Barbican Library

I am most interested in public libraries and thought that there would not be much of a difference between the public libraries I have visited in the States and the ones I would visit in the UK. I was slightly wrong, while there are enough similarities to understand how their libraries work without much explanation, there were also some unexpected differences. This was a great chance to learn a few things as to how this library copes with common issues.

The librarian's motto regarding patrons was, "we are open to everybody who can get here to use us." This rang true since our group was greeted with such a warm welcome, which made me feel very comfortable and not intrusive at all. All of the librarians were incredibly kind and hospitable to our large group. They worked as a team to give all of us a proper tour and entertained our questions. They even gave us a break complete with coffee, juice and shortbread.

The Barbican Library is tucked away in the larger, Barbican Centre, which includes venues for the arts, such as a theatre, music school, and gallery. So the library is a general public library, with a slant towards the arts. There is a large section dedicated to art, and an even larger section for music. My favorite was the music section which is better than many small music shops, no wonder Orlando Bloom was spotted looking for sheet music here. The library also has a children's section with separate areas according to four different specific age groups, up to age 14.

Since it took many decades to design, develop, and build the current library, aesthetics are important. Any interior change must be approved by a designer first. The quick new RFID tag checkout system allows patrons to check out multiple items within seconds. In order to set up this system, designers had to construct a way to hide the bulky system, and made it look like furniture to blend with the decor of the library.

Now, even though the library offers its services to anyone, it is not without restrictions. In library school, I have heard many true stories of public libraries dealing with school children or even mentally handicapped adults who are left at the library during work hours by their caregivers, and picked up when the work day is over. This can result in problems with these patrons abusing their privileges and causing troubles for the librarians and other patrons. The general consensus is that the librarian cannot do anything about the children who spend hours everyday at the library. The library is a public and open place, where parents feel safe leaving their kids, then the librarians become babysitters. This is unfair to all parties involved. Since the library is a public place, everyone has a right to be there. The Barbican Library ran into a similar problem. The library is located in an area where only about 9,000 people live, and 35,000 people commute during the day to work there. Business men and women learned of the quiet, internet access computer terminals they could work from, so they would then spend full work days there, so they did not have to rent an actual office space. This, of course, is not what the library intended this space to be used for, so they established a two hour computer use limit per day. Many local libraries near where I live have this rule as well, but if no one else is waiting to use the computer, additional time is granted. This is not the case at the Barbican Library, so it discourages people from misusing the system. I feel that it is a good way to keep patrons in check, and do not feel that it tramples on their rights. The patrons are still able to use the computers, just not overstay their welcome. It is just a way of a library standing up for itself.

My tiny issue with my local library is the receipt I get when I check out books. All of the dues dates are on one slip, which can easily get misplaced. If the slip gets lost, I am left guessing when the different dues dates might be for each book. To solve this problem, the library added an old fashioned rubber date stamp next to the new self check out terminal. This allows patrons to stamp their own books, if they choose, so they never have to try to remember when books are due or hold on to the receipt for weeks. This was small, but clever and useful idea.

Another thing I sometimes worry about is, what if I place a hold on an item, it becomes available to me, is put on the self serve holds shelf, then someone else sees it, and decides to take it. Normally it would not be a large problem, I would just have to wait for them to return it, but what if it were a book for a research paper or other assignment, with a definite due date?The Barbican Library solves this problem with a feature in their computer system. Holds can only be checked out by the person who placed the holds, access to check out an item on hold for someone else would be denied to a person who's name does not match up. This is a simple, and fair way to ensure the information get into the correct hands.

My absolute favorite part of the library is the music section. There is sheet music to cover just about every genre and time period. Two keyboards are available for patrons to play, complete with headphones, so no one else can hear. I searched the Pop section for Radiohead sheet music, and sure enough, they had "In Rainbows." I suspect they had more Radiohead books that were checked out, since there was more room in that section.

The CD collection resembled a music store, and had many current CD's on display. The most current CD's to borrow, however, would be at least three months old. There is a restriction placed on borrowing out newly released CD's, probably record companies in hopes of making more money. The clever librarians found their way around that rule by having a station where patrons can listen to the new CD's while at the library. They have a player and headphones set up to hear the latest music.

The music library makes an effort to carry everything and provide what the community needs. They are willing to go so far as to get 50 copies, for example, of a choral song book if a choral group with 50 members needs it.

The Barbican Library is more than accommodating to all who enter its doors. It is a great example of being a welcoming and friendly library, and also keeping the tradition and not succumbing to certain abuses from the public.