Are public libraries really being saved?

There have been a number of stories recently suggesting that libraries across the country have been ‘saved’ due to pressure from local campaigners. One campaigner has even claimed that the battle has effectively been won. But is this really the case? Is the battle for public libraries actually over?

Well, unsurprisingly, the answer is an emphatic ‘no’. What has effectively happened is that council’s have ‘offered’ libraries to the local community to run. This is not a sustainable (let alone effective) solution. As has recently been reported, the number of people volunteering has declined in the past year, despite government encouragement through their ‘Big Society’ agenda. If libraries were to be run by volunteers, how long before the staffing dries up and the library has to close? Who will provide staff training in ICT? Will volunteers be able to understand and take advantage of technologies such as RFID and Open Source library management systems which could (I emphasise ‘could’), in the long run, lead to savings if the knowledge is there to take advantage of them. How can we be sure that the library will provide equitable access to information for all if they cannot be held wholly accountable? And how will the local community be able to access information about their service if it is no longer subject to Freedom of Information requests?

Of course, these questions are just the tip of the iceberg. Many more will need to be answered before we can be assured that our network of public libraries have not been damaged beyond repair. Yes, they may be saved from closure for now, but saved in a way that will only postpone the inevitable. The battle is far from over, it has only just begun.