Our Save Our Services campaign day of action this year takes place on 19 October and is focused on libraries.
Libraries are a hub and a haven in our communities. They offer a place for people to work, relax, discover and think.
They are a source of local knowledge and history and give everyone access to books, DVDs, music and more, for free or at a very low cost.
But libraries also do a lot more than lend books. Many hold events, anything from story time for children to yoga classes for adults. Library workers help people look for work, advise on using IT, organise talks by authors and so much more.
The incredible work that libraries do every day to support their local communities is under threat because of Westminster’s unfair cuts to spending on local services. Libraries have been hit particularly hard by cuts: more than 478 have closed in just six years.
The effects of these cuts – closures, redundancies, library privatisation and loss of expertise – are devastating for libraries and for the people who depend on them.
We need to make sure that library services are protected and invested in so that communities can enjoy and benefit from them now and in the future.
So we are asking you to tell us what your library does for you so we can let everyone know how important it is to protect libraries everywhere.
Our SOS Day across the UK in October will show our support for libraries and raise awareness of the devastating impact cuts have had on this service.
We will ask our members to show their support by joining their local library if they haven’t already, make sure they visit and use the great range of services on offer where they live.
We will call on local and national decision-makers to take action on shameful spending cuts and ask councils to commit to providing comprehensive library services.
To kick off this year’s SOS campaign, we want to hear from you. Tell us what your library does for you. You can:
- take a photo or make a short video that best shows the most helpful or unusual thing your library does and post it on Twitter or Facebook, using the hashtag #SOSlibraries;
- Tell us you story, using the form under the ‘tell us your story’ tab on the campaign page
- email us at sos@unison.co.uk.
Help us make our SOS campaign on libraries a rallying call to protect these vital community services.