The one that was going to see "Libraries (become) a place for families and joy and chatter..." instead of the stuffy middle-class organisations that Andy clearly thought they were?
Ah. Well.
As with all of NuLabour's other initiatives, not so well:
For most of us, it is a welcome refuge where silence is still golden.Ahhh. See the happy families. Hear the joy and chatter!
But one library has had to hire bouncers after young thugs tore through the premises, 'terrorising and tormenting' two female staff and intimidating visitors.
Security staff were also needed to deal with groups drinking near the entrance of the premises.
Derrick Murphy, the county councillor responsible for cultural services, said: 'It was very intimidating for staff. The police were not doing anything about it.Oh, Derrick! Get with the program, dude! It's 2010, you can't expect people to be silent in libraries any more!
'Children go into the library and they run around and make a lot of noise. They were engaging in antisocial behaviour. Children were running around, shouting and screaming.'
I think I need to break in a new tag. I suspect there's going to be lots of chickens from the last 13 years that will come home to roost in the next 13 years or more...
Obviously not from a literary family.
ReplyDeleteDerrick. As in crane.
.. and the EU want to ban smacking. If these kids had had a bloody good hiding when they were smaller, they'd know how to behave in a library.
ReplyDeleteI thought all the libraries became media centres?
ReplyDeleteOr 'multi-purpose centres' as in 'fit for none'?
Hardly surprising though, in order to appreciate and use a library, you have to be able to read
Our 'user friendly' library is a kiddies playground these days, it was remodelled to make it 'child friendly' which meant a lovely children's area at the furthest possible distance from the entrance.
ReplyDeleteIt's ghastly, it's noisy, and getting expensive to borrow things too - because it's only encourage parents with small children who want somewhere free for them to play/shriek/run around indoors for half an hour or so, others don't bother.
"Obviously not from a literary family.
ReplyDeleteDerrick. As in crane."
Heh!
"If these kids had had a bloody good hiding when they were smaller, they'd know how to behave in a library."
It's yet another of the 'no consequences society' drawbacks...
"I thought all the libraries became media centres?"
Clearly, it didn't help in this case. Shocker!
"...parents with small children who want somewhere free for them to play/shriek/run around indoors for half an hour or so..."
Anyone with half a brain would have seen that coming, but not our professional local government services, oh, no...