National Libraries Day

[magog_83]

Today is National Libraries Day in the UK. Public libraries are increasingly under fire in this country and many have already been closed as part of austerity measures - taking a valuable resource out of the community. Therefore today is a good day to remember just why they are so valuable, even in our world of broadband home internet and kindles, and why a free library service, open to all (regardless of wealth or background) is crucial to any civilised and fair society. If I can't convince you, just look at the poster :)



Also, check out the extra chapter the novelist Julian Barnes has written to his 1998 satire, 'England, England', entitled The Defence of the Book, especially for National Libraries Day.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/feb/03/julian-barnes-defence-of-the-book

Comments

[bryonyashley.livejournal.com]

<3

[capricornucopia.livejournal.com]

That a beautiful poster!

My sister and I recently made it a point to thank our mother for taking us to the library when we were younger and instilling in us the love of reading. ♥

[giecast.livejournal.com]

Just want to share this vid as it is awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKVcQnyEIT8

[dk323.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. That's a really pretty poster. ♥ I loved going to the library when I was younger -- I even took creative writing classes there too.

[minuialeth75.livejournal.com]

I love that poster! It really shows what books can bring you. My childhood would have been really, really different without books! As in boring-different.

[darlulu.livejournal.com]

Love the poster!

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

Love the poster. They closed some libraries here, too but nothing like you are talking about. My township has a book bus that goes around the neighborhoods to bring more books to people. I hope they keep it up.

[frihed.livejournal.com]

What an amazing poster! I think I would have had a very sad childhood without the library. I used to come there when I got bullied and had no friends and hung out with the characters in the books and the liberians. I can't imagine a world without books and libraries being worth living in.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Very late to watching and commenting but that is AMAZING. I like to think my own bookcase is like that when I'm asleep :D

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I used to go every Saturday and get 11 new books and then read them in a week or so :D Libraries are fantastic places!

(late reply is very late)

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Late reply is late.

Books are such a wonderful escape. Life's hard and stressful enough, you need to be able to get away somewhere completely different and have adventures. I found that even as an adult, when real life was stressing me out I tended to escape into children's fantasy books like Narnia - pure escapism!