Do you use your library?

[Julia]

Oops--I have a few bookshelves, not a library, since I get my books mainly from our public library. One shelf for science, another for Gaiman and Pullman, several for fantasy with Tolkien and Rowling and Riordan, one for poetry (Robinson Jeffers), one for Emerson and Thoreau and Muir.

[Courtney]

I go to my local library quite often, unfortunately my library is small and a lot of books I would like to read tend to not be there. :(

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

I don't check out books but I visit it often for the friends of the library shelf and to talk. I also like to participate when I can with any promotions/things they have going on

[Pat]

Courtney you can order books too. If I order mine online I get them for 50p.

[Jo]

Pat, just out of interest, where do you live? Essex let you order for free online (£1 if you reserve in person I think)

[Holly]

I'm obsessed with my school library. I'm in there every day, and I volunteer during my free periods and lunchtimes... :D

I'm also hoping to take up a weekly volunteer position at my local library to help with shelving, which, if I get it, will be great fun. I find shelving super therapeutic.

If you haven't guessed yet, I really love libraries. I'm hoping to do a MA in Library and Information Management and become a librarian at some big, old library!

[Pat]

I live in Cornwall. Happy to pay as it is one of few counties that are not shutting libraries. That said they are cutting times in some places, more time where I live. My work library, NHS, but run by Devon county library will get me anything for free. They are best library I have ever known. All who have used it agree.

[Linda]

We have a wonderful public library here in Brighton. I use it all the time and reserve a lot of books. . . Wish I could work there in fact.

[Elizabeth]

Which part of Cornwall are you in Pat? I lived, for a while, in Saltash. So just over the border. And would lobe to get back down ther, but we are completely entrenched in Dorset for the foreseeable time - schooling, family etc.

[Elizabeth]

love. Not lobe lol. Predictive text can be silly sometimes!

[Pat]

Ha ha. I thought I checked it all last night. North Cornwall. Bude, so at t'other end of county. Still fabulous here tho.

[Pat]

I didn't notice the lobe either. I love Dorset too. Been on many happy hols there, as a child and with my own children.

[Paul]

Took one book back to the library last week, and got six out. Oops.

[Debbie]

I went in today to pick up the Wilfred Owen biography and that only. Still managed to come out with 5 more.

[Paul]

:-)

[Jo]

It's so easy isn't it?! Love my library. Had several super nooks last week for my daughters Roman Project. Never let's us down.

[Jason]

Yep, use it mainly to get books to read to my youngest as she loves going there and picking out stuff.

Got a book out for me last time I was there.

[Pat]

They are addictive places.

[Paul]

Took four back today and got one, Woodsman, out

[Lisa]

My local library makes me a bit sad. They've just done it up a bit with new wooden floors which has really improved it (it's in a dark, brutalist building), but there is such a dearth of actual books there. Instead a lot of room is given over to computers. You can order books from around the borough so it's still useful, but I can't imagine actually browsing there. It's not a magical place :(

[Pat]

My library was also " improved" a few years ago. It is still not as good as previously, although it is more useful for librarians to have an extra office. After a few months the library staff re-jiggled it again and it looked much better. Here's hoping for your library too.

[Maria ( ZITA )]

Love my library, I take about 10 books out, I get lost in there, so many books so little time.

[Jo]

Ours is amazing, both my local branch, and the County wide service. I love it so much I wrote to them.:-)

[Paul]

Took one book back tonight and got four out:
Danubia: A Personal History of Habsburg Europe by Simon Winder
The Gringo Trail by Mark Mann
Surf Mama One Woman's Search for Love Happiness and the Perfect Wave by Wilma Johnson
60 Postcards: The inspirational story of a young woman's journey to celebrate her mother, one postcard at a time by Rachael Chadwick

[Joy]

A new library opened in the next town last week and I visited for the first time on Saturday - and hated it! The ground floor consisted of a cafe, book shelves labelled 'A Quick choice' and piles of books as Waterstones have (so not in alphabetical order). The next floor up contained children running around screaming (honestly, I'm not joking!) but at least here the books seemed to be in alphabetical order - except that when you came to the end of one case the next case didn't follow on alphabetically.
I'd checked on the computer before leaving home that the library had the two books I wanted (The Blind Assassin and The Goldfinch ) but trying to track them down was impossible. One assistant I asked suggested that the Margaret Atwood would be in 'classics' (??) It wasn't. I persuaded someone to check on their computer (they really wanted to get on with serving people with DVDs) and yes the books were in the library. Somewhere... Eventually The Goldfinch turned up in the 'quick choice' section, which at least caused me amusement, but I had to give up on The Blind Assassin. When I had a moan to one assistant, she said that they were trying to appeal to a wider audience.
Oh for the days when a library was a room full of books where people spoke in hushed voices.
Rant over.

[Jason]

Haha funny stuff, your book was in the quick choice section, where you looked last and you "couldn't see" the blind assassin. I would be good as a librarian I would have two rows of shelves, books I have read and books I haven't. And a big bin in the corner with copies of harry potter on fire.

[Duane]

I have a kindle with over 700 books, many I haven't read yet, but I still use my public library. I have 16 books checked out at the moment. I enjoy the convenience of the kindle, but holding a real book, turning pages, that's still my favorite way to read.

[Paul]

Sounds like the marketing department have been involved in the creation of that library Joy...

[Mel]

I joined my local library at the being of the holidays I have read 5 library books and about 7 kindle books! I have ordered some of the more expensive kindle books from the library.

[Paul]

Great news Mel. I look on them as free bookshops.

[Mel]

They really are handy - I can reserve online and renew online and - it's only about 15 mins from home - defo going to use it more

[Jo]

At post 177 above, I said I loved my library service (Essex) so much that I wrote to them.

