tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post2136439242416097926..comments2023-10-03T11:41:21.191+01:00Comments on The Truth About Lies: The Joy of LibrariesJim Murdochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-22789777159754461092008-08-05T10:55:00.000+01:002008-08-05T10:55:00.000+01:00Thanks a lot for that, Tam. I can see your father ...Thanks a lot for that, <B>Tam</B>. I can see your father had a very different relationship to books than mine. I never saw my dad read a fiction book in his life. As you'll note from the dedication to my own book he never even finished mine. I have to say, perhaps partly to counter any genes she might have had kicking around to the contrary, I did everything I could to instill a love of books in her; she had 100 books waiting for her before she came out of the womb!<BR/><BR/>And, as for swapping my book. As far as I'm concerned the more people who get to read the thing the better. It was written to be read, not to sit on a shelf.Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-19062951751922061392008-08-05T02:52:00.000+01:002008-08-05T02:52:00.000+01:00What Steve and Dick have been saying about the imp...What Steve and Dick have been saying about the importance of book ownership, that’s something that definitely strikes a chord with me.<BR/>It’s now something I’m trying to get away from. <BR/><BR/>If truth be told, I’m never going to refer to any of the fiction titles on my shelf. Like a lot of other people, they are just there to make me feel good. I don’t know how that works exactly; is it about showing off to any visitors how clever you must be, is it about showing off to yourself? I’m not sure, all I know is that lots of books on the shelf make me feel good, and when something feels good you don’t ask questions.<BR/><BR/>I grew up surrounded by bookcases. My father accumulated a lot of books; I don’t think he had ever discarded a single one in his life. He would never be able to simply walk by a second hand bookshop; he would bid on lots at the local auction house that consisted of boxes of miscellaneous old books, titles unseen.<BR/><BR/>I think that’s why I wanted to keep all my books. That I may one day live in a big house and my offspring will wander from room to high-ceilinged room, bookcases in every one, and they would be free to browse the titles and discover all the wealth that books have to offer. Did I want my unrealised sperm to become respected members of society, well-grounded in the way of the words, or did I just want them to think that daddy was clever? <BR/><BR/>Either way, I’m not sure it will help. Now that I think about it, I have no vivid memory of my father ever actually reading a book. I have come to the conclusion that having a huge personal collection full of books may not be the be all and end all.<BR/><BR/>Did my father really love books? Of this I am not sure. I don’t want to do the same thing; I don’t want to teach my kids that books are things to be hoarded. I want them to learn that a book is a thing to be shared. <BR/><BR/>They may not be able to run around a huge house full of bookcases, but that’s not such a bad thing. It will simply necessitate frequent trips to the local library. I want them to learn that libraries should be public and not private, perhaps for no other reason than discovering ladies breasts in a public library is less incestuous.<BR/><BR/>On a similar subject, I hope you don’t mind that my copy of Living with The Truth is currently en-route to a house somewhere in Englandshire via a book swapping website.Tamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16096057521160935889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-5547357762803629192008-08-03T16:56:00.000+01:002008-08-03T16:56:00.000+01:00Rachel, I do wonder what kind of future faces our ...<B>Rachel</B>, I do wonder what kind of future faces our kids and I think libraries are the least of their worries. We'll certainly never see them disappear. So much depends on when e-books make their way into the mainstream and how that's administered. But I do envisage a society where people gather less and less not that libraries have ever been a place I've gathered. I went alone. I browsed alone. I spoke to no one most of the time. I don't need to leave my house to do all that.<BR/><BR/>None of my mates were bibliophiles and a couple may not even have been literate come to think of it. I certainly have no recollection going to a library <I>with</I> people. Libraries have never been about people for me. If anything, they've always underlined feelings of loneliness and isolation.<BR/><BR/>And, <B>Dick</B> and <B>Art</B>, I see you both already have your own private libraries. Mine is nowhere near as extensive I'm afraid but it does me. And, I do have a quiet and orderly place in which to work built to my own needs. I really was never one for studying in libraries. I'd look up what I needed, make my notes and bugger off home to do the work. <BR/><BR/>And I've never tried working in a café. I really don't get it. Why? I can make coffee and tea at home and at least at home I can decide on what music I have to listen to and its volume.Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-52121380950158001442008-08-03T07:07:00.000+01:002008-08-03T07:07:00.000+01:00I joined the local public library last year, after...I joined the local public library last year, after not having been a member for a long time. But then, it's not possible to join a public library when you're nomadic enough that you might not actually visit it more than twice a year.<BR/><BR/>One of the best grad school classes I ever had to take was a killer course in bibliography. We worked harder for that course than I ever had before. But now I can walk into almost any library in the world and know how to find what I want. A very useful bit of training.<BR/><BR/>I also have a personal library at home of some 7000 books. (Whittled down from 10,000 earlier, and still being slowly whittled down.) The reason is that is partly because I love books. But another reason is that the public library, even interlibrary loan usually doesn't have everything I need or want, when I want or need it. A big part of my library is reference, on multiple topics that interest me. I am a very thorough researcher, and a pretty good one.<BR/><BR/>But I am also whittling down the books I'll never reread from my library. The truth is, I remember almost everything I read, and I read very fast compared to most people, or so it seems. As long as my memory lasts, anyway. My mother had Alzheimer's so we'll see about the long run, won't we.<BR/><BR/>Libraries are a great place to study, to sit quietly and write. Almost as good as coffee shops for that; the main advantage coffee shops have over libraries is that you can sip tea while writing and reading; but they're often not as quiet or soothing as places to hang out.Art Durkeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07463180236975988432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-8231435196583815212008-08-02T21:46:00.001+01:002008-08-02T21:46:00.001+01:00Much as Steve Kane says: I have to own the books I...Much as Steve Kane says: I have to own the books I read. And then, when read, they have to go onto a shelf with others of their kind. When we moved to the house we're in now, we had to have a 13' x 8' mega-shed built just to house all the books we couldn't stack up here. I sit amongst them with the rain pounding down on the roof and feel a great sense of peace. Sad, really...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-4655204787909754342008-08-02T21:46:00.000+01:002008-08-02T21:46:00.000+01:00Much as Steve Kane says: I have to own the books I...Much as Steve Kane says: I have to own the books I read. And then, when read, they have to go onto a shelf with others of their kind. When we moved to the house we're in now, we had to have a 13' x 8' mega-shed built just to house all the books we couldn't stack up here. I sit amongst them with the rain pounding down on the roof and feel a great sense of peace. Sad, really...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-90423323379018206392008-08-02T21:45:00.000+01:002008-08-02T21:45:00.000+01:00I do think though that libraries are like lots of ...I do think though that libraries are like lots of other public services...if we don't use them we will definitely lose them (OK we might lose them anyway but we have to be optimistic...at least some of the time). And to have no libraries at all...can you imagine it? There are some things I don't mind losing because of the PC revolution but I really don't want to lose public (or any other libraries).Rachel Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11803852725693518924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-83868056583898156752008-08-02T12:02:00.000+01:002008-08-02T12:02:00.000+01:00Kenneth, episiotomy…? No one likes a smart fart. A...<B>Kenneth</B>, episiotomy…? No one likes a smart fart. As for not being a member of a library, when I took a stroll over to our local library just after I'd written that blog – which would be about a month ago – I can't pretend there wasn't a comforting familiarity to being there … squawking kids aside. The simple fact is that I don't live in a house where pandemonium is the baseline any more. I can wander into my office and have all the peace I need. I don't have the time to read the books I buy and if I went to a library I'd find myself coming back with all sorts of crap, books on tanks or tropical fish and graphic novels, things to waste time and I've got the one-eyed goggle box in the corner to do that whenever I feel the need.Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-83860153883436234332008-08-02T10:37:00.000+01:002008-08-02T10:37:00.000+01:00Great title Jim. I can picture the bearded man an...Great title Jim. I can picture the bearded man and the hirsute woman, sitting on their shag pile rug, thumbing a sizable volume. :)<BR/><BR/>I genuinely feel a little sad to learn that you don't currently belong to a library (Dave too). I get such fun from mine and it allows me to take out a book just cos I like the cover and see if it's any good. I've always found some nice peaceful time in my libraries, ever since I took out my first book with my adult library card in Sligo many moons ago (it was Heinlein, 'Glory Road' - I loved the cover).<BR/><BR/>Dominic: I also love the idea of you spending your library-fine money in Oxfam. :)<BR/><BR/>Oh and Dave, I believe you're describing an 'Episiotomy', look it up... if you dare!Ken Armstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07775956557261111127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-35878740560050287362008-08-02T00:07:00.000+01:002008-08-02T00:07:00.000+01:00I checked out the poetry section in our local libr...I checked out the poetry section in our local library. I believe it was two volumes of Burns, one of McGonagall and one of someone I'd never heard of.Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-3208946845382255772008-08-01T23:10:00.000+01:002008-08-01T23:10:00.000+01:00I love glasgow uni's library, esp classics floor w...I love glasgow uni's library, esp classics floor which is/was second from the top - the views over the city are fantastic and being so high up it was always a bit chilly which saved me from falling asleep over my books! I also liked to study on the slavonic floor, a wee single table in a corner hunched between volumes of marx and lenin! But having just paid a ridiculous fine for the late return of books from my local library I can't see me borrowing in the near future, think I've exhausted their miniture poetry section anyhow.Marion McCreadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04657757253873577465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-35098694159276766122008-08-01T17:31:00.000+01:002008-08-01T17:31:00.000+01:00Yes, Hope, modern design, does it not suck big tim...Yes, <B>Hope</B>, modern design, does it not suck big time? Okay, not all of it but libraries, yes. The library I went to as a kid as at the back of the town hall and then they moved it in the 1970s to a new building and it was just a room with books in it and a library is more than books in it in the just the same way as a bokshop is more than a room with books in it.Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-84290740303637029292008-08-01T16:34:00.000+01:002008-08-01T16:34:00.000+01:00I guess my favorite thing about libraries will alw...I guess my favorite thing about libraries will always be the Children's Library in my hometown. It was downstairs, in a what amounted to a basement with that unmistakable smell of books. This kingdom was ruled by Miss Ivy, the lovely spinster with all the requisite "Librarian" attributes. Except the bun...her hair was short. Her "Shhh!" was polite however, never harse. <BR/><BR/>What will always stick with me is that the small windows were at street level, therefore the light came in from the top of the room and streamed downward. The way it lit up the stacks of books seemed so magical. Getting my first library card there was like taking a step toward adulthood...that sense of belonging to something bigger than you. I always thought of it as my passport to the world...that I could check out corners of the world where I might never venture. <BR/><BR/>When they built the new library, it became big and cold and impersonal. It has wonderful public restrooms, handicap accessible, but it smells of cold steel, not like the warmth of books.hopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03306622656461205674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-35935172650448282032008-08-01T12:27:00.000+01:002008-08-01T12:27:00.000+01:00Sorry for not getting back to you all sooner but I...Sorry for not getting back to you all sooner but I've been very lax about sending out submissions of late and I decided I was going to do nothing yesterday until I'd done a dozen. As it happens I ran out of steam after nine but we'll see if we can pick up the slack today.<BR/><BR/><B>Rachel</B>: loos! Yes! Why don't libraries have loos? The wee local library near us is part of a community centre so there is one but so many of the standalone libraries I've visited don't. <BR/><BR/><B>Jennifer</B>. so it's once a librarian is it? Tell, me, when you're in a bookshop, do you get an uncontrollable urge to tidy up the shelves?<BR/><BR/><B>Steve</B>: ownership. That has so much to do with it. I have a very strong need to hold onto books to reference later. It doesn't matter whether they're fiction or not, to a writer <I>all</I> books are reference material. There have been several times I've gone to find a book only to realise I've never actually owned it.