Literacy news
Libraries only cater for the middle class, claims MP John Redwood
12 Apr 2011
John Redwood, MP for Wokingham, defended library closures on the basis that they are only accessible to the middle class, not disadvantaged children.
With almost 500 libraries around the country currently under threat, according to Public Libraries News, Redwood – former candidate for leadership of the Conservative party – paid a visit to a public library, only to find it virtually empty.
Mr Redwood said:
Some defenders of every public library imply that they are for a different clientele. They conjure images of children from homes living on low incomes developing a passion for reading serious books borrowed from the local library. The library is seen as a force for self improvement and the pursuit of knowledge. I fear that in many cases this is no longer true, if it ever was."
Redwood argued that we need to re-evaluate "how many libraries we need in each community", and that we should look to public mobile libraries to improve services.
However, best-selling author Zadie Smith and twice Carnegie-shortlisted author and library campaigner Alan Gibbons have both defended local libraries as an indispensible service for those from deprived backgrounds. According to recent National Literacy Trust research, children who use the library are twice as likely to be above average readers.
Read more at the Guardian.
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