to wonder why my friend doesn't use the library?

[LissyGlitter]

My friend posted on a website we both go on, asking if anybody had any roald dahl books they could lend her for a few days as she needs to do a project for her schoolkids (she's a TA) and several people offered one each, so my friend will have to drive round all the local suburbs collecting the books, remember who lent which one, and return them all to the right people. I suggested she just nip to the local library, and she said it was "too much hassle". The mind boggles.

I am shocked at the amount of people who don't use their local library. Why on earth would you not use it? I am the least organised person EVER and I can manage to either return the books within a couple of weeks or nip online and renew them without any trouble, it's completely free, kids don't even have fines, you don't even have to return books to the same library they came from! I didn't even have to provide any ID when I recently joined my local library (I have recently moved house to another council area)

So, what is the excuse for not allowing your kids access to millions of free books? Or even for not allowing yourself them? I enjoy having a huge collection of books (we have just thinned out our collection for moving by about 50%, and still have enough to cover an entire wall of our front room, and we are pretty poor) but I don't want to keep every single thing I read, and there's a limit to the amount of money I want to spend on novels that I'm only likely to ever read once anyway.

The libraries are no longer scary places where a woman in a twinset and a severe bun shushes you, they are fun, friendly places, where your kids will be welcomed and the library assistants and librarians will help you find what you want. If you are not a member or you don't use your membership, go there today!

WISH I HAD TIME TO READ....

As a cm I have loads of books anyway but I find our library is full of individuals who tut and throw 'the look' if any of my kids so much as dares to breath . What to say to a 4yr old who asks 'Why's that man looking at me...' because he's dared to laugh out loud.........

'But now its got dvds, cds, toys to play with there, a coffee/hot chocolate machine, leather sofas to lazy about on, daily and weekly papers to read as well as audio books and regular books.'

I wish, ours is rubbish, very small selection of very boring books, half a series of books with the rest on order for months on end, not to mention the moany librarian who doesn't like children breathing in the childrens section.

in response to FAQ's 'our ocal library is shit' comment, as a librarian what you need to do is go and fill out a comment card listing all the reasons why the library is shit
If you don't complain it will never change

And don't forget the reading challenge this year people, especailly if you have boys who are reluctant readers, it is a Reading Quest, very appealing to boys this summer

rant over

We have the internet. Newspapers are being killed by the internet. Books are much much cheaper than they used to be.

I do like libraries and always have, however, I do think they need to be made to use their resources more effectively, stop buying books, and put the money into better PCs, broadband, public access to specialist databases and scanned copies of large expensive reference works and out of print books. That is roughly where the Bodleian Library is heading with its resources and I think the public library system of the UK could match that aspiration.

I would use my local library a lot if they had what I describe above. However, what I mainly find there in my local library, are mostly racks of old paperback novels that could be bought in second shops and CDs of music which could be downloaded relatively cheaply from the internet.

I love my local library. I have decided not to read too much, or rather not expect much demanding thought and small print!!, so I pick books with lots of photographs or drawings in them. If I haven't really looked at a book I try not to mind and just take them all back and take out a fresh load.

Ours seems to have a good budget for new books. I love being the first person to take a book out.

I don't use mine simply becuase I always without fail froget to return the books and end up paying more in fines than they would have cost anyway

Dh won't use one as he collects the books he reads, I think he's slightly abrmy but the boys are the same and I'd rather they read and if that costs a book every 2 weeks- money well spent (hoarders the lot of them)

When I was a child I used to almost live in the library mind, that and charity shop book departments

Oh Lucy thanks for that, mine love anythinG Questy (ds1's reading age has doubled in apst year since he disovered beastquest- gone from 5 to 9.10!!!- he's 9.6 but has SN)

My aprents now i remember depend on the library for books from their pension, they both read lots and aren't particualrly IT minded so it would be a shame if they started not buying books

I used to love (and live in almost) the library as a child.

never go now tho, nor take the children. I have a thing about my books, love them, have to keep them......and the smell of a new book...............nothing like it!

I think OP is implying that her friend the TA doesn't have most of the issues you guys cite (like parking or excess distance).

I love the library, too. I really don't understand why more people don't use them. It confuses me when people on MN ask about buying books, which books to buy next for their DC, etc., when our library (in a small town) has a pretty decent selection of books to browse from, and trained librarians to advise, and several reference tomes with titles like "Which book would your child like to read next?" listing authors just like the last one your child was reading from.

We have about 20 books out at any one time; maybe I'm lucky that I can easily pop in weekly (if not more often) to renew any due in the next week, return and get more books; I very rarely have any go overdue (and it is easy enough to renew online, plus the fines are paltry compared to the costs of buying, anyway). Our shelves are also heaving with books we've bought or been given, and I try very hard to never buy!!

