Long live the ACT library service!

I remember when Libraries were open all day, every day, and up to 9.00pm (or even 10.00pm) on a Friday night. Great for borrowing a Playboy or two from rear counter. The articles were GREAT!

Roger, the library service is indeed good, for all the reasons you mention, but it has been, and could be better. As a longtime user of the library, I remember when its services were second to none.
The library now has very few trained and qualified librarians; in its move to self-service it was decided that people did not need to ask for trained help; they simply needed someone to point them to a computer. The days of librarians guiding patrons to deeper searches and knowing the collections are long gone. The library has magnificent electronic resources – you can read newspapers, magazines and even encyclopedias online. You can get access to academic and popular journals that were previously only available by subscription on the internet. However, the staff are often unaware of these resources, and are not trained to use them, let alone guide users through the sometimes difficult process of accessing and searching them (easy once you have been properly shown how).

Books are mostly no longer chosen by staff, who knew their users and their interests, but bought on standing order, so booksellers, who obviously have a vested interest, can move their most popular stock. The collection is no longer properly weeded – I am told that books are simply discarded once they reach a certain age. Given that some books are classics, and subjects such as history don’t necessarily date, this would rob the collections of any depth. I often find that books referenced in articles are no longer available in the public library – if they ever had been.

I do still use the library however, and it is wonderful to see that it is a vibrant place, much valued by the community who use it.

I agree 100%. The libraries in the ACT are fantastic. I have young kids, and we frequent Giggle & Wiggle and Story Time. It truly is wonderful that there is something on every weekday for young children at at least a couple of libraries. It’s free, I don’t have to book, and we are always welcomed with a smile.

As a brand new mum, I really valued those sessions – I couldn’t remember the words to any of the nursery rhymes, and it was tricky to ever get out of the house. Going to those sessions really built my confidence as a mum and helped me bond with my baby.

Now the kids are a little older, the library provides welcome respite from a busy life. It’s a quiet space to feed my baby, to explore books, and try something new. I love that they are open Saturdays, so our whole family can go together.

I am constantly amazed at the services the library offers. My favourite new discovery is the Zinio magazine app – current magazines, downloaded to my iPad, for free. Brilliant.