Library day, Beeston

So that was it then, for now. The national day of action on libraries. Down our way 400 people attended a mass borrow-in and read-out in Beeston, Nottinghamshire. Five Leaves organised the read-out with some "friends of the press", at the request of UNISON, which organises the library staff. We were very pleased with the numbers attending as we had no idea in advance how many people would turn up. Beeston Library itself has only a small cut in hours in the scheme of things, but everyone seemed to understand it was not just about Beeston, or Nottinghamshire, but about library cuts in Doncaster, the Isle of Wight and Warwickshire... and the culture in which we live. We all have to play a part. One super opener for my contribution was supplied by the Morning Star which, yesterday, had a big article about celebs coming out against library cuts, including Alan Bennett and Kate Moss. This was illustrated by a nice picture of Bennett and Moss, the latter showing a healthy amount of chest for such a cold time of year. Kate Moss, the friend of arch-tax avoider Philip Green? Libraries? Sure; the article said she had previously been involved in this. To save you trouble I can tell you that if you google Kate Moss and library you get something about the "Leather Library" and hot pants. I can assure you I did not read further. However if you add an "e" and google Kate Mosse and library you get lots and lots of entries. Mosse with an "e" is pretty well known in the book world. Thanks to the read-out gang: David Belbin, Kathy Bell, Helen Henry, Eve Makis, Deirdre O'Byrne and Sue Ward