Tuesday, March 8

Libraries serving coffee, murder mystery nights and poetry evenings

This sounds like a brilliant idea to me, libraries have to evolve so that they can live on. At this moment, they are all getting hammered with the public sector cuts here in the UK and in the USA. So anything like this will definitely help. I quote:

Public libraries could be set for a radical overhaul that could see books offered alongside coffee, murder mystery nights, poetry evenings and open mic sessions, should the plans of a private US company be given the green light. Library Systems & Services, a Maryland-based firm, owns 13 public libraries in the US. Its aim in Britain is to manage 15 per cent of public libraries within the next five years.

LSSI is in consultation with local authorities across the UK, proposing to transform libraries into "multifunctional spaces". It hopes to have won contracts in at least four local authorities by the end of the year.Mr Fitzgerald adds: "We will work with local partners: the health services, the police, the fire service and business to get their messages across. Those agencies will pay to keep the library building open, people will come in to get books and at the same time these events will be happening in the libraries with these agencies as our partners."

Just look at the range of google hits on “library cuts”. Saddening and disheartening, my friends. One of my best memories are at libraries, heck, I have a small one at home myself.

No comments: