Alderney Library. Org

Comments about the Alderney Library made by Richard Cox- Alderney Resident, Author, and member of the States of Alderney.

For an author like me the Alderney Library is a remarkable institution, even in an island where voluntary effort is not so much the icing on the cake of services, but the bedrock.

Founded by inspired women, in 1949, staffed by volunteers, its splendid new building has been made possible by private subscriptions, many quite small.

Over the years the Alderney Library has developed into a really useful tool for resource for everyone from children to the elderly. Actually I hate that trendy word "resource". The old fashioned "treasure house" is more apt for a library, which includes talking books, large print books and a special children's room furnished with mini tables and chairs. Not to mention conventional shelves of fiction, classics, travel and biography,

As a writer I use the reference section regularly, though my favourite "time off" reading is biographies and John Grisham style thrillers. After the age of about 30 one finds biographies more appealing. How exactly did Nelson win his naval battles (not to mention negotiate the turbulent waters of his love life)?
How did Nelson Mandela maintain his sanity in jail on Robben Island? You can discover it all from Grisham to both of the Nelson's in the Alderney Library.

You can also, more mundanely, follow what's going on locally, because official publications, like States' Billets (agendas for our Parliament's meetings) are available.

My own ambition for the Library? A childish one! I have just written a very "mini" book for my three-year-old grandson, called "How to meet a Puffin", delightfully illustrated by my partner, Lois FitzGerald. If it is properly published, I hope a copy will find its way to the children's section of the unique Alderney Library!

Richard Cox is resident in Alderney. He has had 11 novels published, as well as travel books. He is also a member of the States of Alderney.