Imagine it - new libraries!
I think the picture at the top is of the Central Library in Luton. Anyone remember seeing such a thing in a library? I'm guessing that the buttons along the bottom are labelled with subjects and pressing one would make the appropriate rectangle light up in the left-hand bit, to indicate the floor and section you wanted.
But what the heck is going on with that screen/speaker thingy on the right?
More from this book HERE
Fantastic find Bollops. These images are amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Keith! I've got a load more to bung up on Flickr tonight.
ReplyDelete(Here, when are you gonna publish that draft post - looks good!)
The 1st picture is my fav must see more. With regards to the draft, II have to admit I forgot about that. (not been a good week time wise but will sort it out very soon).
ReplyDeleteI think the speaker/screen is offering a glimpse of how the library will look and sound in forty years' time.... disability scooters whirring, babies screaming, unemployed people swigging Lucozade, DVD's and CD's in those stylish racks and a stained Daily Mail on the table.
ReplyDeleteThat's my local library anyhow.
Great find. I remember using that machine in Luton library. I think I used it to track down a copy of Doctor Who and the Stones of Blood. Couldn't tell you what the bit on the right is for, though.
ReplyDeleteWow! How long ago would that have been, Andy?
ReplyDeleteOh, not sure... the release date for The Stones of Blood was 20 March 1980, apparently, so some time in the very early eighties. It looks like a TARDIS control panel, actually. I wonder if it still exists?
ReplyDelete"The Stones of Blood", now there's an under appreciated Doctor Who serial...
ReplyDeleteGreat post and a fascinating looking book Bollops, thank you for sharing.
Andy > Coo, that's much longer than I'd have expected. Love to know where it ended up - probably dumped, but ye never know...
ReplyDeleteThe Happiness Patrol > I am so glad to hear somebody else stick up for Stones of Blood! I think it's my favourite of that season, and for the reasons that a lot of people slag it off: the sudden shift in tone, and the tin-foil nature of the aliens.
So good, top notch find Bollops! I love the idea of a screen on the right side, but my guess is that it's just another part of that interactive floor plan - the upper floor with a gallery / atrium.
ReplyDeleteAfter posting the above comments, I was moved to contact Luton Library about the impressive piece of machinery in the top picture. Here's their reply:
ReplyDelete"Thank you for your e-mail. The piece of equipment was an electronic guide to the library – showing where customers could find fiction and non-fiction items. It was disposed of about 20 years ago, as it had broken and it was not feasible to repair it. It was not sent to a museum. Also, every time stock was moved around the library, it meant that stickers had to be placed over the guide showing what stock was where, so it was looking very untidy – not the pristine view in the picture you sent the link to"
There you have it, then. Gone to the great electronic library floor plan guide graveyard in the sky, after an undignified final few years.
That concludes my research!
A sad end :( But a lifespan of 30 years is bloody good for a - well, that sort of thing.
ReplyDelete