Recently, Palm Springs Public Library , California, has taken the expression one step further and offers a service unique to the library world - an actual passport processing center.
Visitors can stop by the library's reference desk to apply for and receive U.S. passports.
In another unusual move, the library also began offering this past fall free local public transportation to and from the library. Sponsored by the Friends of the library, tickets for the free rides are available at the circulation desk. In short, traveling on the information superhighway has taken on an entirely new, and very literal, meaning in Palm Springs. The extra passport service also has benefited the reference desk staff who has learned a lot about travel and related topics that can be applied to general reference questions. He notes that they were able to offer the resource-sharing capability for relatively little cost.