Libraries

But the charity book shops might thrive.

Not sure how many "older people" are into 'original sources' or 'research'.

Charity Bookshops are doing quite well out of me now. I always use them for books for holidays.
You'd be amazed at all the grey haired doing research in libraries jbf!

We are quite well off for libraries here although with the county council cuts the smaller ones are open at odd times and I have to keep a note of their hours. I order books having downloaded samples onto the Kindle. I read the samples on holiday, delete the ones which don't appeal and order the others. It is also possible to use the university library and apply to join the Cathedral library . If anyone is visiting Durham the Magna Carta is on show on Palace Green in the library there.
They also do proggy mat making in the main library and a children's story time. There are often more people in the upstairs research section than in the lending section. Also a coffee machine and biscuits.
Computers are in the basement.

Until last year I used to take my 3 grandchildren to the local library on a Saturday morning to a singing group. They loved joining in and then they went to borrow books and DVDs. There were also special craft events from time to time which they thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately the oldest boy, now 8yrs found it too young for him and the youngest girl(aged 2 yrs) found it great fun to take her shoes off and race around the adult section of the library! Eventually we stopped going as it was so stressful for me.

Now they are a little older I want to try again but the oldest boy now has football on a Saturday morning with his dad. Playing, training and watching football seems to take over everything for Dad and Son and GDs and I are just left behind! Maybe us girls should just go for it then!

We use the local library on a regular basis, but the whole of the library service has recently undergone cuts and huge reorganisations in this city. Due to lack of funds they now have fewer new books in circulation and if you want to take one of them out you can only have it for a week and are not allowed to renew until the book has been in circulation for a certain amount of time, which is no good to me as I don't have time to read a book a week, no matter how riveting a read it may be! They're very helpful if you want a book which isn't on their shelves, though. They will also accept donated books - I have given them quite a few hard back books which are taking up space in my bookshelves. Ones that are hardly used (how many times do you want to read General Sir Richard Dannatt's autobiography?) they put them in circulation. Those that are more "loved" go onto the charity shelf. I agree with Trisher, I miss the quiet in our local library which is an all in one space. Sometimes you can't hear yourself think! In the central library the computer facility and the childrens library are in different rooms.