VB reader, Nicola Emery emailed in over the weekend, asking us to share this letter with our readers. If you have something you’d like to share, feel free to get in touch. Ed
In reducing the Isle of Wight library service from 11 to two libraries, the Isle of Wight Council would be directly contravening the Public Libraries and Museums Act.
It is evident from the large proportion of Island residents that use libraries that there are indeed many persons desiring to make use of the service who will be unable to do so if these ridiculous proposals go ahead.
To be clear, the council wishes to close Bembridge, Brighstone, East Cowes, Niton and Shanklin libraries entirely.
The libraries remaining open on a ‘part-time’ basis as reported on VentnorBlog last week will be part-time in the extreme, opening just one day a week, something not made evident in the cleverly spun consultation document produced by the Isle of Wight Council.
These libraries comprise, Cowes, Freshwater, Ventnor and Sandown. There will be just two libraries left open to serve the entire Isle of Wight and though these are being craftily dubbed ‘Libraries Extra’, there will in fact be nothing extra about them.
They will provide a reduced service, no longer opening on a Sunday morning as they currently do. It is not reasonable or practical to expect those without their own transport to travel to either Ryde or Newport to access their library service.
School children (whose literacy levels are falling) who need access to books and the Internet for homework will no have it and by no means does every Island household have private Internet access.
The unemployed will be unable to fulfil the requirement of seeking jobs online without the free Internet access that all Isle of Wight libraries currently provide.
The plan to recruit volunteers and community groups to take over and run the Island libraries is flawed. The majority of libraries where this has been implemented have closed after just two years as a result of problems regarding data protection and CRB checking of the volunteers.
I for one do not wish to see this Island become a black spot for culture and education as well as for employment.
Come along to meeting
Speak to your local councillors, show your support for libraries and attend the meeting at the Quay Arts Centre on the 6th of January at 7pm.
Your Island Needs You.
