Loving Our Library

In 2022, 669 million physical books were sold in the UK, which is the highest number ever recorded

The book industry as a whole has a pretty large carbon footprint, with both paper books and their ebook equivalents having an environmental impact.

This alone would be enough of a reason to borrow books from your local library but there’s so much more to a public library.

I am a Public Library Lover.  What’s not to love ?  If you’re lucky (and we are in Wells) you have a fabulous public space, open for a fair amount of the week (Monday to Friday 9:30 – 5:30pm and 9:30 – 2pm on Saturday) where no-one wants you to buy or do anything.  It could be called Wells Sanctuary but don’t be mistaken, there’s plenty going on.

Here’s the activities board from last month:

Of course there are also the book shelves, a storehouse of fact and fiction to wander through.  The regular displays of recommended reading a veritable eye opener.  You can sign up your book club or join the Library’s one.  On the ground floor there are also DVD’s, audiobooks, PCs,  newspaper, photocopier,  the infamous jigsaw as well as the Children’s section.

Wander upstairs and you’ll  find space to work, more PCs and the reference section full to the brim with all sorts including local information.  But most of all, whether upstairs or downstairs, you’ll find a warm space with friendly faces who’ll help you out if you need a ‘signpost’.  Thank you Wells Librarians for being a font of local knowledge, calm and cheerful whatever the question.

The Library doesn’t just end there either.  There’s plenty of online resources too (www.librarieswest.org.uk ) which means if you’re not able to get to the Library itself you can still access the resources.  

If you haven’t tried Borrow Box, the alternative to Audible, you might want to give it a whirl.  You can download the app to you phone or tablet and access audio and written e-content.
And then there’s all the digital magazines with plenty more besides.

I am a Public Library Lover.  And not just for the books and services.  The Library is the one indoor public space in Wells where you can just ... be.  Step inside the door and it’s a sanctuary for many. 

If you haven’t ever been there, or perhaps not for a while, I hope you might find time to pop in and let yourself get lost in the bookshelves.    

Because we seem to be living at a time when Public Resources are shrinking, let’s not let that happen to our Library.  It we’re not using it, there’s always a risk that someone will decide that we can lose it.  I am a Public Library Lover … are you one too ?