I love libraries of all shapes, sizes, ages and locations but what really counts when it comes to library quality? Here are my prejudices:
What makes a library:
1. A friendly welcoming feeling when you walk in the door.
2. Bright sunny windows.
3. Convenient hours, so you can actually go to the library and work a full time job.
4. New books displayed on a regular basis.
5. Librarians who don’t make you feel nervous when you approach the circulation desk.
6. Comfy seats.
7. Quiet. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids and they belong in the library but they have to learn how to whisper or go to a children’s room with doors.
8. Informed, helpful, kind librarians.
9. Tables or desks that are private and tucked away in little nooks.
10. Author visits or book clubs.
What wrecks a library:
1. Too much concrete.
2. Too many computers and movies.
3. Drafty rooms.
4. Loud, running children.
5. Excessive fees for overdue books.
6. Mean librarians who eye you suspiciously.
7. Decor resembles a prison or hospital.
8. Locked bathrooms.
9. Books that are so outdated no one would ever want to read them.
10. Tiny horizontal windows.
Germaine Greer said;
“Libraries are reservoirs of strength, grace and wit, reminders of order, calm and continuity, lakes of mental energy, neither warm nor cold, light nor dark.... In any library in the world, I am at home, unselfconscious, still and absorbed.”
What makes a library:
1. A friendly welcoming feeling when you walk in the door.
2. Bright sunny windows.
3. Convenient hours, so you can actually go to the library and work a full time job.
4. New books displayed on a regular basis.
5. Librarians who don’t make you feel nervous when you approach the circulation desk.
6. Comfy seats.
7. Quiet. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids and they belong in the library but they have to learn how to whisper or go to a children’s room with doors.
8. Informed, helpful, kind librarians.
9. Tables or desks that are private and tucked away in little nooks.
10. Author visits or book clubs.
What wrecks a library:
1. Too much concrete.
2. Too many computers and movies.
3. Drafty rooms.
4. Loud, running children.
5. Excessive fees for overdue books.
6. Mean librarians who eye you suspiciously.
7. Decor resembles a prison or hospital.
8. Locked bathrooms.
9. Books that are so outdated no one would ever want to read them.
10. Tiny horizontal windows.
Germaine Greer said;
“Libraries are reservoirs of strength, grace and wit, reminders of order, calm and continuity, lakes of mental energy, neither warm nor cold, light nor dark.... In any library in the world, I am at home, unselfconscious, still and absorbed.”
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