alt Hacker NewsUntil some random crazy person exercises the same right and destroys an irreplaceable rare book.
You have to get a library card for the library. I don’t see why there is so much outrage over this, and I think the timing is more about budget cuts than about Trump [caveat- firing the archivist might have been personal].
I find the arguments that “he just wants to sow distrust” etc. are completely unbelievable; he has bigger fish to fry than micromanaging the national archives.
Replies
> Until some random crazy person exercises the same right and destroys an irreplaceable rare book.
In considering the LOC's multi-century existence, this parade of horribles never manifested as a meaningful risk. It remains limited to select imaginations.
> You have to get a library card for the library. I don’t see why there is so much outrage over this
Why do they need a "legitimate business need" to access the material? Why aren't they instead requiring a simple library card and/or identification.
That's why people are upset. This is more than just requiring a library card.
> Until some random crazy person exercises the same right and destroys an irreplaceable rare book.
Every library I've been in with rare books requires supervision by the archivist if you want to browse them. Sometimes only the archivist can handle the book.
The fact that these rare books aren't all being destroyed in mass tells me that this system works pretty well at screening crazy people from destroying books (and, frankly, there's not a whole lot of people dedicated to destroying rare books).
> You have to get a library card for the library
No you don't. You only need a library card if you want to bring a book home. Anyone can read at the library.