<human>: Could you distill the essence of the text into 1-3 sentences?

So, after working in NYC for close to 8 years, I finally got around to getting myself a library card. Great, I thought - the perfect Christmas present to myself.

Except that it's not.

Start with the fact that "one does not simply walk into a library" and get a card - I applied online and it took three weeks to come in. So now it's no longer Christmas, or even New Year, but whatever - I'm still excited. Our local library system is pretty good, but NYC! Surely that has got to be a whole order of magnitude better. Bigger budget, more books and all that.

When I originally logged on to their catalog, that attitude seemed to be justified. There definitely *are* more of the obscure titles which want to read but which I don't want to purchase, since in all likelihood they're not something I'll be re-reading. But most of them are in so-called "off-site" storage, which means that I would have to request them *and then read them at the branch* - can't take them home. For some bizarre reason this applies to a bunch of fiction works, not just reference materials or rare/old books. So that's out - if I can't take it with me, it does me no good.

And then this morning, I went into the Mid-Manhattan branch to actually activate my card and, you know, scope it out. Gods be good - what's with the security?? I had (very grumpy) people examine my backpack on the way in *and* on the way out - and it was extremely cursory, so it was obnoxious and time-consuming and made *me* grumpy for no good reason whatsoever.

The people at the front desk - grumpy. The woman at the information desk - grumpy. Come on, folks - I know it's the New Yorker thing to do, and I worked in a library for a few years so I *know* it's not the most exhilarating job out there. But could you at least make an effort to *not* make me feel like I, as a patron, am imposing on your precious time?
<bot>: Looks like I'll be sticking with my regular library system, unless there's something I just really can't find there. So disappointed.