“A library of wisdom, then, is more precious than all wealth, and all things that are desirable cannot be compared to it.”
-Richard de Bury
Through the ages, libraries have not only accumulated and preserved, but shaped, inspired and obliterated knowledge.
However, libraries are the ones which will be affected by the huge cuts in public spending in Britain.
Old people, young people and the poor, who all rely on local branch libraries due to lack of mobility or for different reasons will face a difficult time. The closure of libraries threatens the communities all over Britain.
In fact, libraries are now the only place for local communities where they can go and sit and don’t need to spend any money. A unique place for everyone and every age.
What is shocking to observe is that despite a large number of people who are using the library the cuts are on their way. It is despair shared by thousands, if not millions of library users throughout the country.
More than 300 million book loans were made by public libraries last year, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance And Accountancy.
Yet, these potential cuts are not only outrageous and offensive to everyone who ever cared about books and reading but also to the society in which each individual has the opportunity to acquire information and knowledge about anything in his/her local community and about the wider world.
Libraries, as in the past are not only a place where you read books but also for online search for jobs, communicate with the world through email and often used by mother and baby groups.
Many people are protesting and condemning now that these closures could break the statutory provision. Will these protests be heard? I don’t think so. The Coalition Government is putting the cuts right in front of our doors, without thinking of the long-term future impact of these cuts on the Nation and the fabric of our society.
The library has been a battleground of competing notions of what books mean to us, has confronted and tamed technology.
We must protect this precious community resource that is a great social leveler. The libraries have evolved by embracing the digital revolution and adapted to cater for the modern era by providing community services.
Copyright Semra Eren Nijhar – All rights reserved
Semra Eren-Nijhar 