The Highfield Community Library, Belfast

During the past five‐and‐a‐half years of civil strife in Northern Ireland, the entire social fabric has been subjected to enormous strain. No one, man, woman or child, has escaped the pressures of living in this stricken province, and just as this is true of the people it is true of their institutions. Like other institutions, public libraries have come under fire, both literally, and in the sense that like shops, pubs and other places of entertainment they have suffered grieviously from a decline in custom. Not that the picture is an entirely gloomy one, and indeed there have been considerable achievements in the life of the province and its libraries in recent years. As is so often the case here, a great deal depends upon location, upon where one lives, works or indeed, just happens to be at any particular time. Hence, for librarians fortunate enough to be situated in less‐troublesome areas, life can go on almost as before, even if it is never quite normal. It is in the towns, particularly in Belfast, and again in certain districts, that the difficulties are most acute. Under the circumstances the performance of the public library system is greatly to be admired. Moreover, where circumstances have prevented the operation of normal public library services, the co‐operative and flexible attitude shown by Belfast Public Library has greatly facilitated the provision of alternative library facilities. Certainly without its aid the Highfield Community Library could scarcely have developed as it has done.