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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The writer is director of the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, and author of ‘Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge under Attack’
The British public library system marks two important anniversaries this year. One hundred and seventy five years ago a debate was held in parliament which led to the Public Libraries Act of 1850, giving local authorities the ability to establish free public libraries through a modest increase in local taxation. Sixty years ago the Public Libraries and Museums Act of 1964 upgraded that law to made it a requirement for local authorities to provide the service.
Since the middle of the 19th century our public libraries have developed alongside a rich provision of national, university, school and specialist libraries — a knowledge ecosystem that has been the envy of many other countries.
The network was born of the era of self-improvement, when the educational benefits of libraries for all citizens, irrespective of their social status, was regarded as an important element in driving the nation forward.
In this anniversary year, it is a tragic irony that the system is now facing one of the most severe challenges in its history. More than 800 public libraries have closed since 2010. More closures are expected.
Birmingham’s once leading public library system faces massive downsizing, for example, with 25 of the 35 branch libraries under threat.
A similar picture can be found in other parts of the UK. The financial pressure imposed on local authorities during austerity has halved expenditure on public libraries. Meanwhile, the British Library is rebuilding its digital infrastructure following a devastating cyberattack in October last year. Although it is valiantly returning services to normal operation, the process will take years of work and millions of pounds. But parliament has not debated their plight.
Looking through the manifestos of the major political parties in the lead-up to the election and there is only passing or tangential reference to libraries. Yet these institutions contribute to many aspects of our public life — they are at the heart of the knowledge economy, education, culture and the creative industries, heritage as well as social care.
Libraries help millions of people to access digital resources and are vital for training in digital literacy. They preserve digital information for the future and they have a huge amount to contribute to the development of artificial intelligence and technological innovation.
For those from less privileged backgrounds especially, libraries provide vistas of opportunity — knowledge, support and quiet conducive places to think and learn. My own life chances were transformed by having access to my local public library in Deal in Kent and later my school library. Both helped me become the first in my family to attend university, where the library would open up even broader opportunities of knowledge and ideas.
A new government could do much to improve the current situation. Addressing core funding for public libraries as part of the reform of public services should be prioritised.
According to the 1964 Act, “It shall be the duty of every library authority to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons desiring to make use thereof.” But the Act does not define what “comprehensive and efficient” actually means. Local authorities can fudge it. We need government to take its “superintendence” function seriously and ensure there is a national overview of our libraries.
We also need a strategy for libraries that unites all the services in receipt of public funding.
One solution? A distinct Minister for Libraries. A new ministerial brief could help highlight the contribution made by libraries across different areas of the government’s agenda.
Core library services in some parts of the country have become dangerously overstretched as they have heroically stepped in to plug gaps left by other underfunded public services. This must be reviewed. It is vital that localities are in control of their own destiny but, without central strategy and directed funding, we won’t get out of the cycle of decline and uneven provision.
Libraries support learning, literacy, creativity and the imagination. They can help us to identify misinformation, engage with the democratic process, develop a sense of empathy for others in an increasingly polarised world and engage with ideas for longer than it takes to watch a TikTok.
The next government should seize the opportunity that a strong library sector can offer to the nation.