The Tinder Foundation has argued that libraries should not receive an automatic ‘get out of austerity free’ card in the face of closures.
The charity wants libraries to become ‘community hubs’, offering local communities more than just a book-lending service, by working with other local groups such as Jobcentres and GPs to offer services such as digital skills, jobs clubs, community workshops and school programmes.
Helen Milner, the Tinder Foundation’s chief executive, argued that protecting libraries from closure at all costs could actually be holding the sector back.