Libraries

[souter girl]

Do you remember the days when you used to go to the library and get your 2 or maybe 4 books out and if you were still a child you would disappear up to your room and not come out for hours?
Or perhaps you took your children on a Saturday and got a few hours' peace while they devoured their library books.
And then came big chain bookshops like Borders and " 3for 2" so you acquired loads of paperbacks which you only ever read once and despite passing them round your friends you either had to go to Ikea for another Billy bookcase to house them or make a trip to the Oxfam bookshop and feel guilty about how much money you were spending. And as for Amazon - don't get me started, it only takes about 2 minutes to look for a book, click the mouse and you're £15 down!
Well.............................................. no more. My life has gone full circle and I went to the library today! OH has been going since he has been at home and we went together this afternoon.Got a new ticket, it's all very high tech- you scan the books out yourself and I came home with 8!! There was loads going on, you can have 30 minutes free internet access each day, renew your books online and I don't know what else! I was well-impressed.

So, do you use your local library? If so, what for? Books? CDs? DVDs? Internet access? research? or just a nice warm place on a cold day?
There was even a (real) coffee machine!! :)

[Crocus]

Hi SG, I go to the library every two weeks, more if I don't like books I've borrowed. I love the library and will be very sad if there's no library anymore. I usually go mainly to borrow books. There's always people in the library reading the papers, magazines or gathering info (those who don't have a PC). Our library doesn't have computers at al, or a coffee machine! xx

[jazzactivist]

OH is doing a reading in our local library this coming Tuesday evening. He was commissioned to write a poem to promote some work that a reading group there have been doing, researching forgotten writers of the Lake District. The group is called Library Detectives. He wrote the poem, and they have invited him to come and read it, plus some of his other work. It isn't a big library, and is your typical 1970s building, but now it seems quite fashionable and funky with filter coffee, art to buy and a cosy 'natter room'. I keep meaning to join, but haven't yet as I keep forgetting to take my 3 proof of identity items.

I love libraries, and think it would be awful if they were to go. Most of the ones in this part of the country aren't called Libraries anymore but Local Links, as so much else goes on there - which I don't think is such a good thing really. I do all the book buying, Billy bookcase buying, supporting independent bookshops, donating loads to Oxfam etc. but still think libraries are important to communities. My family were really big readers, to the extend where it was our main family activity, and every Friday afternoon my dad would fetch us from school at 2.30pm (SA school leaving time) and our whole family would spend the afternoon until about 6pm in the local Library. We browsed in all the sections, sat in the comfortable seats and sometimes read whole books in that time, ate our picnic in the Library gardens where our dog was tied up to the water tap, choose paintings to hire, and took out 6 books each. We also booked out library books for our holidays and joined the local library when we got to our destination too. The first day of our hols was spend exploring the local library there! We even had celebratory parties when my sister and I became old enough to get our own sets of childrens library tickets! I still feel a thrill when I see a library. I think going to the library is having a resurgence, as a friend was telling me that it is hard to keep her young grandchildren out of the library, and when they came to stay with her for a few days they wanted to go there all day every day! She said there were loads of children and adults in there quietly reading and looking.

[souter girl]

All I had to take was a recent bill with my name and address on it - I had gone armed with passport/driving licence/bus pass/ and aforementioned bill, but it was much easier than I expected. Next time however...................I will take a bag to carry the books in, with their shiny covers, they kept slipping out of my arms on way back to the car. But a good experience and I haven't wasted any money if any of the books is a disappointment.

[Gentian]

I use our library a lot, for borrowing books, OH gets books of music and the odd CD. It's good to be able to renew them on line or on the phone. We can even return our books to Waitrose, the problem there is that you can't take any out. I know what you mean about weight, SG, I find the hard backs difficult to read in bed now that I wear specs as I have to lie on my back (I could sit up I suppose).
Our library is also the information office and tourism centre.
You are lucky with your coffee machine.

[eleanor2]

i take grandson most weeks.they have a drinks machine.i sit and have a mocha each week.we sit and read books before we pick.i was amazed this week.you pile all your books on a scanner plate.it scans through the pile ad gives you a ticket with the titles on.i said to the woman it might take over one of your jobs.no she said we are quite busy and it frees us up.there are always people on the computers.there are quiet areas with sofas.newspapers and magazines.free computer courses.yes libraries are a real asset.