How To Spend A Rainy Day

Today has been a thoroughly grey and rainy day, and by now (~ 5:15 pm) I've given up any thoughts of going out. The photos of colourful maple leaves in this post were taken one day last week, when I remembered to bring my "proper" camera on my walk (with better zoom capacity than my mobile). 

 

 

 

Of course I thought this morning that if I'm not going out, it will be a good day to get some "housework" done. 7 hours later, I can't really say I managed that either. As so often these days, I seem to have spent most of today struggling with "tech stuff" like updating apps not working as they should (or me not understanding how to get them to do so).

 

The main "hiccup" today was trying to update a (Swedish) library app (for e-books) that I hadn't used in a good while. The library had changed their login procedure, and I in turn wasn't even sure I remembered the old one correctly... So that took a while to sort out. I finally managed that part - but then I still had to struggle for a good while longer to also borrow the e-book, download it, and learn how to make (and keep!) the settings of font, text size and keeping track of how far I'd read etc. I finally managed to actually also read about 100 pages it (out of 700 something) today, though.

 

What motivated me was that I had just read a review of this newly published book, which is the fourth and last installment in a series of which I have read the previous three - and also have those in print. I'll probably end up buying this last one as well (to have the series complete); but as I do find it easier to read enlarged text on my tablet these days, I decided to try the library e-book for now. (The author, Susanna Alakoski, is Swedish-Finnish, and these four novels have to do with the history of textile industry in both countries - also involving Borås where I live. Alas I can't find that any of her books - neither this series nor others - have been translated to English.) 

 

So that more or less sums up my day: Struggling with a library app, reading a few chapters, and then blogging about it... 

 

AI-generated image from 2024. (I'm not in the mood just now to check if since then AI has learned to keep the rain outdoors...)

 

"Autumn is a Second Spring"

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower"
– Albert Camus

Yesterday after lunch I walked into town to get my seasonal flu + covid shots. My health care centre is in that building behind the trees. Things were well organised this year: No problems neither with registration, nor having to wait too long; and the procedure itself went smoothly and quickly (but without feeling rushed). There was a bit of light rain when I walked back, but no wind to speak of, so that was no problem either (I had an umbrella).
 

After a bit of rest at home, I went out again later for a shorter walk to the nearby branch library to return a book and borrow another. As I've mentioned before, we just recently got a small library back to my part of town, after it's been gone for a number of years. Probably only back temporarily but I intend to make use of it while it's here...  

Unfortunately it is difficult for me to read books with small print these days - one I returned now I ended up also borrowing online as audiobook to be able to finish it... (A Swedish book not available in English, so no use going into details here.)

I still like to browse around for a while when I'm there, though, because what I still find easier among "tactile" books is to just browse around without a clue what I'm looking for!

Today I woke up with two sore upper arms after the injections, but otherwise feeling okay. (No fever etc.)  After a lazy morning och some lunch, I went for a walk to the supermarket for just a few items, and on the way passed these magnificent RED rowan trees...

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot
 

Library (2)

 

The unusual September heatwave is breaking up, and we had a bit of rain on and off today. After lunch (and the rain just then more off than on), I went to explore the interior of the new district library (cf. previous post for photos of the exterior).  

Indoors it turned out to be a bit like a labyrinth on first impression, with several small rooms opening into one another in various directions - but turning out to lead round more or less in a circle, ending up back at the reception desk facing the entrance. I only snapped a couple of photos where there were no people at the moment. 

I spent about half an hour trying to get aquainted with how they have organised the books (by genre etc). I also picked one book to borrow, as I also wanted to update my library card and get (re)acquainted with the current registration system they're using. As I also told the librarian at the desk, it's been a while since I last borrowed a physical book - my loans lately have all been e-books and audio books online. I knew I had updated my online data not too long ago, but (as I suspected) it turned out that I also needed a new physical card. 

Even at this small library one can now also borrow and return books by "self scanning"; and as the librarian at the desk happened to have some temporary trouble with her own machine there, I also got an instruction in that.  Either way, the procedure at this small library felt a lot less daunting than all the machinery one has to face at the main library these days. (Cf my post from 2012 that I also linked to in my previous post.) Because of the premises, it also has quite a cosy old-fashioned feel about it. I will probably continue to drop in now and then just for that, even if the bulk of my actual reading is likely to continue to be by digital downloads... ;-)

Library

A Big Happening in my little world took place this week: My neighbourhood got its district library back. 

