Inspired by the social media phenomenon Humans of New York, we have been uncovering the Library's greatest treasure, the people who breathe life into its spaces - the 'Humans of the Library'.
Meet Graham - The Bookseller.
"I grew up in a very rough part of London where you had to fight for your right to walk in the street. It was so terrible I used to hide in the library.
The library was like a womb of safety. Shelf after shelf of books. Different worlds to discover. So much to learn and feed my enquiring mind. Even now when I travel I escape to the library for answers.
My father was a waiter in a restaurant for no wages. My grandfather was barely literate. I am very grateful to have grown up in a generation where reading and writing is universal. To my mind not to visit the library is to disrespect the heroes that fought to extend this privilege to everyone.
I talked my way into a grammar school but I was anti-authoritarian and intolerant of my teachers flaws which did not bode well. I was gifted but lacked emotional intelligence until I was about 25.
Eventually I did complete a private diploma in Bookselling. I was awarded 'Student of the Year' and sent to the World Congress of Booksellers in Europe. There I gave a speech about introducing PCs into bookshops and turning ISBN numbers into barcodes to assist with stock control.
In the 1990's I moved to Australia and worked as a journalist photographer. I’m now retired and in the State Library today reading the work of Gurdjieff, an Armenian mystic, spiritual teacher and composer.
My fears for modern libraries? The removal of books from spaces. Books must not be discarded, they must be kept in parallel with computers as a means to get information. Both are relevant and need to work together."
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