The iceman versus the axeman…

February 2012 by Jill Theobald

There are not many reasons I’d pull on my walking boots, wrap up in many layers and venture out into Sheffield on the day ‘snow-mageddon’ was forecast.

But Saturday 4th February was National Libraries Day (NLD12) and if there’s something I fear more than the cold, it’s the winter of discontent currently facing libraries, many of which could be forced to close.

Libraries are a place where anyone can go and borrow books on any subject and ultimately educate, empower and entertain themselves – for free.

I have always been a reader and remember my mum taking me to get my first library card as a kid. A childhood dominated by Enid Blyton turned into an adolescence awaiting the next instalment of Stephen King. By my early teens I was a Library Prefect at school. Not very rock n’ roll, admittedly, but then I’m a book geek – and proud. It’s no surprise I went on to study English Literature at Sheffield University.

Now in my 30s, I have set up a Book Group at work. Even this does not cost me or my colleagues a penny – we registered with Sheffield Central Library and take it in turns to pick a title. We then borrow up to ten copies of the book and get together to chat about it.

Following tense crime thrillers and classic war novels our last book was Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun – a book that opened our collective eyes as none of us were even alive during the Nigerian/Biafran conflict of the 1960s. But such is the power of books – they teach and enlighten.

A colleague recently said they enjoyed our Book Group sessions because reading can often be an isolating experience – you can’t chat about the twists and turns of the plot or share your views on characters the way we do last night’s TV or the latest must-see blockbuster film. But Book Group allows us to do just that – it’s a water cooler moment with a difference.

And just think how much of last night’s telly schedule or the crop of eagerly anticipated new films are based on books – Sebastian Faulk’s Birdsong or Susan Hill’s The Woman In Black anyone?

Besides, libraries are more than just books. I regularly rent DVDs and get to watch an entire TV series over a week’s viewing for just a quid.

It was also interesting to read some of the #NLD12 tweets. One person said they didn’t have a printer and used their library’s facilities for that. Others use the free internet access to search for jobs or do their online shopping - not everyone has a Smartphone or a PC at home. Or how about those who just escape to the library for some quiet time to browse all the latest newspapers and magazines?

The iceman did indeed cometh on Saturday - as I left the library the snowflakes were starting to fall as I gingerly began my journey home. But I don’t fear the iceman half as much as the axeman of funding cuts affecting local libraries.

And at least I had plenty of DVDs and books to keep me entertained on a snowy weekend.