Page 14 - link magazine

14 AT YOUR LIBRARY

BRINGING BOOKS AND PEOPLE
TOGETHER
Just for a change, I thought it but memories are of blue skies,
might be quite nice to introduce golden sands and lots of tourists
each alternate month, a member wearing funny hats and singing
of the West Swindon team - you funny songs. I had no hankering
will then know who is smiling after libraries in those days and
(scowling) at you the next time remember Blackpool Central as
you return your books. I decided a forbidding Carnegie style
I had better start with myself, in building where staff peered over
the hope of persuading fellow the tops of glasses, where you
team members to reveal all over were allowed to take out a novel Linda Black,
the coming months. only as a reward for borrowing West Swindon Librarian
Here we go then .....m Linda two factual titles, where you books, and shelving trolleys by the
Black, team leader as it were, were treated like one of the great mile. However I discovered
and hail from that sunny mecca train robbers if you incurred 'people' at this time and realized
of the north, Blackpool. Child- fines, and above all where silence that the best career combination
hood seems a a long time ago, ruled supreme. I could have involved books and
Education was a mix of Secon- people. Despite the drudgery, I
dary and Grammar schools - I completed the traineeship and
Soft Water will
protect you and your bathroom suite loved school despite the formal then back to Manchester Poly for
uniform - hats, ribbons, white a one year post—grad diploma
KINETI zz- gloves not to mention gym course in librarianship. Any illu-
knickers, were the order of the sion I might have had that being
C day! I fell in love with literature a student again would be fun was
The No I Best Seteng Water SoBe,,e, o U K The wOrlds ,,,o$t advanced tufty
automatic non-electnc meter-controlled system at the age of 14 and had endless quickly shattered at the first
tllelko,
For a cooete service ,n Water SotNoers, Sales. Se
Rent. Bay, DIV call fights with library staff over lecture on how to catalogue
SWINDON SOFT WATER. Tel. Brian Cox : being allowed to borrow the books -riveting stuff!
27172 novels of D.H. Lawrence and After qualifying, I had a short
Henry James - certainly not spell with Manchester City
; -,.'.
a considered suitable reading for a Libraries before shooting off to
14 year old - (how times have Scotland to take charge of a new
changed as I'm now trying to library opening in Livingstone
discourage young adults from New Town 12 miles outside of
POLYCELL borrowing Jackie Collins and Edinburgh. Never having been
further than Carlise before, I can
Harrold Robins!) Anyway I per-
severed through '0' and 'A' look back on the experience now
DOUBLE levels not really sure what I as being quite brave. I didn't
wanted to do in life. At 18, still realize that I would spend the
absorbed in literature, I was next 7 years in Scotland - I
lucky enough to obtain a place at learnt a lot about people and
GLAZING general arts course majoring in might have in their lives. With
Manchester University on a even more about the role libraries
English and American Literature. unemployment at 80% and
The euphoria of student days poverty reaching into every
remain with me still - all that corner of the community the
sitting around discussing the library served, I was very pleased
philosophies of the literary world to be part of a service which
and thinking we were all going to offered people so much for so
1.4 change the world in some radical little. The Scottish experience
way. The girls were lucky at will always be a part of my life.
Manchester, out numbered by In 1984, I bade my farewell to
SWINDON the guys ten to one, we didn't Scotland and embarked on a new
give too much thought to the career with Wiltshire Library and
GLASS gruelling practicalities of life. My Museum Service. I was appointed
final year as a student and I still a year before West Swindon
had to decide how I was going to opened and was lucky to have
keep books in my life and been involved with all the plan-
Ii domesticity out of it! Sheer hard ning and development. The rest
OKUS ROAD, work found me the proud pos- is history - the library as you
sessor of a bit of paper allowing know it today. Over the past 2
SWINDON. me the dubious priviledge of the years we have seen the library
TEL: 615262 letters B.A. able to offer a greater range of
Only after leaving University services as well as a choice from
did I start to think seriously an even larger bookstock. There
about a career in libraries. I was is still a long way to go but I,
taken on as a trainee with along with the staff, feel the
Lancashire Libraries and travelled library has become an integral
everyday to Preston for 18 months. part of the community, which is
Any good ideas I harboured as a well used and appreciated - as
result of my new found graduate for me, well I shall certainly be
...• 1$ THE status quickly evaporated as I around for at least another year
RNG T11534 *r$Z28 realised the reality of the working and then who knows - perhaps
world - acheing feet, stamping the Orkneys.