> I used to live about 1/2 hour away from the nearest branch (Sulzer) There are 81 branch libraries and you can return a book to any of them (you also can have

> I used to live about 1/2 hour away from the nearest branch (Sulzer) There are 81 branch libraries and you can return a book to any of them (you also can have your book reservations delivered to any branch as well). Sulzer has something like 5 branches within a 3 miles radius. As you get to the edges of the city, the number of nearby branches decreases (as you would expect). If you have no car and have to pay individually for bus rides, this starts to appear quite burdensome. Actually, having a car might not help so much because few branches have free parking lots. I frequently drop books off for my kids because I work downtown and can head over at lunch (there is a place to get good cubano sandwiches across the street, so big bonus!). I doubt many people on the south and west sides have that luxury.