World Book Day was celebrated on the 4th of March this year, with events such as Meet the Author sessions, Family Fun Days and even a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at Foyles, Westfield. School children were each presented with a book voucher, worth £1, for them to spend on a book of their choice. The aim is to encourage young people to read more to broaden their knowledge and to ignite a love of reading within them.

Whilst this year’s celebrations would suggest that reading remains a popular pursuit, the situation for libraries reads more like a horror story than a fairytale. A recent report by the Valuation Office Agency showed that 200 British public libraries have closed since 1997, with 13 million fewer books being borrowed in 2009 than in 2003. The report also showed that older people, with more collectivist attitudes, were more likely to borrow from libraries, whereas the younger generation preferred to buy books.

The concept of public libraries was first introduced in the early 17th century, eventually resulting in them becoming one of Britain’s greatest assets. However, these worrying figures imply that a major challenge for World Book Day Ltd over the coming years will be to reverse the tide of decline by educating today’s children as to the merits of sharing books. Without intervention, changes in attitudes may result in this being the concluding chapter to the chronicle of public libraries, leaving voracious readers short of a happy ending.