[heavyset_go]

> (I checked. Of the two library systems I have a card for, one doesn't have it and the other has a single copy in German, which they won't let you check out, but no copies in English. Since this is an American library, the German copy would be inaccessible to huge swaths of the population anyway.)

If you really want to test your hypothesis out, a simple search is not enough. There are tons of books the libraries I'm a member of don't have. However, libraries are often part of networks that will lend or purchase requested books for their members from other libraries or publishers.

Ask a librarian if they can help you borrow or find the book. Chances are they'll help you out or point you to someone who can if they can't.

[dogorman]

To be frank, I do not want to get that book nor do I want my name to be in their system as somebody who is interested in that book. A search of their online catalogues through Tor was enough to confirm my suspicion that they would not have the book generally available. My understanding of how librarians think about and consider "banned books" comes from my interactions with a few librarians in my social circle; the search for the book was simply to illustrate my point with an example.

[heavyset_go]

I just Googled what the book is and I don't blame you. Point is that libraries act as a network, and if you really want to check out a book, librarians tend to work with you to make it happen.

[dariusj18]

But really, more often, it comes down to budgeting and not taste or personal politics.