4th May 2011

WEST DORSET: Council improves offer to libraries under threat

'Nowhere near solving the problem' says AdLib chairman

THREATENED Dorset libraries have been given an improved offer from Dorset County Council to help keep them running if funding is cut in 2012.

The council is now proposing to provide books, computers, self-service facilities and staffing expertise to support local communities, which want to take over responsibility for their library building.

There are currently 20, of Dorset’s 34 libraries, under threat including those in Beaminster, Burton Bradstock, Charmouth and Puddletown.

The campaign group to save the threatened libraries, the Association of Friends of Dorset Libraries (Ad Lib), has welcomed the improved offer but said the proposal “goes nowhere near solving the problem”.

Talks with representatives from the areas have also revealed wide-ranging concerns about how the offer would work and the level of support needed from the council to make it viable.

Debbie Ward, director for adult and community services, said: “We have listened carefully to what local communities have had to say, specifically about the kind of help they would need to make this approach work. As a result, we are proposing to enhance the offer to provide extra resources and support.”

The package now on offer to the 20 communities includes:

• between 300 and 500 new books per year to each library, plus a regular exchange of books to refresh stock

• public access computers with broadband internet access, supported by the county council’s IT service and with access to the council’s library management system

• self-service technology units, book shelving and furniture

• three hours’ staffing support each week, with the option for communities to fund additional time

• initial training and support to help establish the new service.

Under the terms of this agreement, communities would take responsibility for managing and running their library building – but they would, in turn, be able to use it for a range of other events, activities and organisations outside of library opening hours.

An independent building would also be able to levy charges for use and retain income for services.

AD Lib Acting Chairman Tim Lee said: “This is a very welcome improvement on the totally unworkable proposal the library service has made earlier but it is goes nowhere near solving the problem of our village and small town libraries.

“It presupposes that they will all be able to find the score or so volunteers who would be needed to keep such libraries open in the way they are now. And we know that when Dorset floated a similar idea four years ago, during the last round of cuts, only three communities could find the volunteers they needed. Now the commitment required will be vastly greater.

“Ad Lib is therefore convinced that the only viable solution is for the county council to abandon its plans and to accept our proposal for finding ways of making the economies it needs without closing any libraries at all.”

Any community interested in taking up the DCC offer has until Wednesday, June 8th to confirm its interest. Together with the results of the on-going public consultation on the future of the service – which outlines other proposals to find the necessary savings – this feedback will inform a report to the council’s community overview committee later that month. The issue will then be considered by the Cabinet and full council in July.

Debbie Ward added: “The proposed package of support aims to enable local communities to manage their local library provision, providing a service which meets local needs. The offer would be provided at no cost to the local community. Once councillors have considered the response to this, along feedback from the wider public consultation, we will hold further, more detailed discussions with communities over the summer and into early autumn.”

WEST DORSET: Council improves offer to libraries under threat

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