I'm very taken with the idea of reading rooms. They seem less stuffy than libraries, and more about the purpose of books than the collection of them. I'm very taken with the idea of reading. I am entranced by shelves of books and add endlessly to my unread stacks. But I find it harder now to switch off and just read fiction. I constantly hunt for places to sit in peace with a book.
On holiday in Suffolk, I came across two lovely reading rooms. The Southwold Sailors' Reading Room sits primly above the prom, the beach huts and Suzy's Cafe. It was created to provide a place for sailors to rest, avoid the drink and perhaps engage in some Christian pursuits. A woman built it in memory of her Captain husband in 1864. Today, it is still a reading room, a museum and home to maritime artefacts and a snooker table. Annual membership costs £12, and an additional £8 and support from a proposer if you want to play the snooker.
Along the coast in the sunken village of Dunwich, the local museum hides a reading room come village hall come centre of community life.
I'm not sure how much reading goes on - there are lots of meetings and events - but look at that sign and that setting.
In my second big job, I spent some time researching in the reading room at the National Library of Scotland. I've recently returned. The entrance stairs are updated regularly to lure in new visitors. The reading room now has plugs and warnings about laptops, but otherwise remains largely hushed and unchanged. I read articles and non-fiction and occastionaly think about smuggling in a novel.
At Glasgow University, I spent far too many hours in the lovely round reading room. I left only to get coffee from a machine to have with my homemade sandwiches. I should have gone to the bar more often. But I think that now I should just read more books.
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