Mark Fisher, the one-time Minister for the Arts has
written a long article for the Spring 2011 issue of The Author with the heading
An unforgiveable disgrace, The axe hanging over our libraries.
He is especially critical of the MLA. "Worse, there are
those who are prepared almost to be apologists for closures". He is worried that
Roy Clare's comments such as libraries being stuck "in aspic" may play well with
those who are critical of the public library service. He notes that
critics see the service as being "anachronistic, even otiose" and costing
council tax payers £1.1 billion a year. He adds that the critics "do not
connect this decline to the reduction in book stocks, to the poor condition of
many branch libraries or to local authorities' failure to invest in new
libraries.."
He concludes the article saying "There is nothing
inevitable about these cuts and closures, but once closed these libraries will
not reopen. If we value our public library service, and all that it can give us,
now is the moment to make our voices heard."
In the same issue, Richard Charkin writes an
article, How to lend an ebook. He concludes " Bringing public
libraries back into the centre of community is achievable but needs the support
of all in the literary community. It also requires a degree of trust and
creativity between authors and publishers. We are all on the same side
here. We all need new readers and we all need new ways of reaching them
using the latest technology, as well as the most established and brilliant
device of all - the printed book, available to everyone through public libraries
and bookshops."
---------------------------------
Frances
Hendrix
Martin House Farm, Hilltop Lane, Whittle le Woods, Chorley, Lancs.
PR6 7QR, UK
tel: 01257 274 833. fax: 01257 266 488
email:
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