would you volunteer to keep your library open?

[carriedababi]

?

They have asked for 'keep library open' suggestions, eg stick it in a bookstore/coffee shop and if the ideas aren't good enough they will close 2/3rds

they are utter fuckers.

2/3rds of all county libraries I meant to say.

' carriedababi Tue 15-Feb-11 16:38:51
perhasp the libaries should look at opening one day only, but a lond day say 7 till 8pm?

then everyone could go,a nd it needs to only be open for 1 day a week'

carrie do you use your library ? I only ask because most town centre ones are open 9- 7 or 8pm a week and open Saturdays and some open sundays
so they're already open long hours

Actually, I like custy's ideas

ScramVonChubby - did your librarian friend literally get the redundancy notice and the letter about volunteering? How on earth do they think that is going to work? A person who was working before surely needs to find another job if they lose it. The only way Big Society makes any sense (it doesn't) is on the premise that there are lots of people lying around doing nothing who can be persuaded to volunteer rather than have their nails done. It makes even less sense if it targets the same individuals who were working for a salary before.

Don't librarians have masters degrees?

Completely insane. People (especially women) of Cameron's class - a tiny, wealthy elite - have traditionally, when they chose, dispensed largesse to the community in the form of money and time that they can spare. Attempting to roll this principle out to people who aren't living on a massive cushion of inherited wealth and private education is the biggest "let them eat cake" insult ever.

oh no, my coffee shop library will be open from nine to five

HighPriestessBoo Tue 15-Feb-11 17:02:44

yeah, me too

custy you could also have a branch of paperchase in it

and a boden

I don't want volunteers running a library. It pisses me off that they don't employ that many qualified librarians.

No, because I think it's fucking disgraceful that the ConDem government think it's acceptable to make people (such as librarians) redundant and replace them with unqualified, unpaid volunteers.

ooh and tie rack

i could branch out into shoes

where will you draw the line on volunteering?

I wouldn't have a problem with volunteers running workshops in the library to get footfall up, pottery, book clubs and readign for the blind.

What I object to is actually taking over from soemone who has lost their job due to not enugh funds to pay for them.

Well oif there are not enough funds, then we have a choice -pay more or let the library close or think of a different way to do things.

my local swimming center had a tender on the catyering - they shut up shop and left so the swimming place instead of utilising the space they got three machines in.

Now the rents of the tender would have given them a far better income - they where queing at the door literaly to get a tender n the place. A milkshake bar in leamington called Moo wanted to go ina nd take this space and pay.

What did the district council do -say no we don't want this money...

Libraries may need to sqaush up a bit and put out tenders to coffee shops or post offices or bump and bouncey places - to get in income for free space.

Strangley now all the work has been done to cover up the catering space - the swimming pool is now looking for a tender...? This is 6 months down the line after spending money on the work.

personally i'd prefer to see taxes raised

so services don't suffer

yes we do use the library
tend to go in the afternoons

I don't. Have time to volunteer, but I would pay 20p or 50p to borrow a book (should stay free for kids, some other categories of people/books).

But for me, it's cheaper than spending £5 on a paperback I'll read once, so I'd pay a small amount to keep the service available.

Or whack a £5 on my council tax.

Yes.

I'd be even more willing to do it (if logistics allowed) to keep the library in my old place of residence open (v. deprived ward, inner city location, 60% of library users children, poor literacy rates in local community).

They needed that library.

Where I live now (affluent suburbia with lots of 4x4 driving yummy mummies use it but probably don't NEED it in the same way).

If we start volunteering to work in libraries, the BS will expect us to next dispose of our rubbish, clean the streets and so on. I love libraries (I worked in one for money), don't want them to close, but volunteering isn't a solution IMO.

definitely yes

carriedababi - but if taxes rise they have t be council taxes as they are the taxes that support libraries. Council tax can't rise further as the goverment will then punish that council and take money away form them by not giving as much from the central pot.

So rising taxes wouldn't solve the problem of not enough money for services

DiamondDoris - you mean they will want volunteer litter pickers and public bin collectors to empty the rubbish and take it to the tip?

What a great idea.

We could also volunteer in offices for the district council and register birth and deaths and get volunteers to marry people on saturdasy - most people have the day off and wedding are on saturdays a lot.

well if central goverment agreeed to it, it would be fine

We could volunteers in to run Old Peoples homes.

And schools.

Oh, hang on, running schools is already part of Gov policy.

And what a popular and wild success they're turning out to be.