We’ve talked to literally hundreds of people now since we began this incredible journey, and time and time again the same story crops up:

How someone ‘didn’t come from a bookish household’ so they ‘went to the local library’ to read for themselves. How someone ‘needed some quiet time and space to read, think, work or do homework’, so they ‘went to the local library’ to find it for themselves. How someone ‘didn’t know’ about something, something urgent they found themselves experiencing in their life, so they ‘went to the local library’ to find out for themselves.

Libraries, as knowledge spaces, offer us the world on a shelf. Quite literally.

Interested in Coarse Fishing...setting up a restaurant...vegan recipes...weaponry of the 17th Century...French...Martin Heidegger...becoming a nun...astronomy...William Morris wallpaper designs...crime fiction...shamanism...manga...how to pronounce Old English...local history...how to fill out a tax return...where scientists have got with understanding the human brain...poetry...?

It’s all there. And if it’s not on the shelf, you bet your boots your local library can order it for you, or let you access, for free, a computer terminal to have a stab at finding out about it for yourself. Some libraries even offer help on how to perform such an internet search itself. Check that out!

For sure, not everyone’s local library has a copy of Wittgenstein just sitting there waiting for you to come along, browse and find it and then tuck it snug under your arm to walk out with. But you know what, that’s not the library’s fault.

That’s the real world of budgeting, local authority remits and excel spreadsheets kicking in. Some libraries just are better than others. And that might be down to local issues, historical precedents, you name it, there’s a reason for everything if you dig deep enough.

For instance, why does the Norwich Central Library exist in a huge, glass building amongst the pleasant swell of bodies shifting between Pizza Express and the offices of the local BBC?
Well, it’s because the original Library building burned down, and this new space was designed as a community focal point.

For instance, why does the Manchester Central Library have a cool dome structure and an entire floor dedicated to Chinese language books?
Well, it’s because it’s still housed in the original Victorian building, and Manchester has a huge Chinese-speaking population.

For instance, why does Leipzig have one of two National Libraries of Germany based there?
Well, it’s because back in 1912 Leipzig was the site of the International Book Fair and so deemed the perfect spot to establish a National Library for Germany. With the geographical and community carve up of Germany after WWII, Frankfurt am Main was proposed as a city to house a National Library for Germany too, which occurred in 1946. After the Wall came down and the reunification of Germany occurred, both institutions were merged together to be known as one institution: Die Deutsche Bibliothek, with their collections continuing to be maintained and housed in these separate locations and buildings.

For instance, why did Vancouver’s Central Library close down and have a picket line of Librarians outside for several weeks during summer 2007?
Well, it’s because the Librarians were protesting at local wage cuts, in solidarity with other city workers.

For instance, why do many Libraries use the Library of Congress Subject Headings for their Classification schema, when there’s quite a few others out there?
Well, it’s because back in the day of the all-new-fandangled card catalogue, the Library of Congress was first off the starting block in helpfully sending out catalogue cards to other libraries, which made everyone’s life easier when it came to classifying and indexing all of those books, so lots of libraries ended up just using this schema too. It saved time. And time is money, remember?

For instance...You get our drift.

The deeper you dig the more interesting it becomes. At least, we think so.

In fact, we thought, and think so, so much that we’ve spent the last 2.5 years examining ‘it’ all in minute detail. Inbetween running our very own public library too.

Why?

Because, as George Orwell once said...

The grand themes are in the details