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Sssshhhh!

10:38 / 12.06.06

Libraries.

Do you use a library?

Have you ever used a library?

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?

Discuss.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

10:45 / 12.06.06

And please remember your Ungodly Librarian Overlord is watching you carefully...

All Acting Regiment

11:15 / 12.06.06

I was a librarian! I think libraries are great. Especcially when old men in deerstalkers lean in conspiratorially and whisper, "Have you got anything saucy?"

13:15 / 12.06.06

I like libraries and use them wherever possible for books. I've been less keen to use them for DVD and CD hire tho... perhaps I should do more particularly for this last one since it would be a great way of legally getting more music for my iPod without having to buy it...

The stuff I tend to borrow most often from libraries are graphic novels... which is quite odd because I am more likely to dip back into graphic novels than I am for standard text books, yet these are things I tend to buy, read, then leave on the shelf.

I guess one thing I think some libraries could do better is actually 'sell' their wares. You go into a book shop and you have a variety of attractive displays over and above the traditional shelves, you have more opportunities for potential readers to see the covers, and you have more recommendations blurbs from staff, publishers and reviewers.

Libraries, particularly those in big cities, are competing with some pretty big gun book retailers. Libraries can only benefit by taking something of a lead from them. some nice old comfy chairs would be good, but I for one would draw the line at a Starbucks.

Happy Dave Has Left

13:27 / 12.06.06

I have ze big love for libraries (as I wrote about here. Quality use of my tax bucks IMHO.

That said, I do owe my library a tenner in fines. Must pop up and pay 'em off.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

14:27 / 12.06.06

Yes, you really should.

< /mad staring eyes >

I have to disagree with Sleaze as libraries shouldn't be playing the 'be like bookshops' game. This is the point that people like Tim Coates just don't get. We have to go broader than bookshops so displaying stuff in the same way in the library just wouldn't use the space practically (in related news, I read the story of a library that bought several hundred copies of The Da Vinci Code for a display to coincide with the film release. Now that's a good use of their books budget). However, most library websites are cats piss so using that for promotional stuff, as well as screensavers on unattended computers would be a good alternative which no-one seems to have picked up on.

the permuted man

14:54 / 12.06.06

I love libraries and use them pretty much exclusively for books. I use the online catalog to find what I want and reserve it and pick it up when it comes in. Since I don't re-read books it's really practical for me. Before online catalogs I would browse for books in the library, but I would rarely stay and read or...whatever anyone even does at libraries?

I've never rented a movie from the library. I've borrowed CDs before (opera and classical), but movies don't really work because the library is a bit inconvenient to get to and I only go weekly. Besides, I have NetFlix for movies. I've checked out graphic novels too, but they are so popular takes a long time to get them (especially for series).

The thing I espeically like about libraries is I can be much more daring and take risks on authors/books. I'll check out pretty much anything I hear something about or intrigues me and if I don't like it, I'll just return it (unfinished) the next time I'm at the library. I wish there was some analogue for music, but it's difficult to envision one. It's just tough buying a CD for some unknown band you've never heard of, just because you've heard some buzz on it or you read an interesting review. Though I try to use my Emusic subscription for this purpose as best as possible. (Library music variety isn't so great)

15:55 / 12.06.06

I haven't been to a public library in a decade. I owe about 150 dollars in fines and last I heard, the debt was not forgiven. I lost a couple books, including a nice coffee table book (read: expensive) on Jim Henson. Everyday I wait for Bookman to show up...

16:00 / 12.06.06

I think Matt is my library twin. When I was about 14 I lost/forgot/never bothered to return a book on, of all things, Star Trek, if memory serves. Shite Star Trek novel x 8 years of interest = your immortal essence? Whatever it is it's a due stamp, staining me through.

19:12 / 12.06.06

Love local library, mostly for kids' videos.

Although the library lets Barney into my home. For that, it must never be forgiven.

07:05 / 13.06.06

Thanks for the replies. Interesting mention of Tim Coates. I know of at least one London local authority that is now trying to restructure its libraries along retail lines. How can a library generate money, though?

Tabitha Tickletooth

09:14 / 13.06.06

I use my local library lots and love the library idea to pieces. However... recently, I've started to feel like my library is trying to do too much, with the result that it is not doing any one thing very well. It's quite a new library building but already they are running out of space, with the result that their holdings have really started to suffer.

Internet access, computer workstations for general use, a bank of photocopiers, DVD section, CD section, a tv viewing area (ffs!) - there's actually less and less room for actual books. I'm not sure that libraries are ideally equipped (and there are five in my borough, all of which I have used at different times) to handle all of these things at the same time.

During a discussion on R4 (Today programme, I think), someone commented that in the not too distant future, many important council documents will only be available online making it essential for libraries to provide free public access to the internet. I'm not sure I agree. In my opinion, the council should be providing separate, other venues for all these multimedia/online services and letting libraries get on with being about books. Or radically overhaul the facilities and, in particular, the buildings which libraries have at their disposal.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

13:43 / 13.06.06

Well, I suppose it depends on what you think a library is. You think it is (or should be) a building full of books, I think it should be a building full of information, computers then being very useful for extending the information in a building without having to take out any of the walls.

If you know exactly what you're looking for then you'll probably find it quicker in the hard-copy than the electronic version, personally I find making the one sure person spend that little longer using the electronic version is made up for by the ten people on various levels of doubt about what they are looking for that find the electronic version helps them out.

On the other hand I seem to have been swamped with crazy people at work today so am not in the best frame of mind to talk about this...

Tabitha Tickletooth

15:06 / 13.06.06

Possibly I have made the argument for book-exclusivity a little strong. In an *ideal* world, I agree with Flowers that libraries should be buildings full of information. Unfortunately, in the public libraries that I use, it seems books are being sacrificed to other forms of information because the facilities can't accommodate both.

I suppose I also feel that there are other places that one can access computer terminals/internet facilities, etc (although I willingly concede that I am probably skewed in this view because when traveling there are so many, very affordable internet cafes - they were easy to find in Mongolia ffs - and because I am fortunate enough to be online at home), but not many other places one can access free books. As I suggest, I aruge that we either need new different kinds of libraries that can house both books and the growing variety of forms of information, or perhaps we just shouldn't keep shoving everything publicly provided and info based into libraries but instead create new public services to complement libraries with different offerings.

Jake, Colossus of Clout

19:00 / 13.06.06

Libraries are fantastic!

My first job in high school was as a library page (putting away books and finding things for people), and I loved it. I got to take home all the new releases, and I never had to pay late fees, even years after I worked there.

I still use the library frequently, as books are expensive, and I rarely read a book more than once every five years. I never use the library for graphic novels, however, as I go back to my comics very frequently, and the comics industry needs my cash more than the book industry.

Libraries are ace. I have no problem with my tax dollars going to libraries.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

14:58 / 14.06.06

See? That's all you have to do to ensure you go to heaven.