TRUDIE: I’ve just had an idea. Why don’t we make an in-depth study of our local public library as background to our paper?
STEWART: Yes, that’d be interesting, and raise all sorts of issues. Let’s make a list of possible things we could ask about, then work out some sort of structure. For instance, um, we could interview some of the staff, and find out whether the library has its own budget, or if that’s controlled by the local council.
TRUDIE: And what their policies are. I know they don’t allow food, but I’d love to find out what types of noise they ban – there always seems to be a lot of talking, but never music. I don’t know if that’s a policy or it just happens.
STEWART: Ah, I’ve often wondered. Then there are things like how the library is affected by employment laws. I suppose there are rules about working hours, facilities for staff, and so on.
TRUDIE: Right. Then there are other issues relating to the design of the building and how customers use it. Like what measures does the library take to ensure their safety? They’d need floor coverings that aren’t slippery, and emergency exits, for instance. Oh, and another thing – there’s the question of the kind of insurance the library needs to have, in case anyone gets injured.
STEWART: Yes, that’s something else to find out. You know something I’ve often wondered?
TRUDIE: What’s that?
STEWART: Well, you know they’ve got an archive of local newspapers going back years? Well, next to it they’ve got the diary of a well-known politician from the late 19th century. I wonder why it’s there. Do you know what his connection was with this area?
TRUDIE: No idea. Let’s add it to our list of things to find out. Oh, I’ve just thought – you know people might ask in the library about local organisations, like sports clubs? Well, I wonder if they keep a database, or whether they just look online.
STEWART: Right. I quite fancy finding out what the differences are between a library that’s open to the public and one that’s part of a museum, for example – they must be very different.
TRUDIE: Mmm. Then something else I’d like to know is …
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