TALKING TO PEOPLE ABOUT LIBRARIES

Within the community we serve, there are a large number of general interest groups. Many of these outside groups have a regular programme of speakers, talking for some 30–60 minutes. Whether these are Womens Institutes, Townswomens Guilds, Mothers Unions, Retirement Groups, the Disabled or the Unemployed, they can all make use of the Library Service. At different times in people's lives the service will be of interest and value to them. The opportunity to talk to such groups is invaluable; we can either passively await an invitation or actively promote our availability. As long as we remember that this is an exercise in communication, a two‐way process, we can both promote our current services and acquire useful feedback to aid future development. As such groups can vary, in my own experience for between 10 and 100 individuals the need to be adaptable at all times is necessary. We must always remember that to inform and, we hope, to entertain, with enthusiasm (not the Lecturer's drone), is the object of such an exercise.