Libraries still under threat

[John Dean]

You will recall that some months ago, I wrote several blogs expressing concern at the impact on libraries of public sector cuts in the UK.

Well, the latest figures produced by Public Libraries News underlines the concern, showing that 397 libraries (319 buildings and 78 mobiles) are currently under threat or have closed (some of which have departed from council control) since April 1.

The librarians’ professional body CILIP forecasts that 600 libraries are under threat, including twenty per cent of those in England.

What can we do about the situation? Well, across the UK people are kicking up a fuss, letting councils know that libraries are valued. As you know, I am part of the Crime Writers’ Association which has urged all its members to step up the number of events they run at libraries to show their support.

Does such an approach work? Well, sometimes it feels like a bit of a lost cause but we can be heartened by enlightened councils who have listened to the protests and tried to do something to mitigate the effects of the financial reductions.

Why does it matter? Well, think back to when you read a lot of your first books and there’s a pretty decent chance that some of them were plucked from the shelves of a library (and may still be).