Remembering TOWN

Monday 25th January 2016

The calm before the storm

I love my library first thing in the morning before I even open the doors. Once I have opened al the shutters and let the sunlight in - it looks just beautiful.

My library has dual-aspect windows - from the left you can see the High St with the bus stop outside and down the entire right side you can see the car park behind and in the distance the hills of the Apedale Country Park. It looks beautiful whether they are green or white and covered in snow.

It's always a calm start to the day - until I unlock the door, people start to come in and the day begins!

Another Monday - another Coffee Tots. The group is getting so big now - the leader Trudie from the Heath Centre asked me what the room capacity was - for health and safety purposes! I checked and it is 36 if using both rooms with the partition removed. She had 28 mums - all with babies and toddlers. We had to cordon off the children's library for the parking of all the prams and buggies.

The computers were busy too - one customer hadn't been in for quite a while - but needed to print out some bank statements. I reminded her how to log on with her card and PIN - then told her to shout if she got stuck with the printing. She gave it a go herself - but needed help to get the statements to come out. I showed her once and then she was fine, we were soon churning them out. She left a happy customer.

I was worrying that I wasn't going to get any lunch when no relief staff has arrived by 1.15pm. I had a call from Newcastle though to say someone was on the way. Janet arrived rather flustered - she hadn't started until 1pm today - but no-one had told her she was meant to start at Silverdale. I got my lunch - then she had to get back to the counter at Newcastle. They are very short staffed now - so I really don't see how they are going to cover Silverdale once I have gone. I hope someone looks after my customers! I had an email to say that all libraries will be getting forms for prospective volunteers to fill in. We are meant to display them for people to pick up and we have to refer anyone who shows any interest to a new member of staff at Newcastle who has been appointed to find volunteers for my library - and four others in our district.

Joy performs TOWN

It does make me feel sad - and I'm very tempted to throw them in the bin! It is quite an insult, after going to library school and getting a diploma and a Masters degree in Library and Information Science - to be told that anyone off the street can come in and do the job I love. I know we are meant to grin and bear it - but it is very hard. I don't know ANY member of staff - whether staying in the service or leaving - who is happy. No-one can see how it is going to work!






Cakes for everyone

Today's Blast from the Past harks back to much happier days at Silverdale. It was the night the wonderful poet Joy Winkler came to the library to perform her drama TOWN. We'd not had anything like it in the village before - and everyone loved it!

 Read the full story here