Hundreds of thousands of Britons braved the February cold on Saturday to protest the closure of some 450 local lending libraries. The closures are the result of government funding cuts, and have been the subject of Dailies here and here.
The Guardian’s coverage of the protests (at times wildly creative) included an opinion piece by former editor Peter Preston. In the piece, Preston argues that technology is changing the way people - particularly young people - read, and discusses some of the implications these changes have for libraries.
The piece contrasts with a speech given by fantasy author Phillip Pullman a fortnight ago. In it, he argued against the closure of some 40 libaries in the Oxford area. Pullman has been one of a number of English authors strongly opposing the cuts to libraries.