Libraries of my Life
Libraries have always held a very special place in my heart, I have very few memories of people or places, I remember things usually through a 'photograph' or because they're written down. However my clearest earliest memories are of libraries! I remember the children's section of the Library at Mansfield Woodhouse when we lived there temporarily for a few months. I would have been 4 years old there! I very much remember the Library at Alfreton, Derbyshire, where we went every Saturday before doing the supermarket shopping at Hillards! Hillards is 35 years gone, the Library in my memory & peculiarly often of my dreams is also long gone. It had little slopes, sets of 3 steps all over the place & brown carpet throughout. I was also 4-8 then for the weekly visits, but then Matlock got a supermarket so we didn't travel through so much. Matlock library was tiny, cold tile floors so I went less as I couldn't tolerate them (Reynolds & early onset neuropathy). Then we moved to Swansea & we went to different libraries there although much less then however I remember having to go to the big university library several times. But it was for study not pleasure so the memory is less clear other than being enthralled at the academic library :-)
I suppose a love of books has left these libraries embedded in my memory, the choice, the decision of which book to have. The feel of the books, the scent of the pages, the joy of finding some pedants correction in the margin :-D
Then we moved to up here a village by the Moors so Northallerton huge library was my place. They did teach Yourself book courses where I did a course on Book Keeping just to help me with being self employed whilst I was between schools & yet again we were living in temporary accommodation so Northallerton Grammar School wouldn't take me for their 6th form because we were in temporary accommodation & might move away. We did move way but near enough for me to have continued to attend had they let me join in the first place. That decision would have changed So many different things in my life it would have been a complete game changer. Life hey?
And then Thirsk Library, dear sweet Thirsk library & the memories it holds for me even though I've been on the Books on Wheels home delivery scheme for many years. The library has just closed but unlike many, has been moved to a new home. I'll post separately on that later I hadn't expected to post so much on this now!
I suppose a love of books has left these libraries embedded in my memory, the choice, the decision of which book to have. The feel of the books, the scent of the pages, the joy of finding some pedants correction in the margin :-D
Then we moved to up here a village by the Moors so Northallerton huge library was my place. They did teach Yourself book courses where I did a course on Book Keeping just to help me with being self employed whilst I was between schools & yet again we were living in temporary accommodation so Northallerton Grammar School wouldn't take me for their 6th form because we were in temporary accommodation & might move away. We did move way but near enough for me to have continued to attend had they let me join in the first place. That decision would have changed So many different things in my life it would have been a complete game changer. Life hey?
And then Thirsk Library, dear sweet Thirsk library & the memories it holds for me even though I've been on the Books on Wheels home delivery scheme for many years. The library has just closed but unlike many, has been moved to a new home. I'll post separately on that later I hadn't expected to post so much on this now!