The Library's garden, 2006
We have been having difficulty with the telephone since BT installed a new junction box in Magdalene Street. This results in our phone being completely dead. We have reported it to BT several times but the problem has yet to be resolved.
We would urge members to use our e-mail facility if they can because the telephone may not be available for some time.
The lighting in the Library has been unsatisfactory for some time. Though cosy-looking, the old lighting was simply not bright enough.
The old lighting
The lighting has been supplemented ad hoc over the years with various clip-on spotlights and other fittings intended to cover the worst of the dark spots.
Discussion of new lighting has been going on for some time between the Trustees and our landlords, the Glastonbury Trust. It then emerged quite recently that our insurers disapproved of our improvised lighting arrangements.
Immediately the Trust, in the person of executive director Chris Trwoga, made arrangements to have the old pendant fittings replaced with much more powerful fluorescent lights. These were specified by the Library to be suitable for extended study, and feature radio-frequency control gear, which prevents the flickering associated with 'sick building syndrome', and computer-designed optics which prevent the tubes from being directly visible at all.
A total of seven twin five-foot fittings are used to light the main area of the Library (four) and the annexe (three). Additional feature lighting is to be provided by four ultra-modern SELV (Safety Extra Low Voltage) cable-suspended track systems, each of which provides five 20W tungsten-halogen spotlights. One of these systems will light each window and two will be used in the central area just inside the main door.
The fluorescent installation was done yesterday and the Library now looks like this:
Installation of the lighting tracks is being supervised directly by the Library in order to provide the required visual enhancement and is expected to be completed in the next few weeks.
This replaces the old paper newsletter, the cost of producing and distributing which had become prohibitive. Paper copies of news items from this page will be available on request in the Library for members who do not have computer access.
