Hello Library

I visit Customs House at least once a week—it is the most central library for us and today I took the ferry over. I like the location of the library and it is in the beautiful home of Customs House.

Today I am borrowing books by crime writers, Anne Holt and Henning Mankell.

At home I have a lot of biographies, we actually just did a big clean up of all our books as they take up a lot of space and donated them to this library.

I am studying for my MBA and I come here about three to four times a week to study. I like that it is quite, it has an old rustic feel about it and I like to be surrounded by books. I don’t borrow books from the library, I just read off the shelf.

Talbert: We met through mutual friends. We are tutoring each other in our languages – English and Japanese.  It is easy to get focused here and when you need to take a break you can walk out to the water.

Yoori: This is my first time to this library. I also go to the Surry Hills and Kings Cross libraries.

Talbert: I sometimes find it difficult to find the books I am after. There is a gap in books that are niche. I do borrow from this library – language guides and reference books.  

Talbert: I am reading Richard Brautigan at the moment, he is  from the beat generation, soft and whimsical, which I  like.  

Yoori – I am reading No Longer Human by Dazai Osamu.

We get a lot of interesting people through here. They tend to ask a lot more questions than at our other libraries.  The other libraries get more locals, where we get people off the street.

I am currently reading a book on New York because I am going there later on in the year for the Music Librarians conference.  The History of New York by Edward Rutherfurd is a fictional history based on fact.  He has written a few in the series and when I went to the Sydney Writers’ Festival a few years ago – he was there and I bought his other books which I still have to read.

A music librarian is someone who deals with the music collection, scores, audiovisual and music. The conference is on at the Juilliard School and the Library is also there. I’m semi – retired so this is my hobby. We have a selection of scores downstairs.

As a librarian, I enjoy helping people and I love watching children develop through reading – the ones that have been good readers always turn out so well. 

I always loved reading when I was younger and I wanted to be a teacher but in those days you had to get a scholarship to go to teachers college and I had just missed out.  I then started work at Bankstown library and I have never looked back.

I am a public librarian through and through. I just love it. I have been a librarian for 50 years and I am a very strong believer in public libraries.

I still have the passion and the zeal.

Today I am reading  The Raj, India and the British 1600 – 1947.  I am interested in this subject and they have a good range covering it in the library. I was here trying to do some research on travelling to Amsterdam but couldn’t find what I was looking for.  

I have been coming to this library since it moved here from the Town Hall about ten years ago. I visit the library twice a week because of the access to books. I also like to check to out the international newspapers downstairs. 

At home I have a large collection and also books that belonged to my father – art and historical subjects. I collect books because it’s always good to have them as a reference. I would like to explore the bookcase of John McDonald – the art critic. I used to go the National Art School and he was a lecturer there, it would be interesting to see what is on his shelf.  

They have a good selection of art books here. I don’t think you could find a library like this anywhere else in the world that you can have access to.  

We will be visiting City of Sydney libraries throughout February and March and chatting with the people who inhabit them.

If you would like to be in a conversation with Hello Library about your local library and your favourite books, this is where we will be:

Surry Hills Library
Tuesday 3 March
1pm – 3pm
405 Crown Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010

Newtown Library
TBC
8–10 Brown Street
Newtown NSW 2042

Customs House Library
Tuesday 10 Feb
11am – 1pm
31 Alfred Street
Circular Quay NSW 2001

Kings Cross Library
Monday 16 Feb 
2pm – 4pm
Level 1, 50–52 Darlinghurst Road
Kings Cross NSW 2011

more dates to follow.