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June 21, 2007
Crisis in Conwy
Christopher Draper writes
"Here in Conwy, North Wales, our pathetic excuse for a library service is about to be devastated at the hands of people who would surely be happier running a branch of Starbucks. These so called librarians (barbarians?) admit that spending on books is already about the lowest in Wales (£1.30 a head) and the provision of libraries well below the Welsh Library Standards yet they've just advised the Council to close 6 of our 13 libraries! Ironically for a "Library & Information Service" they are refusing all FOI requests for documents supporting their closure plans. I note that in a recent article in Readers' Digest Tim identifies bloated management costs and minimal spending on buildings as a curse blighting public libraries and so I've researched Conwy's costs. Tim reckons successful book chains spend roughly equal parts of their budget on each category, books and staffing, and deplores libraries that spend as much as "55 percent of budgets on wages and top heavy management and as little as 11 percent on buildings". Conwy's official figures are 64 percent and 1 percent respectively! Despite the best endeavours of library management to intimidate junior staff into keeping quiet and toeing the party line their embargo on information is leaking like a sieve. Staff with integrity have provided all sorts of facts and figures but we desperately need support and publicity. For more info you can call me anytime on 01492-547590."
Help!!
Posted by Tim Coates at June 21, 2007 3:14 PM