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Library closures need to be resisted and fought

As governments look to save money in one way or another, libraries are under threat. And then there is the availability of books on line and generally facts and figures searchable via Google. It's therefore "easy" to justify that the local library isn't an essential service to be provided to the public. Ergo - library closures.

Libraries are a source, and resource, of invaluable information to the general public, especially those without a computer at home. Just think of the ability to be able to read a book on the famous and infamous of the past or the present. History, geography........biology, newspapers, etc. etc. The list is endless.

It's a theme taken up by well-known author Zadie Smith.

"Zadie Smith gave a speech last night at a pub in Kensal Green, very close to the local library she hopes to defend. Public appearances from Smith are rare these days, and her most recent appearance is testament to her strength of feeling on the subject of library closures.

Smith delivered a robust defence of the value of public libraries. Books are a form of education, and education is one of the few effective methods of social mobility that this country has. Zadie Smith put this simply: "I know I would never have seen a single university carrel if I had not grown up living a 100 yards from the library in Willesden Green. Local libraries are gateways not only to other libraries, but to other lives."

She continued:

It always has been and always will be very difficult to explain to people who have money what it means not to have money. "If education matters to you," they ask, "and if libraries matter to you, then why wouldn't you be willing to pay for them if they matter so much?" They're the kind of people who believe that value can only be measured in money."

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