Destruction of Manchester library books halted after writers' campaign (UK)

A campaign by the poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and a number of other literary names to stop the destruction of hundreds of thousands of books at the UK's largest municipal library appeared to have succeeded. In June, the group wrote to the head of libraries in Manchester calling for an end to the pulping of the non-fiction books at Manchester central library which is undergoing a restoration. The campaigners, including Jackie Kay, Michael Symmonds Roberts, Simon Armitage and Jeanette Winterson, as well as the former Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam, argued that the book collections were as important as the fabric of the building, rivalled only by the British Library. The group, the Friends of Central Library, said on Monday they believed the books would now be stored in a warehouse until a final decision could be made about their future