LIBRARY CLOSURES
Tucked away in the Larne Times report mentioned in the previous post is a reference to the closure of small libraries - and its not the only place where local libraries are closed or down-graded to transfer funds to fewer central libraries. The most recent case is Buckinghamshire which seeks to axe 8 libraries - in spite of local opposition. Here's a short report from the Bucks Free Press:
www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/donttakethemick/library/display.var.657772.0.public_land_blows_in_library_battle.php

Novelists John Mortimer and Terry Pratchett have spoken out against the cuts. Pratchett, author of the famous Discworld novels, grew up in Beaconsfield one of the communities that would be hit by the cuts and credits the library as his main source of education, telling the Bucks Free Press:
"Libraries seem to have gone out of fashion and there has been a big expansion in bookshops. But not everyone can afford books, and they are the ones who really need access to them. I know I couldn't afford them."
www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/display.var.665501.0.literary_legends_back_fight_to_save_libraries.php