For the Love of Libraries

For the Love of Libraries

One of my fondest memories from childhood is of my local library. It’s the one in Kingstanding, Birmingham. I fell in love with reading through the first book I tackled on my own: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Despite the personal flaws of the author himself, his stories transported me to another place and another time. I will forever be a fan of his work.

I can still see the book shelves loaded with the mystery of what was contained within numerous pages of seemingly never-ending tomes; spines of books forming an alluring indices of silent decadence. The reference section where books couldn’t be removed from the premises held a special aura all of its own. I can hear the excitement of young children gathered on mats to listen to a teacher read out loud. Enid Blyton was a big deal back then. Oh that Faraway Tree…

In those days people used paper library cards that were stamped accordingly when an item was borrowed. A flyer attached inside the book was appropriately forward-dated in ink with the latest return date. Nowadays it’s all plastic and scanned barcodes; not the same but eminently more efficient.

Wikipedia says that libraries have been in existence since 2,600BC. Who am I to argue albeit things have moved on since those clay tablets in cuneiform script discovered in Sumer. Most people probably think of the great libraries of Constantinople and Alexandria from the 6^th century; people wandering about wearing laurel leaf crowns and swapping intellectual thoughts of the day. All a far cry from the Brummies that circled the library from my younger days.

The trigger for these reminiscences is the uplifting story of Spellow Library in Liverpool amongst a litany of doom this week. Caught up in riots, it was partially trashed and fire-damaged by rampaging hooligans under the banner of protests. Atypical of many libraries, this isn’t simply a place to borrow books. It’s a community hub, a lifeline for many local residents.

I am a regular visitor to Hunsbury library in Northampton. It is currently offering free breakfasts between 10-11am for folks, has coffee-making facilities available for those in need of a free hot drink, administering a summer reading challenge for school-aged children, is a regular meeting venue for representatives of the police force to meet residents, a forum to receive assistance when applying for benefits/jobs and so much more. I love the atmosphere there and, although I have a library closer to me geographically, I choose to pop in here to do research for things I am interested in. Mainly history.

I can’t recall my beloved equivalent in Birmingham offering so much too so many but, it may have done; my memory isn’t what it was. In any library I frequent, I inevitably draw the same conclusion that these are classless places but probably more critical for those at the lower end of the income spectrum. It’s a sad fact that many have been closed over the years as councils have looked for places to make cuts.

So back to Spellow library. A local resident, Alex McCormick, starts a GoFundMe page to finance repairs and renovation. He sets a target of £500. Within a couple of days donations hit £296,000. Yes…that’s TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY SIX THOUSAND POUNDS. As far as I know it’s still snowballing.

What does this tell us?

Well…it tells me that libraries are revered places. I still feel that very special sense of both being able to go somewhere to be on my own and yet, at the same time, feel part of a community with so many worthwhile things going on around me whilst I am there. It’s an oxymoron of sorts but one that is to be clung to for all its worth.

It’s been a difficult week, a troubling week, a week when the fabric of society seemed to be torn apart offering a glimpse of a seething underbelly of hatred. A ray of hope is the wonderful story of the outpouring of love to right the wrongs done to Spellow Library. Places like this are oases, forces for good. Just pop in to your local equivalent and you will see what I mean.

As councils face future challenges around budget deficits, it’s incumbent on us to keep a close eye on what happens to libraries. I cannot think of a more productive way for governments to spend hard-earned taxes. Communities showed collective strength across all ages, race, colour and creed this week. Our libraries are integral to the underlying and ongoing harmony of the population in general.

May libraries always share a place with us in our respective villages, towns and cities.

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/fight-back-wrecked-liverpool-library-st...