tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074683.post109353406986705976..comments2024-02-16T10:35:39.567+00:00Comments on Quodlibeta: Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01594220073836613367noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074683.post-1093617056298952112004-08-27T15:30:00.000+01:002004-08-27T15:30:00.000+01:00I do library work, and it's true, libraries often ...I do library work, and it's true, libraries often have many more resources available than the average person knows about. They don't always advertise the fact, because if people did know, it would cause a lot more work for the librarians, or cost money, or whatever. A big example of this is ILL, inter-library loan. In many libraries you can theoretically get your hands on just about any book in the world (unless it's quite valuable) if you ask them nicely - most have extensive lending arrangements with other institutions. But it can cost money and is time-consuming so many libraries don't talk it up. Neal Stephenson uses this idea humorously in his "Cryptonomicon."<br /><br />As for the special bibliographies you mentioned, I'd always thought of them as being fairly pointless but I suppose they'd be very helpful to researchers like yourself.<br /><br />ElliotAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com