A Good Read

Libraries are under threat. Our travelling libraries are most vulnerable. Why are libraries always having to fight their corner when successive governments pledge themselves to the value of education for all? I've just been listening to Nick Hornby on the radio and like so many of us, his love affair with books began with the local library - free, warm, full of colour, friendly and with all those thousands of opportunities to be entertained. For me libraries have always been a box of delights. I used to love those packed rows of green tickets that the librarian used to pick through with her very clean fingernails. I used to love sneaking into the adult section and looking for something racy. And now I still love that slightly lucky-dip feel when I go into the library. What will be offered for my delectation today? I come home with a bag of goodies and depending on my mood dive in. Some books are rejected after a page, some consume me for weeks. The joy of the library is the picking and choosing. And as community is the new buzzword, don't they tick every box?