Unforgettable and thought provoking memories
By Stanley Collymore
Being a librarian in Britain was once and universally across
the country a highly knowledgeable and a very responsible
vocation, not so any more alas as those days are long
gone and even rashly and hastily forgotten, that’s
assuming of course they were ever known about
in the first place by those who hedonistically
frequent our libraries nowadays as some
where that to their heart’s content they
can either indulge luxuriantly in a multiplicity of
imbecilic and naturally non-inspirational content
that fits in handsomely, but despairingly and
markedly so to other library users that in
distinct contrast to them have sensibly
functioning and regularly utilized
brains in their heads, with these
aforesaid morons’ appallingly
to every one else apart from
them utterly fixated Reality TV fantasy
shenanigans; while additionally and
most evidently in their workshy
capacity using these libraries
as warm and obviously to
others as annoyingly
opportune places
to boisterously
hang out in!
You however are gratefully a librarian of the
old school - not only cognizant of but also
discernibly and determinedly one who
promotes the golden value rules of
yesteryear, and in that capacity
professionally, sensibly and
objectively adhere to the
cultured standards that
erudite library clients
of today fully anticipate,
appreciate, willingly
embrace and, of
course, cherish
and correctly
consider as
very dear.
© Stanley V. Collymore
27 January 2017.
Author’s Remarks:
I’ve written openly and unabashedly previously, and will wherever and whenever possible continue to do so at ever opportunity, about the parlous state of British libraries in the 21st Century as the long forgotten genial venues for the welcoming acknowledgement, vigorous encouragement, constructive reinforcement and the objective and universal dispensing to all and sundry who are themselves seeking to improve their lives both socially and intellectually, and which indisputably constitutes the primary platform and the fundamental role of libraries, in my opinion, and why their altruistic, far-sighted originators and benefactors established them in the first place.
But unfortunately and most regrettably in practicably every conceivable sense within Britain these laudable pursuits and programmes are now as far removed from these originally and for some considerable time afterwards sterling and commensurately worthwhile goals as one can possibly get. A tedious and exasperating situation to say the least and one that can and must be steadfastly and truthfully laid not only at the feet of many of today’s library users but also significantly and most ironically in Britain’s case those of the vast majority of basically puerile jobsworth, incompetent, attention-starved and therefore populist librarians themselves; generating a truly wholesale tragedy that benefits no one, not even with the merest modicum of intelligence, but all the same reinforces the dictum of plummeting British society to the very bottom of the least common denominator for all.
