Closure of Libararies. Child abuse?....

Whilst I wouldn't agree with writer Alan Bennett's comment that denying access to books by closing down libraries is "child abuse" I do sort of understand what he's getting at. In an age where children find it easier to just go on their computers and probably games, facebook and the thousands of other distractions available books are taking second, third and often even tenth place. Many children, it seems, these days only read the books they are force-fed at school; but is this enough? That's one issue but Bennett points to another fact that there are still a third of all households in the UK who don't have access to the internet. Hard to believe but apparently true. So the children in those housholds have little or no access to literature other than through their school and libraries. Isn't it crucial that we hold on to these quiet and more importantly FREE sources of knowledge and encourage young people to use them? I would certainly agree with Mr. Bennett on that but I would stop short of accusing the government of paedophilia! Good headline grabber though....