I may be mistaken, but I am under the impression that Mountain View residents can not simply apply for a free library card with the Santa Clara County Library system, is that right?

Ahh, I just scrolled up to find out whether it was Daniel DeBolt or Nick Veronin who wrote this story, so I could address my question to the right person, but I noticed the byline is actually "Bay City News Service", which means this wasn't written from the Mountain View perspective.

If I recall, it would cost a resident of MV something like $80 a year to get a library card from the Santa Clara County Library system. Conversely, residents of the cities in the SCCL district can come to MV and get a library card in our library for free, I believe.

Could anyone confirm or correct my understanding?

I have been checking out ebooks from the mountain view library since the kindle hd came out. While it works, there really aren't enough books (other than romance) available it is very frustrating

From the SCCL website:

"Q: Who is eligible to receive a free, full access Santa Clara County Library card?. A: Cards are free to anyone who owns property or lives in the unincorporated area of Santa Clara County or in one of the following nine cities: Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill or Saratoga."

"Q: What does a non-district resident library card cost? A: Full access cards are available for a non-refundable fee of $80 and are valid for one year from the date of purchase."

Any California resident can get a Mountain View library card.

Why go to the library when you can get a lot more current info right of the Web? Libraries are a thing of the past, Dinosaurs that are trying there hardest to stay afloat.

Because books in the library are better edited and proofed by people who are more skilled than many of those who contribute on the Internet.