John Harvard Library revamp

phoney wrote:

J D Salinger died today at 91. Just goes to show you can make a nice living out of a 220 page book. No-one remembers anything else he wrote.

60 mio. copies sold apparently. There's plenty of people who write 60 mio words in their lives but couldn't find 220 people interested enough to read them. Catcher in the Rye was given to me by a girlfriend; although I last read it about 25 years ago, it had an impact on my life from which I still benefit today.

A mate of mine is working on a new film of Catcher in the Rye. That's supposed to be a secret but we don't care. What timing!

I'm finding the book dispenser and the online renewals facility really good. The stock is a bit disappointing, I think. In fiction there's a good-ish selection of classics and popular modern titles but very little in between; and,in biography, a great deal of "celebrity" stuff to the exclusion of almost everything else. But that's a matter of taste, I suppose. All in all, it's a welcome resource, impressively redesigned and, apparently, enthusiastically run. I'm looking forward to browsing the local archive in its new setting.

phoney wrote:

Has everyone been using the library?
After all the initial excitement, regretfully I still haven't got round to visiting.
Every time I pass, the cafe attendant seems to be staring wistfully out the window hoping for a few customers. Hope she's making a living.

The cafe area can get quite busy on the weekend. The only thing is that the tables are often occupied by people doing their own thing e.g. teaching English lessons and not buying coffee from the poor man / woman on the desk.

I go to the library two or three times a week to return books and get new ones and have found it a great resource so far. I wouldn't advise anyone to go between 4 and 5pm though as the times I have been there it seems to have become some kind of local after-school centre - I have nothing against young people (not that old myself!) but a lot of the kids don't seem to be there for the books and make a tremendous noise laughing and joking with each other etc. I was leaning near the floor to look at the bottom shelf and one kid decided to execute a running jump over the bag by my feet, nearly kicking me in the face, etc...

I appreciate the kids might not have other safe places to go nearby but it's still a bit annoying.

unlikelyheroine wrote:

I wouldn't advise anyone to go between 4 and 5pm though as the times I have been there it seems to have become some kind of local after-school centre

It always was like that, before the refurb. I'm pretty quick to defend teens but I have to agree there needs to be more discipline in a library.

I never read the book, now I can feel bad about not seeing the film too.
What's it about, angsty adolescence or something?

Just to say that as of today Southwark Local History Library has reopened in its old location at the back of John Harvard Library. Access is now via the lending library rather than Angel Place.

Wonder why it's taking so long to replace the smashed windows? It's been over 7 weeks now.
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/4329
Either the requisition is going through several committees for approval or the glass has to be ordered from China. Surely they don't have to apply for planning permission to replace glass.
Nice inscribed paving stones have appeared in Angel Place with snippets of Dickensian local history although why they didn't fix all the other loose stones at the same time is a mystery.

Has the Harvard cafe closed? Last couple of times I passed by it seemed to be. The only time I have been in the library since the revamp is to vote although it does seem to be well atended today, probably because it's warm.