So Long...

Today we bid a sad farewell to the Orkney Today newspaper. Financial circumstances originally indicated a closure in December, but this has been brought forward and the final edition is now published.

In 2003, Orkney Today filled the gap left  by the 1960 closure of the Orkney Herald and has been a popular read ever since. The original remit from founder Ken Amer was for a paper that took a positive look at Orkney and published 'light and punchy' articles. Ken's photographic background also ensured that the paper has always been packed with full-colour images.

First edition of The Orkney Today

The picture on this first front cover of the paper is hard to make out but that is a good thing. It is a photo of Ken Amer holding a copy of the paper which shows a picture of Ken Amer holding a copy of the paper, which shows a picture of Ken Amer holding a copy of the paper, which shows a picture of Ken Amer holding a copy of the paper...

Printing this terrifying vortex on the front of their first edition was a brave move and was not repeated again as several Orcadians were driven mad by it and there was some suing.

The newspaper reported on many library events and we thank the staff for all of their support over the years.

This closure shall be hard for some and if any readers feel like reminiscing over old editions whilst weeping softly, we have all of the back issues on microfilm in the archive searchroom.

The launch of the paper.

Pages taken from the  Orkney Today dated 3rd of October 2003 and 10th of October 2003.

What a Wicked Game to Play...

Shocking news. The library copy of Orkney Today has gone missing today! 'Surely no-one would steal a newspaper from a public library?' I hear you muse, 'such a thing would be both a) ridiculous, as the paper costs less than a pound and b) evil.'

But apparently, newspaper thievery has been going on for ages! So much so that The Orcadian has to be kept beside a member of staff at all times! The paper is now attached to a piece of elastic which is connected to a special belt worn by whoever is on the desk. This has led to several staff members being dragged into the foyer and some people just let go of the paper when they are finished, letting it smack into the face of whoever is wearing the belt, but it is worth all of this trouble to keep a copy of our local paper available for all who wish to peruse it.

I phoned up Chris Isaak just now to wish him a Happy Birthday, told him of this outrage and he was as shocked as I was, if not more. In fact, he made up a song expressing his confusion about the matter. It's a little derivative of his old material, but I didn't tell him that...