A couple of weeks ago i was really REALLY bored, it was saturday and i had nothing to do, no one to see and didnt have a clue where to go. I went into town for a random walk and walked past the library in town so went in and had a wander round.

It was brilliant!! i walked round the shelves for a while and then eventually just picked up a book and sat and read for about 4 hours straight (i normally cannot concentrate and end up eating, sleeping or watching tv instead). Id never thought of doing it before, are there any other forummers who like to spend there time in there? I was well and truly shocked at how much i enjoyed it!!

I like Graves Art Gallery upstairs,
But I hate the lift, really really hate it.

I love it Duffer, but don't get there as often as I ought to these days. Really glad you liked it; reading is one of the greatest pleasures in my life. The staff are really helpful there too - if they haven't got what you're looking for they'll try and get it in for you. Pretty good selection of DVD's for rent at very fair prices too.

Libraries are true "Treasure Houses", Duffer. I have always loved books, the feel of them, the freshness of the pages and the wonderful things they contain.

Look on the Writing Group sometime.......we love books on there. We are a mixed group of ages, abilities and interests in books. Many have contributed to threads on the subjects of "favourite books", their "first reads" as children etc.

I am pleased you discovered your Library. It will serve you well. :thumbsup:

Libraries are the cathedrals of the mind. They are one of the greatest treasures of our modern civilization. I love them :thumbsup:

I can spend ages in a library. I love the one on Surrey Street, from the Art Deco design of the building, to the changing displays in the Graves Art Gallery. The local history department is great with lovely, helpful staff.

As a bonus, I live about 5 minutes walk from Hillsborough Library!

I love the library but whenever I go it always seems to be full of people who either smell of wee or body odour!!! Honestly this has happened about four times now.

I love going in to look for books - but the seats aren't comfy enough for me, so I end up lending the book, going to a nice cosy pub with big sofas and settling in there!!

id like to join the library, any idea what ID i need to take??? :confused:

id like to join the library, any idea what ID i need to take??? :confused:

I think a Utility Bill....Gas, Water, Electricity etc will suffice, just for proof of your address... takes 2 mins to register...and a lifetime of enjoyment is yours. :)

I can spend ages in a library. The local history department is great with lovely, helpful staff.


I agree MacB!

I went to the Rotherham Local History & Archives once on my way home from work just to ask one simple question.

I was in there for 4 hours!!

How the time flew & the stuff they have that I never knew existed from years gone by

Increadible - roll on retirement :thumbsup: :nod:

I can spend ages in a library. I love the one on Surrey Street, from the Art Deco design of the building, to the changing displays in the Graves Art Gallery. The local history department is great with lovely, helpful staff.

As a bonus, I live about 5 minutes walk from Hillsborough Library!


Yes, I use the Surrey St Library. I also lose track of time when in there.Im sure if they locked up,and forgot I was in, I would still be in there the following morning reading away. :love:

I love the library but whenever I go it always seems to be full of people who either smell of wee or body odour!!! Honestly this has happened about four times now.

It also could be that you may be a stranger to the shower yourself.

Either that or you are unfortunate in the people you stand near.

I used to love doing assignments sat in the reference library and found it very condusive to doing an awful lot of work. It was also invaluable to have all those reference books just footsteps away.
I still remember a school ttrip to the central library and walking down in the basement with it's seemingly never-ending shelves of old leather-bound books and the vault where they keep some of the rarer documents.

Duffer - you can take the books home to read you know. :D

Just prove your ID and address and they'll give you a borrowers ticket.

My mum works in the library on Surrey Street

My mum works in the library on Surrey Street


Well I must say they are really a bunch of very polite and informative people when Ive been in there.Quite busy as well with different requests and inquries.

As a teen I used to bunk off school and go to the Central Library or Weston Park Museum. Learned much more there than I ever did at school.

Libaries have been my salvation throughout life.
Whenever things went wrong I could always lose myself by reading a book.
Entering a libary is sheer delight, a wealth of knowledge is sitting there waiting to be absorbed, at times the one pleasure of the week and all there for free.
hazel

Cool! There were quite a few people in there, so i knew its quite popular but its good to hear all your experiences. Oh and thanks for the tip greybeard, next time i wont have to stick the book down my trousers to get it out of the building :) There were a few funny looks im telling you!

Oh and Shoeshine I may just take a look at the writing group is it up and running now? Im a pretty sporadic user of the SF and last time i looked it was a work in progress, is it up and running now? Do you have meets and stuff?

