The Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee has published the written evidence submitted to its Inquiry into Library Closures, over 600 pages. Tomorrow the first oral evidence is heard, with Voices for the Library's Abigail Barker appearing before the committee, along with Miranda McKearney of The Reading Agency, Andrew Coburn of The Library Campaign and Sue Charteris, author of the Charteris Report [MSWord file].
The Committee proved they were no government poodles in their pursuit of Rupert Murdoch and the phone-hackers; I hope they will call Ed Vaizey to account with equal vigour. I cannot claim to have read the evidence in full in the short time it has been available, but, on the basis of a speed read, it is astonishing how few of the respondents embrace the government line. Apart from a few councils with positions to defend, a smattering of consultants with income to protect, and the Local Government Association, the tone of the responses, from individuals, campaign groups, and professional and trade associations. is unanimously for public libraries, publicly funded, free at the point of use, offering the full range of services a 21st century service should, to every citizen.
National Libraries Day, tireless campaigning around the country, the efforts of Unison, CILIP, Voices for the Library and many others, have brought us to this point. What next?