Do you have a favourite library?
If you like to read books, either literature or factual books or have been a student or even a writer yourself, then perhaps you do...
Perhaps you have experienced the delight of finding a tome of literature, or a biography or work of academia or philosophy that became unputdownable and affected your life in some truly memorable way. Perhaps you wrote your own book in your favourite library?
Many people are passionate about libraries for good reason. Despite the advent of the Internet age and books of the month, Kindle, Amazon and other online stores, libraries continue to be important places to browse, savour and discover great writing or garner information, as well as increasingly these days to engage in community causes and gatherings…
Whether for entertainment or learning or other forms of enrichment libraries cannot be underestimated as a promoting factor in social mobility and aspiration over the ages as well as the pleasure of the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake.
What's more they are usually free and point to great ages of philanthropy and civilisation throughout the world, when for instance in Britain the Victorians built them seeing them as vehicles for social change, often funded by self-made people from modest backgrounds who developed philanthropic beliefs and wanted to see resources for education that were open to all for the betterment of society.
On many occasions great public libraries were built partly due to a religious inspired philanthropy and in some cases, indeed, the greatest libraries throughout the world became more like place of worship rather than functional centres of education.
The John Rylands Library in Manchester for instance is like stepping into a great cathedral, majestically hewn from Celtic rock and sandstone as it is, not just a storehouse for books. That attention to detail was symbolic of the reverence that libraries were once held in and can be again. Libraries are important as a rich part of our cultural history and continue to have an important part to play as temples of self-learning…
These days libraries of all shapes and sizes from small community libraries to mobile libraries continue to have a powerful positive influence on communities throughout the world.
Many writers have their favourite libraries and maybe that is why so many authors are joining forces to promote National Libraries Day with their new book for charity. Libraries across the UK will be celebrating National Libraries Day on Saturday February 4 with a range of events for library users to enjoy.
The day is a celebration of the work done in all types of libraries including school and academic libraries as well as public libraries, promoting learning, literacy and the enjoyment of reading.
Also The Library Book is being published for National Libraries Day supporting The Reading Agency, a charity working to inspire more people to get reading. The Library Book publishes 23 writers looking at the idea of libraries past, present and future.
The authors include Anita Anand, Julian Barnes, Bella Bathurst, Alan Bennett, Michael Brooks, James Brown, Ann Cleeves, Stephen Fry, Seth Godin, Susan Hill, Tom Holland, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Caitlin Moran, Lionel Shriver, Zadie Smith and Nicky Wire...
The book and the National Libraries Day itself recognises the idea that without libraries many writers of today and tomorrow would not exist… And that libraries continue to make a tremendous positive impact on society…
Read more Xperedon Charity News at: http://www.xperedon.com/charity_news
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