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11 February
A Valentine's Day Love Letter To Your Local Library
Your Local Library Needs Your Support!
by
SoftwareGuru
Middle-class cynics will argue that in the era of high
definition video games, social media, and ebook readers that the
local library will soon be a thing of the past.
The UK government recently cut local council budgets and now the
councils are looking for easy targets to limit and withdraw
funding from so as to meet spending targets.
At Software4Students we're passionate about what we do
and believe in standing up for the things that matter.
The
education fees debate matters.
Your local library matters.
For several years now we have blogged on a wide variety of
topics that aim to get the balance right between self-promotion
and issues that may be of interest to parents and students.
From a personal point of view, I have always found my local
library to be incredibly useful and would be angry if the powers
that be decided to stop funding it.
Students from low income families need somewhere they can go to
study in peace, with free internet access and have educational
books at their disposal.
It's important that the issue of
social mobility is taken seriously and that we don't remove
a valuable community resource and facility.
Your local MP should be made aware of how you feel on
this subject. Otherwise this could be the thin end of
the cost cutting wedge brought about by the reckless lending
practises of greedy banks.
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Community Spirit
With belts being tightened around the UK, many local councils
are being forced to cut public spending by up to 25%.
This means that facilities like leisure centres and public
swimming pools face closure.
Even worse than that is the possibility that hundreds of local
libraries around the country are in real jeopardy.
Now, more than ever, we need community spirit, and to work
together to keep our local libraries open.
Many low-income families no longer have the financial ability to
pay for everything their children need for their education.
Many schools provide books and other materials for their
students, but on top of that, there are many additional, hidden
costs.
Not every family can afford laptops or high speed broadband.
Local community libraries are able to offer these services, and
make them accessible for free to their members.
It's definitely time to show your support for your local
library.
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Oxford Example
Even historic English
towns of educational excellence are not immune from library
cuts.
Communities need to work together to help keep our libraries
open.
In Oxfordshire, people are working together to try to keep
libraries running, after it was confirmed that the
Oxfordshire County Council planned to cut funding to 20 of its
43 libraries.
With local authorities getting less money from budget and
government Big Society cutbacks, money to keep these facilities
afloat must be found elsewhere.
People are organising fundraisers of all kinds, and this must be
praised.
Without libraries, many students will find it much more
difficult to have a stable, productive working environment.
The reason many authorities are giving for the cuts to libraries
is that their use has decreased over the past few years.
However, this is a trend that can be easily reversed.
If people started using their libraries more, then the argument
of their decline could not be used to cut funding.
Libraries are a great source of information. Not just novels,
non-fiction, and local history, but also somewhere where
students can go to access the internet on computers, and be able
to learn in their own time.
We need to start using our libraries again, and we need
to do it now. Before it's too late.
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Posted by
admin
at
16:40
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A Valentine's Day Love Letter To Your Local Library