<BR/><BR/>I have to say, <B>Conda</B>, I never checked to see if Glasgow has an online catalogue. It's the biggest city in Scotland so who knows? I use Amazon constantly as a reference I have to say, at least a first port of call. <BR/><BR/><B>Adrian</B>, don't they bring books back in bookshops? I'm not one for returning items but I have done it a couple of times when we've bought duplicates by mistake.<BR/><BR/><B>Sherry</B>, yes, it's amazing how you can live in a city and only use such a tiny bit of it. I'm afraid our Mitchell Library is nowhere near as grand as the Carnegie but it has served me well over the years.<BR/><BR/><B>Dominic</B>, the west end of Glasgow is full of used bookshops and always an adventure although I still find I'm happy to take more risks with online purchases. I mean, you can pick up so many books for 1p + postage and even in used bookshops you'll get precious little for under £3.00 especially in Oxfam who I find a bit dear.<BR/><BR/>My experience of Stockhausen is limited to <I>Kontakte</I> believe it or not. He's not one I stumble across very often but I'll listen to anything. His <I>Helicopter String Quartet</I> caught my eye a while back but it looks gimmicky. <BR/><BR/>By Hoffnung, I assume you mean <A HREF="http://www.musicweb-international.com/hoffnung/index.htm" REL="nofollow">Gerard Hoffnung</A> the artist. I've never heard that one but I do recognise a lot of his work.<BR/><BR/><B>Martha</B>, yes, the smell of old books. There is a bookshop in Glasgow – down Otago Lane – which is the most olfactorally challenging place I have ever been it. But it is a wonderful place to wile away an afternoon.<BR/><BR/>And, <B>Dave</B>, yes, the wee local library has a room set aside with a couple of PCs in it but they were both occupied when I was there. The thing is, computers now are so cheap that there's no reason why anyone even on a low income couldn't have one. In all seriousness, I'd do without my TV and phone before I'd give up my PC. Like you I remember a world where a home computer was the stuff of science fiction novels … and now we have four of the damn things. It is a very different world to the one we grew up in. A lot of it I could do without but not computers.<BR/><BR/>I do think that libraries <I>are</I> important is for kids. They don't know what they like and it's great that places exist where they can have a taste besides they simply don't have the money to fritter away on books.Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-75037021041827022362008-08-01T11:24:00.000+01:002008-08-01T11:24:00.000+01:00Snap! It is also the first time I have not been a ...Snap! It is also the first time I have not been a member of a library. I waltzed along to take a look-see when I retired, wasn't much impressed with the book selection, most of their effort - and, I guess, money - was going in to computers, for which there was a long wait. I thought, well, I can do that at home without the wait!<BR/>The most embarrassing thing that happened to me was in the school library. It was a private study period - which meant we students took a book - any book - and chatted or played games surreptitiously. The music master had been detailed to supervise us. Noticing his approach, I opened my book and propped it up in front of me, bothering to check only that it was the right way up. He stopped and asked if I was interested "in that sort of stuff". I feigned great enthusiasm. He took the book to the desk and withdrew it for me to take home. My Gran, with whom we lived at the time, went crazy and was waiting at the gate for the return of my mum, to tell her that something had to be done about me. I don't even know for sure what the article was about - I was told something to do with cutting the thighs to ease the birth. <B>Do</B> they do that?Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-2590134764411379502008-08-01T09:24:00.000+01:002008-08-01T09:24:00.000+01:00I feel rather guilty about it, but I stopped going...I feel rather guilty about it, but I stopped going to the library and drifted into spending my library fine budget on books at Oxfam shops. Perhaps I'm lucky with my Oxfam shop, but I find the books are often more interesting. There's a slightly random element too, which adds to the thrill. I bought an Iris Murdoch there I hadn't read only the other day.<BR/>A Kontakte fan, eh? Have you heard his Gesang der Junglinge? I used to have both on one album until I leant it to someone.<BR/>Have you come across Hoffnung? Your ruminations on libraries reminded me of one of his pieces of advice to tourists visiting Britain (although it's now out-of-date): "Be sure to try the famous echo in the Reading Room of the British Library".Dominic Rivronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02618013365521035400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-65166568027236000962008-08-01T01:31:00.000+01:002008-08-01T01:31:00.000+01:00I serve on the board of our local library and yet ...I serve on the board of our local library and yet seldom visit it. I like to buy my own books and continue to build my own library. But, what I do miss the most is the smell of all those books.......