Lucky Man

Review of Austin Central Library

Shame on the anti-patron "employees" (drones is mo...

Shame on the anti-patron "employees" (drones is more like it) at the Cepeda branch and the one on the phone from the central library for refusing me a library card even though I had proof of residency. They claimed they could not accept it because it was hand-written and "anyone could do that." When I reminded them that anyone could fake a printed form they merely sneered that that was the policy. The ciry should fire any staff that try to keep residents from using the library.

Austin styles itself as a progressive city, so I was stunned to find such a reactionary, regressive, fascist library system. When I lived in progressive Fort Collins last summer the library did not even ask to see my lease; they immediately gave me a card. Same thing in West Palm Beach. Now I have to mail myself an empty envelope to prove residency - that's Texas for you, 3-day waiting period for a library card but you can get an assault rifle immediately even if you are on the no-fly terrorist watch list.

In two months I will be back in Fort Collins and can hardly wait to leave regressive Austin. What a terrible first impression of Austin this backward library has given me.