting it to anyone who asks. I could not get a membership at the Westmount library the first time I went, as the phone bill was in Dan's name only. They refused to accept any other identification except for the hydro quebec bill which was fortunately in my name. I was worried the same thing would happen when I went to the Fraser-Hickson library, but all they wanted was my contact information and the name, address and phone number of someone else who lives in Montreal as a reference! A reference to get a library card?? What is the world coming to? Despite this, I did succeed in getting a card and actually took out two books.

Anyway, because all the libraries are seprate, getting an interlibrary loan (so that I don't have to go half way across the city to get a book I want to read) is essentially out of the question because you have to pay for it and I don't think it is cheap.

In Edmonton, the situation was quite different. There was one and only one public library system and it had numerous branches throuout the city. For $10 a year the borrower had unrestricted access to any book in the system and could request it to be delivered to any branch for pick-up. The automated phone system, ELVIS (Edmonton Library Voice Information System) would automatically call when your book was available at the branch requested. (I think ELVIS has been updgraded to ELVIS II now or something like that). Once were finished, one could return the book to any branch. One could renew over the phone and search the catalogue online. NONE of this is true here. I have to say that the Edmonton Public Library has done an amazing job at making it easy and accessible for the residents of Edmonton. If Montreal's system were like this, it would be much better. Ah well, another thing to adapt to.

Anwyay I expect to have internet access at the hotel so I may even have a chance to post a blog and some photos while I am there.