You see like many others, I discovered the joys, excitement and wonder of books though my local public library at an early childhood age, when maybe a couple of times a week, I would carry my then maximum of two fiction and two non fiction books home to devour in massive reading sessions, some of them under the bed-clothes, like a meal given to a starving man. At the same time those visits to the library would be combined with long sessions exploring the delights of the reference section, until closing time.

But now I despair for our present generation ever finding that same wonder in the world of books. For enter a library today and just about the last thing you'll find on a book shelf is a book. Oh yes CDs, Videos or Computer programmes a plenty, even computers offering access to the internet - But books ? , If your lucky a few shelves of tatty dog eared books, most of them, paper backs almost lost at the back of the room.

And if that were not bad enough, our libraries are now into massive book-sales to flog them off. Take my local library for example. On the first day of the latest sale, I brought two books at what I thought were 80p each, only to be told that I would be charged 40 pence each. The reason, and here I quote... "We want to get rid of the dam things, as we have no space for them..." Doesn't say much for the concept of a lending library does it.

Nor did the poster, announcing a special selection of western stories, designed to attract young male readers, who according to recent statistics, are even less inclined to take up reading then girls. Frankly, I am not surprised they don't bother, if they can't find a book to select.

Something to think about when Essex County Council next starts its next rounds of budget cut backs... A nice new fleet of Police cars, or a few more books for our public libraries... it's your choice.

ENDS