Stafford Public Library

Libraries are dying because of Amazon. Right?
Or are libraries dying because we have to resort to Amazon to make up for the shortcomings of the library?
I’m a student, and I’m cheap. So I called my library looking for a $ 30 book that I didn’t feel like buying. I was told that they didn’t have it, but that they could order it for me from a nearby library and they would have it «by the end of the week».
This was ¹⁰⁄₂₃. The end of the week was 10/​26, and no book came in. I received no phone call at any point. I called again on the 31^st to make sure that they had in fact ordered the book (because the woman I spoke to the first time barely collected any information from me).
I was told they had ordered the book, but that it didn’t say it was shipped yet. I was told it usually takes two weeks to get a book.
I called back today, 11/​8, and the book is still not only NOT there, it still hasn’t even been shipped. I’m on a fairly tight deadline, and I called EARLY to request the book. I told the woman I spoke with to cancel my order. I told her I was a student and on a deadline and had been waiting, and had been told I would have it sooner.
She was not apologetic in the slightest. Nor did she even ask me if there was anything else she could help me with… she didn’t even say goodbye or anything, she just hung up. (And don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t giving her an attitude or anything. Although I’m pissed off now, I was very personable on the phone.)
I’m buying the book from Amazon, and guess what? It’s going to be shipped to my door TOMORROW.
THIS is why libraries are dying.