4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Guest]

I don't use the library much now - I HATE that they are no longer libraries.

 

Mum is on a cruise and there was a letter Saturday saying a book has come in that she's reserved - they keep it for 10 days, she's away for 14 and had only just gone. Of course she's PAID to reserve this book. I phone up and ask if I can collect it, explaining that I don't have her card as she has it in her purse, they said that's OK, bring the letter which has her number on and some proof of ID.

 

In I pop today and I also needed to get a book for James to help with his homework. They had just finished an animal event in the childrens section and had moved bookshelves around to fit in kids and animals (how do ANIMALS fit in to a library??). James needs to know about nocturnall animals and the shelf with the animal books on is BEHIND one of the ones they have moved. So I go and ask as I want to get at the animal books. Librarian says "oh we've moved shelves to fit in the animals" I said I realised that but I want a book on animals - can you move the shelf so I can get to them - with some reluctance she did, I suggested that perhaps when they had an event on animals hiding the books on animals might have been a little shortsighted. I know if James had been at the event he would then have wanted an animal book. She just shrugged and said they needed the space.

 

Then I went up to the counter again to ask for the reserved book - dismissive wave at a shelf and told - they are over there. Hmmmm libraries used to keep them behind the counter. Got reserved books and went back to the counter - same woman as before says to me - self check out is over there and waves dismissively in another direction. I explain that I don't have the ticket but I have the letter and was rudely told "you can't take them without the ticket" much sighing and grumping after I said that wasn't what I was told on the phone - that I was told if I brought the letter and proof of ID I could take the books. She said "oh you didn't say you had proof of ID" errrm she didn't ask!!

 

I realise why I cant' be bothered with the library any more. There are 5 charity shops on this high street all of which sell books very cheaply. TBH more cheaply than the fines I end up paying when I forget to take the library books back!

[Guest]

I love our library. There's the odd old sour puss behind the counter but most of them are really nice (same anywhere really I suppose). I've noticed it's usually the women who are less helpful than the guys for some reason!?

 

It does annoy me when they point you in the direction of the auto check out thingy. I said to one girl, "don't you realise if everything gets automated then you'll be out of a job?" she just shrugged. When I went to use the darn thing it wasn't even working and I had to go back to the counter

 

My mum, who is 76, finds the talking books on tape must easier than reading these days but she's loaned nearly every one! We saw a sign that advertised books on MP3 players for children to rent out so we asked if this couldn't be extended to include the elderly but was told they were waiting to see if there was a decent take-up from the children first before extending it to include old people. I said "Well, I hope my mum is stlil around when you get around to doing them for the elderly then!"

 

There's one man behind the counter who is really nice and I always hope he'll be there when I go as he's super helpful but he isn't always there, still love the library though

[Blackrocksrock]

We have a small village library with lovely girls behind the counter - one at a time as its so small and have computers to hire out to internet search etc and its really nice with childrens section which does lovely things in the holiday with them too. They could not be more helpful and I personally could not live without mine - I am a book worm.

[Guest]

Oh I'm a book worm too but I just buy all my books at the charity shops/boot sale. Like I said it's cheaper than paying the fines when I forget to return them - now they don't stamp them I have NO chance of remembering. Or I just help myself to the books Mum has got out - then she returns them.

 

We are definately going to to get an E-Reader though - Mum is on "Ventura" this week and as per usual her first stop when she got on board was the library and she was very disappointed - "worst library at sea" was how she described it.

 

Now when we do QM2 in the summer we have to FLY so baggage will be an issue - how do you pack daywear, evening wear, formal wear and BOOKS! I think we may arrive in NYC to find a couple of Kindles waiting for us at the hotel....

[Janty]

You should try Lowestoft central library. That really is full of animals...the two legged youthful kind. They are constantly shouting over to each other while they swear down their mobiles, send texts to each other and run riot. Any poor people actually daring to study there would be completely stuffed. It's basically a creche to keep children amused when their parents can't be bothered to look after them. Heaven forbid we may ask them to entertain their own offspring. Phew! Rant over.

