Conversation:

After 'Horrible Histories', 'Lousy Libraries' presumably...?

I agree that libraries are far, far more than book lending services. They are galleries, tourist information offices, museums, theatre booking agents, video rental shops and much, much, much more.

<BB<

Sorry - posted to wrong thread!

Thanks for telling me about Reims - I'll add this at once!

<BB<

We have one near here http://www.stpete.org/mobile/Mirror_Lake_Library.asp

I have often driven by, it is still in operation, but I have personally always used the Main Branch, which is in the opposite direction.

If you can give me an idea of the sorts of things you are interested in I might stop by and see if anyone there knows anything about it.

FS

The book The Curious Case of the Mayo Librarian, about an incident which almost brought down the Irish government, revolves around a Carnegie Library in Mayo, and the book includes a few interesting tidbits about how Carnegie's scheme worked. (I think it was in Laois that the locals protested that they didn't want a library, and dangerous foreign books.) Fascinating book.

The library in Tullamore is certainly not Carnegie.

TRiG.

I'm after as much information as possible, really, but ideally not just names and lists. I'd ideally like to know a story behind each library – either personal remembrances, what the library means to you – or its story as a whole. Something to make it stand out from being a name on a list of over 2,500.

<BB<