Lost Treasures: The Alarming Decline of the UK's Public Libraries.
I came across an article recently that talked about in the U.K., some 800 public libraries, more than a quarter of the libraries once in service, have closed for various reasons - funding cuts, changes in reading habits, the emergence of online resources. It’s sad because there’s so much a community can gain from having a library. I was an avid reader as a child and would spend hours there reading in my public library. 
Growing up in the 1950s in Brighton, which is on the SE coast of England, I was fortunate because attached to our library was a museum and art gallery. For me, having access to all three was wonderful and magical. I was a latchkey kid before the term became common in the '70s. To support my private school education, my mum used to work two and sometimes three jobs a day. So when not in school, I spent a considerable amount of time on my own, and two places sustained me: the cinema and the Brighton Museum, Art Gallery, and Library. The latter was my refuge, and it was free. 
The first thing I would do was to check my books back into the library because I didn't want to carry them all over the museum and art gallery. When I'd finished traipsing around the museum, I'd head back to the library and spend the rest of the day reading. The entrance to the building was beautifully designed in a Moorish theme, 
and on the ground floor was a beautifully decorated coach carriage, a real work of art. The museum was both fascinating and terrifying to a child—well, to me anyway. There were rooms devoted to tribal paraphernalia, archeology, botany, geology, and zoology. There were skeletons and stuffed animals, and the skeletons were something I could hardly ever bring myself to look at. It took me a while to get used to the Natural History area.
Coming face to face with an ape, an enormous whale skeleton, and the delicate restructure of a huge snake was a bit unsettling. As you went up to the first floor, there were huge oil paintings hanging on the wall, and they were stunning. One item that held a lot of fascination for both children and adults was the Amber Cup. That was discovered in 1856 while excavation was being carried out on a burial mound. It dates back 3200 years and is made from one piece of Baltic amber. When the museum opened, the Amber cup was put on display. Later, an innovative idea was added to enhance the cow. A button was added so when pressed, the Amber cup lit up, and you could see its beauty and translucence.
I consider myself lucky growing up in Brighton in the '50s given the loneliness of my childhood. I had a refuge to go to in the Brighton Museum, Art Gallery, and Library, which kept me entertained, educated, and importantly safe while my mum was at work. 
I appreciate that not all libraries have such facilities as I experienced, but even the small community libraries have such a lot to offer people. Where I live now in Australia, thankfully, I don't believe libraries are closing at the same rate as in the UK, but some of them are facing funding cuts or challenges due to the recent pandemic and the digital age, of course.
Without wishing to be too dramatic, I really feel that libraries are the beating heart of a community, and so many people value them as more than just book lending facilities. They recognize they have an ability to bring people together through being a source of information and education. Honestly, without Brighton's Museum, Art Gallery, and Library, I think my childhood might have turned out a bit different, possibly for the worse.
So, tell me, what's your experience about libraries? Let me know in the comments.