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May 2, 2006
Education, education, education: communities communities, communities......
From the Lancashire Evening Telegraph tonight:
In loving memory of a library
By Charlotte Bradshaw
THE LIBRARIAN of a popular Rossendale library left a heartfelt final parting shot on the day of its closure.
Catherine Jobling put up notices in Waterfoot library window which read: "In memory of Waterfoot Library, died 29th April 2006, leaving behind a devastated community."
In a further notice she added: "Thankyou for all your kind words. I will miss you all. Waterfoot is a great community with very friendly people. I wish you all future happiness."
Library users made a surprise presentation to Catherine before the library closed to thank her for providing an excellent service at the Bacup Road venue.
People in Waterfoot said the signs left in the window summed up the general feeling of disappointment and anger in the community following the popular library's closure.
It sparked a storm of protest from users of Waterfoot Library who attacked the decision by Lancashire County Council and said the closure would deprive the town's people of accessible book lending facilities.
However despite hundreds of protesters signing a petition to prevent the library's closure the doors were finally shut to the public on Saturday.
It is one of nine libraries closed across the county.
Today Steve Taylor, owner of Steve's Quality Fruiterers, Bacup Road, who campaigned to keep the library open, said: "It was a very sad day when the library closed on Saturday but I think the message that Catherine has left in the window gets the strength of feeling across in this community that Waterfoot is devastated by the loss of yet another service.
"The local elections are looming and the councillors are worried because of the timing of the closure and so they should be. People in this community are absolutely outraged that we have lost this service.
"Waterfoot is thriving. It's going to get a new school just 200 yards away from the library building which would have been used by those pupils. It's not been thought through properly and the people of Waterfoot won't forget."
Steve, whose son Bradley learned to read at the library, launched the petition despite county library bosses defended the decision to axe the library, claiming better facilities exist nearby.
County Coun Hazel Harding said the library was no longer viable as not it did not have enough users.
She added: "It's sad because I love books and libraries and I have much regret but I want to see us expand the libraries at Rawtenstall and Bacup to make them more accessible to people.
"Whitewell ward Tory councillor Marlene Crosta added: "I haven't seen the signs but I am sad for Waterfoot and for the librarian who did a good job. We had a petition and did try to save it because I love the library the majority of people where I live are elderly and users of the library.
"There is still a need for a library service and we need to ensure the mobile library comes to Waterfoot."
Posted by Perkins at May 2, 2006 9:03 PM