Libraries made me who I am - Caitlin Moran

Caitlin Moran's book How To Be A Woman was published in 43 languages in 2011 and sold more than a million copies by 2014

A journalist and author from Wolverhampton shared her memories of how libraries shaped her career as she threw her support behind campaigns to save them.

Caitlin Moran, who penned the bestseller How to Be A Woman, was home-schooled and attributes libraries in her home city for providing the "greatest possible education a child can have".

It comes as a consultation on the future of Birmingham's libraries was launched as the city council attempts to save £300m over two years, after effectively declaring bankruptcy last year.

The local authority said maintaining its current provision of 35 community libraries was "unrealistic" due to the deterioration of library buildings, increased running costs and insufficient staffing levels.

As the eldest of eight siblings, Ms Moran recalls gaining access to a library ticket as being a "rite of passage".

"I wouldn’t be who I am if I didn’t have the library," she said.

"Our parents didn’t give us any formal lessons at all, they were on the extreme end of the hippy spectrum so literally everything I know is from the books that I got from Warstones Library in Wolverhampton and the Central Library."

The Save Birmingham campaign has called on the council to transfer the assets into community ownership and create a libraries trust

She said that for many people who find their homes unwelcoming, or even dangerous, libraries were the "one place you can go where you feel safe and as rich as a millionaire" even if you do not have much money.

"That’s a power we don’t have anywhere else in our lives if you have no money, particularly if you’re a child," she added.

"In a rainy, northern, European country there are usually three places you can be if the weather is bad - in your home, at the shops or in the library, museum or art gallery."

Moran said libraries were a lifeline, particularly when she was young

In September Birmingham City Council issued a section 114 notice - effectively declaring itself bankrupt.

To balance the books, plans include large-scale cuts to funds from 25 of its 35 community libraries.

A number of campaigns have emerged across the city for the establishment to be saved and be transferred to community ownership.

'Cathedrals of the mind'

For Moran, libraries are a lifeline.

"Every time I see a library that has been decimated, ill-funded or closed down I feel like I’m mourning the death of something that could have changed people’s lives forever," she said.

"Keep the libraries, they are like a cross between a life raft and a cathedral in our societies. Every time one closes we all become poorer for it."

At Stafford Library her quote, "Libraries are cathedrals of the mind, hospitals of the soul, theme parks of imagination" has been emblazoned on the wall.