Celebrity Libraries

As is the way of the book world these days, what with celebrity autobiographies rammed to the rooftops in the high street bookstores, we are now being bombarded with the 'Celebrity Library.' In the broadsheets recently we have had 'Obama's Library,' The Guardian did a piece on David Cameron's' library, Tony Blair doesn't have one because he's read everything and on Sunday The Observer reviewed a book on Hitler's Library. No wonder the councillors on The Wirral have said enough is enough and decided that their libraries lack any celebrity merit at all and have decided to close 13 of them. Andrew Motion, bless his cotton socks is rallying the troops as is local boy Frank Cottrell Boyce. You see its all about value for money. The market dictates. I would have thought recent events would have given us a clue to where that particular belief leads us. What is wrong with public money being spent on a public resource for the benefit of everyone? When bankers seem to have all the 'get out of jail free cards,' and hubris wins out over public service, it's about time we decided that libraries and post offices are essential assets that shouldn't be sold off to the highest bidder because some boy wonder from the town hall has got his boxers in a twist. The Wirral library closures is being featured on PM on Radio 4 this Thursday 5th Feb at 5pm. You all must listen and get angry. When incompetence is rewarded with multi billion pound pay outs and pay offs, a few quid here and there to local authorities up and down the country is a small price to pay for the excellent service libraries and librarians give.