How often do you use yours...

Cleat Eastwood

Libraries that is...


I used to go to ours about twice a week, to use the computers and sit and have a read of stuff that at the time was hard to get your hands on - now I only go about once a month to look at the exhibitions.

A local councillor in Liverpool has said that he would rather close libraries than shut down a 'self harm centre' - an indication I think of how little we value individual thinking and learning.

byke68

Not often enough. Mainly due to lack of ideal reading conditions (tv) at home and not enough time.
My local libary is p*ss poor on choice and I'd have to travel about 3-4 miles to the nearest main one. My 11 year old problem chimp uses it a lot more and is a good reader.

jordan_217

Me or my Wife, take the kids once a week. My 4 year old usually gets 3-5 books for bedtime. I can't wait to read him some Roald Dahl. Our one year old usually just makes a mess.

I dare say the Kindle, iPad, TV/Film adaptations have had an adverse efffect on libraries and the reading of books in general.

Yossie

During school holidyas I take the kids as often as poss - limitless new reading books and creative bits and pieces going on and opportunities to sneak sweets and quality time in with them away from the delicious Victoria.

Out of school holidays - errr, once every 6 months: cd section only I amfraid.

When I was doing doing some post grad bits I used it a lot as well, but now that is all finished …..

I must admit that I am one of life's hypocrites when it comes to this: I'll scream from the rooftops about the benefits of libraries and about how how I'd take a bullet (well, maybe not a bullet, more of a dead arm or leg) for the right for our public library to remain open with sufficient funding for whatever they want, but I don't actually use it. I realise that this is cr4p and will be the first to admit so, however now that information is so easily accesible from other sources (internet) and you can order down any book you want from the comfort of your own armchair, its just sheer laziness on my part.

@ Jordan - you're a Cakestopper after my own heart: Dahl rocks and the sprogs love him. We have had their bedroom decorated in Quentin Blake paper out of homage.

Redhog14

Not sure the last time I went to the Library, but my kids school also houses the local library and the oldest one at least seems to spend a bit of time there. I work minutes away from 2 of the largest libraries in Scotland. Will visit at lunch time to see what they offer up.

TheStone

"A book! You're crazy man"
-- my 3 year old godson.

I hated libraries as a kid and wouldn't go near one now, but I wouldn't be against paying for them if they're being used.
Are they used? Is there a future for them with the kindle/internet world?

Achamore

I use the online tools for my council library(Edinburgh) to search for books and get them reserved/delivered to the local library. They have load of good cycling books - Robert Penn - Not about the bike, Mark Beaumont, Bradley Wiggins , Lances tomes ! ...
Saved me a fortune and shelf space - so more money for toys !
Its good to play use Amazon for the reviews then reserve them at the library

If you have been for ages - check it out

- use it or loose it

Acha

jordan_217

Yossie wrote:

During school holidyas I take the kids as often as poss - limitless new reading books and creative bits and pieces going on and opportunities to sneak sweets and quality time in with them away from the delicious Victoria.

Out of school holidays - errr, once every 6 months: cd section only I amfraid.

When I was doing doing some post grad bits I used it a lot as well, but now that is all finished …..

I must admit that I am one of life's hypocrites when it comes to this: I'll scream from the rooftops about the benefits of libraries and about how how I'd take a bullet (well, maybe not a bullet, more of a dead arm or leg) for the right for our public library to remain open with sufficient funding for whatever they want, but I don't actually use it. I realise that this is cr4p and will be the first to admit so, however now that information is so easily accesible from other sources (internet) and you can order down any book you want from the comfort of your own armchair, its just sheer laziness on my part.

@ Jordan - you're a Cakestopper after my own heart: Dahl rocks and the sprogs love him. We have had their bedroom decorated in Quentin Blake paper out of homage.

One of the greatest people I've had the pleasure of knowing, a primary school teacher who taught all 6 of us siblings used to read Roald Dahl at story time. Each character had a different accent and personality - brilliant! Since then I've always loved Roald Dahl.

