When I told the fresh-faced kid with a nametag that read Ryan behind the checkout counter who I was and who I needed to see, it took less than ten seconds for me to be seated in the office of Louise Leghorn, the library VP.

While Mr. Seymour's office was bare bones, hers was cushy and sleek. Oversized mahogany furniture with ornate carvings covered the floor space. Velvet curtains hung on two of the four walls to suggest more than one tiny window. Another wall held bookshelves with ...