Reading Allowed: True Stories and Curious Incidents from a Provincial Library

by Chris Paling

Chris works as a librarian in a small-town library in the south of England. This is the story of the library, its staff, and the fascinating group of people who use the library on a regular basis.

We'll meet characters like the street-sleepers Brewer, Wolf and Spencer, who are always the first through the doors. The Mad Hatter, an elderly man who scurries around manically, searching for books. Sons of Anarchy Alan, a young Down's Syndrome man addicted to the American TV drama series. Startled Stewart, a gay man with a spray-on tan who pops in most days for a nice chat, sharking for good-looking foreign language students. And Trish, who is relentlessly cheerful and always dressed in pink - she has never married, but the marital status of everybody she meets is of huge interest to her.

Some of the characters' stories are tragic, some are amusing, some are genuinely surreal, but together they will paint a bigger picture of the world we live in today, and of a library's hugely important place within it. Yes, of course, people come in to borrow books, but the library is also the equivalent of the village pump. It's one of the few places left where anyone, regardless of age or income or background, can wander in and find somebody to listen to their concerns, to share the time of day.

Reading Allowed will provide us with a fascinating portrait of a place that we all value and cherish, but which few of us truly know very much about ...

Genres: Nonfiction, Books About Books, Memoir, Adult, Biography, Contemporary, Biography Memoir

320 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2017

About the author

Born in 1956 in Derby, Chris Paling studied social sciences at the University of Sussex. He started working as a studio manager for BBC radio in 1981. In the early 90s he had a Thirty Minute Theatre play called Way Station produced on BBC Radio 4. He wrote more radio plays and later began writing novels.

Chris Paling is married with two children, Sarah and Thomas, and lives in Brighton.

Reviews

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
If I didn't work in a Library I would probably have marked this a little lower and considered it fiction as opposed to non fiction. Mind you, I'm 'only' a volunteer Librarian and Mr Paling often gets close to being a bit sniffy about them. 
My Library is very small, used by a rural community in a Yorkshire Dales village. It is 100% run by volunteers - every aspect - and has been for some years now. We manage just fine thank you. And that's without the luxury of calling on a facilities team to come and sort out the more difficult parts of the job (Paling is never off the phone to them).
Mr Paling's library is clearly very different and the effect of Government cuts worry him greatly.
His Library functions as much more than just a book/DVD lending service and a large part of the book involves descriptions of his regulars. These frequently verge into Caricature Country but I suppose that without them the book would be pretty dull (quite hard to make the intricacies of the Dewey system or how to shelve Mcs and Macs exciting).
If this book makes just one person decide to join (or re-join) their local library then that's good news. And Paling should come and see a Community Volunteer Library in action - who knows, he might be pleasantly surprised. 

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Until the tsunami of information arrived via the internet back in the 1990's we were reliant on libraries as those of us who didn't have the Encyclopaedia Britannica at home needed to find out those details another way. I read a fair amount, as you may have gathered by now and I am fortunate enough to get many books through the post every month for me to read, however, I still go to the library at least once a week. Often twice... And still come back with way too many library books, at least that is according to my wife. They are the best free bookshop in town and not only do you get your books free, each author gets a little money each time you borrow a book.

It is rare that we see the view from the other side of the counter though. The man in charge of the date stamp is Chris Paling who works in a small town library somewhere in the UK. The people that beat a path to this place in the community are not just there for the books. A lot come into use the computers or just to socialise and for the company. His library gets homeless people seeking warmth in the winter, as well as attracting its fair share of the strange and the weird. His stories tell of the mundane daily life, shelving and answering simple queries from the public to the slightly shocking and often amusing tales that you get when you are a frontline public service.

