Save Our Libraries Day

Today has been a day of protest throughout the UK to 'save our libraries'. The Government and local authorities are planning to cut 450 library services in the near future. Unfortunately I was unable to get to any of them but i can't imagine a society that does not have access to a library system and the cultural vacuum that will create in the Britain of tomorrow.
I spent many happy hours in libraries as a child and being an avid reader would come home with a big bundle of books to feed my curiousity each week. I also then took my own children to the library... most of them have wonderful children's corners. As a longtime bookclub member we are members of our local library that allows you to take out multiple copies of the same title, or a box of the same 'genre' so each member reads a different book and then we introduce and discuss them at the meeting.
The Government line is that due to the access to information on the internet and the rise of ebooks, libraries are becoming redundant. What rubbish.  Although I love surfing the internet and am a user of ebooks, there is still nothing quite like the thrill of picking up a book for the first time, flipping through the pages and finding a sentence or paragraph to capture your imagination. The excitement of discovering a new author/story is equally strong for children and adults and the access to that experience will be seriously threatened for people if these cuts go ahead.
Also ... at university we are specifically told not just to use information found on the internet and are expected to do most of our research through books in the library. With the rise of university fees in the near future and the severe cutbacks in education I expect a lot of university libraries will also be at risk.
I loved the protest in Sheffield where protestors took out a maximum of 15 books per ticket ... from the viewpoint that you cannot close down a library that has a lot of its books out on loan.
We all need to be proactive ... so try and visit your library this week!