“We are banning books again, and this time it appears to be a consequence of ill-informed hysteria. The Index on Censorship discovered that 28 of the 53 British school librarians they polled had been asked to remove books …from their shelves” telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-…

Only “Ten libraries look likely to remain open full time, operating as 'community hubs', as the council looks to cut £2.3 million from its libraries budget.” birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-…

Petition launched to save Amersham Library's opening hours bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/24549611.… “staffed hrs cut from 41 hours down to 28.7 and eventually to 20.5 hours.” The dreaded ‘open+’ again #stafflesslibraries

“Modesty may be part of libraries’ DNA, but this doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to shout about.”: the new edition of the Bookseller is libraries-themed. thebookseller.com/editors-letter…

Fears over funding for public libraries grow, with warning signs (and apparent lack of interest) from the Government suggesting low funding levels will continue. Read "Overdue, presumed lost, despite reminders" now. (publiclibrariesnews.com) Lisa Nandy MP

Important new analysis from BBC News (UK) reveals extent of library cuts since 2016. The poorest areas are around four times more likely to lose a local library than the richest. Our CEO Isobel Hunter MBE is quoted bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

British author Lee Child - creator of action hero Jack Reacher - has described libraries as 'food banks for the brain' 📚 The best-selling writer, who's sold 100 million books, spoke to #R4Today after news that his childhood library in Birmingham could close under planned cuts.

The The Guardian wants to hear your views on which libraries are important to you and why theguardian.com/books/article/…

“It’s a soft target, isn’t it? If you close libraries, nobody dies – that’s what they think. But what’s happening is it’s society who suffers and people who suffer.” Says Michael Rosen theguardian.com/books/article/…

“When buildings shut down, they don’t always go silent”. Stirring words about library closures in Birmingham Lisa Nandy MP

Apologies to the excellent staff at Guille Alles Library which is in Guernsey, and not in Jersey as I had supposed, and are thus nothing to do with Ed Jewell the Pres. I clearly need to take a trip to the Channel Islands and get my misconceptions sorted.

“I’ve seen these guys help people who don’t speak English print off a form for a visa ... Then they’ll patiently help someone who’s homeless. Then they’ll help me with my inquiry about a book, * they’ll know all about it. And they’re grossly underpaid.” theguardian.com/books/article/…

So sad that more than 180 UK public libraries have closed since 2016. My mother signed me up for the local library as soon as she could. Libraries changed my life

I spoke on ⁦BBC Radio 4 Today⁩ this morning on public libraries as infrastructure for democracy & making the case that government takes its superintendence responsibilities seriously under the 1964 Act. From 2:23 onwards bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0…

Video of the moment a flood destroys a library telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2024/0…

The weekly post of Public Libraries News will come out tomorrow rather than today. This is due to me visiting my mum and dad in South Wales.

“One thing libraries don’t need is more words. They need sustained and substantial funding.” ⁦Lisa Nandy MP⁩ theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

“If Keir Starmer wanted to push back against the grey cloud that has descended because of his doom-laden warnings, he could seek to make libraries hubs of positivity and growth. The network is there. But maybe not for long.” ⁦Chris Bryant⁩ bigissue.com/opinion/librar…

How long will libraries Labour under austerity? The week's news update on everything happening in public libraries has just been published. (publiclibrariesnews.com) Chris Bryant Lisa Nandy MP

Poem that pretty much sums up what public libraries offer