It is a very long time since I have had to order a journal article through my local library. The price of doing so became so enormous that it was impossible. But a few weeks ago I realised that I really did need a copy of the following article:
P. Corsi, “La ‘‘Vita” di San Nicola e un codice della versione di Giovanni Diacono”, in: Nicolaus: Rivista di teologia ecumenico–patristica, VII/2 (1979), pp. 359-380.
Today an email advised me that it had arrived, and asked me to drive into town and collect it. This I did. These days the library staff are mainly volunteers, and they were excited at receiving something so unusual. I didn’t even have to give my name, nor the details of the paper!
In reality there was no good reason why the article was printed off and sent on paper. It could have been emailed as a PDF. But the process is a legacy of the old system, that still existed in the late 90s, whereby journal articles could be ordered at any library. Everything about the library service has worsened since, but at least this still exists.
Tomorrow I shall scan the article in, and begin working with it. But not today.
thanks, and interesting to see your dealings with libraries !
It is sometimes the case that papers supplied by the British Library are sent to the requesting library as a pdf, but with the stipulation that the reader can’t be given the pdf, but must make do with a print-out. Nonsensical, I agree.
That is interesting. They made me sign a solemn copyright declaration, which must be completely meaningless in law.