Library consultation urges you to have your say
The biggest transformation in the history of Warwickshire's Library Service is now underway and everyone is being urged to have their say.
A 12-week consultation has begun, and to ensure every person in the county has the opportunity to air their views on the proposals, the details will not only be on the web, but there will also be displays, posters, roadshows and community events.
Warwickshire County Council is conducting a 12-week public consultation on the proposals to reshape library provision and save £2 million over the next three years The consultation will run until June 9, giving local people a chance to find out more and share their views before any final decisions are made.
The information now available online, at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/facingthechallenge, includes a factsheet for every Warwickshire library, giving details of visits, loan issues and costs, along with comparative performance figures across the network, and the Cabinet report county councillors considered on March 17.
Communities considering volunteer-run library services will have the facts and figures they need at their fingertips. People who don’t have access to the internet can request paper copies from any of Warwickshire’s 34 libraries, or from Shire Hall in Warwick.
“We want to hear your views on the public consultation” said Cllr Colin Hayfield, Portfolio-holder for Customers, Workforce and Partnerships. “We are making all the relevant information about our libraries readily available and a series of public meetings and informal drop-in sessions will take place throughout Warwickshire. Library staff will also be on hand to give further information about the background to the proposals. Customers will be able to ask questions and will have the opportunity to complete a short questionnaire.
“These are difficult times and tough choices have to be made. We want those who live, work or study in Warwickshire to be part of the decision-making process. Feedback received will be reported to Cabinet in July to help councillors find the best way forward. Our aim is to find alternative ways to provide the library services in some of our smaller communities.”
The information made public identifies 16 Warwickshire libraries no longer sustainable in their current form, alongside other cost-cutting measures including reduced opening hours, reductions in the mobile library fleet and workforce, and cutting the number of public computers across the library network.