Jesus - can you credit it! I've been a librarian in my day job from 1962 to 2009, and I've never heard of a major library closure like this. We've had some public funding cuts in the UK over the years, with threats of more, but this has usually ended up as a curtailment of some hours or closure of some smaller/quieter branches. Nothing on this scale.

When I think of the "Penny Rate" that the Victorians introduced to support the Public Library Movement in the UK, the introduction of the old Mechanics' Institutes to help working class people to read and educate themselves, the wonderful work of libraries as providers of instruction, education, entertainment, civilising influences, etc., it makes me wonder just how far we've come.

Perhaps there's some hope in their statement:

Even as we remain hopeful that the State Legislature will act and pass the enabling funding legislation, we wanted to notify all of our customers of this very possible outcome.

Let's hope so - and let's hope our current politicians get beyond the mindset that libraries are a luxury, to be axed at the first sign of public funding squeezes. They may not save lives like hospitals or firefighters, but they save lives in another, more spiritual way.

Just my rant...