Many participating libraries in California and, on a good year, a couple in Nevada have a glorious cooperative system. Cities, counties, universities... A major

Many participating libraries in California and, on a good year, a couple in Nevada have a glorious cooperative system. Cities, counties, universities... A majority of items are easily available from the system when not on the shelf at some local branch. A free and fast alternative to the old style interlibrary loan. At the several libraries where I have tried to use them, suggestions for purchases are readily followed. Surprisingly regardless of holdings elsewhere in the system! The librarians seem eager for these requests. At some libraries that leads to excesses: a couple yards of religious stuff suddenly appears in the New section... Then that requester calms down. Here the problem truly is pruning: done without regard for the otherwise massive holdings of the cooperative system. Or for the massive amounts of space still available for stacks at my local library. I guess idiosyncratic local quirks here and there. Operating suggestions and attending board meetings is possible but I have not made a crusade of the pruning issue. Not so far anyway. For a few years, the director of one of the county libraries was hell bent on making non-residents pay for a membership. So I was not a member of that one for a few years - enough other libraries left. Until she left and things returned to sanity. Things in public libraries can be run pretty "seat of the pants" by just a few people.