Happy New Year! This year, it is my goal to be much more active here, publishing at least two blog entries a month. To kick things off, here’s an interesting article from the Guardian, about the future of public libraries in the UK. The article is based upon findings made in the Independent Library Report for England, which was published by the British government last month. Here’s a sample quotation from the findings:

The library does more than simply loan books. It underpins every community. It is not just a place for self-improvement, but the supplier of an infrastructure for life and learning, from babies to old age, offering support, help, education, and encouraging a love of reading. Whether you wish to apply for a job, or seek housing benefit, or understand your pension rights or the health solutions available to you, or learn to read, the library can assist. In England, over a third of the population visits their local library. In the poorest areas, that figure rises to nearly a half. It is no wonder that communities feel so passionately about their libraries.

I’m aiming to write a post about that soon, but in the meantime, here is the Guardian article, and also a link where you can download the government report, if you wish.  As always, comments are welcome. More on this to follow soon…

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/04/future-libraries-closure-government-report

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-library-report-for-england