This is probably one of the weirdest sentiments I've read in my entire life. I use the public library constantly as the place I go for quiet work and just to hang out, read, or study. And just for fun, they have lots of great events there, you can rent out meeting space for local groups/clubs. I really can't imagine not seeing the value of such a resource.
First off, like the other person said, there are literally 3 scanned copies of this book you just referenced online.[1]
Everyone has already said a lot that needs to be said, but I feel the need to point out, that a big part of being a member in your local libraries 'community served' is participating, which you can do actively at most libraries. My library now has Haskell and Clojure books on the shelves, because I actively participate in the library process. You can do this also, the library you are referencing (if I guessed correctly) has an form where you can set suggest book purchases[2], at my local library unless you are asking for something really really weird they will buy reasonable library user requests. The libraries curation is a community effort, and it won't reflect your needs if you don't make them apparent.
Also, this local library in Iowa you were referencing and most local libraries have an interlibrary loan system for people just like you who need something they don't have there. I constantly use the service at my own local library to find anything I want and have it promptly sent right there to me. You could do this also for any books that you find rare or obscure that you need for a specific purpose. I've often used the service for books that are rare and prohibitively expensive. The Worldcat listings for the book you were looking for are numerous. Even shows the copy at the local historical society you mentioned.
Library workers often check catalogues like Worldcat to see if they have the only copy of something or if something isnt archived previously prior to them throwing it out, according to the listings there are 4 microfilm versions of your book, and several listed OCR scans similar to the archive.org scans I'll assume. It is really weird of you to assume that any library would toss out a book without checking their listing against the global database.
I hope that beats the horse til its quite dead enough to illustrate, that in the modern day there are very few books that can't be found if you understand the capabilities of our library infrastructure, and most of your other points are moot. I personally love it when the local library throws away great books, it gives me the opportunity to buy them, via a little store where they monetize their toss aways to fund the library instead of recycling them, maybe suggest this setup or a library book sale to your local library?
First off, like the other person said, there are literally 3 scanned copies of this book you just referenced online.[1]
Everyone has already said a lot that needs to be said, but I feel the need to point out, that a big part of being a member in your local libraries 'community served' is participating, which you can do actively at most libraries. My library now has Haskell and Clojure books on the shelves, because I actively participate in the library process. You can do this also, the library you are referencing (if I guessed correctly) has an form where you can set suggest book purchases[2], at my local library unless you are asking for something really really weird they will buy reasonable library user requests. The libraries curation is a community effort, and it won't reflect your needs if you don't make them apparent.
Also, this local library in Iowa you were referencing and most local libraries have an interlibrary loan system for people just like you who need something they don't have there. I constantly use the service at my own local library to find anything I want and have it promptly sent right there to me. You could do this also for any books that you find rare or obscure that you need for a specific purpose. I've often used the service for books that are rare and prohibitively expensive. The Worldcat listings for the book you were looking for are numerous. Even shows the copy at the local historical society you mentioned.
Library workers often check catalogues like Worldcat to see if they have the only copy of something or if something isnt archived previously prior to them throwing it out, according to the listings there are 4 microfilm versions of your book, and several listed OCR scans similar to the archive.org scans I'll assume. It is really weird of you to assume that any library would toss out a book without checking their listing against the global database.
I hope that beats the horse til its quite dead enough to illustrate, that in the modern day there are very few books that can't be found if you understand the capabilities of our library infrastructure, and most of your other points are moot. I personally love it when the local library throws away great books, it gives me the opportunity to buy them, via a little store where they monetize their toss aways to fund the library instead of recycling them, maybe suggest this setup or a library book sale to your local library?
[1] https://archive.org/details/historyofjohnson00iowa [2] https://www.icpl.org/suggest