(photo © Sutton Coldfield News)
The Campaign to save Sutton Coldfield Library has launched a poster competition open to anyone aged under 18, to raise awareness of the proposed closure of the library by Birmingham City Council.
I’ve been asked to judge the entries, more details are in this local newspaper article, deadline for submissions is 19th December.
Sutton Coldfield library was my portal to the world as I grew up, I discovered art, design, history and fiction through browsing the shelves. I can honestly say that had it not been for the fantastic service provided by the library and it’s full-time professional staff I would not have followed the path I have. The library played a key role in making me an illustrator.
Today it’s just as vital a service. Despite the growth the Web, the internet is not a replacement for a well-run library, Sutton is a substantial town, it needs it’s library service!
“It the right of all children, regardless of ability to pay, to have access to the knowledge and understanding they will need in their lives. Libraries can provide this. Libraries do for the intellectual and emotional development, what hospitals do for body and mind. To deprive children of their right to knowledge and understanding is to deny them their future”. (Michael Morpurgo)
The group are looking for poster designs (any size, any medium) to use on their website, twitter and facebook accounts to highlight why it’s important to keep a library in Sutton town centre, and what the library means to residents.
Three winners will be selected from all entries, one each in the following categories: 0-7 years, 7-11 and 11+, with hundreds of pounds of books up for grabs.
Competition entrants are asked to email a photo of their submission to this email address by Monday 19th December including the name and age of the person who designed the poster.
More information on the campaign is on the group website. http://thelibrarylobby.org.uk/
There is an online petition against the library closure.