Gaby Roslin: Why parents need Britain's local libraries to be saved

Visiting my local library is always a magical experience. My two girls full of excitement dart off in different directions, with me left in the middle. My youngest, who is six, heads straight for her all time favourites; giggling to herself, content in the world of well known stories. My eldest, on the other hand, is determined to make the point that she is all grown up now. Exploring the aisles of young adult fiction and discovering authors previously unknown to her, such as David Walliams. Having now finished all of his books in record time, he has become one of her favourite authors.

However, my favourite part of our outings to the library comes right at the end. My girls sit down together, with my eldest reading to her sister and me watching on. This is an experience never to be forgotten.

But this is an experience that I and other families may not be able to have for much longer. Local libraries are closing all around us and it’s just awful. I have always loved books, with my parents encouraging me to read from a very young age. I grew up with the likes of Milly Molly Mandy, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden. But the library offered something more. It was an amazing place where I, like my eldest daughter, could discover a world of literature, books that my parents have never heard of before. I couldn’t get enough. It saddens and angers me that there will be generations of children that may never step through the library doors for the first time and discover this magical world of imagination and intrigue.

I’m lucky: I can buy my children a lot of the books they want. I never got around to building proper bookshelves for either of my girls, so all of the books just lay around their respective bedrooms; surrounding them in a world of magical stories and imagination. But I still feel the need to take my children to the library. I absolutely must take them. Not just for the books, but because it’s the heart of the community.

The local library is a place for people from all walks of life to come together and be a part of a shared experience - a love of books, reading and creativity. To learn new things, take part in activities and speak to your neighbours – a rarity in itself. This is what makes a library a special place. It’s not just a building that houses books; it’s a place for people to make new friends, for families to spend time together, and it’s for everyone to celebrate their local community. And on top of this, there are all the books to explore.

Libraries should be treasured, not closed down, with a complete disregard to all the memories created there - as is happening now. Not to mention all the future Julia Donaldsons who might discover their passion for books there.

The small local libraries really matter. Not these so-called ‘mega-libraries’ that keep popping up. Millions of pounds spent on high tech, state of the art libraries when all children need is a room full of books, and someone to ignite a child’s imagination and passion for stories. I’m a traditionalist; I like books with pages not e-books. But I accept that they have their place. If an e-book can entice the most unlikely child to read - then they have worth. They just won’t ever replace the physical book though in my mind.

My oldest daughter wants a Kindle, but I won’t let her have one just yet. She’s an avid reader of contemporary books like in Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend and War Horse but also loves books that my aunt introduced her to: Malory Towers and the St Clare’s series by Enid Blyton. She’s grown up with these books, and she has a real physical connection with them. This is what an e-reader can never replicate. And this is the point that the mega-libraries are missing. We don’t need row upon row of computer terminals or the brand new 3D printers. What is needed is the simplest thing of all – a love of books.

I’m grateful that I was given this love as a child. My parents never stopped reading and my grandparents’ house in Africa was full of books too. I have such vivid memories of my parents and grandparents reading me stories like Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland: stories that inspired me, excited me and gave me space to imagine. Our local library, of course, was fundamental in reinforcing this. It was at the library that I could explore an unimaginable world of literature. I’m so grateful that I have been able to pass this on to my own children, and one day (although very far away) I hope to do the same for my grandchildren. But not all children are so lucky.

No matter how important the local library is to my family, it is even more important to those families that are making the choice between putting food on the table or paying the electricity bill. For these families buying books just isn’t an option. I feel passionately that every child should discover a love of books, regardless of their background. This is why libraries are so important to me.

Schemes like Booktrust’s new Children’s Reading Fund, for which I’m proud to be an ambassador, are equally as important. This Fund will ensure that disadvantaged children aged 4 to 11 have books in their home which are theirs to keep. For many these may be their very first books. They may have never had a bedtime story read to them; they may not even know what’s in Wonderland or who the Gruffalo is. Imagine their excitement of reading their first book and then discovering that they read even more books at their local library. Now, that really is magical.

Gaby Roslin is supporting the Children’s Reading Fund – a new fundraising drive from Booktrust, which aims to “change the story” for the UK’s most disadvantaged children through the power of reading.