The BBC revealed this week as to the extent which libraries are being closed in the UK. Three hundred and forty-three, have closed over the last six-years, with a loss of 8,000 jobs.
Two hundred and twenty-four, have been rescued by local communities and external organisations with fifteen thousand volunteers filling the place of qualified, experienced library staff.
The volunteers, have stepped in because they know that the library is an important part of many communities. It's not just a place of where members of the public, adults and children alike can access, WiFi, find enjoyment from the thousands of books that are available, it's also a meeting place.
Children go there to have stories read to them and adults can go along to meet up with like-minded people who want to chat about books in group settings, or be part of a writer's circle.
Yes, the volunteers are doing the best they can, however, the expertise of the trained librarian is irreplaceable. They are not just book lovers they are the custodians of the written word and we shouldn't be pushing them aside as though they were dust gathering on the bookshelves.
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