When I die and go to heaven, my first words will be:

'Where's the library?'

Oh and Shoeshine I may just take a look at the writing group is it up and running now? Im a pretty sporadic user of the SF and last time i looked it was a work in progress, is it up and running now? Do you have meets and stuff?

The Writing Group has been running for quite a while now, Duffer.

We don't have meets, but we have more than 100 "Writing" Members registered with passwords to gain access to read the contributions held on the special Server provided, and to upload their own pieces from time to time.

All ages (16+years minimum) and abilities (no textspeak allowed) are represented.

Everyone has a personal tale (real names changed to protect the innocent :hihi: ), a holiday/life experience or a children's/mystery/sci-fi/ghost story idea/poetry etc. We prefer between 300-3000 word limits where possible. The lower word limit on poetry is not applied, of course.

It's friendly, helpful, and you may find you enjoy the time spent in that Section. :)

Anyone interested? Please PM me. :thumbsup:

Well I must say they are really a bunch of very polite and informative people when Ive been in there.Quite busy as well with different requests and inquries.

Thank you! A lot of other shops staff could learn a few things in customer service skills from the people who work in the library

I fear the golden age of libraries is behind us now. Most of them these days seem to be chucking out books so they can fit more computers in.

When I die and go to heaven, my first words will be:

'Where's the library?'

Perhaps each of our heavens is what we want it to be? I hope we meet some day in the great library in the sky!

I recall, as a young lad, about 14 yrs old (1955?) doing History at the Technical High School visiting the Main Library in Rotherham.

The project, lasting over one term, was to research the history of two "American Indian", at that time, ("Native American" now) Tribes. We were left to do it in our out-of school time.

I had never been to a Library before then. I asked a Librarian, and the appropriate reference books were picked out for me in the Reference Section.

Result......hours of total joy at the facility offered to me, plus, with other History Studies, eventually a GCE in History, including other G.C.E's of course. Although I went on to a career in the Applied Sciences, I would have loved to become a Historian. I still love the subject.

I have used Libraries ever since, and would recommend everyone to join at least one Library, and if you have a particular interest, just ask the Librarians to guide you.

They truly are a font of knowledge, and do sterling and polite service to all.

I have made it a point in my later life to introducing my grandchildren to our local Library. :)

Another library fan here!---I started going into the Central Library in Sheffield in about 1951 or 1952. At that time they had a special Children's Library, a bit further on towards Arundel Gate, from where the main entrance is now.

When I was eleven in 1953, I started going into the adult library and like other posters on here, discovered the pleasures of thousands of books to choose from. I'd just started playing chess then at school and it was great to find that there were dozens of chess books with thousands of games to play through. That alone made it worthwhile to travel into town.

I still use libraries after more than 50 years and I'm sure they're one of the great benefits of civilisation.

I was surprised when I read Michael Palin's autobiography to discover that he was going into the Sheffield Library at about the same time as I was.I always found the staff [and still do when I'm in the U.K. and pop into the Sheffield Central Library] usually helpful and professional but slightly cold and a bit intimidating. I've used one or two branch libraries in Sheffield and always found the staff in there rather more friendly, somehow.

As a child I used to be sent home to wash my hands by the librarian from Central library and as I lived on the Arbourthorne and knew I had no chance of getting back to the library ( I called in on my way home from school ) I used to stand outside spitting on my hands to get them clean enough for her inspection.
hazel

And Sheffield Libraries have a useful on-line facitlity...

http://hip.sheffield.gov.uk/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=T089060464DL4.633&profile=dial--2&menu=search&submenu=Music%20Power&ts=1089060732093

Use it to find the book you're looking for, and also, if you have a pin number, reserve a book from any Sheffield library for collection at your local library.

You can obtain a pin number at any library on production of your library card.

While browsing the catalogue you can compile a reading list and email it to yourself, and then there are the 24 hour services...

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/in-your-area/libraries/24-hour-services

etc. etc.

And Sheffield Libraries have a useful on-line facitlity...

http://hip.sheffield.gov.uk/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=T089060464DL4.633&profile=dial--2&menu=search&submenu=Music%20Power&ts=1089060732093

Use it to find the book you're looking for, and also, if you have a pin number, reserve a book from any Sheffield library for collection at your local library.

You can obtain a pin number at any library on production of your library card.

While browsing the catalogue you can compile a reading list and email it to yourself, and then there are the 24 hour services...

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/in-your-area/libraries/24-hour-services

etc. etc.Thats going to be useful :thumbsup: