Dennis Duncan

Use it or lose it: has the public library had its day?

Libraries were once a destination for all, from small children to pensioners. But their now shelfless rooms are increasingly used as local council surgeries

The library of Holland House, damaged by a fire bomb in October 1940. Credit: Getty Images
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  • The Library: A Fragile History

    Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen

    Profile Books, pp. 258, £25

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Identity politics has corrupted France’s elite schools

Earlier this year, Sciences Po’s feminist association, Décollectif Féministe, organised a ‘non-mixed’ meeting, which explicitly excluded men and white attendees. Intended as a ‘safe space’ for women of colour, the event sparked an immediate backlash. An MP from Marine Le Pen’s National Rally called it ‘racist and discriminatory.’ Ultimately, the meeting was cancelled before it took place, but it

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