 

However, Oulton Broad library is a different story. It's very small and it's peaceful, you can hear yourself think and it's a proper library. We walk down every Sunday as a family, renew our books, etc. It's lovely.

[Blackrocksrock]

Our library still stamps books but you can phone up/ask for them to be reissued at any time and lengthen the time you get them out - I go every saturday or thursday night if I am away saturday. An e reader my daughter has and she loves it but I like the holding a proper book I am afraid.

[Tessa the Duchess]

I love my local library, been going to it for over 20 years pretty much the same staff too, all lovely and very helpful. It recently had a big makeover, was closed for 3 months I preferred it before they changed it, we now have automatic machines for checking in and checking out, which hardly ever work, so you still have to take the books to the desk and there are far more dvds and talking books than there were which is a good thing for some I suppose. They have moved the computers on to the gallery floor which is nicer, but we now have a security guard, which is sad imho.

 

Tessa

[sadietoo]

Sorry Janty...your library is open on a Sunday?

 

Quick rant off topic....

 

Sunday trading means...families don't have weekends together..especially in the supply chain which no one ever thinks about...( people have to workon Christmas Day if you want to shop on Boxing Day, folks and Easter Sunday if the shops are open on Monday). There were of couse always some people that worked on a sunday ( nurses, train drivers etc) but mostly it was a day of rest. I remember when shops were open 5 and a half days a week ( yes only a half day on wednesdays) and believe it or not we didn't starve. We are all so taken in by the hype...shops are open sooo much longer than they used to be...supermarkets are beating down your doors to deliver at a time that suits you..and yet...bring along a bank holiday and the queues in the local shops will last forever....unbelievable..... who pulls those strings????

 

anyway sorry back to topic...

 

when my babies were small browsing the library shelves kept my sanity...when they were a bit bigger sharing story time and the big books was such a special time...a bit bigger still and we borrowed Mr Majeka and Pongwiffy and laughed ourselves to sleep..a bit bigger still and Harry Potter made his debut ....a bit bigger still and topic work from school sent us to the reference books....then it was revision for GCSE and A Levels in a quiet and peaceful environment.......now it's uni libraries for them...and I am back to browsing the shelves...you have to love our libraries ..whatever their shortcomings...support them ...don't lose them

[Tessa the Duchess]

you have to love our libraries ..whatever their shortcomings...support them ...don't lose them

 

A few years ago there was a threat to close half the libraries in our borough to cut costs I joined a group that was fighting these closures and one evening we all went to a meeting about it. A councillor was present trying to explain why the closures were a good thing He actually said that although there would be less libraries the ones left would be much better and there were plans to start loaning videos (it was a few year's ago) there was uproar in the meeting, it's books we want in libraries NOT films!!!

 

Our library is also open on Sundays, I suppose it helps people that have to work all week and on Saturdays, I am also opposed to shops being open on Sundays, not from a day of rest pov but just because I want a day when people stop shopping.

 

Tessa

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Our libraries are pretty good although a lot of the staff could do with a crash course in friendliness . We can administer our "account" online and can renew a book up to 3 times.

 

My only bugbear is that if you've reserved a book (which is now free ) they'll phone you to let you know it's in then a few days after you've collected the book, you get a letter telling you the same thing .

 

I've never heard of this "auto checkout" thing .

[Guest]

I think some of you get me wrong.

 

I LIKE libraries

 

I don't like what they have turned into. Libraries should be about books and maybe a few DVD's/CD's - quiet places to study. But these days they are no longer quiet - librarians are only interested in helping people with the computers - you have to check out your own books, do your own reservations online. I totally resent the fact that whenever I do venture in I want help with books and I am always made to feel like I am "bothering" someone.

 

Yes they do have more user friendly opening hours - being open on a Sunday is great - its often the only chance I get to go to the library. I also wholeheartedly support Sunday trading - it helps create jobs too - not just "Saturday staff" anymore. As for working on holidays - plenty of people choose to do just that - for the extra pay mainly! I was just telling James the other day what Easter was like when I was a kid. Dad ALWAYS worked Easter Sunday - a morning shift, he did the same ever Christmas day - double time and a half and a day of in leui (sp!). He worked for BT on overseas Telgrams. He would do an 8 to 2 shift and usually be home by 12.30!

