Save Our Libraries 2

Check out the brilliant spoof Hitler video on the Use Libraries and Learn Stuff blog. Alan Gibbons is running a Campaign for the Book here.  The Public Libraries News site is also very interesting and has updates on proposed library closures.  Fortunately for us locally, apparently Cheshire West and Chester Council has no plans currently to close libraries.

World Book Day countdown

World Book Day is coming soon. School age children will be given a £1 book token, which can be used to buy some specially published £1-priced books, or use it to get money off a more expensive book.  It's never been more important to celebrate the world of books and reading, now our libraries are facing the axe, so do check out your local library to see if they have any special events planned.

Save Our Libraries!

When I was growing up, my local library was a real treasure trove. Books opened up a whole new world of possibilities and introduced me to the wonderful world of literature and many authors I might not otherwise  have read. Now it seems libraries are seen as a soft target for councils desperate to save cash owing to the government cuts. Saturday was Save Our Libraries Day.Some argue that keeping library services means that services for vulnerable persons will suffer as a result, but are councils searching hard enough to make savings elsewhere?
Libraries are not just about being able to borrow books - they are a hub for local communities as well as a cultural haven. Parents who want to teach their children how to read find them an invaluable resource, especially if funds are tight. Once libraries in rural areas have been axed, it is most unlikely they will ever re-open.
In Cheshire, millions of pounds were wasted dismantling Cheshire County Council so it could be split up and and rebranded as two separate councils - that money could have been put to far better use for maintaining front-line services.
If you want to help keep your local libraries, there's a campaign by the Bookseller magazine supported by many eminent authors including Philip Pullman. You can also visit the Voices for the Library blog here.

Library Angst

I have only just discovered, to my abject horror, that Manchester Central Library is closing until 2103! And the archives service there has already closed down! I was planning several trips to research my books. The library's collection will be stored down our Cheshire salt mines.  And to add to the misery, Liverpool Central Library will close this year for a major overhaul. Didn't anybody realise that two of the biggest libraries in the north-west would be closed at the same time?