COMMENT: Can Sunderland Super-library save the day?

Outside of mobile phone-balancing or providing an air of intelligence to your Zoom meeting background, the humble book has found itself under increasing threat from modern gadgetry and in-vogue phone apps.

In particular, the future of the library book has never been more precarious.

The closure of hundreds of libraries over the last decade has resulted in thousands of library jobs disappearing and the ability to borrow a book becoming increasingly difficult.

Our community has not been immune to the demise of the local library, which is why it’s fantastic to reveal today that a new library is to open in the heart of Sunderland.

And it’s no ordinary library. Indeed, it’s going to be the best in the United Kingdom! The Culture House certainly looks the business if the artist’s impressions we reveal today are anything to go by. But this state-of-the-art library aims to be more than just a book-lending service.

Standing four storeys high, The Culture House on the site of The Corner Flag on the south side of Keel Square will house libraries for adults, children and young people, as well as spaces for creativity and innovation. The building is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors a year after it’s finished in 2023. Here’s hoping.

This really is fantastic news for Sunderland and hopefully a positive new chapter in the story of UK libraries.