Free Library to Close

It's a sad day for the world of libraries, and the book industry in general, when an institution as large and important as the Free Library in Philadelphia is on the brink of closure. You can see the announcement and more details on the library's website. Closure is set for October 2nd.

I recently attended a wedding in this library and was nothing less than dazed and amazed to such a great hall of books (I feel pretty much the same way when I go to the 5th Ave Humanities Library in NYC). I can only hope that Harrisburg will have the good sense to make the necessary budget changes, but I do understand that in this environment, it's not always so easy as that. But what will they do with it all: the building, the staff, the books?