Libraries: Stop patronising, start patronising

Be honest, how many times have you used your local library in the past year? If you live in Kensal Rise, the answer is “not enough”. Before it was locked up last week, after the High Court overturned a last-ditch appeal by campaigners, its pretty Victorian library had been getting only 850 visits a week.
 
With each of these visits costing £4, Brent Council decided this wasn’t sustainable. Kensal, along with five other “under-performing” libraries, would be closed, with some of the £1 million saved going towards the borough’s six remaining libraries. There are also plans underfoot to build a new “super library” near Wembley stadium.
 
Naturally, the Labour council have been portrayed as greedy philistines, using Tory cuts as an excuse to save money. There’s no question the library closures have been badly managed, both in PR terms (the council leader allegedly told people to “buy their books from a supermarket”) and logistically (one of the surviving libraries is about to close for refurbishment for a year).