I kind of can’t believe they still exist in 2024. That I can hear about a book I’d like to read, reserve it online and then collect it, for free. That we’re trusted to bring books home and then return them when we’re done. Sheffield Libraries also scrapped all their late fees during covid, so there’s no money involved at all.
As well as books, I’ve borrowed DVDs and board games from our local library. Had a big phase of borrowing CDs as a teenager as well.
Dunno if anyone here is a librarian, but if so: you’re cool.
This is my pure and wholesome thought for Sunday, hooray for libraries!
Libraries are the best, about to head out to mine to return a book and have a browse.
Feel lucky that where I moved to it’s linked with the uni so is open until 10pm every night. Often catch up with a friend for food and drinks and then end with a late night library browse, reckon between us we’ve had our 250 books from there in the last 3 years.
I’ll occasionally work from the library as well, and seeing all the people come in over the day is great. Can hear the songs from bounce and rhyme in the morning and at the other end of the scale I’m often sat by an old man who is working away at his high score on solitaire with some YouTube documentaries on in the background.
More should be done to protect libraries, the local one my nan has been using for a book club is closing down due to council cuts and they just don’t care for the community impact it has.
I used to work in a library building (although not for the library service) and shared an office with librarians - they never spoke (not even to each other) they must have used telepathy. It was great during Lockdown as I still had to visit the building and had permission just to help myself to books - it was like that episode of the Twilight Zone.
Our local one is great for kids. They have a little craft club thing every Saturday morning. It’s only usually pritt stick, scissors and coloured paper laid out on a table but our kids absolutely loved it. Even when the funding was totally cut they still kept that going.
No late fees any more either and BorrowBox is amazing
Only started losing the library when I lost my job and was like “books?? For free?” Seemed mad but now I never buy a book. I love being on mega long wait lists too. I’m number 300 in the queue for All Fours by Miranda July!
Funny thing happened in the library yesterday where it said a book I reserved was ready to check out but wasn’t on the shelf and we couldn’t figure it out and turns out I’d reserved an audiobook and waited like 3 months for it
This is what I thought with Orbital as I was 128 in the queue and then it just appears ?! I guess it depends on pick up/drop off location and number of copies. I have no idea but I enjoy the thrill of it!
My only beef with libraries is that they obvs get priority over my own books, so I’ll read the library ones in 3 weeks or whatever but my own shelves languish untouched. Trying to get a better balance between reserving new stuff and reading my own bits n bobs.
I also find my library a bit too loud to work in because it is a community hub but sometimes I hang out there reading if I have like an hour between appointments in town or to kill before a train etc.
when R has had their school hours or whole days robbed from their timetable the library is the only place we can do in the daytime without loads of judgey looks about a kid being out during the school day. Librarians are always super friendly and accommodating to R
kids book selection at ours is great, they have like a whole third of the library for that section and lots of cosy reading spots
the online catalogue got linked up a few years ago so it is now all of Essex and a lot of London, we can find almost everything we ever look for and even the more popular stuff the waits aren’t long because there’s a good pool of copies
I save so much money on the bigger series R is into by being able to just keep a them on rotation from the library. Like Splatoon Manga, there’s SIXTEEN of the main series that’s a lot of £££ and a lot of shelf space
they recently did up the outside of my livrary and now there is a nice bench out the front under the shade of a tree. This might not seem like a big deal but this is the only bench outside of a park anywhere in the area. If it had been there a couple years ago it would have saved me a hell of a lot of sitting on the edges of carparks, and I know at least there is that option in the future (because not great to sit inside the library if you are having to talk a lot is the only problem)
I have a little crush on one of the librarians. Never going to do anything about it but it is nice when she compliments my clothes.
Love them. Used to develop software for them, and working on site was lovely. Lovely people, nice place to be.
One of my best friends is a library manager, and she posts pictures on FB of themed shelves she creates for times of year, Halloween etc. Very envious of her job.
Library were absolutely boss to me when I was a kid. Kept a list of the Pratchett books I hadn’t yet read so I could get fresh new ones (probably was a little too young to be reading some of them but whatever)
And when I was on internal suspension at school (hilarious misunderstanding with what I thought was an unmanned email address), the school librarian just let me hang out in there when I’d finished my assigned schoolwork within like two hours
I love the library. Brilliant for keeping the kids books fresh and the centre of Stockholm has an amazing arts library where you get killer art books and sheet music
