Libraries, public, renaissance of: DDC 020.336

[PDQ Mobile]

Personally, I think that they should close them all and the councils could spend more money on other stuff. Stuff that the people use, rather than a small minority.
....................

Mick...............surely that was said tongue in cheek.

Nope.
Not at all.

Close the libraries, turn them into housing.
Spend the money on street cleaning, local services, cheaper parking at hospitals, better bus services, road repairs, hedge clearing and tree felling.
Loads of stuff could be done instead of spending on libraries.
If you want a book, go into a charity shop and buy one. When you've read it, take it back.

My local library will order any book they have which you want from the N.Wales area for free.
And any book from the National system for a small fee.
It is a very large catalogue even locally.
A bi-lingual resource too.

It's not all about fiction either.
There is a great store of non fiction knowledge about diverse subjects, from local history, especially mining and industry, to a great natural history, sport (cycling!) sections.
Charity shops are ok for a bit of light fiction, emphasis on light usually! But don't compare if you want something specific and in depth.
Plus the other copying and internet resouces for those on a low income.

[pwa]

I get most of my books from second hand book shops. I buy them in batches. I have several I have yet to read, and one on the go. I haven't had a library card for about 20 years.

[Vorpal]

But do you want to spend £200 on a specialist text for a research project? Or require that young people studying a wide variety of subjects for school buy all of the books they need for every project and essay? When I was at university, I could barely afford the text books that were required for each class. If I'd had to buy books, instead of going to the library for the various research and projects I did, I could never have afforded to attend university.

[Cyril Haearn]

For everyday information one uses the interweb now but lots of stuff is not available there, why not?

I love poking around in a library or bookshop and finding things I was not looking for

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

For everyday information one uses the interweb now but lots of stuff is not available there, why not?

I love poking around in a library or bookshop and finding things I was not looking for

My main reason for visiting Town, though I did spy something that may be useful and on a forced visit to town went to the shop and found what I was looking for, so more a novelty rather than necessity of by gone years.

[Cyril Haearn]

The Guardian reports that many libraries are now run by volunteers instead of paid staff, that was the only way to keep them open
Even school pupils have replaced paid staff. Is that exploitative child labour? Maybe it is OK if they are not paid

[reohn2]

The Guardian reports that many libraries are now run by volunteers instead of paid staff, that was the only way to keep them open

It is when you have failed government policies and austerity measures whilst cutting the bulk of tax reductions to the most wealthy in society.
As I posted up thread let's not forget that libraries are much more than somewhere to borrow a book,CD or DVD but also run children's reading groups and help people apply for jobs by formulating CV's,have internet access,and are recreational meeting places,etc,etc.All of which benefits the whole of society but mostly the less well off

Even school pupils have replaced paid staff. Is that exploitative child labour? Maybe it is OK if they are not paid

Not such a bad thing if over 13 years and are supervised by trained and qualified staff

[Vorpal]

I think it is a good thing to have young people working in libraries, but I don't think it is a good thing to replace professional staff with school children, paid or not. Libraries are something that should be fully supported and funded by the government.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

I think it is a good thing to have young people working in libraries, but I don't think it is a good thing to replace professional staff with school children, paid or not. Libraries are something that should be fully supported and funded by the government.

Here here, apart from any unpaid workers, I see that the GOV are trying to remove unpaid interns, I mean that interns should have employee rights.

Quite often a persons profile will have voluntary / charity unpaid / OR NOT..........................but why would you do unpaid work or do freelance in name only for miserly pay unless its subsidised by your own income elswhere

As for sub 16 year olds they might be persuaded to do voluntary but do you think that they did it off their own back, I mean it was what they wanted to do without prompts...................
You do voluntary etc if you are sitting pretty / you coerced into it I.M.O.

[Vorpal]

Hi,
Here here, apart from any unpaid workers, I see that the GOV are trying to remove unpaid interns, I mean that interns should have employee rights.

That's because unpaid intern positions are abused significantly. Unpaid interns are often graduates or apprentices doing jobs for which they should be paid. I knew someone who worked unpaid for two years in an internship after uni, with the promise that he'd get a full time job, but when the time came, they told him to get stuffed and got themselves a new intern.

I'm okay with unpaid internships under some circumstances. For example
-they are short term (i.e. summer between years at uni)
-the intern benefits in terms of education or training
-the intern receives course credit towards a degree/certificate

I guess there could be other circumstances under which unpaid internships are okay. However, they may also need some funding. At the moment, only people who have other means of financial support (middle class parents) can afford to do unpaid work. If internships are critical to a career or industry, then they need to be opened to people who can't afford to do unpaid work, either with government funding or (gasp!) pay.

[reohn2]

Any idiot can work for nowt

[ambodach]

My local school now houses the public library run by an enthusiastic and helpful librarian but only available to the public out with school hours. I have requested and got a few books but it can sometimes take a while. I wanted”The Cyclist Who Went Out In The Cold” but it has not appeared because on long term loan to Isle of Colonsay. Given the small population of Colonsay I would say that is probably a misuse of resources. There seems to be a regular turnover of new books also but like probably a lot of libraries there is an obsession with the 2 world wars and autobiographies and biographies of people I have never heard of and have no interest in. I continue to go as a matter of principle and sometimes take books I will never read just to help keep the numbers up.
I have had one or two books on shortish cycle tours which I suspect have been written with the aid of Streetview and Google Maps rather than a bicycle but that is perhaps a bit of thread drift.

[Cyril Haearn]

Philip Larkin is one of my favourite librarians and one of my favourite poets

He became Librarian at Hull University at a time of optimism and expansion, the Brynmor Jones* library was apparently built much bigger than it should have been, naughty! €€€!

*BJ was Welsh of course

[Mick F]

Close all the libraries, sell the land, and spend the money on increasing the budget for the local police forces.

[reohn2]

Any idiot can work for nowt

The quoted post which appears above on this page was NOT posted by me,and initially contained the words"bumped by Cyril Haearn" which have now been removed leaving the post as if I've posted it.
I'd like to know what's going on,does anyone have any information on how someone can post in my name appearing on the forum as if I posted it.
This is a very serious matter and I'd like an explaintion from whoever is the source of stealing my identity!