Revolting Rhymes was read on Monday or Tuesday night - Little Red Riding Hood still makes me laugh. I think 'The Twits' will be our first.....

rick_chasey

They're brilliant.

Love libraries.

Yossie

Big Twits fans here - N1 child just loves sitting there looking at the pictures until her eyes close from tiredness - its extra cool reading it (and all the other Dahl books) because you get to watch them get all excited and you almost imagine whats going through their genetically perfect brains.

Rhymes is up there as well but that's designated as the big armchair in the sunny part of the lounge book.

Redhog14

there is a version of The Twits translated into Scots Slang called "The Eejits" - very funny re reading it.

My two started off on the Quentin Blake books when they were younger and now love RD, they still like me to read QB to them even although they are 8 and 9 now. Mrs Armitage is a great role model for my girls...

DavMartinR

I go about once every 6 weeks and get four or five books out. I'm a slow reader.

I asked once if they had The bicycle diarys by David Byrne ( Thought it mite be intresting) .They said no but we can order it for you. Two days later a phone call, you book is here for collection.

Great and its free to use.

LeicesterLad

Big library fan. Used to go every week but not so often now, t'internet is so expansive its hard to actually need a book now - however I love a good novel so thats what I use the library for mostly, problem is finding the time to sit down and read...

I also don't like people with a 'Kindle'.

random man

I used ours a lot when the kids were young, it was a cheap way of reading loads of books, but I haven't been for years now and wonder how much use it gets these days. It's good that they have computers in them, I used one in Llangollen when I was on a bike tour a couple of years ago, so they still have a role to play.

Ben6899

It's all ipods and chlamydia nowadays; kids aren't interested in books.

tim_wand

Isnt this just how the bourgeoisie and the early church controlled access to betterment and power by denying the proletariat and working classes access to education and literature.

Shutting libriaries , changing schools to academy status, I agree with the Crumblehulme quote

"shutting libriaries during a recession is like shutting hospitals during a plague"

Both Mrs W and myself use the library a minimum of once a week, our 3 year old also has her own library card.

I recently suffered the indignity of unemployment, luckily I have internet access at home, vital to my job search and application process. The thought did strike me though that if I had no access to the internet I would effectively be a third class citizen in terms of opportunities.

The local library is the only free public access to this resource.

Libraries IMO are essiential services and should have ring fenced budgets.

Credit to Nottinghamshire County council we have some excellent library services and library staff

Yossie

Ben6899 wrote:

It's all ipods and chlamydia nowadays; kids aren't interested in books.

Brilliant - best thing that I have read in ages - chapeau

bearfraser

Yet another thing "Kindle" will kill off

Ben6899

Yossie wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

It's all ipods and chlamydia nowadays; kids aren't interested in books.

Brilliant - best thing that I have read in ages - chapeau

You should follow me on Twitter. You'll love it!

cornerblock

Libraries gave us power
Then work came and made us free
What price now
For a shallow piece of dignity...

Great opening lyrics from the Manics. Absolutely love my local library, only 100 yards away, very local! Not just for books, music and DVD's too.

verylonglegs

Varies for me, once every 2 months maybe when I'm not doing an OU module but more often when studying. I only use mine for books really although I keep meaning to have a browse of the classical music section but always forget.

Tom Butcher

I think the last time I used a library was to photocopy some start sheets for a road race about 5 years ago. My mum takes my kids sometimes though which I end up paying the late fines for now our eldest is past the age where they waive them.

