I'm at a short conference in Oxford this week, so here is some local interest. A friend of mine, who is a children's author and lives in Oxford, has joined Philip Pullman and Colin Dexter in the campaign there to save local libraries. Oxford Central Library is not affected. The libraries which are affected are in the places that need them most, such as Blackbird Leys, which is one of the largest council estates in Europe and in the 10% most deprived areas in England.
Libraries provide access to books, films and music, yes, but also the internet, meeting spaces, access to council services, social interaction, mobile libraries, work with children and teenagers, warm places for the homeless, etc etc. For library closures in your area and information about campaigns, see http://publiclibrariesnews.blogspot.com/.
Between September 2010 and September 2011, I lived alongside an Anglican Benedictine community of monks and nuns. In November 2010, we moved from Broad Marston Manor near Evesham to Mucknell Abbey, a new eco-monastery near Worcester. This blog was about things that I observed and things that interested me. I have now stopped writing it. Thank you to all who were also interested.
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