Saturday 10 November 2012

Support your Libraries!


Saturday is generally Library day for me & the family.  It’s when we can pop in, pick our books up and choose some more eye candy and reading fodder, so I thought I’d share a bit about our library.

I love our library system in this County…the staff are so knowledgeable, and if they don’t know the answer to whatever obscure question we have for them, they manage to find it out or know a man/woman/computer who can!  For Children & Young Adult titles there is no charge to reserve books…so we can have the pleasure of popping into the library to pick up our reservations made online as well as peruse the bookshelves, delving into the many audiobooks, dvds, console games and of course, books and magazines that they have there.

I popped along to The Overflowing Library earlier, to have a virtual wander around Sarah’s bookshelf, and Sarah mentioned that she likes to donate books to her library.  That reminded me of the reason why I stopped donating to our Norfolk libraries – if the book doesn’t fit for whatever reason, it won’t be added to the catalogue…it will end up destroyed :(  I find this really detestable as well as wasteful.  The same goes for books no longer deemed fit for the shelves, or when stock is rotated – it’s not an uncommon sight to see a librarian with a massive brown paper sack, tearing to shreds books as they are removed from the catalogue. 
I’m a fairly open book (ha!) when it comes to recycling and reuse – why waste it when we are making more?  Why not use, sell or yes, if there's no other alternative - recycle?  I guess in the libraries defence the books will undoubtedly be recycled in some shape or form…but I’m sure if they held monthly book sales they’d come away with plenty of happy bookworms, as well as some extra funds….

Our libraries have had to adapt to a changing world….socialising is something done on Twitter and Facebook nowadays…so thankfully they’ve encouraged community use whilst the library is open, which means within Norfolk there are craft groups and social groups springing up; meeting in the library during evenings or for an afternoon cuppa.  Personally I go along to our local for a craft group, and last year I ran craft sessions throughout the summer holiday for children and their parents to attend free within the library.  It was brilliant!  The children all thoroughly enjoyed the sessions, and the adults got to come and do something with their children, within their community, for no cost whilst in a warm and dry environment.  Unsurprisingly, they were very popular.  The library is looking for volunteers to run similar schemes for next year.

If you have a hobby which you'd like to share, why not share it in the library and make your own group?  

Libraries are rapidly becoming a social place and somewhere more than a place to get your next read from.  They are becoming social hubs – not only for craft sessions, but also things like console gaming and board game afternoons.  As for us, we’ve been in today and all stocked up on more books – I’ll share the ones I got tomorrow :0)

I’d love to know what your libraries do..if there’s anything yours does that you love, that you’re unsure of or that you wish they didn’t…..

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