To think its shit that local library is only open 3.5 "days" a week

[livingintheNL]

Closed on Wednesdays (grrr) and closes at 2PM on Friday.

Even the days its open (mon, tue, thur), these are 10-12 and 2-6pm. Its all just a bit useless imo.

Finally. I don't think it will be long before leisure centres have their hours cut too.

A number of posters have said we can't afford the libraries. Not true.

www.theguardian.com/business/ng-interactive/2015/apr/29/the-austerity-delusion

Our library was cut to 2.5 days a week last year, it is a heavily used library and there were protests but they had no effect. It's a shame because they've had to cancel many of the adult classes and kids groups they ran as there isn't the time and space anymore.

echt I don't think one dodgy article makes it 'not true'!

I was in our local library today. We're a tiny rural town and it's open ties - fri 10-6 and say and sun 10-12

It's a fabulous service but ver very few young (and by young I mean less than 60) use it.

It's just all a bit sad really. Things are protected as they are vote winners and real essential stuff is closed down. :((

Its not closed down though is it? I think those are quite good hours actually, good that they're open till 6, makes them a bit more accessible for working people. We have a bus that comes on a Tuesday aft/eve, can see that going one day.

My local library has similar hours and is now closing despite there always being lots of people there when I go in.

My local on is open two days a week.

I live a 40 minute walk away from a very big and popular library that is open every day until early evening though.

We can actually afford a police force and a library. This is not a fricking 3rd world country.

Our council have recently built a new complex that houses the gym / swimming pool, conference rooms and library. The library is part of the massive foyer, so is supervised by the reception staff. There are machines for borrowing and returning books, and library staff are there Monday to Friday.

The library is really well used now. Parents drop children off for dance / swimming and chill in the library for an hour.

Brilliant idea imo.

Meant to say this arrangement means the library is open 8am-8pm 6 days a week, and 10-4 on Sundays.

Sad that so many libraries have such limited hours, I was in the library club in Primary school and we'd walk down to the town library every other week after school.

I like to think that all the late fees I pay help pay for my local library

echt I don't think one dodgy article makes it 'not true'!

You haven't read it have you?

Don't be put off being a librarian. I am a librarian but I work in a university library. It's a lovely job. I think what was meant up thread was don't be a public librarian.

Sorry, but the current government have completely knackered the public libraries leaving the councils no choice. The public librarians I work with are committed community minded people who work so hard and they are devastated about the cuts.

I used to go to the library every few weeks. Thinking about it now, I haven't been for ages (years). Are libraries ever so slightly out of fashion for a whole group of people? Parents no, because certainly I used to visit twice weekly to change books for Kids albeit this was two decades ago. There us bound to Ge a bit of supply and demand here too. My DN used to go after school to use the Internet, again back in the late 90's/early naughties but now most (not all I accept, gave the Internet at home).

Stop being so selfish OP! Mps need moats at their second homes, the lords need champagne, and Dave Cameron needs his spag bol at a reduced price in the House of Commons.

Honestly, you people are so entitled!

YABU!

We can't afford libraries anymore

What a load of facile nonsense. Of course we can afford it, we have a fiat economy. We also have a government that is ideologically against anything run either by the state or co-operative, everything for them must be run for profit.

What austerity does is take money from the bottom of society (the poorest) and feed it to corporations when we should be doing the opposite. Anybody who thinks austerity is necessary or will improve the economy is living in cloud cuckoo land.

I'm a big fan of Steve Keens idea of Quantitative Easing For The People, where the Bank of England creates new money, and instead of giving it to the banks, puts it into every bank account equally. If a recipient is in debt they use it to pay it down, if not they use it as they see fit.

That's what happened to our library. The hours were cut to 10am-3pm and after about 6 months they said that the number of people using the children's library had dropped and they closed it, squishing a few book shelves into a corner of the adults library (the kids library was a separate room off the adults library). Hardly surprising when the kids were at school all day and it's not open at the weekend.

A few months after that they planned to close to adult library too, but a fire in the local museum meant they moved that into the old children's library and the museum staff now check in and out the books. Annoyingly despite the museum being open 9-6 and the fact you have to see the museum staff at the library reception to get into the museum the library is still only open 10-3. Absolute madness. Even the staff say so.

Another ex-librarian here, with both public and academic experience. As CurlyHairedAssassin said, removing libraries removes opportunities for the poorest (I used libraries myself as a poorer youngster, wanted to go into it to help keep that doir open for others, but it was already too late), and as DoctorTwo said, of course we can afford libraries and other public services if we want them. We are not poor. Britain is the 5th or 6th largest economy in the world by GDP, and the Tories tell us how much they're improving it. Can't have it both ways can they.

I think some of it is sheer government incompetence and ignorance. Ideological ideas about the minimum state and no regulation and the primacy of the private sector override little things like facts and evidence about the need for planning and structure in anything, the need to grow local economies not just fragile London financial fictions, and the non-philanthropic nature of private companies. Remember David Cameron's letters to Oxfordshire County Council?

Nice thought, whippetwoman, but no, no one should be training in libraries now. Yes its a nice job - the best - but the opportunities are simply not there. Public libraries are dead, academic is frozen and wanting more qualifications for less pay, etc etc. Schools have never been consistent, everything else has gone. Each job is attracting 100s of applicants. Forget it. Until the big crash comes, then maybe we'll kick the London politicians out and start to rebuild our broken world.

My library was open today, and was pretty busy for 2pm! all 12 computers were in use at a time, a few people waiting to see the council services person. Did only spot one person getting books however.

this is what England voted for at the last election - Tories made it clear that they would cut cut cut and people in England voted for them, elsewhere in the UK we did not vote for this but still having to suffer. Perhaps next time England will stop and think before it votes.

I think it's the predominance of SE England, where so much wealth is. If you're Scottish, how about we, y'know, hook up? You, north England, Wales, and well basically everywhere that ain't SE, in a new republic, leave them down there to eat diamonds. Could be special. Of course that word can mean two things nowadays.

Sounds like my local library 20 years ago...

It's a shame but better than them having to close completely

Yep same here. Library only open Mon, Weds, Fri during school hours (so no use to DC) and for couple of hours on a Saturday.
Have complained to loca councillor to no avail.