Do you use your local public library?
- Thread starter soulman
- Start date
May Kasahara
take me to the feeling
LOL. get over it mate. you work, don't you? hang out here, don't you? live as solitary a life as you want but don't try and claim you're not part of human life, it just sounds melodramatic.
anyway, yes i do use my local library a lot, it's excellent.
Our local library has had a recent makeover, and there are hardly any books. It's all gone a bit multimedia, and there are rooms where kids can watch films, use the internet and play computer games. Lots of computer terminals, community information and so on. But books - not so much.
Chairman Meow
Perth, WA
I use mine once a month or so. I get 12 books out ( I use my husband's ticket as well as my own) and sprog gets four books. I buy books too, but my house would be full and I would be broke if I bought all I wanted. 
Our library is very good, lots of new books and ordering is free (10 euro a year membership). I pay loads in fines though I don't mind a bit - they are always nagging me to phone and renew though. We can order books online too which is fab, cos they write to you to tell you when they come in, and usually I have forgotten all about them, so its a nice surprise. Its a fantastic service, can't believe its so good and almost free.
Our library is very good, lots of new books and ordering is free (10 euro a year membership). I pay loads in fines though I don't mind a bit - they are always nagging me to phone and renew though. We can order books online too which is fab, cos they write to you to tell you when they come in, and usually I have forgotten all about them, so its a nice surprise. Its a fantastic service, can't believe its so good and almost free.
If you check out your council website it'll probably tell you which is your closest library. Can't be more than a bike ride away.
Most public libraries have got internet access now, and usually for free. Shame to hear they have less books though. Maybe you should mention it next time you're in there.
Grub str. hack
New Member
In answer to the orginal question. Yes. Libaries are brilliant. To my mind there one of the best things that council tax can buy, especially coz there a huge money saver if you happen to read alot.
I hate all these stupid ideas about re-jazzing the image of the local libary, to appeal to young people. I am a young person and have always known that libaries are cool. I don't want moronic chav scum eating KFC and happy slapping each other when I'm trying to choose a book.
Its better that the libary is a well kept secret.
If you can't find what you want you can always go to a charity shop where the 1 or 2 quid you spend will go to a good cause. I don't know why anyone buys books from waterstones.
I hate all these stupid ideas about re-jazzing the image of the local libary, to appeal to young people. I am a young person and have always known that libaries are cool. I don't want moronic chav scum eating KFC and happy slapping each other when I'm trying to choose a book.
Its better that the libary is a well kept secret.
If you can't find what you want you can always go to a charity shop where the 1 or 2 quid you spend will go to a good cause. I don't know why anyone buys books from waterstones.
It isn't free, it's free at the point of use. A friend of mine who worked in libraries explained that the average cost when anyone takes out a library book is approx £8. This was a few years ago too. Libraries, particularly small branch libraries are underused and costly. Because of the large number of titles are printed each year there is always a difficult choice of which books to stock; inevitably only a tiny fraction can be bought for libraries, even if you share a book across several branches. Why do people use Waterstones? Several reasons but the ability to get obscure first hand books is one, libraries cannot compete in this regard. I sometimes use the central library for my area because it has some good books in its basement but it's a long drawn out death knell for this institution imo.
Geri
wasn't born to follow
Because of course, a charity shop will always have what you want - you just have to go in, and there it will be, sitting on the shelf waiting for you.
May Kasahara
take me to the feeling
Our central library is brilliant, I must say - loads of choice in terms of genre, large print, audio books, DVDs etc., loads of ace CDs, a fairly large foreign language section, plus they do lots of cool event strands - there was a great comics one a while back with lots of talks by writers and artists, and a competition to design your own superhero.
dilute micro
esse quam videri
Every so often.
only for sheet music, and even then not for quite a while . . .
I recently started borrowing books from the library again after many years of not doing so. I'd left it so long I had to re-register. But still I've got most of my books from Amazon or from Amazon Marketplace sellers; you can sometime get some real bargains on there.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
is it wrong that all three of my library cards are in false names? I do give the books back. Eventually.
Poot
My wife thinks I work too hard
God, I'm hardly out of the place since I showed it to my toddler. He thinks it's magical, and it saves me having to read the same 3 bedtime stories every night (his favourites are not necessarily my favourites!)
Seriously, I don't know where we'd be without it. It even works as bribery ("If you are good, I'll take you to the library")
Seriously, I don't know where we'd be without it. It even works as bribery ("If you are good, I'll take you to the library")
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