Let’s Talk Libraries: update

We’ve been helping writers and readers campaign to save the ten libraries at risk of closure from Newcastle Council’s budget cuts over the last few months. You can read more about it on our blog www.letstalklibraries.com, as well as read the articles by David Almond, Mari Hannah, Ann Cleeves, Fiona Evans and Michael Chaplin, who all spent time in five of the ten libraries threatened with closure.

Last week, Newcastle Council met to vote on the full budget proposals. The cuts to the libraries were passed, but it seems that five of the ten libraries will continue to exist in some form, either through community groups (Jesmond and High Heaton) or through other local partnerships (Fenham, Blakelaw and Cruddas Park).

The libraries that will close are likely to close in June 2013, with a couple delayed until March 2015 due to other activity in the same centres.

To mark the passing of these great institutions, the Save Newcastle Libraries group are planning to hold celebrations in the libraries which are closing in June. We’ll bring you more details about these events as we get them, and we’ll certainly be there and would love to see you there too.

Thanks to all the writers, readers and community groups who fought so hard to keep these libraries open. Let’s make sure we give those we couldn’t save an appropriate send-off.

Claire, Anna, Laura, Rebecca and Liv