Libraries acquire books we cannot afford, retain the many of which we are ignorant, even harbour neglected ones. The library is meant to satisfy the curiosity of the curious, offer to stuff students with facts, scholarship for the scholarly, handbooks for the handy, and provide a place for the lonely where they may enjoy the companionship of books. It s rather unfortunate that the country lacks a wide network of good public libraries. Let alone the numbers, the existing ones are often woefully wanting in terms of new books, seating comfort, upkeep and competent staff support. Perhaps the whole thing awaits a popular library movement, backed by some corporate finance.
Bookstores are another place for book browsing.
I, for one, had a fix on bookshops. Must have been to a hundred shops on my book rambles. Among countries, the USA is way ahead in offering userfriendly bookstores the new superstores. The aisles between shelves are as wide as traffic lanes. And there are umpteen reading areas furnished with sofa seats and tables stacked with books.