The best relationship I have ever had with a library was as a sixth former in Minehead. By the time I was doing English A level I was completely obsessed with reading and with literature. It is probably the only time in my life when I truly read around a subject instead of simply reading what was necessary.
Having quickly realised that the school library was woefully underfunded and under resourced, it seemed vital to create some sort of friendship with the town library. This was neither particularly large or well resourced but it’s main asset was an excellent librarian whose name was Mr Perks. We became friends and talked of many things besides my need for him to obtain for me this volume of Thomas Hardy or that book by George Eliot.
He started to understand where my interests and studies were going and would suggest what I needed to read next. I have no idea what distance the books that were ordered for me travelled but they were always waiting to be collected within a day or two. Mr Perks was nearing retirement when I knew him and was a devout Roman Catholic. Having seen me a few times running to church with choir robes flapping over my arm he felt he could add religion to our topics of discussion. The Roman Catholic Church had recently banned Latin masses about which he was distraught, telling me that he was sure when he reached heaven the angels would be singing plainsong in Latin.
Then, I went to college and he retired.