George Hayter: When I fail words (From Hampshire Chronicle)

George Hayter: When I fail words

2:47pm Thursday 4th October 2007

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AS a keen user of the book borrowing system, I'm looking forward to the opening of Winchester's new library - sorry, "discovery centre".

County council chiefs are emphasising that, when it opens at the end of November, it will take the best of libraries and combine that with "an exciting world of learning, leisure, entertainment and fun".

It may sound like satire, but that is what they're saying, word for word (see www3.hants.gov.uk/wdc).

Still, anyone worried about books being squeezed out by the exciting things may be reassured that the refurbished and extended building will contain £300,000 of new books.

I judge a book by its cover, and find the thought of shiny new volumes an exciting one. I'll be borrowing them by the armful.

As a reader, I admit to not always doing justice to the author. I've just taken back Donald Zec's biography and all I did with that was look at the pictures. With a fat tome on Roman roads, all I read was the introduction.

And those were books that I really liked.

I enjoy getting the books out - they always look so interesting when they're in the library - but somehow when I get them home, I rarely seem to get round to actually focusing on the words inside them.

The new centre has a classy new building and the classical façade looks a treat after its cleaning, so it will be lovely place to emerge with a clutch of books under my arm - even if I don't read a word of them.

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