Libraries are about Freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication. They are about education (which is not a process that finishes the day we leave school or university), about entertainment, about making safe spaces, and about access to information.” - Neil Gaiman

If you can't remember the last time you went into a library then I would suggest that may be time to revisit one again. These are a precious resource and if we do not keep using them, then the already swinging cuts they have suffered will only get worse. I have used the quote above as Gaiman is one of those who pretty much read his library from one end to the other as a child, and it made him the writer he is today. Not everyone can afford to keep buying books all the time. Paling's book is a useful insight into the daily life of a small town library and it will shock you and make you laugh with a page or so. Love reading and libraries, then you will probably like this. 3.5 stars

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone going into working a library job or already work in libraries, then this is the book for you! I could not have picked a better read to get feeling excited (and a little bit anxious) for when I started my new job working as a library assistant. Chris is a published author but takes on paid work at one of the local libraries close to him, writing and observing the customers that visit as well as some of the craziest experiences to take place which include people angry about having to pay off fines and some using drugs in the public toilets. It felt like I was getting some real insight even though I wasn't physically speaking to Chris.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I work in a library, and I've always said that if all the library staff wrote their memoirs of their working day it would be a best-seller! This may not be a best-seller....yet but it's definitely worth a read.

A few weeks back I saw there being a flurry of activity with this book coming in and going out. Curiosity got the better of me, and I looked more closely and found that a large number of library staff I work with had either read this book or had it on reserve. So, not one to be left out, I put my name down! Now books like this, for a library person, are great. I went through so many parts of the book going 'yep, we do that', 'yep, that's happened to me' and 'yep, that's exactly what I'm like. Notable examples are spotting particular library regulars and finding yourself some very important work to do as far away from the desk as possible so you don't have to deal with them and getting sidetracked by the books you are supposed to be shelving and find yourself propping up the shelves while you flick through a book!

One of the good things about this book is that it is set in the UK. Also I was very envious about the set up that this library has, especially the facilities team who deal with problem library visitors (yes we do get them!), blocked toilets (you have no idea what people shove down our library toilet) and vomitting children. We have to ourselves 'evict' our own problem customers, unblock our own toilets (and mop up the subsquent mess) and clean up after poorly children. This library worker in the book obviously has no clue about working in a proper library!!!

A good book, particularly if you are in this line of work, easily relatable and amusing in parts!

[Helen White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuck. This is my life

[The Librarian Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable and very fast read.

I'm sure that much of my enjoyment came from the fact that I am a librarian myself, so could relate to pretty much everything within this book.

The author could even have been writing about the libraries in which I work.
The similarities were so vast.

However, in some places I found myself thinking that the author couldn't be a very nice librarian.
He says and does some things which I wouldn't do myself in this job and which I don't think fit with what our job roles are meant to be.

For example:

"When it comes to enquires, the Travelling Man knows the limits. He asks for a book, perhaps two, but he doesn't tend to use that as a springboard for more information."

I thought helping people to obtain information was the whole point of a librarian?

I wasn't aware that customers were allowed a maximum of two queries before they reached some imaginary "limit".
Maybe I'm just a more accommodating person, but I found this kind of not okay.

And at another point, when talking about one of his homeless customers:

"Late leavers are particularly galling to staff members who are paid until closing time and no longer. Nigel has now had ten free minutes of my time."

Nigel is a homeless man who sleeps rough every night and has just informed the author that he has been having a bad day.
He is also packing up his belongings ready to leave.

But apparently he is not moving fast enough and our kind author resents spending 10 unpaid minutes waiting for him to leave.

Is just me who finds this quite miserly and selfish?

It can't be just me.

But these small issues (more with the author than the book) aside, this was an enjoyable, funny, sometimes melancholy look at life in a typical English library.

Filled with a whole host of interesting, amusing, eccentric, angry and sometimes just very lonely characters, it is a very honest and accurate portrayal of what it is like to be a librarian.

Definitely worth a read.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former author Chris Paling has compiled here a collection of anecdotes from his time working in a provincial library (possibly in Brighton?) - an interesting panoply of unusual characters who come into the library for various reasons (mostly not to borrow books!) and the strange requests they make of staff, together with thought-provoking commentary on the library service during a time of swinging cuts to local government and the need for libraries - 8/10.

