What should libraries be for? Should they be glorified creches with elderly reminiscence groups, crochet classes, internet access and tai-chi? Or should they be quiet places with uncomfortable chairs, smelly tramps and books?
And what about librarians? Should they be tweedy bookworms with no social skills or thrusting young infonauts with USB ports for eyes?
Do you like your library? If you don't what would make you like it?
posted
My local library sits on the bank of the Kennet and Avon, all modern and new:
I think they even have an Inter Nets in there, and DVDs to rent! I've only been in twice, as it isn't open in the evening or very much over the weekend which conflicts with my work hours.
My childhood memories of libraries are filled with Roald Dahl books, collectable badges and bookmarks (featuring pro-reading slogans), Fungus the Bogeyman and Choose Your Own Adventure.
Librarians should wear glasses, even if they don't need to. It should be a mandatory part of the uniform.
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posted
i applied for a job in a library. i babbled loads about how much i liked books. they kept asking me if i had any experience with children, like, making them stop running around and hitting things with their tiny jammy fists. i said no, but i knew a lot about childrens' books. i have lots of friends who are librarians and they unanimously say that the job is like, 99% taken up with explaining to asbo kids why http://www.bumrapez.com is filtered under tasteless and teaching specials how to set up a yahoo mail account, and nothing to do with books at all any more. which makes me sad.
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Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
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I love libraries. Libraries are ace. My patchy pre-proper career CV includes 'part-time librarian', but I was only quite little so I was probably a library assistant. I got to stamp books with giant return dates and repair them with big, industrial rolls of sellotape and unpack the new books and pritskikk in the little bit of paper that held the ticket and sometimes, if they weren't printed, I had to write the ticket out, eyes screwed up in concentration, doing my best writing. The best library to work in was in the shabby nice genteel area which was raftered with pensioners who clamoured for the latest Catherine Cookson and where the large print shelf held more than the children's section. They loved me in there and the old men more of less chucked my cheek as they booked out their hauls of westerns or grubby thumbed Dick Francis. The worst library was in the rough bit, and shared a building with the housing office. There were drunks pissing in the pot plants in the foyer and kids thieving the giant cardboard kiddie books by sticking them up their fronts. There were frightening teenage girls, not much off my own age, who would come in and be rowdy and nick the library copies of Just Seventeen. There were dirty faced children would come in for being warm in winter, and try and borrow fifty pence for a pie. They'd usually been kicked out and told not to come back before bedtime. Poor little fucks.
One of my plans has always been to join Manchester library, to reduce the ludicrous amount I manage to spend on books, and just so I can wander it, gorgeous circular building it is. It smells inside of must and loitering. If you look through the half lit windows at night when it is closed you can see the books, resting on the shelves, looking like they're captive. But what pute me off is that I know what I am like. I am bad and unreliable. I would steal their books without meaning to steal their books. I would always be thinking, I'll take them back tomorrow. But I wouldn't, and I'd forget to ring, and then I'd get threatened by the late return cards (late return cards I used to get such joy from penning) and eventually it would get too embarrassing and I just would never be able to go back, ever, even to theatre there. That's why I haven't joined Manchester library so far.
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It was built in the 1860's at a cost of just over $2000. It's a free library in every sense; there are no fines for returning books late. One woman recently returned a book she had taken out in 1984!
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posted
That's not to say I don't have a Library story. Of course I do. My local library in Swindon was shitto. It was a set of old mobile rooms (anyone know those things) Where they can be pulled apart of reassembled. So yeah, our library was like, a load of mobile sheds put together. It was rubbish too. Nothing of note inside. No little 'gems' in this library. All the books smelt of piss too.
I have fond memories of my old library though, the little one where I use to live. I seemed to be the only kid in my area interested in books, so I could nestle in the bay window and enjoy the sunshine, whilst reading Asterix and Tin-Tin. Ace.
posted
Libraries are completely useless for finding what you're actually looking for. I mean, if you suddenly got the urge to read some P G Wodehouse for example, and you went to our library to get some then I can guarantee they would have no P G Wodehouse books. Just millions of books by everyone you're not looking for.
Same goes for OS maps, which I often try to get from the library if we're going somewhere we'll never go again and I don't really want to fork out eight quid for the local Landranger. They'll have all the sheets surrounding the one I want. I feel like driving around the area when we get there and shouting, "Which c*nt round here comes from Wilmslow then?"
But. Libraries are great for random dabbling. I usually head for sections like the children's reference area where they have those brilliant Dorling-Kindersley Eyewitness Guides with pictures; or the music section so I can read an autobiography of someone I don't particularly like to see if they mention anyone I do like; or the "literature" section which is always crammed with books about how to make money from writing and very little else; or the "just returned" section which usually has some curio or other which can save a lot of time browsing at random through every other section.
