In defence of the threatened public library

[Commentary] Libraries gave us power, according to bookworm rockers The Manic Street Preachers. And they seem to. In 35 years of journalism I've lost count of the times politicians, business or civic leaders told me they learned their trade not at school, college or university, but by browsing in libraries.

For many, libraries have been a pathway to getting places. They change lives by providing information, offering advice, improving literacy, imparting skills, connecting people - and allowing entry to the world of reading for those who don't have books at home. But some 150 years after Scotland's first free public library was established in Dundee, where stand libraries now? With Britain facing financial meltdown, councils are wielding the budget scimitar to slash away at services. Libraries are soft targets - every politician knows that - so we have seen branch libraries close, opening hours cut, services withdrawn and budgets shrunk.