May 23, 2011
There’s plenty of feedback already from the public meetings being held as part of consultation from the Library and Information Service on the future of the service.
Binley Woods Library and Information Centre
Camp Hill Library and Information Centre
April 15, 2011
Feedback is now coming in fast from the first public meetings held as part of the Library and Information Service Consultation.
The views and comments of people attending all public meetings will feed into the wider consultation which continues until June 9.
And in recent weeks it has been clear through the public meetings and roadshows that communities are keen to engage with the service. Local MPs Dan Byles, Jeremy Wright and Mark Pawsey have attended recent meetings and are working with the local communities and local councillors.
Below is the feedback from some of the latest public meetings at Dunchurch, Bulkington and Binley Woods.
The meeting at Dunchurch opened with the presentation of a petition from the people of Dunchurch. This had more than 1,000 signatures, collected in a month, and was presented by a resident and the Baptist minister.
Concerns raised included the impact any reduction in bus services and the ability of local people to get into Rugby. Jeremy Wright MP said the residents would need three things: advice on a business model, the building at a peppercorn rent and professional staff to assist volunteers. This was met with reassurance that officers will work with the community.
Concerns raised about business template not being available. This has now been remedied though and the template and help is available now on this blog.
Residents asked if there could be a charge to loan books, but it was explained that this is not legal.
Meanwhile in Bulkington, a petition of around 4,000 names was handed in and many questions focussed on help and assistance from the county council is presenting a business case – this is now available.
Questions were asked why there were more libraries potentially being closed in the north of the county than the south – the response was that there are more small libraries in the north of the county.
At Binley Woods many similar issues were raised, including the question about whether professional support would be available to volunteers.
Several questions were around the use of Coventry Library, which is not in Warwickshire, and whether books borrowed in Coventry could be returned to Warwickshire libraries. Officers are currently speaking to neighbouring authorities about possible solutions.
The roadshows are now continuing and staff will be on hand today at Bulkington Library from 3.30pm until 6.30pm, and tomorrow a roadshow will be held at Polesworth Library from 10am until 1pm.
April 13, 2011
A public meeting is being held tonight at Binley Woods Village Hall to discuss the future of the local library.
The meeting takes place at 7pm at the village hall in Rugby Road, Binley Woods, as a part of the wider consultation of the future of the Warwickshire Library and Information Service.
Please remember it will also be possible to take part in the consultation at one-to-one sessions on the mobile libraries next month.
April 1, 2011
The first fortnight of the Library and Information Service consultation on the proposed future of the service has seen 50 people complete written questionnaires, 190 have completed the online survey, and this blog, launched just a week ago, has attracted approaching 1,000 visits.
In addition to this there has been other written correspondence, including 150 individually written letters from the school children at Kingsbury Prmary School.
So far the respondents to the online survey are, in the main, visitors to Bulkington, Warwick and Leamington libraries.
The Warwickshire Library and Information Service proposals identify 16 Warwickshire libraries that are 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.
The 12-week public consultation began on March 18 and will run until June 9. A roadshow will visit all 34 Warwickshire libraries during the consultation period so people can find out more and ask questions face-to-face. Senior officers and a councillor will also attend a series of public meetings countywide.
The next roadshow is today at Wolston Library from 2pm until 5pm, tomorrow (Saturday) there is a roadshow at Binley Woods Library from 10am until 1pm, and Monday there is a roadshow at Lillington Library from 10am until 1pm.
The information now available online , 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.
The consultation questionnaire is available in all Warwickshire libraries and online.
Feedback received during the consultation will be collated, analysed and reported to Warwickshire County Council Cabinet on July 14 so councillors are fully informed before they make any final decisions.