When I first moved to where I live now, 16 years ago, there was a district library only five minutes walk from home for me. A number of years later (I can no longer recall exactly when), they had to leave those premises, and ended up being merged with another district library - too far away and in the wrong direction to serve the purpose for me. At the time, it was actually easier for me to get to the main library downtown (but up a hill), by bus. The main library, however, had by then already got rather "impersonal"... (Searching my blog now, I found this post from September 2012 describing that.) So ever since the nearby small library closed, I've really not frequented any physical library much, but mostly kept to Kindle and Audible + now and then some online library services.

The reason that the district library is now (temporarily) back in my neck of the woods is that the building where they resided over the past X years is now about to be torn down and replaced by a new assisted living facility for elderly people. After that project has been completed, I understand the library will probably be moving back there. But meanwhile, they have now moved into a charming old wooden building some 7-8 minutes walk towards the town centre for me. It used to serve as a preschool, but has now been empty for a while.

They opened on Monday, and yesterday afternoon I thought I'd go and check it out - only to find that on Fridays they close early. So I had to settle for just having a good look around the outside to start with. Good opportunity for that, though, as there were no people about!

I'll be returning to check out the inside another day. Even if I prefer reading on Kindle and "by ear" these days, I'm looking forward to some browsing - and just a place like that within easy walking distance, not least in winter.

Getting Reacquainted with the Library

 

Do you have a local library near where you live - and do you still go there to borrow books?

Yesterday was another good day for a walk, and I decided to pay a visit to our city library; situated in the same building as the art museum and the local theatre. 

My main errand was to check if my library card was still even valid... 

The thing is, I haven't been using the library's services for a while (explanation below), but  recently I felt inspired to check out their current online services. I found there was a new app for online loans of e-books and audio books. I was able to download the app, but wasn't able to log in. Reflecting about how long it was since I last made use of my card, I realized that perhaps I needed to get that updated as well...

We used to have a small branch library like only five minutes walk from where I live. Very practical. Besides what I could find on their shelves, I could also order things from the main library and pick them up at "my" library. And likewise, I could return books at the branch library, even if I'd borrowed them from the main library. However, the branch library was closed down a couple of years ago, as the building was going to be renovated. (As far as I can see, they still haven't even started that job, though...) 

And then came the pandemic... with restrictions in the main library's opening hours and services as well. So I haven't been borrowing anything from the library in at least 2-3 years. In some ways, I haven't really missed it all that much (except as "a place to go to"). For one thing, in later years I've acquired quite a collection of English Kindle and Audible books  from Amazon and Audible. And I've also had access to a national Swedish online "talking book" library service (for people with visual or other impairments). (However, their recordings are not the same as the audio books sold commercially, and the quality varies a bit.)

Since last autumn I'm an "old age" pensioner, though, and I've been thinking maybe it's time to cut down on my collector's mania a bit and start making more use of the library again. 

So off I trotted to the library yesterday, to at least get my library card sorted!

Walking to the city library means my usual walk downtown; and then a bit further up a hill. I chose a side street on this occasion, and took the opportunity to snap some photos of town views I pass less often. There's a mix of old and new blocks of flats in this part of town:

 

The white building is our "cultural centre", including library, art museum and theatre.
The tower sticking up belongs to our biggest church (Church of Sweden)

 

Another church across the road from there (a "free" church, i.e. not Church of Sweden)

Across another street, an old building which I think used to be the town hospital back in the late 19th / early 20th century. 

The city library is huge and I have to admit I feel rather lost among the shelves there these days, not visiting all that often... I just snapped a couple of random photos. This I think is part of the children's section.

I got my errand sorted out, though - no problem. Got a new library card and pin code; and when I got back home, was able to log into the new app, and borrow my first library e-book. I found it seems to work quite well for me to read in this app on the tablet, being able to adjust text size and background brightness etc. So now I can continue to catch up with some books in Swedish in between all the English ones still waiting on Kindle (I've downloaded soo many old English classics and other free or cheap bargains over the past decade...)

Before going back home, I also revisited the art museum, plus took another little detour on my way back as well... But I'll save those photos for another post.

Postcards for the Weekend – Library

Oh-oh. I find myself in trouble with this week’s theme(s) (museum/university/library), as I haven’t got my postcards sorted like that…

The only card that popped immediately to mind was one that I received rather early on in postcrossing. And as I haven’t received all that many from Australia, I also knew where to find it.

