Published on 12, July, 2020
When I was young I used to enjoy visits to libraries, they were a place of refuge. Peaceful, quiet, a nice atmosphere, the smell of books. And I enjoyed reading.
Now .it's all changed.
My local library ( as have most of the libraries in the city) has been refurbished and renamed a community hub.
Now there are few books, .lots of computers, uniformed security guards, meeting rooms, help and advice experts on council services, jobs & benefits. And finally the local post office has closed down and moved into this library itself.
On one side of the room there is a bookcase and next to it a queue of people using the post office.
I miss the old traditional libraries. With wooden bookshelves, books, a librarian and cardboard library tickets in books with dated stamps.
New “libraries” are horrible. I don’t mine the computers or anything to do with education. But these community hubs are awful.
I recently went to a local library at 9am when the building opened. I wanted to use a computer/internet, none at home just a smartphone. Only to be told, the library opened at 9.30. It’s the hub that opens at 9.
It’s soooo noisy now. Constant ringing in the phone urgh!!!
My local library is very rarely open. The branch in the nearby town has been merged with the sports centre. Acoustics are terrible - and there's a shared enquiries desk which is very confusing. Ironic that the building is so inaccessible for people with hearing loss - it is where they hold the spares and repairs clinic for hearing aids.