Today is officially Save Our Libraries Day in the UK. Some 400 libraries around the nation have been threatened with closure and severe budget cuts by local authorities, and book-lovers, including Philip Pulllman and many authors like him, are rising up in protest. There will be something like 80 protests and demonstrations throughout the day today, including sit-ins and readings by beloved authors, “Shhh-in”s, and in Milborne Port in Somerset, a “book snatcher” that will grab books from children and replace them with signs that say things like “illiteracy,” “poor life chances,” and “social isolation.” Goodness. The Guardian is ambitiously offering live coverage of the national event, and in a jam, you can even “find your nearest protest” on an interactive map. We can only hope that we show the same fervor for our libraries in this country when the time comes.