HERE'S a novel celebration for you - two Blackpool librarians have been presented with a bouquet of flowers to mark more than 40 years' service in the resort.

Rosemary Thomasson and Eileen Ferrier will receive the floral tributes for their dedication and hard work to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Public Library Act.

Rosemary is the senior assistant librarian at Bispham library and has spent her entire 40-year career in Blackpool's library service.

Eileen is the assistant librarian in the bibliographical services at Blackpool Central library, otherwise known as "chief cataloguer" to her friends, and has been in the service for 41 years.

The pair's career paths have crossed on numerous occasions throughout the past four decades and they are the best of friends. Rosemary described how she has done stints at various libraries, including Blackpool Central, Anchorsholme and Bispham.

She said: "I've made lots of friends among the borrowers and have enjoyed every minute of it. I've had a wonderful time and couldn't have a nicer job."

Eileen, meanwhile, has worked in every department of the library service at some stage, and felt compelled to dispel the stereotypical image of librarians as quiet and boring.

She said: "Our jobs with the service have never been boring; people have the wrong impressions of librarians. They think we're stuffy people in glasses with buns in our hair but we can, and do, have lots of fun."

She added: "Rosemary and I have worked together for a long time and have been very good friends all the way through."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.