PDM, i was thinking about your comments about libraries and I totally get what you say about the annoyance of fines and return deadlines.
But still, for me, there is just something wonderful about libraries. For example, dan and I frequently go to bookstores to relax. We make ourselves piles and books and page through them longingly. Then we finish up our coffees and leave the books, sadly, behind.
At a library, I can make a pile of books and TAKE THEM ALL HOME. It always amazes me, every time. I always feel - how lucky is this? How awesome that these are all FREE?
Libraries even smell comforting. They are like wombs of never ending joy. :-)