They are more than just buildings containing books. Libraries are a window to learning, open to anyone, for free.

They are also many other things to many people.

A place for a new mum or dad to bring their baby and mix with other parents at a rhyming session.

A centre for an elderly person to get out of their home and mix with others. It might be the only social contact they have with anyone else in a week.

On the other side of the coin,

Essex County Council says closing a third its library portfolio will save £2 million a year.

And while it protests the proposals are not motivated by the money, there seems to be little other valid reason for it.

So it is a conflict between value and worth. What value can be put on these services or, indeed on a community asset? How do you assess that?

The council rationale is libraries aren’t used by us in the way they used to be. Well, closing a community’s library is only going to make it even less likely a family is going to use one.

The council will argue many people now access the internet for information and can download books and magazines on our tablets.

But for those among who don’t have these devices, by choice or not, they are being denied a public service.

But libraries aren’t a luxury, they’re a community facility. Now it is down to the public to demonstrate their feelings and fight for what they value.