‘If there’s nowhere else to go, this is where they come’: how Britain’s libraries provide much more than books

‘If there’s nowhere else to go, this is where they come’: how Britain’s libraries provide much more than books

Jun 25 2024

When, one Thursday morning last winter, I arrived at Battle library in west Reading, the library manager, Terry Curran, was sitting at the front desk writing a quiz. “It’s not a hard quiz,” said Curran, who was worried about attendance. “Often just the same two ladies turn up, and they don’t pay attention.” Still, he hadn’t lost hope. He’d even put posters up in the Tesco round the corner.

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