Forget Starbucks, work at the library instead

Re:Forget Starbucks, work at the library instead by coolestuk on Thursday August 13, 2009 @05:19AM (#760362)

I tried my local library. It was impossible. The building so over-heated, that even with snow on the ground and me wearing a thin cotton shirt, I thought I was going to pass out. Then there were the "students" who spent their time laughing loudly and chatting (even more loudly) on their mobile phones. When I complained to the staff about this, they said it was policy to allow it (I guess they are desperate to have bums on seats, and it is the students' problem if they can't study because their peers are making so much noise.)

I then tried a public museum with a study centre, only to be told after a few weeks that I couldn't plug my laptop into their mains supply! (I believe that really they just wanted to get rid of me, since the rest of the study centre was always empty, and it was clear that I was programming not studying their collection.)

Finally, the best option of all is a museum that has a private members' room. I'm often the only person there. Not only that, but there is a cafe in the members room', and toilets just outside. And all for about $100 a year. I don't think the Members Room has wifi, but that's not a problem for me. I avoid microsoft whenever possible, but my Windows Mobile phone allows me to share its internet connection (and the sharing works with os x, windows, and linux).

When I want some relief from work, I go for a stroll round the museum. I love libraries, but I find the visual stimulus of thousands of different artifacts a fine contrast after staring at words on a screen for a couple of hours.

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Re:Forget Starbucks, work at the library instead by CalmQuiet on Thursday August 13, 2009 @06:39AM (#760462)

Is your library (or the governmental agency supporting it) unaffected by budget crisis (asssuming it's unconcerned about energy conservation on general principles)?

I'd probably find the proper channels to report such wasteful practices.

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Re:Forget Starbucks, work at the library instead by coolestuk on Thursday August 13, 2009 @09:29AM (#760706)

When I complained about the temperature in the library, the staff agreed, but said there was nothing they could do about it, as the heating was broken. However, I was there last week and even though it was warm outside, it felt like the heating was still on. And this is in a new building hailed for its innovative design.

I'm in continuing disputes about the local government's wastefulness, laziness and lack of care. We had no drains outside our house for years, and it took almost 4 years and 17 complaints to get it sorted - despite them having an office that overlooked the street that flooded when it rained heavily!

They charge us about $1500 for additional services - principally cleaning the area between the house and the street - which they spend no more than 20 minutes a week cleaning. I've taken to photographing the dirt and refuse, as I'm refusing to pay for these poor quality and very costly services.

If everyone else refused to pay for these services, they would not have the money to waste on over-heating the library.

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