As some of you may be aware, the UK is currently suffering from an ongoing recession and spiraling national debt. One of the saddest repercussions of the Governments extreme debt collection plan is a HUGE reduction in council spending. This has brought about a proposal to close a large, large, LARGE number of public libraries across the country.
This would be an unforgivably, irreversibly bad thing. They will never reopen.
Libraries are a free access point to education, literacy and communication for all. They offer a service that is all-inclusive and benefits all ages. At a time when literacy levels are plummeting across the UK, it would be criminal to kneecap one of our last great resources for the written word.
AGH - WHAT CAN I DO? I hear you scream in astonishment (glad to hear you're on board!)
As much or as little as you like! CILIP (the chartered institute of library and information professionals) have put together a great list of activities that take you between 2 minutes and half an hour to complete, and will seriously help the cause to save our libraries. From tweeting and writing to your MP, to simply going in to your nearest library and taking out a book, every little helps. Go HERE to find out more!
OH YEAH, AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ETHERINGTONS? I hear you wryly ask (and rightfully too)
As part of our year long GO NUTS tour Lorenzo and I are trying to work with as many schools and libraries as possible, in order to help promote the potential of the service. In April we'll be visiting Chesterfield Library for a full day of workshops and in May we'll be holding another full day of events with Birmingham council at their Young Readers event. If any libraries are interested in hosting future Etherington events, please just drop us a line.
So tomorrow, when you're out and about, take a moment to pop into your local library (if you're passing one) and tell those hard working staff that they are appreciated. Trust me, we'll all miss 'em when they're gone.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW AND DO!
