Napier Library is to close and I feel a little sad about that. I borrowed lots of books from this library but that was years ago and its been a good few years since I was even on the premises but I still feel sorry and I assume I would at the thought of any library closing.
I’m wondering what young someone like me would do if there’s no library to go to in her lunch hour.
Libraries provide so much more than books on shelves. The books are the supreme draw of the place but there’s the possibility of sitting quietly and reading, of being able to browse around the shelves picking books up, looking at them, putting most of them back, but keeping a few to lug home. And now you can rent a computer for a certain time.
Then there’s the Librarians. I’ve been going to libraries for eighty-three years and only once have I ever got irritated with a librarian. This was when she continued a conversation with a colleague and ignored the wee queue waiting to borrow books. We were party to their conversation which was it seemed riveting to them but not that interesting to us. In the end I got fed up and walked out.
But its not too bad a record for all that time. Librarians, as well as being novel lovers, are only too pleased to answer questions, find books, to point you in the direction of a writer they think you might like. Only a librarian would have received my request to just use the one name Renée on my card and on their computer. I know of no-one else in the bureaucratic world or the technology world who would accept this.
So this week go into your nearest library and have a trawl around, say hello to the librarian, tell her how much you appreciate her work. And be thankful that its stillopen.
