90 people gathered outside the Scottish Parliament building on Saturday morning led by writers Theresa Breslin and Julia Donaldson. They were joinedby many writers including Nicola Morgan, Keith Gray and Vivian French as well as others from the children's book world and readers ranging from a baby to septuagenarians! Theresa Breslin received over 700 e-mails when, just 4 days ago, she wrote of her concerns for the closures of schools and library services throughout the UK. A former librarian, she said '...the cuts to book budgets, library opening hours, mobile services, branches and the drastic and unnecessary deletion of professional posts strike at those most in need of a library service and those least able to protest against the cuts in the service....'The petition, containing the first 100 names plus a large portrait of the founder of modern libraries and fellow Scot, Andrew Carnegie was handed into Parliament. Readings from favourite books then took place including a small 6 year old girl, a dad holding his 6 week old's board book, Gavin MacDougall, a publisher as well as Julia and Theresa. This protest took place on a UK-wide Day of Protest against library closures when thousands gathered to protest again Government plans to reduce or delete library services.
Valerie Bierman
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