<BR/><BR/>Thanks again for the link to the essay on Mrs Dalloway.Plot Whispererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11184614830165104670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-56433335734855361882008-07-31T23:45:00.000+01:002008-07-31T23:45:00.000+01:00we have the carnegie here. really something to see...we have the carnegie here. really something to see but i've lived here all my life(56 years)and have only been there once.<BR/><BR/>i love to look at them tho.<BR/>it's like they are cathedralsSherry Pasquarellohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06107407102753464356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-43698522947898800762008-07-31T23:24:00.000+01:002008-07-31T23:24:00.000+01:00After I worked in a bookshop I got a job in a libr...After I worked in a bookshop I got a job in a library. I couldn't get used to the fact that shortly after I'd sold a book to a customer they brought it back again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-56286526765632705372008-07-31T22:54:00.000+01:002008-07-31T22:54:00.000+01:00I sometimes forget my ongoing love affair with lib...I sometimes forget my ongoing love affair with libraries--it's so much a part of my life and always has been. <BR/><BR/>Your post brought back lots of memories, Jim. And some gratitude for the fact that I live in a big enough town to have an online library catalog. Way cool!<BR/><BR/>Thanks for such a fascinating post.Conda Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12972790965426924941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-4760114127318302702008-07-31T19:25:00.000+01:002008-07-31T19:25:00.000+01:00For someone who loves books, I have never had much...For someone who loves books, I have never had much of a relationship with libraries. I think it might be because it is not enough for me to read a book, I have to <I>own</I> it as well.<BR/><BR/>Not that I'm rolling in disposable cash meself - I too never buy a book at full price and always shop around for bargains.<BR/><BR/>I've never fancied any of the librarians I've met either so maybe that's why I've never developed a love for the places.<BR/><BR/>Khachaturian is wonderful.Steve Kanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11242098704029677197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-70221660002200295592008-07-31T17:57:00.000+01:002008-07-31T17:57:00.000+01:00I am a former -- if one can ever be former -- libr...I am a former -- if one can ever be former -- librarian. After years of fighting off the bun and support hose shushing stereotype, it's refreshing to read a different viewpoint of libraries and librarians. Though I don't want to think about the "open shutters" too much ...<BR/><BR/>As an undergraduate, I spent some time in the Library of Congress, an imposing place where you request books via call slip and wait patiently for their arrival. The Main Reading Room has been fully renovated -- it's quite a sight. <BR/><BR/>And I've never been in an empty public library. They are always vibrant, well-used public spaces.<BR/><BR/>Jennifer (who used to work in a place where the boss asked for "the older Marian" when looking for the library director)jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07959874504681715396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-67634289618582848692008-07-31T12:43:00.000+01:002008-07-31T12:43:00.000+01:00There are so many positive things to say about lib...There are so many positive things to say about libraries...and that's even without getting involved in cleavages and see-through blouses! Your relationship with libraries is interesting, Jim. One for the shrink, I think...<BR/><BR/>One of my favourite things about libraries is the important function they serve, particularly public libraries. You don't have to pay to go in, there is no time limit on how long you stay (if you behave...), you can always find something to do (hell, even if you can't read you can daydream, sit quietly, stay out of the rain...) and then of course there are the books. What could be better? I think more public libraries should have public toilets too (in our local you have to use the staff toilet if your child needs the loo and it's very, very small and through the offices...) but apart from that I've no complaints. Some might say more toilets in libraries could be used for getting rid of crap books...but that's just not the kind of thing I'd get involved in...Rachel Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11803852725693518924noreply@blogger.com