To be depressed that in my town I can get a pint at 00:01 but the library has no plans to re-open anytime soon?

[AmyByTheTrain]

I just want books for my kid. But no, the library won't open tomorrow, even though they are allowed to. The pub up the street, however, is taking customers starting one minute after midnight.

That's a shame but thanks for reminding me to check I've missed reading over the last few months.

That sucks, OP. I am a volunteer at our local library, we've been doing click and collect during lockdown and are open properly from tomorrow. All run by volunteers. Very little council involvement - which might explain why!

In the meantime, the charity shops open this week, I expect they will be inundated with donations. You can probably get a nice bundle of books for not much money. It's not as good, but it's something.

Could be worse you could live in Scotland and have neither open.

That’s so disappointing. A lot of the libraries in London are doing click&collect (although I haven’t used this service myself) it’s a shame your area can’t do the same. Might be worth an email to your councillors/MP to show how much you value the library in normal times.

Are the pubs in your area going to open at that time?

You'd have to sit in the garden though and it would be fucking freezing.

That aside.

Libraries have been refunded and fucked up totally in my area. It's terrible. It's been policy so no surprise that they aren't apriority now.

In Scotland there’s fuck all meaningful open at the moment. Nicola has to go one bettter just to make a point.

it is going to be depressing tomorrow in Scotland as you can bet it will be all over the news about lockdown being over. Pictures of people in beer gardens and busy shops

while our schools arent even back full time yet let alone retail or hospitality open

Given the state local council budgets are in at the moment I'll be happy if our local library reopens at all. Sadly we live under a Tory government, they're not interested in things unless they make money.

I would write to your local cpubcilc

*council!

That is so depressing, but sadly unsurprising. Pubs and shops are desperate to open in order to make money. The owners depend on income for survival.
There isn’t the same urgency in the public sector.

We are luckier here as our library is reopening on the 12th, but for only 3 days a week instead of the previous 5. I don't think it'll ever change back; the rhetoric will be that 3 days is fine because in lockdown we all had to manage without.

Just one of many instances I think where we're going to be told to be grateful to be given a bite of shit sandwich, because 1 month ago there was no sandwich at all!

Complain OP. Ours was closed for so long last year even when they were allowed to be open, it is reopening this week though for a total of 9 hours across 3 days (12:30-3.30) so terrible for anyone who works and dc who will be at school at those times.

Pub it is then 😂

Erm, are they not open for click and collect?

@lap90

Erm, are they not open for click and collect?

Erm no, not all libraries are.

Last year I read Caroline Criado-Perez’s book about how we live in a society that’s geared towards men, and I think this is another example. Tasks that are traditionally more likely to be carried out by women (eg. caring responsibilities for children, the elderly or the sick) are lower in the priority list than things more likely to be carried out by men (eg. Pubs, organised sport)

Oh that’s a shame ours has been open for click n collect pretty much the whole time, you’d have thought most places could’ve sorted that out at least by now

Yes, it's awful. I'm now doubtful our library will reopen at all.

Same, all our local libraries have been shut (no click and collect) since November, and the website has zero information on re-opening.

My local libraries are run through Better which is a huge national company that also run the local gyms and sports facilities, and of course they post regular news updates about them re-opening, so it's not like it's some little underfunded webpage just for the local library that hasn't been updated because all the library staff are on furlough.

Ours opens tomorrow, it's very hit or miss

Charity shops & book shops will be open. Charity shops will be practically giving books away & book shops will have massive discounts.

I'd rather do that than have books constantly handled by lots of people.

Great deals online too.
My here's currently a thread running about which children's books people recommend if you're not sure what to buy & don't want to go shopping.

Yanbu. Ours is open Tuesday to Saturday 11 till 13.30.
And you can't actually go in. I miss going in with a pile of books and browsing through the glossy mags. I'd also like to work somewhere other than my dining table and a pub garden doesn't appeal.

I’m bemused at some of rules. A local pensioner art club can’t meet in a large room on separate tables. But they could all drink in a pub on separate tables.

Pubs can only serve outside though can't they? There is a world of difference between operating a pub garden safely and operating a library safely. Pint glasses can be washed thoroughly between uses (for fucks sake, they should be washed thoroughly at the best of times). Books can't be dunked in disinfectant. Every time a book is picked up it would have to be taken out of circulation for a few days. One person could read a newspaper per day.

It's find to be fucked off that libraries aren't opening, but it's wrong to compare it to XYZ other business being able to open when they are not a fair comparison.