Saturday, March 06, 2010

Libraries are the first in line to be cut ... yet they could mop up social problems through engagement

Ewan McIntosh - who used to be in the 4iP parish - had a great post last week on libraries. Perhaps it's relevant to the Libraries NI consultation on library provision in Greater Belfast.

The leader of Newcastle City Council, John Shipley, was speaking at a library conference and suggested:

"libraries come cheap at the price, reducing costs in almost every other problematic area of public spending: policing and crime prevention, vandalism, drug and alcohol abuse, social exclusion."

Their promotional video (below) sets a good tone. Ewan comments:

"It's profound in an age where libraries are often the first in line to be cut, closed and stalled in their work to make us more fully informed and wise citizens. His point is that it's the cheapest thing to keep going given what it does to mop up the social problems of a city through engagement."

Read Ewan's post for more details.

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