Is This The End Of The Library?

“Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries”.

–Anne Herbert

Historically libraries have been at the heart of all communities, prior to the advancement in modern technology books could be borrowed as opposed to purchasing them, then returned when finished. The arrival of products like Amazon’s ‘kindle’ which offers an entire virtual library of free books has seen a decline in the use of libraries across the UK – thus contributing to closures nationwide.

Almost 350 libraries have been shut in the last six years, with nearly 8,000 jobs lost – a quarter of the workforce, figures reveal.

Another 111 closures are planned this year as councils make savings, closures have brought protests by writers including Philip Pullman and Zadie Smith. Children’s author Alan Gibbons warned the public library service faces the ‘greatest crisis in its history. Opening hours are slashed, book stocks reduced,’ he said.

An independent campaign group acting under the name ‘voices for the library’ has also predicted that over 10% of the UK’s libraries are ‘under threat’ and are urging people to start petitions against the closures against their libraries locally.