[Lotty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book as I have worked in both public and education libraries and you do come away from a days work with many hilarious and unbelievable stories. The book started off well enough and I recognised many of the 'characters' you get to know, but as the book went on Paling seemed to run out of material. I didn't welcome the history lesson he kept trying to weave in as I thought the book was purely anecdotal. He also appears pretty judgemental at times which grated. Overall it was a good concept but poorly delivered, in my opinion.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paling works in an unidentified city library somewhere in the south of England. Here he recounts a range of stories about life on the frontlines of a modern library. This is brilliant if, like me, you work in a library similar to this. It's not all sweet little old ladies reading Catherine Cookson.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too balanced to be merely whimsical, elegiac or polemical, RA is an absorbing case-study of yet another fine historic institution and its modern tribulations. There are human stories (are there any other kind?) laced with digressions on books, writing, Dewey, the history of libraries and all the things a mind can turn to in such a rich environment. Musing on the library at Alexandria is interrupted by a customer saying that the toilets are blocked. A fight breaks out over newspapers. Struggles abound. Everyone does what they can.

42 staff leave, almost in one go, over the course of the book. This is not the answer to anything, let alone Life the Universe and Everything.

But this isn’t the tale of the modern administrator, surviving on spreadsheets. Or the blinkered local idealist, shackled to a dead past. This is now – a surprising, unreliable, social workplace, a real job dealing with real people with all the confusion and worry that entails.

In traditional reviewing fashion, I cannot recommend this book highly enough for both entertainment and education.

Y’know. Like a library.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably a must-read, if you have ever worked in a public library. The author has taken a post as a library assistant in a central library in an unspecified southern English town (got my suspicions where, but it's anonymous for obvious reasons). My public library experience was 6 years in a reference library in London, and 8 years as a branch librarian in Wales, and of the two the London reference library was brought to mind more by this book - the daily incidents, the regular users of the library, some of the problems. How envious I am of what sounds like a fantastic support system, Facilities, to whom he is always on the phone and who come to the rescue constantly, a luxury we never had (although we did have a share of the security staff in the town hall next door). How glad I am that we didn't have public toilets in the library, or allow food and drink (the sources of many of the problems).
In between the anecdotes there are some serious issues. Among library users there are many lonely people, some with interesting stories to tell. Libraries provide one of the few spaces where people can go and not be judged (well, only in private, unless their behaviour is too noticeable). Recent attacks on the library service have led to the loss of many staff across the country, including many of the specialists (the rare books expert and the stock editors in his case, and during the course of the year a whole lot of people take voluntary redundancy). The question he asks about how the stock is chosen when it is done by supplier selection is one to which it is difficult to get an answer (they probably just send whatever they have in their warehouse: the suppliers used in my own local library miss things which I would not have missed when I was choosing the library stock, such as books which have been on Radio 4's Book at bedtime, and a series by a well-known author with a good media profile and which has since been televised. I digress).
My experience in London was pre-Internet, but I have to say that some of the problems which the American consultant claims would not be happening if libraries did not give Internet access most certainly were familiar then too (such as the stalking of female staff and the arguments). The idea that volunteers could cope with some of this seems fanciful in the extreme to me: libraries run by volunteers tend not to be in inner city areas, and those who claim it works just fine and dandy can't possibly be dealing with the sort of social pressures described here.
I must point out that Edgar Lustgarten most certainly did die in the library, whatever Richard Ingrams thinks, although the author casts doubt on this on page 68. This was the library I worked in, and two of my former colleagues were there at the time (it was before I worked there). The Wikipedia story draws on an interview in the Guardian with a later member of staff there. OK, I wasn't there myself, but this is absolutely not something my former boss would ever have made up! I could even have shown Chris Paling where Edgar Lustgarten was sitting at the time, had they not sold the building off and eventually got rid of the reference library ...

