The Good Library Blog

If it were not for Tim Coates and his Good Library Blog - which see - we would be as ignorant of local library closures as the councils intend us to be. The trick is that they underfund them, run the buildings down, do not buy books, close them for three days a week and then say no one is using them so we are justified in closing them down altogether. Hundreds of branch libraries up and down the country are earmarked for closure, but Chief Librarians and their pubic service minions remain in situ, de-stocking books and ordering new computers in their comfortable offices. Suddenly, though, people are waking up to what is going on and Middle England, when roused, is a force to be reckoned with. People are forming Save our Library committees and asking awkward questions of councils - they have paid their council taxes in part to have a library and they want to know what is being done with said money. They are also taking over libraries themselves and running them very succesfully, as volunteers.

But please be vigilant, as the note from school used to say when nits were back -( when did they ever go, whilst your children were Mixed Infants ?) Libraries, WITH BOOKS IN THEM, matter. To the young and to the old in particular. I do not say this because I need libraries to buy my books - they don`t buy any books much these days- or becase authors get money from library borrowings. We do but once you earn £6,000, that`s it, no matter how many million people borrow your book. The amount is capped.

Libraries were my education and my refuge as a child and young adult. Libraries alone did not educate me but they started me on a book-related life and career and love affair. hey have done the same for thousands. Keep beady eye on your local council. Not all are hell-bent on closing libraries; some are enthusiastic and supportive and there are some terrific, keen, dedicated librarians. But the same does not apply to all areas. As the nit-note said, PLEASE BE VIGILANT

That`s your lot.