This service is available in California and Nevada, and it’s an astonishing operation. It’s essentially a library system that connects every library and university library in these two states. Other states might have similar systems, but I haven’t been able to find any.
In California, every library, including university libraries—which are the largest in the state—is linked together through a giant card catalog called Link Plus. This system is incredible. I’ve used it myself, and my son, who loves reading obscure material, introduced me to it years ago.
For instance, I used Link Plus during a time when I was interested in female screenwriters as a genre. If you’re a fan of old movies from the 1930s and 1940s, you might notice that the female characters from that era are vastly different from today’s. Some of them are absolutely dynamic, like the Margaret Dumonts of the world.
This led me to explore the works of screenwriters like Anita Loos and Frances Marion. Anita Loos, known for her incredible career, has a fascinating biography, which I read and thoroughly enjoyed. Frances Marion, on the other hand, was incredibly prolific, having written over 320 screenplays, novels, and even some Broadway productions. Marion also wrote a book on screenwriting, which I was eager to read.
The book, written in the 1930s, is rare and expensive—copies sell for $500 to $1,000. But with Link Plus, I was able to locate it at UCLA, have it shipped to my local library, and borrow it for a month. Otherwise, I’d never have been able to access it. The loans through Link Plus are generous in length, and when you’re done, the book simply gets returned to the originating library.
This system is invaluable, though I have to admit the website is a bit clunky: https://csul.iii.com/