My name is Usman. I work in a library service. Well, technically, I'll be starting my new job in three days. That means in three days, I'll spend 40 hours a week, as the custodian of a large room full of books.
Now, as you may imagine, libraries aren't the most exciting places to work. Libraries aren't even moderately exciting places to work. In fact, if you type "Exciting Libraries" into google search and look at the images, the first three pictures feature a granddad, a mundane brick facade, and a cartoon grandma.
That last picture looks too animated to be indicative of the kind of libraries I've personally experienced... Thats not to say all the libraries I've visited are drab... The last place I worked had some cool libraries, trying their hardest to stay relevant. You may be aware of the type: older brick walls replaced with tall, plastered walls, overuse of primary colours to make a bold statement of youthfulness, large windows looking out into the big wide word, sparsely populated bookshelves, islands with computers frequented by school children playing flash games, DVD cases and music CDs, as they slowly tread into the 19th century....
It's a big change from the classic, brick walls, mauve paint, a labyrinth of bookshelves and musty, oak wood, rustic feel that was synonymous with libraries for so long. Personally, I fear the superficial makeover is probably too little too late, which is a shame because I love libraries and feel there is so much that they can be utilised for, if properly administrated and maintained.
I mean it; libraries are amazing- where else can you go to sit down, free of charge, pick up a product with no questions asked and entirely utilise it for all it was meant to be? Make part of your morning routine to read a newspaper? Take your child for an hour or two of activity to exhaust him/herself while you just sit back and observe or just try to forget about it? Where can you get entirely free wifi and unburdened access to whatever site you want (honestly, you'd think porn was a no go but I've come across many a canny service user who has their own way around such firewalls...)? Where can you watch the telly, take out a comic book, find out what this month best seller is, get advice on council issues, meet authors, attend poetry session, black history month events, English for Speakers of Other Languages workshops, homework clubs, messy play for toddlers, avoid the rain and even for some people, just take a nap?? I don't know of many places outside of libraries that offer such a vast array of services and all for free.
That said, they can be fucking boring to work in.
And that's where this blog comes in. Every now and then, I'll be checking in with the details of what it's like to work in such a service and the steps I've taken to stop myself from blowing my brains out from boredom. I hope you find this useful and informative. And that you appreciate libraries for all they can, and ought to be.
:)
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