The Bookseller.com

21st November 2008

Benedicte Page

Benedicte Page is a news reporter on The Bookseller. She was formerly the magazine's book news editor.

Libraries: The day we joined

28.04.08

Last Saturday (26th April) was National "Join a Library Day", an initiative organised by the National Year of Reading as part of the NYR's focus on boosting library membership.

The day was supported by the introduction of the first universal library membership form - a spectacularly simple joining form (asking just for name and address) available to download from the NYR website and distributed in the Sun, where former "Blue Peter" presenter Konnie Huq was featured encouraging readers to sign up.

I've been a devoted library member in recent years in both South and North London, but frequent moves around the capital meant I needed to catch up on my library membership at my current home in Woolwich. The Join a Library initiative was a useful prompt to push me to rejoin.

At Woolwich library, my slip was greeted with a moment's incomprehension at the front desk before it registered - "Oh, it's that thing from the paper" - and the appropriate
librarian was located to join me up. Then it took a matter of moments to get me on the system, with only two extra pieces of information asked for - date of birth and contact phone number - and one piece of identification to prove my address.

I was presented with a joining pack consisting of a National Year of Reading-branded folder containing a comprehensive information on libraries throughout Greenwich (all of which I can borrow from on my current card), plus bookmarks, a timetable of mobile library stops and leaflets on the Home Library Service, Bookstart Book Crawl and more.

No, there hadn't been a mad rush to join the library that day, said the librarian, but it was the first Saturday since the newspaper had carried the NYR information, so it was still rather early for the results to come through.

I couldn't stop to browse that morning - my friend Belinda Knox was signing copies of her book The South Downs Way at Waterstone's in Winchester at 2pm and I had an urgent train to catch - but with the library handily located right next to my local Sainsbury's, I'll be back next Saturday to check it out.

Below are some of my colleagues' experiences:

 

The Bookseller features editor, Tom Tivnan, joined Camberwell Public Library

"I have lived in Camberwell, South London for almost three months and shamefully (particularly for a Bookseller staffer) have not joined my local library.  So I took advantage of the National Year of Reading-backed Join a Library Day to give me impetus to pop into the Camberwell Public Library (CPL).  It was mid-afternoon on one of the sunniest, warmest days of the year, so I was a bit surprised to find the place absolutely jammed full of kids, parents and adults reading and surfing the net.

At the desk I gave the librarian my filled-in universal joining form printed off the NYR website and  was politely asked to fill out the library's usual paperwork. The universal form was a nice idea, but there was a sort of disconnect you often get in these big campaigns between head office planners and people on the ground.

I  was the 16th new member to join the CPL, with a fifty-fifty split between adults and children.  New adult joiners were being offered a free DVD rental (normally £3),  while children were able to choose a free book to keep. 

I grabbed "The Assassination of Jesse James" for my free DVD. I was about to leave when I was distracted by the fulsome graphic novel section and snapped up a couple of Captain Americas (the Winter Soldier story arc, a post-9/11 reimagining of ol' Cap - brilliant).

Feeling slightly foolish for going to a library for a movie and comics, I guiltily traipsed to the classics section and picked up a copy of Ruskin's Stones of Venice (Ruskin lived in Camberwell, so I thought it appropriate). I will probably never read the Ruskin, but I am enjoying the Captain America."

 

The Bookseller charts editor, Philip Stone, joined Penge Library

"I turned up at 13:45, with my little "National Year of Reading" slip, downloaded from the internet. The library had been open for over four hours. The courteous assistant at the front desk greeted me with a smile. I was their "first one". Or at least the "first one" to have brought his slip. I enquired as to how many non slip-waving others had joined in the morning. One other. No slip, leaving the possibility that they joined on "Join a Library Day" by pure coincidence.

But then, it is a community library. If I wanted a comprehensive collection of books, I'd head for the larger libraries in the borough in Beckenham or Bromley. And I only know to do this because I was given a plethora of reading material from the library, including  The Ultimate Book Guide: 2008 (for children). But, hey, I'm young and fresh-faced. And they have a reading group the second Monday of each month, which I am very tempted to join.

Was particularly impressed with their comprehensive collection of black-boxed minutes from local council/ward meetings, and I made sure to check out their collection of James Patterson and Jacqueline Wilson books, knowing full-well they've dominated recent "most loaned" lists. Patricia Cornwell also had a substantial presence, although a couple of copies of Alex Kava, interestingly, and numerous Mills & Boon romance picks occupied the fresh "returns" bay. Checked out "Alex Kava" when I returned home, in the hope of finding some Penge heritage. He was born in Silver Creek, Nebraska.

Oh well."

 

JOIN A LIBRARY DAY IN PICTURES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No more agony: Sunderland's launch included an appearance of author and agony aunt Denise Robertson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Centurian effort: Simon Scarrow, author of the Roman Legion series of books (Headline), supported the day at Poringland Library, a new library in Norfolk, which opened on 16th April. Scarrow said: "I still think reading is the best entertainment medium ever."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tackling libraries: Halton celebrated the day with poet Levi Tafari at Stobart Stadium, home of the Widnes Vikings. Levi emphasised the importance of reading in his own development and in all of children's lives. 

libraries Home National Year of Reading NYR Join a Library Day