As of now the Library is able to offer internet access via a workstation class computer and flat high-def widescreen. This is a media grade computer for use as a Firefox kiosk.
This is currently able to access the internet but not able to print anything out yet.
We are charging £2 per hour, (hence £1 per half and 50p per quarter).
It is intended that we will introduce smaller kiosks to operate alongside this machine, which is illustrated below as and when the demand is there for this service.
We look forward to seeing many of you at tonight’s fundraising event that will take place from 7pm at the United Reformed Church at the top of the High Street here in Glastonbury.
A quick update on the perfomers as follows. We now have a full line up of
Andy Scott,
Mr. Keep Calm,
Leigh Wright,
Nick Harris,
Lauren Wilce and
Jon Cousins.
Who will provide a mixed bag of performance poetry and acoustic sets.
Entry is by donation so please be as generous as you can and help support this community resource.
The Library of Avalon has had many donations of books and periodicals but we also occasionally receive other donations.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Brian Gent for his donation of a flat screen monitor for our computer system and also Mick Cray for his donation of a dehumidifier. We now have three that help to keep the books from getting damp in our old stone building.
As ever, please contact the trustees or volunteers if you think you have something that the Library could put to good use.
The Library held it’s AGM on the 27th April. Last year’s minutes were approved and the Chairman’s Report and Treasurer’s report were read out. The trustees then stepped down and were duly re-elected as we had no other nominations.
There followed a discussion on recent donations and bequests, along with fundraising ideas.
Chaz Heritage hosted a powerpoint presentation on the new computer system that is currently being installed in the library, (more posts on this as we get this ready for public use) and then those assembled enjoyed the buffet provided.
Thanks to the thief who stole one of our charity tins from a local retail outlet recently. We hope you really need the pennies more than we do. (You’re welcome to the karma as well!)
We thought we could rely on trust not to chain these down, seems we were wrong in this case.
The Library of Avalon presents an evening of music and song, poetry and verse, please make sure you dig deep in your purse.
The 25th of May is the date for this bash, so don’t delay and bring plenty of cash!
It starts at seven pm don’t get left in the lurch as we’ll be seeing you at the United Reformed Church.
Performers will include Jon Cousins, Leigh Wright, Andy Scott and Mr. Keep Calm.
The Church is towards the top end of the High Street in the centre of Glastonbury and we expect to finish around ten pm.
Refreshments will be provided by church volunteers in the interval for which a small charge will be levied.
Donations will be appreciated as all proceeds will benefit the Library of Avalon.
A good night will be had by all!
The Library has at last obtained some permanent storage space.
Regular visitors will be well aware of the cardboard box problem, which has been getting worse for some time. The cardboard boxes were caused by having nowhere outside the ancient building to store things. The things were caused by periodic functions (in the catering, rather than the mathematical, sense), the need to dress the display window, the presence of spare things (like light bulbs) and Mother Nature’s endless dance of the seasons, which makes things like electric heaters go in and out of fashion.
Our treasurer has negotiated with the local business community and has obtained the rental of a spare office above an art gallery on the far side of the Abbey, at a rate which we might, with diligent fundraising, be able to afford.
Once the process of moving occasionally-needed things to the store is completed, enough space may remain there to allow us to consider offsite storage of elements of the collection which are accessed only very rarely.
We are most grateful to Library and Trust founder and serial benefactor Barry Taylor, who generously paid for a short-term commercial storage unit to allow handling of the substantial Scheps bequest, neatly completing this benefaction by donating the key deposit as well; and to Liz and Trevor, whose entrepreneurial undertakings in the town are too numerous to list.
There has been a substantial response to the statement issued by the Trustees about local library closures.
The local Press have quoted it, sometimes at length (in this case the Western Daily Press quoted it all).
The BBC were not told about the statement, but found out anyway and rang up one of the Trustees about it; subsequently this appeared on the BBC Somerset website.
We are all rather surprised at this.
Though as a fully independent charity we are not directly affected by the local authority (Somerset County Council) proposing to close certain local libraries, the Trustees have agreed the following statement, which has today been released to the Press and duplicated for distribution:
STATEMENT of the Trustees of the Library of Avalon in respect of the proposed closure of the Glastonbury branch of the Somerset County Library (January 2011)
The Trustees of the Library of Avalon, in common with many scholars and academics worldwide, regard all libraries as temples of the divine Djehuti (the Classical Egyptian deity of the intellectual principle, of all forms of writing, of libraries, and of magic; the Mind of God; known later to the Greeks as Thoth; whose revered image stands in the Library of Avalon) and believe that the destruction, desuetude or disestablishment of any library is on this basis tantamount to sacrilege.
From this point of view the suggested closure of the Glastonbury branch of the Somerset County Library would, if implemented, be not only sacrilegious in the sight of the divine Djehuti but also, given the County Library’s other functions in public service, at best grossly impious in the sight of his associated deities, the divine Maat, goddess of righteousness, correctness and order, and the divine Seshat, goddess of documentation; the Recording Angel.
The Trustees sincerely hope and expect that those who have proposed to close the local library will think again; such a closure would, in the opinion of the Trustees, be strategically ill-conceived, culturally counterproductive, and logistically unnecessary.
As part of our campaign to improve the Library’s computer facilities we have recently received a donation in the form of a barcode reader:
At the moment the reader is being used only to scan ISBNs from new acquisitions into our database, but we expect that as we continue to upgrade our IT provisions it will find many further uses.
