Don't laugh at the library

Love-a-bargain_5

I used to work in the library service and (though biased!) can honestly say that they are a great place and offer an awful lot of services to the General Public. And all for free (well, mostly!)

You can have a bit of peace and quiet, sit in the warm and read a book for as long as you like, look at loads of magazines and papers for free, get your hands on out-of-print or hard to find books and publications, find out about local history, look up information about all sorts of things... the list is never ending. They are a wonderful place for children, too. There's always something going on for kids to do or take part in, as well as talks by popular authors and workshops on all sorts of things. Did you know, you can get a library card as soon as you are born - they do lots of great books for babies. You're never too young to love books!

I can't praise them enough. I know the rise of the internet has stopped a lot of people going to libraries to find out information, but that's not all a library is about, you know!

Keep on using your local library - the more people that use it the better it will get.

PS. I would like it known that I am not old and grey with a twinset and pearls, and I did not say SHHHH! loudly when I worked in the library. (I worked there from age 16 until my early 20s) Actually we had a brilliant laugh and messed about quite a lot... it was hilarious working there; some of the best times I've had.
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

crana999

i do think it's annoying when you have to pay to request books though.

It's not YOUR fault that you happen to live in a place with a small library, or just that the library you live nearest doesn't have the books you want.

Even at £1/book the cost of requesting them adds up, and a lot of us can't get to the other libraries without going on about 8 different buses to get there ::)

I think it would be fairer maybe to say that everyone could request 1 book a month for free or whatever.

elona

our library is 60 pence per request.

I agree libraries are great but ours are only open for 3 hours a day.

jo_b_2

I've only just got around to joining our local library after moving house last year. To be honest, I joined mainly for my son's benefit. He's only two but absolutely loves books.

My library has a storytime session for pre-schoolers one moring a week and then a musical time in the afternoon. Both sessions are completely free of charge so am very impressed.

The free internet access is limited to one hour per day, but still a good deal for those people who haven't got a home pc.

crana999

our library is 60 pence per request.

I agree libraries are great but ours  are only open for 3 hours a day.

I'm registered with both Notts and Cambs libraries because I'm a temporary resident in Cam (student)..

In nottingham you pay 85p/request (I think?) but I was recently made exempt from fees because I have a disability. In Cam you can request any non fiction book free but it's £1 per fiction book. This seems a bit daft to me as you can order all kinds of fairly "junky" non fiction - Last time I looked they had I think it was 18 copies of "Being Jordan" ::) but you can't order great works of literature free.. ???

Oh well. I just order lots of non-fiction

klondyke

Love-a-bargain wrote:

I know the rise of the internet has stopped a lot of people going to libraries to find out information, but that's not all a library is about, you know!

If you have online access for renewal etc, check out what else is on offer - my local library, and many others, subscribe to lots of online reference services, such as Infotrac (searchable archives of newspapers and journals), Oxford Reference, Britannica Online, XRefer, KnowUK - which you, as a library member, can access from home - not many people seem to know about these services, so it's well worth checking out.

Al_Inshearah

The only problem I have with Library book is that I like reading whilst in the bath and the books get wet. Maybe I should read else where or start read books like "1000 leagues under the sea":D