What are you reading tonight?

[thebish]

We don't need library's, the blue rinse brigade have discovered buying then selling on ebay's cheaper

What does that mean? What is a 'blue rinse'? Really.

some elderly people don't like the yellowing that sometimes accompanies greying hair - so hairdressers use a mild dye that is supposed to nullify the yellow and make it look grey... actually - it gives a blue tinge. "Brigade" is added to turn them into an identifiable class of elderly conservative (with a small c) Daily Mail readers...

[Lofthouse Lower]

Pretty obvious really

[William the White]

We don't need library's, the blue rinse brigade have discovered buying then selling on ebay's cheaper

What does that mean? What is a 'blue rinse'? Really.

some elderly people don't like the yellowing that sometimes accompanies greying hair - so hairdressers use a mild dye that is supposed to nullify the yellow and make it look grey... actually - it gives a blue tinge. "Brigade" is added to turn them into an identifiable class of elderly conservative (with a small c) Daily Mail readers...

Oh, ok. In which case ginger is entirely wrong - severe shortage of elderly Daily Mail readers at last night's meeting.

[Bruce Rioja]

Do you know that Bolton Council pay all their binmen double time and give them a day in lieu for working on Bank Holiday Mondays? There are several areas in which it can make cuts before closing libraries down.

[boltonboris]

I can understand them paying them double time, if it was necessary for them to work. but to them to ALSO give them an extra day off is feckin' ludicrous.

[Lofthouse Lower]

We don't need library's, the blue rinse brigade have discovered buying then selling on ebay's cheaper

What does that mean? What is a 'blue rinse'? Really.

some elderly people don't like the yellowing that sometimes accompanies greying hair - so hairdressers use a mild dye that is supposed to nullify the yellow and make it look grey... actually - it gives a blue tinge. "Brigade" is added to turn them into an identifiable class of elderly conservative (with a small c) Daily Mail readers...

Oh, ok. In which case ginger is entirely wrong - severe shortage of elderly Daily Mail readers at last night's meeting.

oh the stupidity

[hisroyalgingerness]

We don't need library's, the blue rinse brigade have discovered buying then selling on ebay's cheaper

What does that mean? What is a 'blue rinse'? Really.

some elderly people don't like the yellowing that sometimes accompanies greying hair - so hairdressers use a mild dye that is supposed to nullify the yellow and make it look grey... actually - it gives a blue tinge. "Brigade" is added to turn them into an identifiable class of elderly conservative (with a small c) Daily Mail readers...

Oh, ok. In which case ginger is entirely wrong - severe shortage of elderly Daily Mail readers at last night's meeting.

Yup, that's cos they were all ebaying their latest Lynda La Plants:



Bruce is right, lots of places to start cuts before libraries, but given habits are changing, if the libraries aren't getting any use then is it actually better taking on the binmen's cushy Bank Hol than going after a service fewer people use each year.

I await the stat that proves me otherwise

[thebish]

Bruce is right, lots of places to start cuts before libraries, but given habits are changing, if the libraries aren't getting any use then is it actually better taking on the binmen's cushy Bank Hol than going after a service fewer people use each year.

I await the stat that proves me otherwise

is there a stat which shows that these libraries due for closure are not "getting any use"?

[Lofthouse Lower]

FFS

[Verbal]

I'm speaking at a public meeting in Bolton Central Library tomorrow against the council's proposed closure of six local libraries...

so... how did it go?

The meeting was fine. Only a few eccentrics and headbangers, thankfully. Mostly local people affected by the closures and reacting from tearful (a disabled teenage girl for whom the library was a refuge) to incandescent (several people). Next week sees the local councillors in debate in the final event of the 'consultation'. Bolton seems to be the only council in 'Greater Manchester' (yuk) prepared to close libraries. And the libraries they have chosen are from some of the most deprived areas. They've not picked out mine (and Bruce's) local library - too many articulate, middle class people to contend with. They've selected Highfield, Halliwell etc. Disgraceful, really.

Sounds like something for Private Eye's long-running column Library News...

[Gooner Girl]

We don't need library's, the blue rinse brigade have discovered buying then selling on ebay's cheaper

What does that mean? What is a 'blue rinse'? Really.

some elderly people don't like the yellowing that sometimes accompanies greying hair - so hairdressers use a mild dye that is supposed to nullify the yellow and make it look grey... actually - it gives a blue tinge.

Bish knows cos he has one (on what hair he has left )

[hisroyalgingerness]

Bruce is right, lots of places to start cuts before libraries, but given habits are changing, if the libraries aren't getting any use then is it actually better taking on the binmen's cushy Bank Hol than going after a service fewer people use each year.

I await the stat that proves me otherwise

is there a stat which shows that these libraries due for closure are not "getting any use"?

I have what my marketing department call "anecdotal" feedback. Which goes something like this.

Never used one since left uni. Don't anticipate needing the services again.

[thebish]

Bruce is right, lots of places to start cuts before libraries, but given habits are changing, if the libraries aren't getting any use then is it actually better taking on the binmen's cushy Bank Hol than going after a service fewer people use each year.

I await the stat that proves me otherwise

is there a stat which shows that these libraries due for closure are not "getting any use"?

I have what my marketing department call "anecdotal" feedback. Which goes something like this.

Never used one since left uni. Don't anticipate needing the services again.

impressive stats HRG!

I have posted this before - but research HAS been done...

http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/~lsam/pdf/specific.pdf

the conclusion (based merely on book-lending and not including all the other services that libraries offer) was as follows:

On these calculations the value received by borrowers exceeds the cost by £123,000,000 - or by 24.3 per cent. Put another way, the average value of a book read is estimated at £1.73 and the cost of delivering it at £1.41

(to understand what they mean - you probably have to read the report)

[hisroyalgingerness]

Read? What is this read of which you speak?

The alternatives are sensible. Mobile libraries that can get to even more addresses. And one day maybe an online library of e-books. Each would be much cheaper to run than the current bricks and mortar libraries.

Now, one part of the argument I do have sympathy with - schools. This is when I did use the library. Often. And the schools couldn't afford their own books, or enough of them, so public libraries became the place to find up to date fiction and to do research. Not sure how they'll replace this element.

[thebish]

Read? What is this read of which you speak?

The alternatives are sensible. Mobile libraries that can get to even more addresses. And one day maybe an online library of e-books. Each would be much cheaper to run than the current bricks and mortar libraries.

Now, one part of the argument I do have sympathy with - schools. This is when I did use the library. Often. And the schools couldn't afford their own books, or enough of them, so public libraries became the place to find up to date fiction and to do research. Not sure how they'll replace this element.

I fear kids have already moved on to an blind reliance on Wikipaedia...

[P.O.S.]

Im erm, reading that Walking Down The Manny Road "book" at the moment

[boltonboris]

Im erm, reading that Walking Down The Manny Road "book" at the moment

My cousin is on the front cover of that!! Been to a few away games with him... Not for the faint hearted. I'm not into that stuff either

[TANGODANCER]

Reading Mark Winegardner's follow up to Mario Puzo's Godfather series: The Godfather's Revenge.

[Prufrock]

Finished the God Delusion very quickly. Made me realise how unfairly treated Mr Dawkins is. 30% weak pandering, 70% incisive, well-argued, bend over backwards fair reasoning. Very good book.

Then started Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Gripping, about half way through after two days. Still not convinced it is anything other than Dan Brown for snobs, but then I enjoyed the Da Vinci Code.

Picked up 'She Literally Exploded' from the library on (I think) Brucie's recomen.

[Bruce Rioja]

Good man