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I work in libraries, and Paling has written an account so similar to my own that at points I questioned whether a colleague had written it, or if I had even forgotten writing a book myself! Paling shows us that libraries are so much more than books; they are hubs for the community; safe spaces; unsafe spaces; lacking in funding; loved and lost. If anyone ever asks me if all I get up to in a library is just shelving books I'll refer them to Reading Allowed. I also really liked the additions that Paling put in about the history of libraries and the Dewey decimal system (helped along the way by a friend in St. Louis - my second home!). I hope this book finds more people reading it than library staff and regular users.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

liked this book detailing the daily life of librarian staff in southern England in this the era of library closures and cuts and had to laugh at some of the customers mentioned. overall was an easy read and was a random selection from my local library.

[Odette Brethouwer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten ik dit boek kocht en er in begon dacht ik dat het een komisch boek zou zijn over grappige dingen in een bibliotheek. De eerste pagina's vielen me dan ook enorm tegen, want ik vond het niet grappig.

Bummer, dacht ik. Maar jullie hebben mijn rating gezien, en ja het wordt anders :)

Zodra ik er wat meer open voor wat het boek was inging, ging ik het zien en waarderen voor wat het is. Op een dagboekachtige manier geeft het een heel duidelijk beeld van het allesomvattende, waardevolle dat een bibliotheek voor een samenleving betekent. Met een psychologische studie van alle soorten mensen die er over de vloer komen.

De schrijver wordt soms door bepaalde gebeurtenissen op een gedachtespoor gezet dat hij bijvoorbeeld gaat uitzoeken hoe de collectie eigenlijk wordt samengesteld. Dat soort hoofdstukken zijn interessant om te lezen omdat ik er nooit bij stil stond, maar ik het me samen met hem af ging vragen en het interessant vind om te weten hoe het zit (in de UK dan wel).

Daarnaast zijn veel korte verhalen of interacties hartverwarmend - of hebben een andere emotionele lading. Maar het is gewoon een heel mooi en fijn boek dat zeker een bijzonder plekje in mijn hart heeft veroverd.

Oh en de cover is gewoon prachtig - en loopt op de dustcover van de hardcover prachtig door op de rug en is dus een pareltje op mijn plank.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I absolutely love libraries, and have done since I was a young child. Paling is a librarian and I expected a lively, funny, informative read, with maybe a polemic or two detailing his experiences and opinions. Goodness knows, the 'c' word and ill informed politicians (Cameron said the internet has replaced the need for libraries), have systematically decimated these treasured institutions. Library users come from the whole social spectrum. And the history and impact of libraries is astonishing. But despite all this potentially rich and delicious material, Paling writes in such a mundane and bland, neutral way, the whole book becomes pretty inconsequential. What a wasted opportunity.

[Karen Keane · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read, enjoyable book, although a lot of pleasure came from the book because work in a library myself and can identify with many of the situations and customers. It certainly shows that library work isn't the 'pleasant little job' people think it is. A funny and entertaining book.

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I worked in public libraries for thirteen years so thought this might be an entertaining read that I could relate to. It was that, but it failed to really hit the mark. I think it was trying too hard to be intellectual and inject pathos into the job. On the flipside, I hope this book helps to open people's eyes to what it is really like to work in a library. It amazes me how so many have this image of libraries as hushed places, filled with books, and where the staff read all day. ( I wish! ) This image is usually in the heads of people who haven't used a library for a very, very long time.
The author is in the United Kingdom, so obviously there are some differences in his experiences, to mine in Australia. The fact that he has a 'Facilities' team to call upon for the really hairy stuff ( blocked toilets, potentially dangerous situations with anti-social members of the public etc) is one glaring difference. What a luxury!
The author does a good job describing some of the regulars - good and bad - but I noticed that he fails to really talk much about his co-workers. (Perhaps he wanted to keep his job haha) I know from experience that fellow librray staff can be just as quirky and challenging as some of the members of the public that walk through our doors.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was enjoyable, though the stories told about life in this particular library sometimes felt sadder more than charming. The stories that made me sad illustrate the unique role libraries have in communities. The particular time this book is written was interesting to me because I lived in England at the time the libraries were facing these cuts, and my husband was a library volunteer in our local branch, so much of this was familiar.

