The end of Euro envy: U.S. libraries are setting the pace on innovation.(Editorial)(Editorial)

I MAY FINALLY BE OVER MY SCANDINAVIAN/ European/Singapore library envy. For years, librarians who traveled to these places touted them for being far ahead of U.S. libraries in service. They were there first with self-check, library cards for reservations and fines, book/audio kiosks in train stations and other high-traffic areas, text messaging for holds pickup, open building plans. But such creativity also flows inside our borders.

Reading about LJ's New Landmark Libraries (www. libraryjournal.com/NLL) and listening to librarians at the LJ Design Institute in early May at Hennepin County's Minneapolis Central Library (see News, p. 12) and at the MetLib [international library] …