In Ohio, you can go to the library and check out War and Peace, The Water Method Man, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, and Madden NFL '08. According to the Dayton Daily News, four Ohio branches of their public library now carry videogames, although none with T- or M-ratings, and apparently not very many that are any good. What'll it be kids, Sonic Heroes, or playing Guitar Hero without the guitar?

I would love to be able to check out videogames (otherwise known as "rent them for free"), but I didn't see Madden NFL '08 or Iron Man in the online card catalog for the Los Angeles Public Library. Here in California, we don't mind being beaten to bleeding-edge tech/entertainment innovation by, say, Seattle. But Centerville, Ohio? What's going on here? When can I rent videogames from my library? I called the Los Angeles Public Library and confused several people before being directed to PR director Charlene Klink. "We're considering it," she told me. When I asked her how it might work, and what exactly they're considering, she politely suggested I call back later this year. Hopefully Madden NFL '09 will be available by then.

Thanks to Shacknews for finding this story on the Dayton Daily News website, which I confess I don't frequent often.