[September 15, 2011] Central Library says goodbye to cassettes, tapes Tweet Sep 15, 2011 (The Wisconsin State Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- As she drives the bumpy back roads of Cambridge for her job, rural mail carrier Sue Probst listens to audio books on a portable cassette player. CDs skip too much. The cassettes are getting hard to find, which is why Probst scooped up 125 books on cassette -- everything from Dickens to a college lecture on the history of ancient Rome -- at the Madison Central Library's moving sale Wednesday. "I have five years to retirement, so this should do it," she said. The sale, which continues through Saturday, is both a housecleaning opportunity for the library and a minor milestone in the continuing evolution of technology. The Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin St., is using the sale to eliminate its entire collections of audio books on cassette and movies and television shows on videocassette -- more than 11,000 titles. (There is also an array of fiction and nonfiction books for sale.) DVDs and books on CD have eclipsed the older formats. Still, the library gets an average of 30 requests daily for either an audiocassette or a VHS movie, said Carol Froistad, community services manager. "That's not a high number for us, but we know some people will be unhappy," she said. Molly Raphael, president of the American Library Association, wasn't surprised to hear of Madison's decision. Many libraries have eliminated their cassette and VHS collections or are planning to, she said. "At a certain point, the use level isn't high enough to take up the valuable real estate in libraries," she said. "That change is sometimes painful to people in the community, but it's how libraries have stayed relevant." The Central Library was planning to phase out the older formats next summer, but its upcoming move hastened the timeline, as the library can save on storage costs by selling the items now, Froistad said. The library will move to temporary quarters in November for about two years while its building undergoes a $29.5 million reconstruction. The temporary site is about three blocks away at 126 S. Hamilton St. The sale had a frenzied feel Wednesday morning. A couple of dozen people were lined up for its start, although no problems were reported. (Pushing had been an issue at a prior book sale.) Workers scrambled to print more "Not for Sale" signs to post on the library's regular stacks, as some enthusiastic patrons mistook the event for a complete liquidation. The crowd swelled to more than 100 by mid-morning, and blowers were needed to cool down one room. Jim Lindberger, a retired electronics assembler from the town of Dunn, bought dozens of videos at $1 each. He likes the older technology and owns 25 to 30 VCRs. "I'm kind of a hoarder," he said. "I should be on a television show." Sharon Flinn, a Madison homemaker, bought 33 cassette books and 55 videos. "It's a long winter, and I don't have cable," she said. Proceeds from the sale will go to Friends of the Madison Public Library, which is staffing the sale and has pledged $100,000 toward the library reconstruction. Tina Volz of Madison, a retired rental property manager, was among those combing through the hundreds of automotive manuals the library is selling. She's repaired her own vehicles for more than 40 years, she said. She found a manual for her 1961 Chevrolet Bel Air but not one for her 1939 Chevrolet Master 85. That was probably available at a previous book sale, she figured. ___ (c)2011 The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.) Visit The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.) at www.wisconsinstatejournal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]