Bath and North East Somerset Libraries

My parents met working in Bath Library, starting in 1933, straight from school.  My father wrote an account of his working life in libraries for the Electronic Memory Project set up by the Library History Group in 1999. The section on his time in Bath:-

‘…my headmaster wrote to bring to my notice an advertisement for junior library assistants at Bath.  I applied and was interviewed in September with three other boys and one girl for three posts.  Someone told me afterwards that I was appointed because I had the wit to open the door for the deputy librarian when she went to call in the next candidate.  The Bath library was heavily oriented towards the reference service and we all had a very strict training there – an hour dusting and tidying every morning, only the boys allowed to climb steps to reach high shelves and again for the boys some heavy work in the basement moving and tidying special collections (18^th century rate books and 19^th century medical library and files of local and national newspapers). New juniors had to pass a handwriting test before being allowed make entries in the accessions register with a special pen and the right coloured ink.’

I know that my father obviously passed the handwriting test as I saw his writing 60 years later in the 1990’s.  My mother doesn’t seemed to have passed the test and she also mentioned her annoyance at missing the fun that the boys had in the basement! They left in 1943 to help set up the public library service in Swindon. Both spent their working lives in libraries.

I found a document my dad had written which depicts different times; Hailey Selassie coming in the library, homeless men drying their socks on the radiator!! I can't believe the library had only been open 9 years then. My mother always said it was very 'stuffy' and Swindon was a breath of fresh air!

Cathy Milby, former Library staff

When I arrived at Bath Central Library in 1993 it was part of Avon County Council’s Library Service. The Reference Library had moved from Queen Square and the Lending Library from Bridge St to form this new library in The Podium only three years before. So many things were still new for the staff, including the layout of the library, all the behind-the-scenes rooms and books stacks, and where everything was stored. As well as the staff from Queen Square and Bridge St, there was also the Bath Branches Team, who mainly worked at Moorland Rd, Weston and the Mobile Libraries.

Three staff worked at the Enquiry Desk at any one time, and it was positioned right in the middle of the library. Half of the floor space was taken by shelving for the reference books, with only a few tables and chairs. There were several hundred directories and Fast Fact books which were very well used as the internet was still in its infancy for most people. The most popular directories were “Who’s Who”, “Dictionary of National Biography” and “A Guide to Company Giving”. Many of these directories are now available online which means a lot less books and shelving in the library.

Newspapers, maps and journals were stored at the Enquiry Desk. If a customer wanted something from the Stack or Local Store, they would have looked it up in the Card Catalogue and filled in a yellow request slip. The Catalogue was a beautiful piece of wooden furniture with tens of drawers holding thousands of cards, all representing an item held somewhere in the library’s collection. Where the public computers are now there were three “study carols”, which were small, private, quiet areas for customers using our reference material. There were also three or four huge metal cabinets which housed the excellent map collection: these have moved to the Guildhall. In what we now call the Map Room were all the back runs of newspapers and journals were stored. Today they are all available to library members online, so freeing up staff time and library space.

Although the library was using computers, staff had to handle every book when it was either returned or borrowed, with two sets of two computers either side of the large Counter. This was positioned in what is now Quick Select and was the entrance into the library, and the large area in the middle was full of trollies for all the returned books. Despite the number of staff working there was still often queues as all procedures and processes took longer. All lending books had been electronically catalogued, but the system was slow and clumsy, which meant a search for a book could take a while.

Bath Central Library still has the same, separate Children’s Area. It used to have a lovely Train-and-Carriages kinderbox for the picture books, which the toddlers could sit inside and “drive”. There was a large desk there for one member of staff, with seating for three customers. As well as the usual Children’s activity of Storytime, there were regular craft events as well as class visits and children’s author talks. As today, lots of noise was generated in this area, which sometimes caused upset for our serious-minded researchers!

Hilary Cox

June 2024

As a boy the library played a great part in my life. I lived opposite to the library in a cottage a mere 20 yards away. In the years of austerity after the war, when everything was on ration, the opportunity to read books was all. Without television to while away the hours before bedtime, I read and I read and I read.

As soon as I skipped home across the road from Bath Hill Junior School it was across the road to the library to seek a new book. Often, I would finish it and I was able to change it for another before closing time.

The children’s section was to the left of the entrance door and staffed by a very kindly elderly lady. The method of recording loans was by stamping the date on a sheet on the inside of the book’s cover and removing an identifying card which was then placed in a card pocket in a rack. My choice of books was fairly predictable for my age. Swallows and Amazons, Just William, Five Go Adventuring etc with the odd tales from the Wild West and Bertie Wooster.

Later as I grew older, I graduated to the Senior Section up the stairs which was much larger and I started on adult novels and the classics. There, it was a much different atmosphere of hushed silence. It was sad to see it closed and the building used for other purposes after it moved into its new premises.

Brian Vowles

My very best memory of my time at Bath Central Library was a guided tour of the library given by the manager of the day Andy when it was part of our creative writing group.

We learned that the library at that time held every copy of the Bath Chronicle since it's first issue over 250 years ago. I then used this resource to research for my Novella set between the two world wars and during World War II. This novella is published on Amazon.co.uk and is also available from bookshops worldwide.

I also have used the library computer and think that it is a wonderful resource and place of peace to escape to.

Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story.

I’m one of the library staff in the photo ( far right) I was Saturday Assistant at the time while also a sixth former at Norton Hill School.

A memory of mine from that time just prior to the opening we pushed trolleys of books across the high street to the new library building from the old one attached to the Hollies building!

I would like to thank you for this lovely place that I have been using since May. I'm from Brazil and I came here for a short time to study. I'm really grateful for so much space, so much comfort and the possibility of staying and studying. Now, I have to return to my country. It was a lovely time I spent in Bath and I was able to study in this library. Congratulations for the 100th year.

Danielle

Via Social Media

My lasting memory of the Bath Library is happiness!

One of my first memories, at probably the age of about 3, is going into the children’s library while my mum went to choose her books, knowing that I could have my pick of the books on the shelves and be transported into lots of different worlds.

I would spend hours seeking out my treasures to take home to read.

I can still see myself sat in there, feeling hugged by all the books around me.

I waited with anticipation to be old enough to have 2 books out and could not wait to join the adult library when I could have, oh delight!, 3 books.

I am now in my 70th year and love my memories of the Bath Library - thank you and thanks to my Mum, who also loved reading and taught me at a very young age, for bringing the love of books to my life. 

I might have to now use a Kindle, but I can always be found with a book in my hand or my bag.

Linda Bonfil