Do you use your local library? If not why not?

The large library in the town centre has that. Also just as you can reserve a book from anywhere in the county you can return it to any library.

I just wish there was a drop off point for when it's not open as the hours are very short but if I'm passing would be great to just drop them off at any time

Yep love my library. Started using it again after having my daughter. Very lucky to have a few near where I live. I love you can order books in from the website!

Yes, I use my local library.
They have cut the opening times but are open until 5.30 3 days a week and until 12.30 on a Saturday morning and they also have extended opening hours with a self service machine when there are no staff.

I usually walk there with the dog on a Saturday morning to return/collect any books and I will also use them for books on Borrowbox.

All the libraries in my (large) city share resources so they have most books you would ever want. If they don't have a book and they think it'll be popular, they will order it in for you. It's all free and a fabulous service.

It's not as busy as it once was, following COVID though. But I think a lot of people use the online requests now too.

£6.50? Wow! It costs me 50p and I get two weeks to collect it. I can pay when I pick it up or when I return it.

I can hardly believe the people who say they can't remember to return books. What do you do about doctor's appointments etc? Put an alert on your phone or get a physical calendar or diary.

A lot of these comments ate focusing on books - when libraries are usually so much more.
They are a rare place where you can go and sit and be under no obligation to spend money.
I often use one (as I said upthread) as a place to go and charge my phone. I often go to one near my daughter's school and I sometimes go there before I pick her up and as well as charging my phone I sometimes take crafts to do (like cross-stitch) and I sit, craft and people watch. There's always loads going on. People working away on the computers. Some people go there to have one on one sessions with a tutor or support worker - as it's a free place to go it's good as a place to meet.
There was a knitting group there recently of more mature ladies - their conversation was fascinating. Like a soap opera of the people they know 😂
Oh and I love it when it Rhyme Time for the babies - I love to hear their singing.

I use mine for DDs book. I don't really read for pleasure. Last time I tried I took a book out and had it nearly 30 weeks when I returned it unread.

I use the library and so do my children. One goes to a lego club there and I take the wee one to book bugs. We all regularly borrow books.

No because it's full of local youths being very loud and intimidating. They regularly cause a lot of disruption and damage, the police often are called. I feel sorry for the staff.
It's a real shame because it's lovely and new and also has the health centre in it.

I once got a book from the library with a massive dried bogie on a page. Never again I'm afraid.

Not anymore. I used it loads when my DC were younger and would get books for me too. I’m reading more online now.

Yes! We've been this morning. I do my printing there too. You can get tea and coffee and it's lovely.

No. Closed most of our local ones, the ones that stayed open had their hours massively reduced so impossible to use if you work.

I did when I lived in a naice commuter town, it was open every day (even Sunday). I used it loads for books, printing, photocopying. Such a shame only certain areas are thought worthy of having a library. I practically lived in the (now closed) one that was 5 minutes walk from me.

A nearby village took over their library after the council decided to close it. It's now run by a group of volunteers and it's so much better. Far longer opening hours, much more pleasant "staff" and it's somehow linked to the county library so you can still order in books from other libraries and order new releases.

We tried to do the same for our village but the council insist on keeping it under their control, so won't even enter into discussions with the Parish Council to explore options for a volunteer run "takeover".

Never. I choose books by browsing and reading paragraphs (I have a deep hatred of some writing styles), which my local library is poor for, as they have a limited selection aimed at a very different reader to me. They'd be great if I could pick in a different manner, but the promise of ordering is useless to me.

I used it a lot when I lived by the big, inner city central one, but that costs £6 to get to. For that £12, I could buy between 2 and 12 second hand books from places in walking distance, so I do that and own a lot of books. I still hugely miss my university library access.

Not any more because the opening hours aren't convenient for workers. It all seems to be geared up to OAPs who are free to go in between 10am and 3pm Mon to Fri (and closed for an hour at luncthime). Then they wonder why fewer and fewer people use it!! When we first moved into the village it used to be open 9 till 5 and stayed open through lunch, opening till 8pm a couple of nights per week and all day Saturday. It seems to be run more for the benefit of the staff rather than taxpayers!

I don't use my local library because they have combined the library with the parking shop and various other council services and there are fewer books and no dedicated library staff. If you need something there is no issue desk, you just have to find a member of staff by their "Can I help?" t-shirt, and they will not be happy to help. If you reserve a book there is no way of collecting it without a massive palaver, so I don't bother.

We are on the border of Hackney so I use their libraries instead - they are old fashioned and basic and I must say they are much more pleasant to use.

I use the online services to read magazines, but hardly ever go to the “real” library as the opening hours are rubbish and the adult fiction section poor.

A shame as I used to go all the time as a kid.

I used to use it every week until l got my kindle.
Much easier for me.. l adore reading ..
But l do go with my Grandson because the new build also houses our museum and a fabulous cafe that employs disabled people ( physically and mentally).

I used to especially with DS, but he's now at school and they've reduced their opening hours somewhat oddly to Tuesday to Friday 9:30-3 , so I'm always at work when it's open and other than school holidays DS is at school. It's really close to two large primary schools too, if they had to shorten hours Wednesday to Friday 11-5 seems to make more sense plus some hours on a Saturday, to allow more people chance to access it.

Wouldn't these libraries be great? Libraries for the future: Europe’s new wave of ‘meeting places for the mind’ | Libraries | The Guardian

How come it's £6.50? This sounds steep for a library

Ours is more than a library. It's the council one stop shop, a conference and events space, a.mini museum, location for the local CAB outreach, and has a cafe. It also has this...although I'm totally freaked by glass floors and can't walk on it.

No, used to loads when the kids were small and I was on ML and then PT. Now the services have been cut so far back they're not open at the weekend.

They were going to massively downsize my local library but a big stink was kicked up so it's staying the same size. But I think it's only parents with primary age kids that use it. I read a lot and I don't use the library. I just assume that they won't have what I want and I won't be able to read it in time to avoid fines. I think about working from the library but why would I walk 25 mins when I could work from home. However, if I lived a bit closer I would probably use it more. I have used a telephone box library a couple of times, borrowed a couple of books and donated a couple of books. It's a novelty and there's no one to judge what I want to read or how long it takes me (which I know librarians don't do and that's my own projection). I have a few Kindle books but I just don't get on with using my phone or computer and prefer a physical book