Radical thinking is needed for libraries

摘要

New Local Government Network (NLGN) Libraries are a bellwether for thriving communities, so we welcome the LGA's call for change this week. The proposals centre on partnership working - with different public bodies sharing space and integrating services. The report steps out the obvious next step for reform, drawing on existing pilots - but it could have gone further. Simply piling more services into the same building as a library might help to maintain vital community space, but it does not change what a library is or how it works. Experiments such as Sutton's bookswap scheme, or the move to virtual Kindle libraries suggest that we need a wider suite of solutions if fundamentally-Victorian institutions are to meet the needs of modern communities.