What are Libraries for!
Children’s Author, Terry Deary, has set the cat among the pigeons by declaring that Libraries have had their day. Is he right? Yes and no.
But first we have to decide what libraries are for. Once everyone can agree we can move forward. The trouble is that when we say, “Save the Libraries,” we all have a completely different image in our heads about what it is we are saving!
I suppose this is the image that I have and what I think not only needs saving but building upon.
For my constant followers, you’ll know that I now have a teleprompter so will rant 🙂
Duration : 0:9:48
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Categories: ebay sales decline
A modern library I …
A modern library I think has to not only modernize technology wise, but their management has also to modernize into the age we live. We need professional librarians back but with refreshed up to date information skills; I’d suggest also library assistants likewise to provide the service the public want need to be a lot more skilled than they were in the past. Not purely a resource for the working classes any more, they do need to modernize to be as valuable as they originally were and to all.
I don’t know why, …
I don’t know why, maybe today i feel too lazy to explain it with more words, but what comes into my mind is that the idea of profit connecetd to books has ruined the ‘system’.
Yes, and I meant …
Yes, and I meant to say “it dosent pay the bill, but…” We should buy more of your books 🙂 But you don’t complain much, or not at all in fact, and that is really nice, its a rare quality and it inspires a lot, not many people think about that these days.
Rowling was an …
Rowling was an accident. no one knew that she would be so successful – she was turned down so many times. Publishers don’t actually know anything. They are gamblers. They bet on their hunches and sometimes they hit the jackpot. not very often though. Publishing is a high risk venture capital business. 🙂
Thanks – But I …
Thanks – But I have to pay the bills like any other author!
However you inspire …
However you inspire and incurage so many people from all over the world, that is in it selv a big reward. It wont pay the bill, and you should be proud because you could do a lot worse then to be an inspiration for a lot of interesting people.
A Public Library …
A Public Library should be a local entity supporting its local community. If the community want an old fashioned library they volunteer and run it like an old fashioned library. Involving Ministries is not the answer. Local people know what they want and should take back control of their resources and shape them to the needs of that community.
No no, I meant …
No no, I meant publishers still excist and there is a place for authours. But I agree that must be a hard struggle for people like you. But your doing a great job Shoo, and I’m sure the best way is to spread out on as many media as posible. I would not know how to do what you do, I could not keep up the motivation! I was refering to people like “Rowling” etc. It takes time, but if one is really good/have a great idea in the right time, then there is a place as an auther.. 1:million I know!!
That’s the way to …
That’s the way to go. But what has the word “Book” got to do with it?
Most people now are …
Most people now are pretty good at Google and Google is brilliant at finding what you want to know.
Pretty Dusty …
Pretty Dusty subject!
I love books, and I …
I love books, and I love oil lamps and candles and log fires but I wouldn’t want to rely on them. When the rest of the world has moved on I don’t want to be going out spending all day collecting firewood and buying candles. Horriblew Histories has had a wonderful effect on Kids . My son too is studying History at Uni
All our record …
All our record stores are closing down. There are just a few vintage and second hand dealers left and a few dealing in specialist vinyl. Like there will one day be second hand book shops and a few that deal in specialist souvenir books and high quality collectors books.
Its a downer sort of a subject. The end of something special, but possibly the start of something amazing and new. We all love our librarians and don’t want them to go through the pain that everyone else is facing!
Librarians used to …
Librarians used to decide what goes into libraries. Now central committees and Library suppliers “make suggestions”
That is true, but …
That is true, but have you tried to get your voice heard on the internet?
And it sounds like …
And it sounds like how iTunes has pushed out record stores, and smart phones have closed down camera shops and film manufacturers and steam engines put donkeys and horses out of business and all the ostlers and farriers that were supported by that trade.
I used to read them …
I used to read them with my kids when they were younger 🙂 great fun and quite revolting at times 🙂
Well, there you are …
Well, there you are – I guess you have a right to ask what your taxes are being spent on. I don’t think we should expect to get every penny back in kind – we should add to the common wealth of our societies and Libraries certainly do that. But the Old model of a public library has changed and the internet is taking away the reason for the old model to be continued. We need a new definition and purpose for a library.
I thought it was …
I thought it was quite measured actually - Even Terry Deary thought so!
(The Carl Sagan …
(The Carl Sagan quote btw is to be found on Wikiquote, and not Wikipedia, page 282, Cosmos 1980.)
Terry Deary has …
Terry Deary has expressed a lot about the libraries, and I do not think he is alone either at all. How about if I were to say that the libraries can either at this point take a text book (excuse pun) approach to ‘customer complaints’ and turn the experience into an org. improvement opportunity — it’s a very deeply rooted problem — maybe the DCMS/SCL could be persuaded to intervene (or something!), the Government surely must not be happy at the libraries’ performance after this week
I’m sure we all …
I’m sure we all agree on the why (purpose, role – ‘for’) of things. It is the tactics (‘what’ and ‘how’) that we disagree on (completely, Shoo 😉 The Society of Chief Librarians currently seems to be taking an approach (in terms of role) of asking how people at this point in time are actually making use and finding of value the libraries, e.g., ref. SCL website, ‘Book to the future’ news release – that being the starting point for planning.
How about if I were …
How about if I were to say a library is of value in every context of our lives – the issue for the librarian being essentially one of how efficiently literary resources can be made available to people (e.g., ref. the ‘Carl Sagan’ wikipedia page and the quote from Cosmos 1980 p.282). Abstracting out from librarianship and to the organisation in society, a public library is for employment (a healthy & wealthy population); as TD reminds writers are major stakeholder (the literary ecosystem), etc.!
that was a bit of …
that was a bit of a dusty old video 😉
Totally agree with …
Totally agree with you, we can’t live in the past – new horizons to conquer. But I do love books ! My son is now at university, thanks partly to Horrible Histories.