Time Warp

In high school, on either the King County Library System or the Seattle Public Library computers or both, you could check your hold/request history. I distinctly remember this feature (just not which library system), because I would frequently forget to pick up items I'd requested, and would have to re-order them. It was easy; I'd just click on my hold history and renew it. (Depending on my library fines, though, I had to rotate library systems. I think that's why I can't remember which one provided that service.)

Lately I've been borrowing CDs from the library and ripping them. But during this legislative session sometimes I didn't make it to my local branch before the library closed, and I was just gone for a week. A few items I requested arrived, but I didn't pick them up, and so they were returned. When I got back about a week ago (and session ended, so now I get out of the office at a decent time), I tried to access my hold history to renew the CDs I missed. I logged onto my library accounts online, but there were no hold histories. FOR THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF, I've been wondering why the hell the library (or libraries) got rid of that really cool, useful service. Because now I don't remember what I ordered.

Today I went through my WORK emails, and read this article from last week.

It's not 1996. My libraries now delete all patron records.

TODAY. This dawned on me TODAY.