An afternoon in the local library

At all stages in my life, from primary school upwards, that sentence has meant a happy time. Libraries have always been places that combine a lovely sense of calm with the opportunity to explore and to open windows on new 'stuff': stories, answers to questions, pathways to new questions.

Today was week 2 back on the library volunteer rota, after the long gap of lockdown. I've mentioned in previous entries that our local library lost its paid staff in 2014, along with many other branch libraries in Sheffield. Since then it has only stayed open thanks to a body of trained volunteers: no real replacement for professional staff, but a way to salvage something from the ruins of the post-2010 'austerity' years.

My experience of being back in the library is proving complicated.  Today I could really see the costs of the Covid period.  Without  the discipline of borrowers coming in and out, and with a much-reduced body of volunteers, some of the 'backroom' systems have worn thin now.  Admin tasks are being neglected; items are sometimes proving hard to find.  There is still a good, safe system in place for sorting out reservations, bagging and shelving them for collection and putting returned books in quarantine (see main picture) before they are re-shelved.   But there will be a huge amount of ground to make up before we can contemplate having borrowers back in the building to browse and select books as they always did before. 

I don't think Covid prevention will be our main problem; that's under control.  It's the whole business of sustaining the service - and keeping it fresh and outward-looking - that will be the challenge.