 

I think nowdays more people work longer hours and need more convenience - there are a lot less stay at home mothers than there used to be - in fact there are a lot more working single mothers - I know I would be driven insane by having to rush around doing everything in the evening or on Saturday if the shops were shut on Sunday. TBH I'm a bit miffed that so many places will be closed on Sunday - I'd love Easter Sunday to be the happy family day of my childhood but it isn't and our family don't want to spend the time with us so this will just be a Sunday when a lot of things are closed! Still I have a plan BUT it nearly all involves good weather - Church, boot sale, lunch, visit to the Reservoir, time in the garden. If the weather is lousy I cant change the plan to a play place or shopping centre!

[Tigerlily]

Hi everyone,

this is a library workers point of view!

I think some of you get me wrong.

 

I LIKE libraries

 

I don't like what they have turned into. Libraries should be about books and maybe a few DVD's/CD's - quiet places to study. But these days they are no longer quiet - librarians are only interested in helping people with the computers -

 

Pengy - I can only speak from my 17 years experience and all libraries are different...

The computers were brought into libraries by the government to create the "People's Network" to allow everyone free access to pc's -young, old, disadvantaged people etc. Unfortunately membership was low in numbers and book issues were reducing dramatically throughout all public libraries. By introducing the computers it gave public libraries a new purpose and we really do notice a difference if the internet goes down and "Ooops, word censored!"ody is in! Part of our job is helping people on the pc's as well as everything else we have always done... I love books! I love reading! However, libraries have had to move with the times and long gone are the days of the keep quiet signs and quiet study If they had stayed the same a lot would have closed permanently

 

I'm really dismayed to hear the staff at your library are as bad as that! Where I work, if someone had rung about a reservation we could have kept it longer till your mum had returned from holiday and there wouldn't have been a problem with collecting it on her behalf either. We have no self-service machines where I work, but they are introducing them at a couple of others. I believe they are more trouble than they are worth! I also believe you can't better personal service and no machine can (or should) replace a real person!

 

Sorry for the ramble and I'll take my library hat off now. It's such a shame that the staff there aren't as helpful and friendly as they should be! I'd like to think that the staff at my library are totally different to them!

 

Take care x

[Guest]

The computers being brought in was a positive move but should have been better thought through. Mums old library didn't have room for them and bringing them in there was a nightmare as it took all the peace and quiet and there was no longer anywhere to sit and read a book/paper. Also when people were being taught on them there was not room to walk past! There were plenty available at the main branch, conveiently located in a seperat room and a 10 minute bus ride away - bus stop right outside. Putting them in the smaller branch as well only inconvenienced many library users - most of whom ended up NOT going there any more as the library wa fairly unusable.

 

The library we use now has plenty of computers - not many people use them though as there aren't really any people around there who don't have one at home - they are hardly expensive nowdays and it's in a VERY affluent area.

 

As a teacher I have occasionally had parents making the excuse that they don't have computer/internet access at home (temporarily) and their child should not be expected to have to use one for homework. When I sugges the public library or school library it's like suggesting I send their child down a pit to work!

 

I think the libraries will shed more and more staff as they want everyone to do it theirselves - shame really as I think it's a large part of the demise. Anyway - off to the boot sale tomorrow (make that today as I can't sleep) for some more books.

[Helly Welly]

I love our library and see it as a place of refuge. All the staff are lovely and encourage children to be noisy when they hold activity events so that children don't feel intimidated by the need to be silent. The childrens section is huge and has beanbags as well as tables and chairs. There are lots of computers which are well used by the older members of the community. The rental on DVDs and CDs is pretty cheap and they let you have them for longer for the same price during school holidays. It's not open on a sunday bt is open quite late in the evenings. I go there to study sometimes and find it much easier to work there than at home.