I love the idea of libraries - I'm not convinced they are an effective use of resources though, at least not in the way they operate at the moment - I mean the main library in town is only open 3 hours at the weekend.

ilm_zero7

libraries need to change - we have one that is just stagnating away - it should be relocated into one building, say at the station, with a creche and cafe. Commuters would go, mums would go, kids would discover books etc - it could be a social hub

SmellTheGlove

Library evangelist here - glad to see that many share the view.
Though this tale is no cause for complacency, Haringey libraries (north London) are remarkable in some ways. About ten years ago they were abysmal with the weirdest opening hours and essentially rocked that dusty jumble sale look inside. Someone turned them round and they are now open till 7pm every night, 5-30 Saturdays and in some cases Sunday too, well stocked, and good staff, proper pros even though I think many are transient, not permanent.
Now and again a library will get tweaked or "improved" and if people don't like it that will sometimes even get reversed. Their IT, interweb provision, all that is very good. I use them at least once a week, even if just to thumb through a newspaper. Simple things like borrowing from one library and dropping back at another make the service so much more useable too - the stock is basically all one big library with local depots.
I think people tend to forget that there was a time when moveable type and hence the printed word represented the white heat of technology; libraries definitely need to keep up with the times and not be just about books. If I had the funds I'd set up to provide/lease (whatever) 3d printing technology in library centres. It's going to happen. Libraries tend to be centrally located and even if people don't use them, they know where they are. Just the kind of place that future enabling technologies for communities should be centered in.
The glory of it is that if you like knitting, poetry reading and occasional cake sales it's all good too.
There are other examples that go right against this one and they amplify the need to be vigilant about closures - Brent Council in London, fools, I will say no more.
I don't like the idea of volunteers being the backbone of the service either, which has Big Society - or BS as it shall forever be known - stamped all over it and is being mooted as more than just a stopgap in some places from what I read.
Use your local library - make no mistake, they're a target: landgrabbers love them with their central locations. Once they're gone and people start growing up with no notion of what they are for and what they can represent, the lights grow that bit dimmer around the land.

And breathe.

Yossie

As an aside, and a tale of what libraries can be ....

We used to be huuuge fans of the central library in Bologna: it is one of these huge medieval buildings you find dotted all over Italy and being Bologna, its utterly beautiful.

The library is divided into four floors around a central atrium - nothing special you say, but the ground floor is glass floored, allowing you to see the Roman excavations going on below. The ground floor also stocks all the refence books, computers and a gift shop- second floor, novels and so on until the fourth floor.

What was special though was that half of each floor was books/desks, etc, the other half was social orientated - a cafe on the first floor (and remember we're talking Bologna here, so it wasn't bacon rolls and a mug of tea but tall chairs, espresso and cakes), second floor a wine bar, third floor a smarter bar and bistro and fourth floor was a fine dining restaurant. Needless to say it was decorated and designed beautifully and everyone loved it and took extemely great care in there.

Opening hours were 10 in the morning until 2 in the morning and it was always full: families just popping in and out for a coffee and a look around, people eating and drinking, students, normal libary goers.

We'd head it at 12 or half 12 at night after dinner just to have a glass of Prosecco or a quick grappa and people watch -like an indoor passagiata. Everyone was immaculately turned out, extremely well behaved and far too glam and healthy looking for my liking.

Unfortunately once a new Socialist council was elected, they decided that it wasn't to their liking and closed down the bars and restaurants - now its empty all the time. A huge loss and great shame.

Now, I'm not knocking a good old Socialist Council, just saying that libraries can be anything you want them to be - Temples of Knowldge and Literature yes, but chuck in some food and a glass of red or Prosecco and you have a winner.

Would it work in Britain - hmmmm, who knows. But in Italy, with a different attitude to eating and drinking, it went down a storm.

RonB

Every week into Lichfield library with mini Ron.

“So, please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookcase on the wall.”
― Roald Dahl

“So many books, so little time.”
― Frank Zappa

-spider-

Went to my local Library last year to do some research. There was a book club in and they were so noisy that I couldn't concentrate and eventually gave in. I wrote to the Librarian and heard nothing - I wrote to the area Library Manager and a least got a reply. Book clubs are a way to encourage people in to Libraries and we don't like to put them in the meeting or study rooms as the club is all about books. I suggested they put a couple of PCs in the study room for casual users but got no reply. I gave up.

I'm sure they are a valuable resource for many but if they continue to ignore those who need to study then I think they will be on a slippery slope.

Redhog14

just joined up! - ordered 2 books too!