Reasons for Public Libraries

Public libraries are currently under attack as never before.  Quite apart from the imperatives of cutting council spending, many critics question the point of public libraries.  With the advent of the internet and the ebook, public libraries are described as out-dated.  They are also accused of being too Middle Class and of being a luxury we cannot afford when other services are facing financial pressure.  This page aims to address some of these points and to highlight the main purposes that libraries exist to provide.

Educational

“The National Literacy Trust says that children who go to a library are twice as likely as those who don’t to read well. It is not just picking up a book. It is the social experience of reading, talking about the books, browsing, comparing what you have read with family and friends. Librarians are gate keepers in that process. They open doors to new worlds, new possibilities. They ask library visitors to evaluate the information on offer. Most importantly, they give access to narratives. Children and adults do not just need information to thrive as thinking beings, but stories. Libraries are the temple of story. They are not in decline because of some natural, historic progression, but because of the monstrous cultural vandalism of savage cost-cutting. We will pay a terrible price for the behaviour of our masters.” (Alan Gibbons)

• Oxford University study shows that reading books improves your life chances. Public libraries are seen as an important way to improve reading skills in South Korea where 180 new ones are being built. It’s interesting also that Russia is expanding its libraries in order to boost Russian culture.
• Using a library improves your children’s reading ability according to National Literacy Trust.

“… a beacon of civilisation, a mark of what we as a country stand for. For we remain, per capita, the most literate country in the world – we produce and read more newspapers and books per head than any other nation. And it’s vital we keep it that way, as economic inequalities multiply, and the world divides into information rich and information poor.” (Tim Lott, The Independent).

“Libraries are where so many children discover what books they like best and become lifelong readers. They’re also great places for research. When I worked in Easterhouse library lots of local children came in to do their homework – browsing, reading and receiving help from the experts on hand, rather than sitting at home printing out reams of often irrelevant and undigested material from the internet.” Julia Donaldson, children’s laureate

• Scientific research has recently shown the act of reading the printed word seems to imprint knowledge better than using a computer screen.

  “A library has more effect on reading than a phonics check. Being able to have a wide range of books that appeal to different interests will do more to drive literacy than some of the government’s strategies.” Russell Hobby, general secretary of NAHT.

• The community aspect of libraries, including storytimes/rhymetimes and free picture books is especially important for new mothers and their children. Children can easily read five books per week and all but the most wealthy parents could not easily afford this.
• Even leaving aside books, the lack of access to the internet can reduce exam results by a grade.  Public libraries can provide that access to children who do not have it at home.
• Lack of literacy exacerbated by lack of adequately funded libraries can lead to problems for British business, says the CBI.
• Libraries are one of the places people go when school fails them – Terry Pratchett credits his education to Beaconsfield Public Library.  They’re all about lifelong learning.

  “Anti-poverty campaigner Sam Roddick, who founded Coco de Mer, said: “Cutting the libraries is cutting the poor from the little they have. It will damn our country into the kind of poverty you see in third world countries.” (London Evening Standard, 12th April 2011)

• Borrowing of children’s books is increasing.
• Education is for adults and senior citizens too – senior citizens use libraries for education (notably, the U3A), students for quiet study, those new to computers for computer training.
• New York has recently declared public libraries are educational institutions.

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