[Susan Corcoran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading and libraries and so I was immediately attracted to this book.

I'm glad to say it is charming and a very funny read at points. In is also very moving in places, as the writer describes the fact that libraries are not just about books, they also provide warmth and shelter to many of societies less fortunate people.

I would highly recommend this book to all book lovers.

[Laura Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brought back so many memories of my brief period working in a public library. Such wonderful stories and characters. A reminder of the huge social service and community role the library and its staff serve on a daily basis and how so many people are dependent on its existence. An easy book to pick up and down but I found I couldn’t put it down. I understand most of the stories are based on Brighton public library - a microcosm of that city - all human life is there. My partner currently volunteers in a charity bookshop and observed that many of those same library users also would seem to visit his bookshop!

[Tiina · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you work in a public library, you will recognise some characters. Although, this one is a bit less regulated than my library.
It was a bit meandering at times, but the anecdotes and instances of kindness made it a great read.
Go visit a library!

[MargCal · Rating 1 out of 5]

DID NOT FINISH ... Reading Allowed: true stories and curious incidents from a provincial library / Chris Paling ... 24 August 2017
ISBN: 9781472124715

A serious disappointment.

I confess I'd never heard of Chris Paling when I asked my local library to purchase this book. It turns out he's written nine novels, written a play that's toured the UK, and works as a BBC radio producer. He also works in a local library – although he's on a zero hours contract which makes me wonder if he took the job simply so he could get material for this book.

The jacket blurb says, “Amusing, tragic, surreal and eccentric, Reading Allowed is a fascinating insight into the classic British institution that is our local library which will both enchant and delight.” Well no, I'm afraid not, not for this reader.

Paling spends a lot of time describing the library patrons but the writing is flat. The patrons never seem to come to life and lift from the page. Paling himself talks to the patrons but doesn't seem to engage with them. I'm afraid I gave up. Life is too short to spend time reading something that might be factually correct but fails abysmally to live up to its promise.

Bought by my local library at my request.

[Sophy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had it all! Humour, sadness, anger, frustration, joy. Everything that encompasses being a human.

Ultimately libraries are places of human contact, albeit sometimes for a few minutes whilst perusing the ethereal world of books.

I laughed a lot at the human "types" Chris Paling experiences in his librarian job, and have witnessed first hand at least three of the types he discusses, in my own local library. Similarly, I have seen how it can be the highlight of the week for some elderly and lonely people.

Libraries to me have always been a beacon of light, somewhere to escape to and a portal to another world. Its such a shame reading of the cutbacks Paling highlights, and the loss of expertise as time served members of library teams "retire" not wholly through choice.

Libraries should be cherished and protected through the generations, and preserved as the rightful purveyors of the dreams of many.

A wonderful read (and yes, I got this out of my local library).

[Adam Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a bibliophile, I really wanted to like this book - a series of short, wry vignettes from the author's time working in a provincial library. But I struggled to connect with it, and was put off by some of the unsympathetic caricaturing. I did, however, enjoy learning that Melvil Dewey came up with the idea for his book classification system one Sunday when he was bored during a sermon.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a librarian myself, I have mixed feelings about this book. Much of what Paling writes is very familiar (I suspect it is to anyone who works in a public library). Librarians are essentially counsellors, child-minders, tech wizards, entertainers and human Google. Oh, and we look after the books themselves.

However, Paling is writing from a rather unusual position. It's rare for library staff to have a team who can come and deal with aggressive users, drug abusers, blocked loos and theft, so I feel he didn't really get the full experience. In several anecdotes, he comes across as condescending and lacking empathy, such as complaining that a user took an extra 10 minutes to leave in the evening because the man was feeling upset. When my library had a suicidal homeless chap at closing time, staff stayed late with him until the emergency mental health team arrived from 25 miles away - it's part of our role, both as librarians and decent human beings.