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I love libraries, and now I feel bad for not having been in one for ages. It's because I was spoilt by the greatness of Croydon Library, and now I don't live there, I can't be bothered joining the tiny little Wimbledon one. I'm going to have to join one soon though, as I physically can't store any more books on my shelves.
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posted
That wasn't actually my photograph, or finger...
I remember browsing the old library (which is now one of Newbury's 1,819 restaurants) and finding a book called Is your Child Dabbling in the Occult? I regret not getting it out. I bet it would have been an interesting read.
posted
I like University libraries - but only for school-related stuff. The idea of checking out a book for fun reading from a library has always creeped me out...it's the idea of people reading them in questionable locations and having all their germies on them.
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quote:Originally posted by rooster: ...it's the idea of people reading them in questionable locations and having all their germies on them.
Reminds me of the Flagged Book concept from Seinfeld, where George takes a book to read in the restroom (toilet) of the book shop, and is forced to buy it because it's flagged as unclean.
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posted
Funnily enough, I was in Chichester library today, for the first time in ages, researching things for a job interview presentation I've got on Thursday.
When I was at university in Glasgow I loved the library, especially for random reading of books late at night when I should've been working on my last minute essays. I'd normally end up in the classics section, with fantastic looking books in Latin or looking at pictures of ancient erotic greek vases. Plus, the philosophy section was really high up, so you got a great view of Glasgow. The library is probably one of the main things I miss about being at uni actually.
posted
i forgot to take a few books back to the library a week or so ago and remembered three days later. when the librarian asked 'do you want to pay the fine now or later.....?' i began to get worried. 7 pounds! for three days!
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posted
Our local library was like ralph's but in brick. It was mainly large print romances and westerns. Only pensioners ever used it. Then it was knocked down and a home for elderly people was built on the site. A sort of fitting extension of use.
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H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
posted
welcome, sam.
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posted
It is alleged that when they built the new library building at my uni, a year or so before I started there, they forgot to take account of the weight of the books and had to go back and do all kinds of reinforcements.
It is also alleged that when they built the swimming pool they forgot to take account of the thickness of the tiles, making it minutely smaller than it should be and thus unsuitable for official race events.
It is an actual true fact that they have now built a bob-sleigh starting run in the grounds (as opposed to buying any more heavy books one assumes), so I think someone in charge is on drugs.
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posted
I liked the paternoster lift in the library on campus when I done went to university. What happens if you go all the way to the top? I never found out.
students enjoying the paternoster lift at the University of Essex
[ 13.06.2006, 06:24: Message edited by: Dr. Benway ]
Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
quote:Originally posted by Abby: It is alleged that when they built the new library building at my uni, a year or so before I started there, they forgot to take account of the weight of the books and had to go back and do all kinds of reinforcements.
This was alleged at my university also, meaning either 1) Abby went to York 2)universally, those designing university libraries forget to consider book weight 3)it's an urban myth.
I'm not sure what odds I would put on any of these.
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posted
It does have a whiff of urban myth about it (I went to Bath), hence the 'allegedly'. But the bob sleigh is real, and there were never any official races in the pool so that might be true as well...
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quote:Originally posted by Dr. Benway: What happens if you go all the way to the top?
It moved horizontally and you go back down again. If you do it twice the miserable yorkshire porter will call you 'a reet daft sod', stop the lift and make you get out. This is what happened in the arts tower at Sheffield Uni, at least.
quote:Originally posted by Dr. Benway: What happens if you go all the way to the top?
It moved horizontally and you go back down again. If you do it twice the miserable yorkshire porter will call you 'a reet daft sod', stop the lift and make you get out. This is what happened in the arts tower at Sheffield Uni, at least.
I had to look this up. From Wikipedia:
quote: A common misconception is that it is dangerous to stay on in an upgoing cabin after it has reached the top floor or in a downgoing one after it has passed the ground floor level. The compartment remains upright, and travel is possible provided that the passengers remain perfectly still. Nevertheless there are two risks of such a journey. The elevator is liable to shut down if an occupant of the cabin shifts position during the cabin's lateral motion from the upward to the downward shaft or vice versa. Also, the drive chain is exposed above the top floor. In 1989, the paternoster in Newcastle University's Claremont Tower was taken out of service after a passenger undertaking an up-and-over journey fouled himself on the drive chain, necessitating a rescue by the Fire Service. A conventional elevator was subsequently installed in its place.
The "provided that the passengers remain perfectly still" is quite ominous.
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