Blog

National Libraries Day

Thu 2 Feb 2012

It's National Libraries Day on Saturday: see http://nationallibrariesday.org.uk/. It's a shame that at a time when many libraries (almost 600) are in danger of closing, it hasn't received more publicity in the mainstream media.

As those of you who read my blogs regularly will know, I feel very passionate about libraries and about books. One of the most special (and quiet!) times I have with my children is at the end of the day when we snuggle up and read. Any stresses and strains are suspended in that short time when we're lost in whatever book we're reading together. Bliss! 

A recent article in The Guardian highlighted that four million children in the UK don't own a book, as many as one in six adults have trouble reading, and illiteracy is thought to cost our economy up to £81bn a year (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/feb/01/dan-jarvis-library-closures for the full article). These kinds of statistics do make you wonder why the powers that be keep devolving responsibility for library closures. On the face of it, libraries might appear to be low priority, but their neglect will surely have a huge impact on society and communities in the decades to come.

It's not all doom and gloom for libraries at the moment though. On 23 January, a new library opened in Hackney, apparently one of the biggest in the UK, and another 'super library' has opened at Canada Water: http://londonist.com/2012/01/new-libraries-for-dalston-and-deptford.php?showpage=2#gallery-1.

Does this mean that libraries are set to get 'bigger and better'? Are 'super libraries' (as supermarkets before them) the 'way forward'? I feel positively about any new libraries being built, but are we missing the point of what a library should be in a community? Or is change of this kind inevitable - and ultimately a good thing? 

Happy National Libraries Day for Saturday!

All good wishes,

Tracey