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September 19, 2008
Camden council looks foolish
There is a whole set of articles about public libraries in The Times today.
In the first is Michael Clarke making Camden Council look foolish
In the second a resident of Camden gives him a dose of common sense
And in the third the great judge of all things, The Times Leader Writer, lays down the law.
In these articles one senses two quite hostile views neither of which can tolerate the other. Of course there is a sensible middle line, a route of common sense. But there is no sign of that from the library managers.
The success in Hillingdon is not 'because they installed Starbucks'; it is because they have improved the book collections, the environment and the opening hours -- and that includes a facility for having a cup of coffee-- all those things. And it will fail if they let the book collections decline in quality again.
Posted by Perkins at September 19, 2008 12:23 PM
Comments
All this does not say much for the advent of Andrew Motion at the MLA.
I was talking today with somebody from Switzerland outside Brighton's new library, and she could not believe how few books there were in it.
People who go to libraries are not stupid. They want books.
Posted by: Christopher Hawtree at September 19, 2008 7:35 PM