Please Help Us to Save Libraries! GET VOCAL FOR YOUR LOCAL!

Tomorrow (5th February) is a day of nationwide protests, read-ins and author events against the proposed cuts to our UK libraries (400+ under threat at the last count).  I'll be at Roade Library in Northamptonshire from 10.30 to 1.30pm, with another children's author, the lovely Julia Jarman.  We'll be talking to people about why libraries are so important for both children and adults, reading from our books--and giving out this statement (which originated from librarian and author Theresa Breslin in Scotland). 

We would like to protest at the widespread cuts to the library service taking place throughout the UK. In addition to the promotion of knowledge, literacy, and information retrieval skills, a professionally delivered library service embeds the joy of reading in our young people, building self awareness, articulate self expression, confidence, validating their life and culture, and leads to social and emotional literacy. In a society experiencing a widening gap in household incomes, our libraries, in the great tradition on which they were first inaugurated and enshrined in the law of the land, provide access for all. The cuts to book budgets, library opening hours, mobile services, branches, and the drastic and unnecessary deletion of professional posts strike at those most in need of a library service and those least able to protest against the cuts in that service - the less affluent, the elderly, the frail, people who are challenged mentally and physically and their carers, those who look after babies and toddlers and, crucially, our children -who are our future.

I'll be on BBC Radio Northampton's Drivetime with Helen Blaby this afternoon, talking about why libraries are so crucial, and telling her that I wouldn't BE an author if I hadn't had my local library to feed my passion for books when I was a child.  I'll post a listen again link to the programme when I have it.

Please, GET VOCAL FOR YOUR LOCAL and join in wherever you are! 

There's a map of all library events at Voices for the Library so you can find out where your nearest event is.

All the recent media coverage is on Campaign for the Book founder Alan Gibbons' Blog

There's a fantastic and moving film by award-winning movie-makers @welovelibraries HERE  Please watch it!

The Guardian's Theresa Malone will be blogging and tweeting events as they happen, you can tweet her at @culture_cuts and the hashtag will be #savelibraries

Thanks to Phil Bradley for the wonderful WWII inspired library posters, which you can find HERE

PLEASE PLEASE SPEAK UP NOW.  IF WE LOSE OUR LIBRARIES THEY WILL NEVER RETURN. THEY WILL BE GONE FOREVER!