Whenever I am attending university, or live near one, I try to walk every aisle and every shelf at least once per year. Maybe things are much better these days, but all too often I would find books that were not in the card catalog (or cataloged incorrectly). The "adjacent shelf" method of research was one secret that grad students tended to learn.
replyYou're browsing for whatever piques your interest, and the library wants to curate the collection based on what people are interested in. The books that collect interest get placed on the shelves and the ones that don't get archived. If it's in the archive it probably wouldn't have interested you.
replyExpecting libraries to maintain digital scans of every book they have had or anything to that effect is a little laughable. These organizations do more for communities with less money and you expect them do now navigate the legal and ethical quagmire of digital ownership because you can't handle knowledge and books becoming less valuable with time.
replyIf you are a software dev, go volunteer at a library and offer up your time to do this. Do something for your community, do something for yourself.
> If you are a software dev, go volunteer at a library and offer up your time to do this.
replyYou misunderstand the environment, "offering" doesn't work if the library haven't asked for help, in that case you're just ignored. You see, whatever you do for them would require participation and at least some effort on their side.
Some other organization could help here, but going to the library and begging them to let you help them is a non starter.