We Must Save Our Libraries
“A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. “
Carnegie, Andrew
These are the words of wealthy industrialist, Andrew Carnegie who built the first public library in his hometown of Dunfermline, before going on to create thousands of libraries in the UK, Ireland, USA and across the world.
Carnegie famously said: ‘The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.’ One can only imagine how he would feel about today’s library closures – his legacy being disappeared by short-term-ism.
Things may have changed in how we consume information and libraries have evolved with that change. But they are and always will be, community hubs, sources of advice, wellsprings of inspiration, places for self-advancement and human exchange.
We should not only save our libraries but continue to view them as a community learning facility, accessible to all. Let's get creative in the spirit of Andrew Carnegie and create community libraries in many more places across the world!
