would you volunteer to keep your library open?

[carriedababi]

?

Certainly will, when Dave, the cabinet and all MPs volunteer to do their jobs for free.

But they do important jobs and way underpaid - which is why the odd expenses fiddling is OK, just taking back what they should have got. It's your time that is not important and doesn't need to be paid.

But they wouldn't carrie as the tory party are against high taxes.

Not that there wern't punishments for over charging under labour.

Local governemnt can't set the taxes at what they need they are stopped from doing that and to do so would need all the parties at central level to agree - and they wouldn't.

So taxes cant be raised and people will be out of jobs as the local government haven't got enough money, due to cuts from central government.

This is why local governemtn always spend in march to make sure they havn't got any money left - if they have then the central pot will not give them as much the following year as they didn't need it hte previous year -bonkers

Not sure i'd volunteer as we dont use the library so there are far more things I would rather volunteer for.

I'd agree with letting businesses run libraries and making a charge per book borrowed.

Yes, as I use it and would rather do my share of the shifts than lose the possibility of having a free library.

Ours is also well used for the computers and printer as much as for books, audio books and CDs/DVDs etc.

Older folks & ppl with no computer at home would really miss our library.

It's a lovely welcoming place for smal kids too ... with a special children's sections. This is a good (free) place for parents to bring their youngsters ... especially if they appreciate education but don't have a lot of money to buy their own children's books.

Don't think our library will close atm anyway ... as it seems well used & very appreciated.

Pre-budget cuts, it was recently repainted/refurbished to a more "Waterstone's" style, (with bright colour scheme, sofas, free wifi, coffee tables and a coffee machine), rather than the old council 'gloomy grey' as it was.

All the old dusty ref books were dumped in favour of having only up to date new editions of the more readable fact and fiction. (About 50/50 ratio paperbacks to hardbacks.)

As u can see, I love my local library! I have been a member most of my life ... & I would be really sad if it had to close due to money shortage.

I think libraries should charge to rent out ebooks and really aggressively market it to Kindle users. £5 a month for unlimited rentals, but with a massive selection. I'd pay it - it's like lovefilm, no late fees, no extra charges. And low overheads, surely. Use that money to subsidise the buildings so they can still run children's libraries etc. Make services attractive and make them pay!

I havechanged my mind.

I don't want libraries to close. But I don't want to support Dave's unworkable bullshit even more.

I would not volunteer to keep my library open because running the library is the job of a paid, skilled, employee.
The schools round here are having a hard time financially, perhaps we should have volunteer teachers?
I'd prefer to pay more in tax to have properly funded public services.
And I'd prefer the ConDems to fuck off.

Happymummyofone so you want private sector libraries? They are for making profit out of? The whole point of libraries is that it is free to borrow books!!
You are describing BOOKSHOPS

I am in two minds.

It is offensive to suggest that any Tom, Dick or Henrietta can rock up and run a library. We would also be allowing the government to make people redundant.

However libraries matter and I would do anything to keep them open and am sure many people locally would do the same.

Volunteering is not the sole domain of rich privately educated women with lots of spare time. I have always volunteered despites a working week in excess of 60 hours in term time and lots of home commitments, - I was certainly never privately educated either.

my thoughts on libraries are: why isn't somebody like Foyles or Waterstones offering to become sponsors? They could cover running costs and take on management of staff in return for a plum town site for one of their stores within the library building. I'm imagining quite a small store, with maybe a good line in ordering in anything you want next day (or delivered to your door). Anything that promotes reading is good for booksellers, you can upgrade borrowers/browsers to buyers, as the coffee shop-book innovation showed. They would get such positive currency from being seen as the saviours of the library and becoming champions of books and reading, it could basically just take over their marketing budget, plus they get what is usually the prime site in every town.

If town halls can't afford to keep them going themselves this seems like at least as good a solution as community run which has its own complications. Am I missing some massive downside, this seems like such a good idea??!

Because they're skint
waterstones have recently closed 6 stores across the country
they're tied with hmv who are on their downers due to downloading music, amazon and the like

seems like a good opportunity then - they could close down their other stores and just work out of the libraries?

still use some volunteers to help keep running costs down?

starting to sound facetious, clearly I don't know the real business sides of such a deal, you're probably right...

dang I had it all sorted out!

Happy Mummy
But if businesses ran our libraries can you imagine what they'd be like?

Only mainstream, 'popular' authors: shelf after shelf of Dan Brown and Jodi Picoult.

No reference books because 'there's no demand for them.'

No inter-library borrowing.

Punitive fines (bit like bank charges probably...)

And then the BOGOF offers would start - 'borrow three books for the cost of two!'

And you'd have to speak to a call centre in Bombay if you wanted to renew your book.

Oh and whoever mentioned ebooks
oh yes libraries have started to do them already

Yes, I know some places do them (although not ours...), so why not make a bit of money on them? Kindle/ebook reader owners are more likely to be in the disposable cash bracket and the usual concessions could apply.

I'm NOT in favour of running libraries like businesses but there are obvious "monetizing" opportunities - and if you ask people to pay for services they often value them more than if they get them for free (known business fact!)

Yes they already charge for them
like they do DVDs, CDs, talking books

.. businesses could set up trusts for the borrowing arm of the enterprise so it was not-for-profit and with protected aims...

Oh right. Well I am clearly already a business genius then. Just a bit late

And people do pay for services through fines, photocopying, faxing, printing,

You see volunteers would think they know all about the service and how easy it is to improve it without even knowing anything about it in the first place

Plenty of people saying - oh yes they could run the library.

Librarians are highly qualified. They either have a degree in library and information studies or a degree in another subject PLUS a postgraduate qualification in library and information studies.

The people you see on the counter are not librarians. They are library assistants.

No I wouldnt volunteer much as I love libraries. Very angry that my CC is cutting front line services like libraries as an example, but advertising for wanky jobs like managing change co-ordinators. Surely that is what the highly paid chief executives are paid to do Im not a supporter of any political party and think the big society is a joke BUT I do think whilst councils are keeping some of these well paid non jobs and cutting essential services the blame for cuts can't all be put at the con-dem doorstep iyswim. Councils should be a lot more accountable.

Wook, bookshops charge usually full RRP unless special offers are on. Libraries could charge 15-20p a book so nothing like a bookshop. If people want the service then surely a nominal charge is not too much to ask. No different to hiring a dvd etc.

That way staff keep their jobs and those that want libraries can still have them.

'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.' I couldn't have said it better.