You generally need personal information to check out a book, you don't need anything to sit there and read it in the library. You still need contact information for: notification of late/stolen items and proving some one is a resident (i.e. using what your taxes pay for).
Hell, if he was a student, the univeristy already had his address and contact information linked to a student id, which he would use to check out the book.
The library didn't even have the book in this case, which they had to order it though inter-library loan. Keep in mind the requesting library becomes responsible for the cost of the item if it is lost / stolen / unreturned, etc.
Slashdot Mirror
Calm down and take the tinfoil hat off.
You generally need personal information to check out a book, you don't need anything to sit there and read it in the library. You still need contact information for: notification of late/stolen items and proving some one is a resident (i.e. using what your taxes pay for).
Hell, if he was a student, the univeristy already had his address and contact information linked to a student id, which he would use to check out the book.
The library didn't even have the book in this case, which they had to order it though inter-library loan.
Keep in mind the requesting library becomes responsible for the cost of the item if it is lost / stolen / unreturned, etc.