Call for openness on library staff needs (From Witney Gazette)

Call for openness on library staff needs

7:00am Thursday 1st September 2011 in News By Liam Sloan

OXFORDSHIRE County Council does not know how many volunteers will be needed to staff its libraries if a planned reorganisation goes ahead, campaigners have warned.

The council is still consulting on its new masterplan for Oxfordshire’s 43 libraries, which will see volunteers help run many around the county.

Last year, the council faced outrage from leading authors after proposing to axe funding for 20 of the county’s branches.

Councillors came back in May with an alternative plan, using volunteers to help staff rural libraries.

Now Save Oxfordshire Libraries, set up to fight to protect funding for the service last year, has criticised the council for “a lack of co-operation” during the consultation.

Paddy Landau, from Friends of Kennington Library, said across the county, groups had been ready with ideas to help the council, but had never been asked for them.

Mr Landau said: “The council just gave us a proposal without any consultation whatsoever. It is crazy, because we have some fantastic ideas, and it was very disappointing.

“Unfortunately, the council’s scheme will cause some libraries to fail. It is just not going to work.

“Just a few selected rural libraries are having to pay for the cuts.”

He said that library campaigners knew that money needed to be saved, and had ideas about how the council could improve the service while cutting costs.

Instead, over-reliance on volunteers would force rural branches to close because they would be unable to recruit enough people, he warned.

Save Oxfordshire Libraries chairman Judith Wardle said it had been impossible to get detailed financial information from the council about its proposals.

She said: “The excuse is that ‘full costings are as yet unknown’ because they don’t know how many volunteers will be involved.

“But responsible budgeting should include estimates.”

Council spokesman Marcus Mabberley said the council had engaged in detailed dialogue with representatives from Save Oxfordshire Libraries since the consultation over the future of the county’s library service was launched in May and has also agreed to meet them in the near future to discuss issues raised.