Take part in the library service consultation

The County Council is taking a revised approach to providing library services across the county and communities are invited to give their views by 30 September.

Having listened to the feedback it received about the future of library service provision, the County Council has revised its proposals for how the service should be delivered in the future. The Council now says it will guarantee that every single one of the 43 libraries will continue to receive support in the form of free access to a suitable building, to book stock; to the library stock management system and the expertise of County Council employed library staff.  In addition every library will have the self-service equipment that already operates at some Oxfordshire libraries installed.

However, in the case of 21 rural libraries this offer will need to be achieved with the help of volunteers who will be asked to assist OCC staff in operating the library.   The proposed ratio of volunteers to staff in 5 of these libraries is one-third to two-thirds and in the other 16 two-thirds to one-third.

The council is now conducting a public consultation on these proposals, which will run until 30 September 2011.

An ORCC briefing paper is available in the Library section of this website.

ORCC would encourage individuals and communities to make a response, whether or not your community has its own local library.   The views of library users – current and potential - all over the county will be useful.

Details gathered during the consultation will be taken into account before final decisions are made the end of 2011. Change would be phased in over a three-year period. No changes to the current network would happen in the 2011/12 financial year.

People can have their say through the following channels:

·         Completing the online feedback form on the County Council website (http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/libraryserviceconsultation)

·         Sending back the FREEPOST feedback form at the back of the consultation document - available at all libraries and council offices

·         Going along to a library service consultation event (details to be published on the OCC website in due course.)