Today I wrote again. They have withdrawn the One Click Digital service which I use all the time for audiobooks. I can't quite believe it, no warning to users, just withdrawn at the end of August. I am furious so I have written again. Grrrrr. I do hope there is a good reason!

[Jason]

Maybe they can't afford it, guess they have to pay One Click.

Have they moved to one of the other apps?

[Paul]

Jo wrote: "At post 177 above, I said I loved my library service (Essex) so much that I wrote to them.

Today I wrote again. They have withdrawn the One Click Digital service which I use all the time for audio..."

That is appalling Jo, let us know if you get a reply

[Jason]

Jo wrote: "At post 177 above, I said I loved my library service (Essex) so much that I wrote to them.

Today I wrote again. They have withdrawn the One Click Digital service which I use all the time for audio..."

Try overdrive, that's what they say to use on the Essex council website.

[Jo]

Jason, I know money is tight for everyone, councils as much as anyone, but it is widely used and in the grand scheme will be a drop in the ocean. It was absolutely brilliant. The services they have retained for audiobooks - Borrow Box and something else are much less exciting as far as I can see, just really middle of road cr*p on them. I'd like to be proved wrong that the ones they have kept have something decent on them, but I haven't found it yet!

Someone who posts on here works for Essex Libraries, I'd love to know what they know about this!

And Paul, yes, when I was singing their praises I got a reply within hours thanking me for taking the time to praise the service. I hope they are equally quick when they are being taken to task. Will let you know!

[Jason]

I use overdrive, tried looking for audiobooks but the only ones I have wanted were abridged, I find that really annoying.

They do have quite a good collection of kids books so my daughter is happy.

[Paul]

Jo wrote: Someone who posts on here works for Essex Libraries, I'd love to know what they know about this!..."

I think I introduced them to the group, having met them via Pinterest.

[Gail]

I mostly use my library membership to access the OED online for free. You can sign in with your library card number - I use it so often i know my number by heart now.

[Polly]

My local library was recently saved from closure and I'm soooooooo chuffed as I regularly go and have a 'Craft and Laugh' session and it's held in a building that was built in 1485! It looks like a castle. I have recently started cross referencing isbn numbers from goodreads over to the catalogue of the Lincolnshire libraries as I can now order up to 20 books on-line to collect from the library for nothing! Yippppppepeeeee I've also bought my first bookcases (previously books were stuffed beside bed, under the stairs, under tables etc) which are wonderful. There's a bookcase for him and the other is for me and yes, my kindle is on there too. I'ts not quite a library but I'm happy.

[Aisling]

I have to use the library because I can't afford to buy all the millions of books I want to read!

My local library is fantastic. Actually, my city does really well with libraries in general. They have an online catalogue, and you can reserve books from any other library in the city and they'll deliver them to the one nearest to you free of charge. I'm waiting on 4 being delivered just now!

[Pat]

1 click has definately improved lately. Our library uses 1 click and borrow box. I expect borrow box is cheaper. I certainly hope so as they only seem to have about 3 books that aren't lent out at any one time. Don't really understand that concept with audiobooks. I guess thats why 1 click is much better (and prob. more expensive)

[Pamela]

I have just rejoined my local library today. With my strict self-imposed buying limit for this year, it seemed like a good idea. It has certainly got a lot more automated since I last went when the boys were young (10 years ago I'd say)!

[Tytti]

Yes, I use the library, we have a great system. There are almost one million books, I guess in all the city libraries (14 branch libraries) combined, if not in the main library alone that is actually closest to me (population is about 220,000). And of course you can get books from pretty much anywhere delivered. A pic from the main hall: http://img.yle.fi/uutiset/tampere/art... There are other rooms, too.

I spent one summer in England, in a town of about 180,000 people and I couldn't believe the size of the main library! (There were others around town but I didn't have a car.) It was about the size of our library before we got a brand new library building, and I lived in a village of 8000 people. I did hear it was a "temporary" solution but I got the feeling it had been that for some time...

I got my library card when I was 5 (two years before I learned how to read) and I actually have library cards for all towns I have lived in. The one for Helsinki might come handy elsewhere, too, they have a lot of stuff online.

[Trine]

LOVE the library - to say it at least^^ And if my local one don't have it, I am ALMOST 100% sure to find it somewhere in Denmark and have it sent over. + got a norwegian library card aswell, so luckly I don't feel I HAVE to buy books all the time... Not that it doesn't happen anyway;)

Love the library - though it is a bit dangerous. I try to reserve the stuff via their website and just pick it up.. Else I ALWAYS ends up with waaay to many books;o

[Paul]

Me too Trine! Have two to collect on Saturday

[Gisela]

When I was a child in small town Bavaria and didn't have many books, the library was a home from home. When I came to London as an 18 year and didn't have much money to buy books I was absolutely amazed at the wonderful London libraries (even our local one was larger than anything I had ever seen). Once I finally could afford buying books, I bought most as I wanted to own them. When my children came along, the library was one of our favourite places and we regularly carried 20 books home every week. Now I buy those, which I either can't get in the library or KNOW I want to keep (although alas due to space issues, if I feel I will not read them again, I give them to the charity shop). For crime novels I now always buy a first book in a series (so that I rememember the author) or those which I can't find in the library. Use my kindle a lot for crime now, if I can't find it in the library. But then and now I lOVE looking through books in the library, but also have to restrit myself as I otherwise always take too many books home.

[Paul]

What a lovely story Gisela.

[Gisela]

Getting very sentimental in my old age.

[Pat]

Love my library. Who doesn't?