Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The message is clear: libraries matter. Their solid presence at the heart of our towns sends the proud signal that everyone - whoever they are, whatever their educational background, whatever their age or their needs - is welcome.
With a library you are free, not confined by temporary political climates. It is the most democratic of institutions because no one - but no one at all - can tell you what to read and when and how.
I have a passion for libraries. They are potentially real community centers.
Accessible local libraries are vital to communities and to children.
Democracy cannot be a plaything for the capital cities. It has to infiltrate every nook and cranny in the country, including the village.
You don't need a city charter to know that education is the foundation of any community.
I have encountered those who feel that libraries have served their purpose and are no longer needed. There are those who consider them a soft target when it comes to local authority budget cuts. In certain political quarters, there is a refusal to see that our public library service needs active protection.
Well-run libraries are filled with people because what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere: an indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay.
The way we've been neglecting to support our libraries throughout the country is a shame.
No place affords a more striking conviction of the vanity of human hopes than a public library.