Did I mention that our library is housed in an old building? Sometimes, like when the heating broke for nearly a week, I think one day it will fall down around me. I’ll be standing there, issuing a book to a reader, and the whole thing will collapse.

Other days, like today, I think about the fact that books are rather flammable and we only have two fire extinguishers.

I was on a call to Alex, our lovely Inter Library Loan guy, trying to track down another copy of this month’s read in the Secret Teen Book Club, when an alarm blared over my head. Almost directly over my head, as I discovered when I looked up and spotted a red light flashing on and off on the wall behind the issue desk.

I guessed it was the fire alarm as I had already de-activated the security system when...

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