Literacy news
Libraries in danger of falling into decline
25 Aug 2010
A recent report commissioned by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has revealed that the number of adults visiting libraries in England has fallen steadily over the last five years.
In 2005, 16.4% of adults people attended their local library once a month. New findings indicate that the figure had dropped to 12.8% last year and the number of weekly visits has fallen by 32% in five years. Although children's visits remained steady during the five-year period.
Tim Coates, who is a library campaigner and consultant, says:
"I believe we will lose between 600 to a 1,000 libraries in the next 12-18 months and that may be only the beginning, we are seeing the destruction of the public library service."
In an opinion piece for the Guardian called Libraries Need Investment to Thrive, John Harris writes:
"They would doubtless deny it, but [the] release of a new set of figures from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) looks like a textbook case of softening up the public for yet another fall of the axe."
Read more at The Bookseller
Read more at The Guardian
Read more on the BBC website