"kids don't even have fines" - they do here. It costs me 20 quid without fail every time I manage to get there. I know I could phone and renew but I somehow never manage...

Kids dont get fines but their adults do here.

I dont have a massive distance or anything else- I just forget . I resolve not to do it but I do agagin anyhow.Likewise I have to pay bills etc by DD or I will forget, it is something I have had to admit is just me.

The library here though isn't really any good, and I am not paying city parking prices for the one in Newport. They try God bless them, but they have a small room in the Comp and its not big enough or even very child friendly (big door open round back that the kids bolt through)

my kids had to earn extra toys and games etc - but if they ever wanted a book from a book shop - then that was 'free' to them.

hence dd has a nice little book collection which i think is nice.

i used to take mine to the library - and dd goes if she has something specific to do or research - but not as a rule

i do however agree that they are a great resource. every saturday we went to our library - which was huge - there was abasement level and even an art gallery on the top floor - not a pissy made up thing with kids projects from local schools- but a real one.

our library is pitiful in comparison

I loved the library as a DC. They can have a completely free choice rather than having to rely on what a parent is willing to buy.

we can renew & reserve online here, it's very good

Library has hours that are largely incompatible with my working hours.

Located in middle of town - 20 mins drive to get there, parking at £2 per hour.

I find libraries inconvenient, time consuming to get to and expensive to access in terms of petrol and parking costs.

I find it cheaper and easier to buy books new/secondhand/ from car boot sales.

The idea of libraries is great, but unless you live near one and the opening hours suit you they are just not practical to use for many people.

Lucy - well next time the lift is actually working to get up to it when I pass by I'll go in and see if they have any - that's if they don't take too long to actually talk to me.......the idea of hanging around waiting for a comment card to fill in fills me with dread with a 2yr old in tow

Good lord, I hope no libraries take ABetaDad's suggestion and stop buying books! How else will I cope on my long commute to work?

you go online - order books that you want from the catalogue, then drive, park once enter library and pick up book take back in so many weeks.

My library have reduced the weeks by one to increase foot fall

Internet is free atm possibly will have to pay.

magazines for free and back copies upstairs - in spectatours gallery, as the library was the swimming baths

There is also a cafe should you want a drink and tourist information.

open 10 - 8 apart from early closing wed at 5 and sunday 10-2 saturday 10 - 4

When I was on maternity leave I used the library a lot. Ours is great, and I could order anything I want online, for £1, which was really helpful. However, I now work full time and they're only open for a short time on Saturday mornings, so it's atually far more convenient for me to buy my books, keep the ones I'll love and read again, and swap or sell the others (I am a member of a book club which meets in the evenings so I borrow and lend books at book club).

Hmm, I used to love the library as a kid. But personally, I read less nowadays (just don't have time) so I'd never return books on time.

Maybe I'm letting the kids down but I do have that 'Old lady probably read this on the toilet' phobia. Books in those plasticky dustjackets always seem a bit germy But.. both schools my kids have attended have had decent libraries and been encouraged to choose their own books there.

I think there's also a problem with libraries not having what you want to read. I always had to order the books I wanted and then wait for them. Never had the patience when you can get a book quicker from Amazon - and Amazon is cheap, especially for kids books and from the marketplace.

Borders has story time too, btw so they're not necessarily missing out on that by not going to libraries.

The benefit of living in the middle of nowhere is that we have a fantastic Gateway Library in our little town. all the council services are there, the main postoffice, computers galore, new toys, loads of dvds, it really is fantastic. They even talk to the school, so when a new topic is given they'll order in all the suitable reference books and then photocopy them for you for free!
On top of that, the library van stops in the hamlet on Wednesday afternoons, so I can return books easily and they'll bring back books I've ordered the following week...

Gosh judging from these experiences I think our library is fabulous then! Open till 8pm 5 days a week and till 5pm on a saturday. Nominal fines for kids - 5p a day, twice weekly rhyme time for littlies, twice weekly story time for preschoolers, soft toys, a huge wooden train for them to climb over with trucks that holds the childrens books, an amazing range of dvd's and videos for hire (both kids and adults), stickers for the kids every time they take a book out and a poster with their name on it for every four stickers, small but free car parking, no tea/coffee availability but one hours free internet every day, and really friendly open staff.

We go every single week

I don't like the library - they expect you to give the books back you know. Within a timeframe! Whereas the bookshop just hands them over in return for a silly piece of plastic and me pushing some buttons.

We don't go, I spend a fortune in bookshops though, money well spent IMO.

Do all libraries run the summer reading scheme for children?
Ours starts a Beast Quest kind of scheme next week, with puzzles and stickers and rewards for reading. My boys can't wait!

I go and still spend a fortune on books!