I find enormous pleasure in reading for its own sake, but I've never been a huge fan of public libraries. Maybe I've just been unlucky, but I've had dreadful 'customer service' time and time again - all over the country. Being ignored, tutted at, any requests being clearly far too much trouble, and the like. In addition, town centre libraries round here seem to have bust a gut to be haven for tramps, courting couples from minority ethnic groups, teenagers who want to sit on computers all day innit, while folk who want to read or research without disturbance are pushed to the margins.