Skip to main content
Gifts from The Morning Star
Treasure troves of ideas
Public libraries are sanctuaries which facilitate the exploration of the universe of ideas for free for those curious enough. ROGER McKENZIE advocates their protection against authoritarian incursions, US style
SYMBOLIC: Chetham's Library, Manchester, United Kingdom founded in 1653 [Mike Peel/CC]

MY DEN, my safe space, is the room where I work and/or play jazz music most days.

I have a laptop, my saxophones and guitar in the room but the greatest thing is that I am surrounded by my books. My wife Kate sometimes ribs me about just how many books I do have — I have never counted them. But she sometimes says that I have too many.

I beg to differ. As far as I’m concerned the problem is never that I have too many books. The real issue is a lack of bookshelves!

Coventry Central Library. Credit: Libraries Taskforce/flickr/CC
The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
The crowd at Manchester Punk Festival 2024
Culture / 11 April 2025
11 April 2025
Ben Cowles speaks with IAN ‘TREE’ ROBINSON and ANDY DAVIES, two of the string pullers behind the Manchester Punk Festival, ahead of its 10th year show later this month
Daniel Lind-Ramos, Ensamblajes, Nottingham Contemporary
Exhibition review / 20 February 2025
20 February 2025
ANDY HEDGECOCK relishes two exhibitions that blur the boundaries between art and community engagement
RESILIENCE: (Right) Stand Up To Racism protest on October 26
Features / 31 December 2024
31 December 2024
The Morning Star sorts the good eggs from the rotten scoundrels of the year
Aboubakar Traore
Global Routes / 2 December 2024
2 December 2024
Two new releases from Burkina Faso and Niger, one from French-based Afro Latin The Bongo Hop, and rare Mexican bootlegs