Chris Paling

Until the tsunami of information arrived via the internet back in the 1990's we were reliant on libraries as those of us who didn't have the Encyclopaedia Britannica at home needed to find out those details another way. I read a fair amount, as you may have gathered by now and I am fortunate enough to get many books through the post every month for me to read, however, I still go to the library at least once a week. Often twice... And still come back with way too many library books, at least that is according to my wife. They are the best free bookshop in town and not only do you get your books free, each author gets a little money each time you borrow a book.

It is rare that we see the view from the other side of the counter though. The man in charge of the date stamp is Chris Paling who works in a small town library somewhere in the UK. The people that beat a path to this place in the community are not just there for the books. A lot come into use the computers or just to socialise and for the company. His library gets homeless people seeking warmth in the winter, as well as attracting its fair share of the strange and the weird. His stories tell of the mundane daily life, shelving and answering simple queries from the public to the slightly shocking and often amusing tales that you get when you are a frontline public service.

Libraries are about Freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication. They are about education (which is not a process that finishes the day we leave school or university), about entertainment, about making safe spaces, and about access to information.” - Neil Gaiman

If you can't remember the last time you went into a library then I would suggest that may be time to revisit one again. These are a precious resource and if we do not keep using them, then the already swinging cuts they have suffered will only get worse. I have used the quote above as Gaiman is one of those who pretty much read his library from one end to the other as a child, and it made him the writer he is today. Not everyone can afford to keep buying books all the time. Paling's book is a useful insight into the daily life of a small town library and it will shock you and make you laugh with a page or so. Love reading and libraries, then you will probably like this. 3.5 stars
… (més)

I enjoy books about books so I was delighted to receive this for my birthday.

A book about libraries had to be about books, right? There are lots of books on the front cover and the author's a novelist. It turns out that this book is far more about people, hence the subtitle, 'true stories and curious incidents from a provincial library'.

-- What's it about? --

Um. See the subtitle.

Do you enjoy people watching? Do you value libraries? Have you ever wondered about the goings-on in libraries? In his first non-fiction book, provincial librarian and novelist Chris Paling offers some insights into classic library "customers" and the current condition of English libraries. This could definitely be subtitled 'people watching in libraries'.

-- What's it like? --

A gentle mass of anecdotes. A gradual introduction to recurring characters - The Thin Man, The Travelling Man, Sons of Anarchy Alan and ever-pink Trish, to name a few. As the seasons shift we meet these characters again and again, reminding us that libraries are more than simply repositories of information (no matter what David Cameron may claim), but are in fact vital community hubs - hubs that we are slowly losing.

Although this book doesn't make any grand claims regarding the necessity of local libraries, the whole book quietly illuminates the coming and goings of the customers in a way that makes the everyday seem quite essential.

The only characters we don't get a feel for are the librarians. We meet a few of the "facilities" team (always ready to persuade a reluctant customer to leave or fix a faulty toilet), but the librarians remain invisible, even when they leave en masse as part of the government cuts. There are no disgruntled voices, speaking out passionately to save the service, just a bunch of undifferentiated, seemingly disinterested souls planning to find a volunteering job. A job is just a job for many people, I suppose, but it seems a shame that a whole profession is dying with so few mourners.

-- Typical quotes --

In telling these anecdotes Paling includes details which are not necessary but do bring the scene to life.

'As we walk around the back of the cab we are narrowly missed by a muscular, one-legged man in a wheelchair moving at speed down the centre of the narrow street. On his right knee is the red scar of the operation which presumably recently removed the lower part of his leg. He is wearing a black capped-sleeve T-shirt and black running shorts. His head is shaved. He calls an apology. The cab drives off.'

There's also a fair amount of humour.

'Between many of his statements his right hand delves into the pocket of his shorts and rearranges his genitals, suggesting that his anecdotes are being released from his testicles one at a time.'

-- Final thoughts --

Fundamentally this is exactly what it claims to be - a collection of anecdotes, most of which happen to involve a library. Yet there is a gradual movement towards a very quiet, very restrained farewell to libraries as we know them. Although Paling questions what would happen to certain individuals and groups when libraries close, there's an acceptance of loss here that I found rather sad.

If you like people watching this one's for you. Librarians, in particular, will enjoy reading about their quirkier but very typical customers.

I think I would have ultimately liked something a little more polemical or more informative about the way libraries work and what their current remit is / how that might develop, but that isn't the fault of 'Reading Allowed', which gives the reader exactly what it promises: some true stories and mildly curious incidents.… (més)