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September 18, 2008
A reader writes
'What can we feel but continuing cynicism at one more review and one more modernisation exercise when the Government failed to implement the very moderate recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee in, was it, 2005?
What we expect of a Library Service primarily is that it should support the priceless heritage of culture, literacy, and provide free access to literacy and information by all income groups, by supplying a quality book lending and information service.
It is not doing that; many genuine readers, (including those on a low income such as myself ) exited the Library service years ago because of its declining book provision and we are now serviced instead by internet providers such as Amazon (which provides info and discussion about books) and the 2nd hand market. That is doing what the library service has failed to do, low income high reading taxpayers no longer get value from the library service our Council taxes pay for. In so far as we have built up our own libraries, that is frequently not merely for pleasure in ownership but in response to declining cultural provision in the Libraries.'
Why, oh why won't the people responsible for public libraries listen to and understand these simple messages that are addressed to them by members of the public?
For what it is worth, this lady lives within walking distance of one of the new Discovery Centres in Hampshire. This is a library authority which has spent millions and millions of pounds on its library service. Money is not the answer-- the answer is an understanding of what people use public libraries for and expect of them-- and those things could not be more clearly put than in this quotation, which has crossed my desk this morning.
Posted by Perkins at September 18, 2008 9:57 AM