Three Cheers For Libraries

[probablypike]

For the last couple of weeks I've been weighing up whether learning to read could be the next big challenge on my musical horizons. With this in mind I ventured out to Birmingham library. (I'd already had a look at their music section, but never before with the specific intention of scoping out some reading material.)

What I found has pushed me off the fence and into the mindset that I'm going to give this reading lark a real shot. There was loads of material. Bach's Cello suites, Mark Levine's big jazz theory book, musical scores and just about every variety of Real Book you could ask for. The audio section is great too, so you can pick up a cd to take home to practice to.

If anyone is ever looking for some theory books, sheet music or anything else of that nature, be sure to check out your library.

[Sausages]

Yeah, I get stuff from Norwich Library sometimes, very handy and has saved me a few quid over time. Also a good way of finding out if a book will be helpful over the long or short term; if short term, library

[leftybassman392]

Mrs LBM will be very gratified to hear this. She was a public librarian for over 30 years and got used to being under-appreciated.

As it happens she's not impressed with Birmingham library for reasons much too dull to elucidate here, but it's good that somebody is.

Edited March 21, 2016 by leftybassman392

[3below]

Libraries great places. My mum was librarian as well. Political point: enjoy them while they still exist, austerity 2 / 3 / 4 ? is on the way.

[alyctes]

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1458601950' post='3009092']
Libraries great places. My mum was librarian as well. Political point: enjoy them while they still exist, austerity 2 / 3 / 4 ? is on the way.
[/quote]

This.

[Oopsdabassist]

Me 'n Mrs Oops visited Brum library late last year and was very impressed, loved the layout and the coffee shops on site, lost a couple of hours in there easily!

Built by my company too....well, not MY company, but the mob I work for.....different bit from me too....not many libraries on railways!!

[4stringslow]

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1458601950' post='3009092']
Libraries great places. My mum was librarian as well. Political point: enjoy them while they still exist, austerity 2 / 3 / 4 ? is on the way.
[/quote]

Libraries were indeed great places but time have changed and there are now better, faster and more convenient ways to access the font of human knowledge. Forget politics and austerity, it's the internet that has caused problems for libraries as we used to know and love them.

[ahpook]

Gotta be time for this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbXz3MXx2DU

[ambient]

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1458651648' post='3009411']


Libraries were indeed great places but time have changed and there are now better, faster and more convenient ways to access the font of human knowledge. Forget politics and austerity, it's the internet that has caused problems for libraries as we used to know and love them.
[/quote]

But remember not everyone has access to the Internet, or the abilities to use it. A lot of people rely on computers in the library to access the Internet.

[leftybassman392]

Mrs LBM now works for a children's bookseller that deals mostly with library authorities. The budgets for some of the bigger ones continue to be huge (although interestingly Birmingham isn't one of them owing to the council pursuing the equal pay issue - which they lost owing millions - a couple of years ago). Some of her accounts are hundreds of thousands of pounds for children's provision alone (per year) - and that's just for books.

The future is indeed uncertain, but we're not quite there yet.

Edit to add: Slightly off-topic, but I've just discovered that the bill for the Birmingham equal pay issue now stands at over a billion pounds:

[url="http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/birmingham-councils-equal-pay-bill-6302914"]http://www.birmingha...ay-bill-6302914[/url]

Edited March 22, 2016 by leftybassman392

[bassace]

Sshh..............

[4stringslow]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1458682605' post='3009884']

But remember not everyone has access to the Internet, or the abilities to use it. A lot of people rely on computers in the library to access the Internet.
[/quote]

Of course. That's because we're still in the transition stage. The internet (well, the www) is only 25 years old so give it a chance

Imagine the world in 100 years time. I suspect there will still be libraries, as in collections of books, but I reckon we'll be calling them museums

Edited March 23, 2016 by 4stringslow

[planer]

[quote name='probablypike' timestamp='1458586404' post='3008893']...be sure to check out your library.
[/quote]

Just this ^^^

We are lucky enough to have had a new library built, in a new building, over the last couple of years. It's great, and beats that t'internet thingy for just going in and being... quiet. Oh, and it's full of books. And a cafe. And actual human staff.