AU-290210 (2013)

Mitchell Library – The State Library of New South Wales in Sydney. It is the oldest library in Australia. (Link to Wikipedia.)

September Harvest Festival, Part I (Inside)

Borås Cultural Centre contains the town’s Art Museum, Library, Theatre, and a café.

In September, the annual Harvest Festival usually takes place here - with market stalls and music and other activities going outdoors between the Cultural Centre and the nearby early 20th century church…

… and free apple pie and custard served indoors, in the theatre lobby:

This year there was so much going on in September (both in town, and for me personally) that I never got round to posting my harvest festival pictures back then. They came to mind now, however, when I was looking for something to post for Friday My Town Shoot Out.

The FMSTO theme this week is ‘Inside’, so I start with  some photos I took from the upstairs balcony of the theatre lobby (where I also found a quiet corner to enjoy my own piece of pie!) …

While we’re here, we might also take a peek into the Library, which I have to confess I find rather unpersonal these days:

I must confess I still feel a bit daunted by the ‘robot librarians’... Haven’t actually had much to do with them yet. I can browse the catalogue online from home, and then pick up vs leave borrowed books at a small branch library closer to where I live; where they still have human staff behind the counter. Or at least they did last time I visited! My reading habits have changed a bit over the last few years, with 1/ Kindle, and 2/ special (disability) license to download library ‘talking books’ directly online. This does not mean that I read less, but it means that I mostly read Swedish books ‘by ear’ (and some English ones too) and with my eyes in English on my Kindle (classics for free + buy some); and so do not really need to borrow a lot of regular books from the library any more…

(Postcard recently received from book-loving friend in England – thanks John, I do still love to look at printed books even if I prefer reading on the Kindle now for practical reasons!)

~~~

I’ll save the rest of my harvest festival photos for another post (or two), I think.

This November month has been all wrapped in grey clouds so far, and seems likely to continue the same way…

Booking Through Thursday: Libraries

from Deb

How often do you visit a library? Do you go to borrow books? Do research? Check out the multi-media center? Hang out with the friendly and knowledgeable staff? Are you there out of love or out of need?

Not as often as I used to. Some of the things I used to need to visit the library for, I can do from home these days – including search the book catalogue and make reservations and renew loans. With a click I can order a book to be sent from the main library to my nearest small branch library and get a message when I can pick it up there. The branch library is only ~ 5 minutes walk from my home.  Since the Kindle came into my life (back in the autumn) I’ve only borrowed a few audio books. But I still pop in at the library sometimes for a bit of random physical browsing.

Talking of audio books, I’d like to warmly recommend this website that I recently found:

 www.booksshouldbefree.com 

Lots of free AUDIO public domain classics.
Well worth checking out if you like listening to books.

Modern Library

Hello, I’m your New Librarian. I’m sorry, you seem to be having some trouble with your PIN code. You need to talk to one of my colleagues.

Colleague?

Keep looking…

Yes, We are Modern Librarians too. We’ll take your books, if you want to return them. We can read bar codes. Oh. You haven’t borrowed the books yet? Then you’d better hold on to them… What you need is someone who speaks PIN!

Hello. No, I’m afraid I don’t speak PIN…

Well, finally I found a more human-looking kind of librarian behind a desk. I nervously confessed I couldn’t get the machine to register my loan, and she looked at me as if I had dropped in from another planet - and asked if I had a PIN code.

Yes, said I. I do have a PIN code and I use it all the time at home on the internet. But I couldn’t get that machine over there to accept it…

So the human Librarian walked over to the machine with me. And of course after just a stern look from her, the machine accepted my PIN code without protest; and the bar codes on the books as well.

There are few things that makes one feel as stupid as machines who like to play tricks with newbies but then pretend to be perfectly innocent when their Master (or Mistress) show up.

I still haven’t dared try to personally feed that huge green book-eating monster, by the way.

The reason why I still feel a bit lost at the “new” library (renovated and modernized last year) is that usually I do most of my borrowing and returning via the small branch library close to where I live; where they still have personal service behind the desk. I can also access the library catalogue at home on the internet, and order books to be sent to the branch library and pick them up there. So the only times I “need” to go to the big library is if I want to browse IRL and get a closer look at books before borrowing them.