Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Especially for you

These are for you, Kevin - to show how much fun it is to work in a public library...



1984/85...Open Day at Hounslow Library. We had moved to the other end of the High Street, into a bunch of pre-fabs, in a car park, next to the careers centre, while the old library was torn down and replaced with a new shopping centre, library and theatre. Guess what..visits and issues went down, so we held an open day to remind people where we were. This included staff dressing up as Postman Pat and Jess the Cat, walking up and down the High Street, handing out balloons and leaflets.



Next stop, Twickenham District Library, summer of 86, just before I migrate up north to do my librarianship degree. The Borough Children's Librarian actually sought me out specially to wear the Spot costume because somebody had spilled the beans that I was game for a laugh. I didn't even work in children's..heck..at that stage I ran the Twickenham Housebound Service. (Shows how seriously they took that service...I was the second most junior library assistant,age 20, and I was responsible for the book selection, and the management of the WRVS volunteers!). The highlight of the day was that access to the staffroom was via the reference library, which was quite a laugh as I came scooting through dressed as a dog. Actually, I'm not sure any of them noticed.




Then, my swansong. Summer of 88, just before my final year at Library School, I went back to Hounslow Library....still in the same pre-fabs, but this was the summer they moved back to the new library. Children's summer programme. The girl with the green hair is actually the assistant children's librarian. I'm the one in the basball cap. I think I was a punkesque clown.




And finally, this one really is for you, Kev. Back to 85 and the Open Day...what better to celebrate libraries than to have a BOOKSALE!! (And the tall lad is my brother, who by that stage was a saturday assistant in same library)

7 comments:

Kevin Musgrove said...

You haven't changed a bit!

librarylizzie said...

Blimey - you were quick.

Yeah..it's those floppy ears, innit? You'd recognise me anywhere. Maybe I could submit one of these pics for this journal article?

Kevin Musgrove said...

definitely.

Lavinia said...

Do you always have this much fun?

Gadjo Dilo said...

Ah, it all looks like a lot of fun - I've give my right arm to be able to dress up as a clown or an animal at work once in a while!

Ms Scarlet said...

For some reason your pictures bring back happy memories! I love dressing up.
Sx

librarylizzie said...

Welcome Ms S....and bear in mind I was getting paid to dress too.