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hi elle
Birmingham have just paid £138 million pounds for a new library,but they cannot afford to buy books and they have reduced staff and opening hours,there are 5 branch libraries closing in Southampton and one of local ones is staffed by volunteers!!!

Hello ChrisE,

I can be so much an obsession that I can't resist buying books - Never take me to a second-hand book shop, I will be in there for hours !

Since this thread has started (which is not very long really ) I have bought 4 reference books and 3 DVDs, just because something was mentioned by various members ! At this rate I will soon have to have more shelves put up -

Yes - I dare not venture within any second-hand book shop unless I have a few hours to spare.

Hi, Doglet!
I wonder if Lin will read this because she was telling me about the new library in Birmingham and duly visited it!
I may have told you that both our local libraries closed and the replacement opened it their place is abysmal?
I think it's a disgrace to the intelligence of the locality! The first thing you see when you cross the threshold to the library is a rack of "Mills and Boon"!
Now, I've never read a 'romance' of this calibre, nor would I ever wish to do so!
And.... at the risk of being branded the biggest "snob" ever , I find myself feeling offended by what is now being offered to local residents!
Our previous (nearer) library branch was well stocked with what I would term 'decent' books - but where are they now? You don't find them on the 'new' library shelves! ( in fact , you don't find much of anything on the new library shelves!!)
I'd be interest to hear other people's opinions of their own local libraries?
but I'm just about to go out...will check back later......

Elle, as I mentioned earlier, ours is recent but for a village such as ours (3000 people maximum and counting all the surrounding hamlets) it is very well stocked up - it even has a section on Foreign Litterature !
Most of those are from donations, but in excellent condition.

There is also a section for children's books - On top of it you can hire DVDs from them too. It is open three times a week : Wed afternoon (kids half day from school), Friday and saturday both am) - voluntary staff.

Hi elle
Our local town library was fine had a good selection of books newspapers and magazines,held art and craft galleries and was always helpful if one wanted a book out of the county,but it announced it was closing to become a Discovery centre,because I worked at the college library we were invited to go on a tour before it opened,we discovered fewer books both non fiction and fiction,30+ computers a computerised issue and returning system which breaks down all the time Knit and natter morning in the middle of the room and a toddlers playgroup also in the middle of the centre,no silent area but a cafe,less staff and less opening times,most people hate it especially the Candy pink paint.it seems to be a drop in centre for using the computers people eat drink and use mobile phones,not my idea of a library

Albie, thank you muchly!
I have had a look and it looks very good.
I have it on my wish list now!
Also, his biography is on Amazon, too.
And one I am definitely getting is on another legendary gambler, Titanic Thompson, who travelled everywhere with his golf clubs, a .45 revolver, and a suitcase full of cash!
His social circle over the years, included Harry Houdini, Arnold Rothstein, Jean Harlow, Al Capone, and Lee Trevino!
It's a must!

Hi rusty
Your mention of Jean Harlow reminded me of this story of Margot Asquith (from Wikipedia):

A possibly apocryphal but typical story has her meeting the American film actress Jean Harlow and correcting Harlow's mispronunciation of her first name – "No, no; the 't' is silent, as in 'Harlow'."

That rings a wee bell, Chris!

Rusty et al
Apologies for gate-crashing your thread but I thought,
with your obvious love of books, that the following may
be of interest to you. If you check out any of the sites
of Wigtown, Scotland's Official Book Town, you'll probably be in Seventh Heaven. Just a thought.