libraries

I was a librarian long ago but rarely use my local library. The stock has been decimated, there is no actual librarian and you have to interact with a machine instead of a human. There's no return date on the book, just a slip of paper which you promptly lose and no reminders are sent for overdue books.
Fifty years ago we gave a better service in every part-time village branch. Technology has done nothing useful and there's nothing there I actually want to read. I buy paperbacks in charity shops and return them to be resold.
My grandchildren's working parents have no time to take them to the library. It's sad but I think public libraries have no future.

My opinion, for what it is worth, that if something has to close, the libraries are better than some things.
I also think that volunteers could set up something if they wanted to?? Better than nothing?

Did the library close without warning sparkygran?

Things are only going to get worse sparkygran. I was listening to our local news this evening and they were talking about how the cuts are going to impact on us all. They did not mention the libraries but again talked about how when roadside lights develop faults they will not be repaired - that would be quite a safety issue.

As a public librarian I can't see the library service surviving much longer. The powers that be simply can't see any value in it.
If you've been inconvenienced in any way protest loudly in writing to the chief librarian in your authority. Complain to your councillor too. Our customers are usually too nice to do this.

This is a bit of a hobbyhorse of mine. I think that libraries are the mark of a civilised society and it makes me very sad to see how low down the list of priorities they are now.

Our village library van was axed a couple of years ago; and a friend and I now run a library at the monthly farmers' market. The council supplies the books and we are the free labour.

I felt so exasperated when Birmingham's library (that cost a mint to design and build - and the council got into debt over it) has now had to cut its opening hours and activities for lack of finance. You would have thought that they would have considered this before getting into huge debt to build it. The old library there was a gem if a building.