Book worms...council library cuts slammed
CAMPAIGNERS claim library services are still being cut, after they believed they had halted 25 closures.
Users who said they felt let down alleged in Colchester, Essex that some libraries will no longer have paid staff.
They claim volunteers will be used and see the move as a step to closure. The county council last night said no Essex libraries were closing and they were being run by funded staff.
But outside two Colchester libraries, protesters told of their anger. Jean Quinn, 71, said: “What we have here is closure by stealth. It is dreadful.”
Oliver Vargas, 25, a journalist, said: “Colchester Library was the most important part of my student years. The study gallery was the only place I could work in silence and without being forced to purchase something.
“Not having the library would have meant having our future evaporate. We must ensure libraries continue to be a place of learning and opportunity for everyone.” Youngsters urged
Essex County Council (ECC) to invest in library services.
Home-schooled Finn Dyer, six, said: “When I think of libraries, I think of the books we haven’t read yet and it gives me a nice feeling.
“I would be very sad if we couldn’t go to the libraries anymore. People might think that they can read books on their iPad, but not all books are available online.”
Knowledge
School reading ambassador Josefine Backman Juliff, 13, said: “When I enter a library, I feel so calm and also excited as I have the whole world and all the knowledge around me.
“I can’t imagine a world without libraries and I want to be able to take my children to the libraries to create memories just like my parents.”
The Daily Express’s Save Our
Libraries crusade is backed by politicians, celebrities and charities who stress their value to communities.
Analysis of Government data revealed libraries in England have had funding slashed for the fifth year in a row. Spending on library services has fallen by nearly £300million in the last decade to £720million last year.
More than 800 libraries have been closed, leaving 3,600 operating.
The future of Essex libraries was thrown into doubt when a County Hall strategy document in 2018 set out plans to shut 25 of 74 and remove support for 18. Protests forced the closures to be dropped.
But Save Our Libraries Essex claim they are under threat again: “The current strategy for libraries involves selling off many library buildings, getting rid of the staff from those libraries, and having these libraries housed and run by volunteers.”
The county council said: “No libraries in Essex have closed, nor will close and they will be run by ECC-funded staff.
“We will be building on the excellent work which has already taken place in enhancing our libraries, facilities and developing a broader offer.”
The spokesman said officials would work with communities “to identify opportunities for enhanced use of our library buildings as we seek to develop local hubs”.