I grew up in an age before the internet and mobile phones. The local library provided me with a love of books and reading, a thirst for knowledge an the foundation of my education.

In recent years, the public library has seen something of a decline. People's first stop for information is now the internet: it is after all, the largest democracy in existence, but rather a cluttered, soulless one. There is no old wooden reading desk, no heavy bindings and yellowing pages, no smell of paper and furniture polish. There's nobody to shush you quiet to enjoy the feeling of peace. The is no sense of local community. There's no surpise to find your next-door neighbour browsing crime-thrillers or wandering accidentally into the cookery section and becoming fascinated with the bakery books.

The public library is where the intelligent community - the voting community - congregates. The internet is where everybody congregates. Somebody should remind those in charge of public spending this.

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