Why we need to stop libraries from closing

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he closing of libraries across the country has been a constant, if quiet, threat for a few years now. 

In her article about the importance of saving libraries, Karin Slaughter highlights how “according to the organisation Stand Up For Libraries, more than 100 UK libraries closed last year alone, and nearly 450 have gone in the past five years’. These figures may seem shocking, but they show how our local libraries are slowly being taken away from us, without anyone realising that it’s happening.

Our local libraries are slowly being taken away from us, without anyone realising that it’s happening

There are many reasons why libraries are being closed. The majority of libraries are understaffed, being run solely by volunteers, and are so lacking in funds that they cannot afford to buy new books.

For many people though, libraries are the only way they can afford to access books, as well as use the internet, and the closing down of so many poses a threat to the most vulnerable members of communities.

Libraries have been important places at the heart of communities for generations. My grandma often used to tell us a story about how she was allowed to get one book from the library once a week, and that she read it so quickly she always wanted to go back to get another one the same day. If she hadn’t had access to a library she simply wouldn’t have been able to read books.

Libraries have been important places at the heart of communities for generations

I think it’s so important to remember that many people are still in a similar situation today, and to suggest that libraries are no longer needed in modern society is a complete misunderstanding.

My main concern about the closing of so many libraries is the way it will impact the reading habits of young children. In the same way that you go to the cinema for the experience, going to the library is also a unique experience, and often one of the ways to show children that reading can be fun.

Every summer holiday I used to take part in the Summer Reading Challenge at my local library, and it was one of things that I really looked forward to and that stopped me dying of boredom over (what at the time felt like) an incredibly long break.

The Challenge involves reading six books over the summer holidays, and after finishing each book you write a short review and get stickers to add to your reading log. To me, the Reading Challenge represents what is so important about libraries. It was something that made reading fun, and also encouraged a sense of community.

If the current rate at which libraries are closing continues, soon there will be none left, and there really might be people who have no access to books at all.

Image Credits: Flickr / Stewart Butterfield (Header)