Also, he seems to have an inordinate amount of time to read books on the desk and often treats library users as an interruption to his reading time. Not exactly helping the cause of libraries there, buddy, since the perception that librarians are paid to sit and read all day is partly what fuels government cuts and library closures.

I've seen a few reviewers take umbridge with Paling's assertion that libraries should not be run by volunteers. On this, I do agree with Paling. Don't misinterpret me, volunteers do amazing work and many are highly knowledgable, but it's not the same as having paid staff who are bound by the ethics and standards of a professional body such as ALA or CILIP. Would you go to a doctor's surgery run by well-meaning volunteers who aren't legally required to keep their knowledge up-to-date? There is a vast amount of information (and misinformation) available nowadays and navigating it safely to find credible and reliable sources can be extremely difficult. Getting it wrong can have serious consequences (incorrect information given to women seeking abortions, for example). Trusted information professionals (librarians) in dedicated services (libraries) are more vital than ever.

I really that Paling apparently dismissed the Thin Man as another wacky library character. No. Just no.

[Philippa Sevigny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should be read by everyone with a vested interest in Libraries. Particularly those that make decisions about what they do. These 'tales from the library counter' highlight the wide range of goings-on at a Library - often well beyond book-borrowing. Admittedly, I'm glad we haven't had the sewer difficulties, but we have our share of the homeless sheltering from weather, argumentative customers, failing computer systems and overcrowding at exam season for this to be familiar territory.
Very well observed, making some salient points along the way.

[Jase · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book I would describe as a bathroom book, one you can dip into and read for a short time. To begin with the author grated on me from the judgemental way of describing ‘customers’ but there were some chapters that were insightful into the workings of a library, and how/why people use them, it made me think about where I would fit in to this melange. It did seem to be prolonged towards the end, but all in all rounded up to a 3.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, i suspect whether you've worked in a library in the South of England or not.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all those who love their libraries or used to dwell in them when they were young...Makes you realise how vulnerable they are today. Well written, nice book.

[Krystelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note this is a 3.5.

Every time I read a book like this, from the perspective of a librarian or a bookseller, I end up with a bit of an itch to just pivot in respect to careers entirely and fully immerse myself in books. It's not that I don't enjoy the career I'm presently working towards- it's more that I enjoy the combination of people watching and literature far more than anyone in their right mind has a penchant to do. It just calls to me in an irrevocable way. I love books like this, that give you an insight into the inner workings and the strange little nuances of libraries and the people who visit them. I suppose the most alarming facet is the sheer quantity of bodily fluids that seem to crop up in day-to-day library visitations.

I think the book could have been a little better in some ways. There were parts that were unnecessarily judgemental, and vaguely transphobic- leaving people's preferred identities alone if you've no idea how they wish to be identified is always the most advisable course of action. I also didn't feel like the author was, perhaps, as much of a librarian as I anticipated- a zero hour contract hardly suggests a full immersion in the industry. Perhaps I'm nitpicky, but it's just where I happened to sit on the matter.

However, the book does draw attention to some very important facts. There's a propensity in society to assume that libraries will just putter along forever- but they face very real and constant threats. I cannot recall who said it, but an adage floated around a while back that stated "If libraries were proposed in parliament today, they would be laughed out as a communist conspiracy to share resources for free." Sadly, this proves true, and the undervaluing of knowledge from our governments should, at the very least, give us pause. Libraries are a rare beast that do not require money to participate in from the borrower- they are, I will concede, taxpayer funded, but they exist in order to give people free access to knowledge. The author notes to let them die out would be a travesty, and I quite agree.

It's also nice to vicariously people watch through the author. So many interesting people and characters make their way into this story, and I really enjoyed just hearing about all of the daily antics of the library. It was a lovely book in some ways, and if it encourages people to head down to the main street to go see their local librarians, we'll be all the better for it.