Sir, – As news comes from across the water that Birmingham City Council is planning to close down 25 of its 36 libraries, it is worth celebrating at least one thing that Irish society is certainly getting right. Our public library system is superb: new and refurbished libraries regularly open (such as, shortly, the Mayfair Library in the centre of Kilkenny) and the free online ordering system is a marvel.
We should appreciate both the top-class library staff nationwide, and those who have enabled proper resources for them. As Birmingham shows, none of this should be taken for granted. – Yours, etc,
JULIAN GIRDHAM,
Whitechurch,
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Dublin 16.