inky pete Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 WHY should it be necessary to have to travel when there is one on the doorstep. You are making assumptions in that the elderly are able to walk the long distance to a bus stop. One of the current libraries might be on your doorstep, but relocating them elsewhere would simply put them on someone else's doorstep. Your loss would automatically be someone else's gain. If a library service is only of use to you if branches are located so close together that it is less of a walk to get to one than it is to your nearest bus stop - then how many libraries would there need to be across to whole borough? Hundreds???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted February 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 NO!!!. Just keep them open and save the money by reducing the number of councillors. A lot of Libraries have a Social purpose as well as lending books. St. Heath has a lot going on. Dizzy, if you got a number from the Library you can re-new on-line, and also reserve books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Thought t'internet had taken over from books?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 CBA anymore Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 I don't know about everyone else, but I can't get enough books to read. Plus the internet. Plus TV and films. We are so fortunate to have so much information at our fingertips and we should be in no hurry to lose any of it. Lets get rid of the people who want to deprive us of our amenities so that they can can keep their own high salaries. Do we really need so many people telling us what to do? I think not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 I'll happily pay my fines if at least two of them say they will go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 I read a lot as well, but buy my books from supermarkets, online, and from charity and second hand bookshops. Any I've finished with I either donate or sell on. It's far more convenient than having to dash to the library on the one evening it's still open when I get home from work - and overall it works out cheaper than paying the fines I'd incurr if I didn't make it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 The same for me Inky, but a lot of people do like the convenience of public libraries with all the other services they offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Other services indeed. Computers; magazines; telephone books; burgess lists etc. Wish I had a pound for the hiours Ive spent in there on family research - a lot of which is not available on the internet. There's always somebody scanning old copiesof the guardian and the like. I know that is a big library, but all of them are part of the local community - focal points if you like - as were post offices and small shops. Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 The big reference libraries are a bit different and will always be a useful resource for just the kind of research that has been mentioned. But the planned closures will only affect the local branch libraries, and I'm not advocating reducing the number of local libraries at all. I'm suggesting relocating them to existing school libraries and using at least some of the savings to enable them to have longer opening hours, which provides a link between the school and it's wider community and enables MORE people to access what the library has to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Inky Pete, I understand what you are saying. It's just that over the years, doing things in the Community, I see how the people that these things were set up to help, are slowly being got rid of to save money. WHY does it need saving in the first place? And this goes back to the Baths closure. It would appear that the council finances have not adapted to the loss of funding from the Gov.re. Business Taxes. Perhaps more effort is needed to address this. The boast that Council Tax will remain the same does NOT keep services going. Aaaaaaaaghh. Sorry, must have got out of bed the wrong side this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Inky, fair point and thinking outside the box - problem is: once you've waded through issues of insurance and H&S, the Officers and School Govenors etc will have taken you in a complete circle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 If it's been made to work in Birchwood and Padgate then there must be procedures in place and people with experience on how to go about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfie Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Apparantly the information stored on the internet only amounts to 8% of that in books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 So, which school in Grappenhall would you suggest?? Lymm Grammar or Bridgewater?I don't think they would take kindly to folk wandering around the two junior schools. Neither school is in Grappenhall, Lymm is in Oughtrington and Bridgewater is in Appleton, Grappenhall has three schools, the village primary/junior school, Bradshaw Lane primary/junior school and Grappenhall Hall special needs school, the latter would not fall into the category that would allow a local library to be sited there. We have a perfectly adequate purpose built building presently housing Grappenhall library and if the council pulled their finger out and staffed the library to the correct leve it would be more cost effectivel, ie. they have three people working there at the moment, that could be reduced to one and if they manned it with a male librarian (the reason I stipulate male is purely from a security angle) the wage bill would be reduced accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 So, which school in Grappenhall would you suggest?? Lymm Grammar or Bridgewater?I don't think they would take kindly to folk wandering around the two junior schools. Neither school is in Grappenhall, Lymm is in Oughtrington and Bridgewater is in Appleton, Grappenhall has three schools, the village primary/junior school, Bradshaw Lane primary/junior school and Grappenhall Hall special needs school, the latter would not fall into the category that would allow a local library to be sited there. We have a perfectly adequate purpose built building presently housing Grappenhall library and if the council pulled their finger out and staffed the library to the correct leve it would be more cost effectivel, ie. they have three people working there at the moment, that could be reduced to one and if they manned it with a male librarian (the reason I stipulate male is purely from a security angle) the wage bill would be reduced accordingly. That was a tongue in cheek comment about the schools. I thought that a lot of Library work was done by volunteers? As you don't see many regular faces in the town library. I doubt any of primary/junior schools would allow the people wandering in and out at will. The two in Latchford are set up like Fort Knox. I understand the caution but it does seem OTT at times. The council do have a problem of looking outside of the box. They tend to make decisions based on Finance rather than look at the need and working out alternatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Bloody hell! Peter I never know when to take you seriously Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Bloody hell! Peter I never know when to take you seriously Algy, just opt for never taking Peter seriously and chances are you will be right more than wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Sorry Algy. Baz. Thanks. You're probably right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Peter, just goes to show turned 70 and I'm still suckered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverlady54 Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 The problem with having libraries sited in schools is that they could only open outside schools hours unless they had a completely separate building, due to security issues. This would stop a lot of the pensioners and mums with young children from using them as evenings are not convenient/dark and weekends are often taken up with family. I thought all librarians were trained and employed, although many are part time!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 Hows about a mobile library, with folk ordering books virtually or from a catalogue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fugtifino Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 I thought all librarians were trained... Indeed: Librarians are graduates, many with postgraduate qualifications. These are quite different to Library Assistants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sha Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 Lottery funding;- WBC ?1,299,542 Date awarded 30/10/07 Inititive Education Programme Community libraries The project will make library services more accessible to local people and more relevant to modern lifestyles. Funding will allow the library to bring together health, community, learning, library and leisure services under a single roof. This transformation of the service will be achieved by working in partnership with other service providers within a community building, providing a wider range of services than currently possible. Will this now be repayable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 The problem with having libraries sited in schools is that they could only open outside schools hours unless they had a completely separate building, due to security issues. This would stop a lot of the pensioners and mums with young children from using them as evenings are not convenient/dark and weekends are often taken up with family. I thought all librarians were trained and employed, although many are part time!! Why would it need to be in a completely separate building to be open to the public during school hours? What "security issues" (other than the paranoid fear-of-just-about-everything whipped up by the media)? The library itself would be supervised by staff in exactly the same way as current branches are now - so there would be no more "security issues" within the library than there currently is. Access to the remainder of the school buildings might need to be controlled - although I thought schools were supposed to be bending over backwards to get the wider community involved in what they are doing. But that's as simple as having a "public" external door, and the librarians desk by the internal door into the rest of the school so they can keep an eye on who is coming and going through there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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