Libraries

Julia Donaldson, the new Children's Laureate and best-selling author, has spoken out against the Government's plans for closing libraries.

The Haverfordwest Library opens Monday to Saturday, when it closes at 1 pm. It has two 'late' nights a week, closing at seven o'clock  When I was a child  my local library opened all day on a Saturday afternoon, giving those who worked in the week time to browse.  I've wondered for years why library opening hours are not more flexible.

Wittgenstein, the philosopher, called language a 'key skill', providing access to other areas of learning and helping us to order our thoughts. We have four vocabularies: listening, speaking, writing and reading.  Reading exposes us to a wider vocabulary than we might otherwise have. The more books we read, the greater our language facility becomes.

  

I'm fond of  people's published diaries.  Nella Last's  'Housewife 47' gave me hours of pleasure. Nella's writing was part of a survey during World War II and she describes the monotonous dreariness of her life.  Frustrations in her marriage become apparent and she worries about one of her sons.  The war gives Nella  a role but when it ends she slips back into housework again and loses some of her vivacity.

  

'Housewife 47' comes in a DVD, too, but nothing can replace the written word and the feeling of solitude that being alone with a book gives.

Why don't libraries open on a Sunday?  Leisure centres do.  More people might use them then. As it's a question of money, libraries are probably doomed.  I suspect that  if they'd opened for longer hours, more people might have used them and they would not be facing closure now.