Friends fear more Darwen library hours cuts

3:00pm Tuesday 9th October 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Dan Clough, Reporter

FEARS of more cuts to services at Darwen Library have been expressed by the chairman of a friends group.

John East said he was worried the service could be hit again, despite 25 per cent cuts to opening hours coming into force only a few months ago.

The library is now closed on Tuesdays and opens late on Thursdays as Blackburn with Darwen Council was forced to make massive savings imposed by Government.

Mr East, who is also a town councillor, said further cuts could be very damaging.

He said: “Blackburn with Darwen Council say there will be another round of cuts We don’t want Darwen Library to be affected.

“It is number one on the Darwen Heritage Trail for one thing.

“We need to retain that service and work through the cuts as best we can.”

Mr East said there had been initiatives brought in to minimise the effects of the cuts.

He said: “The friends have bought more than £500 of books as stocks were affected.

“And a partnership with Darwen Academy where people can use the computers on Tuesdays from 10am to 2pm has been quite successful.

“This is most useful to jobseekers as a lot of job applications are done online now.”

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s executive member for leisure said he didn’t know what cuts could be on the horizon.

He said: “Darwen Library is not under threat.

“I think everyone is aware it is likely there will be another round of cuts imposed by the Government.

“At that point all services will be reviewed, but we are not going to make unreasonable cuts.

“The council is committed to libraries. They are an important aspect of what the council provides.”

The group has organised a coffee morning on Saturday to raise awareness of what the library can offer.

Alongside it will be a talk about the work of the group to discover and sell prints of artworks by Darwen artist James Morton, who was killed during the First World War.

Dave and Marie Owen from local history group Darwen Days will also be there to sell copies of their new DVD showing historical footage of the town.

Comments(3)

Malthus says...
3:45pm Tue 9 Oct 12

Has anyone ever considered that by involving themselves in the running of Darwen Library by becoming "friends" they are effectively contributing to it's demise. Do the "friends" not realise that every single task which they are undertaking was once provided by a paid employee and so the willingness of volunteers to become involved in the running of the library will eventually result in it becoming wholly staffed by unpaid workers. Some people may think that this is not an issue and a good thing. However, what happens when the volunteers gain employment, become deceased or just plain bored; who will run the library then? It is at this point that the town will lose a valuable resource and asset. I am sure when Andrew Carnegie donated the original £8000 in the first decade of the 20th Centuary he never expected the library's on-going future would be determined by bean counters.

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darwenTower says...
5:03pm Tue 9 Oct 12

Malthus, how do you think adding a staffing bill would help?

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Malthus says...
5:52pm Tue 9 Oct 12

It is not a question about adding a staffing bill it is about understanding how the concept of the "Big Society" is undermining essential public services. Do you really think the people who control the finances really give a fig about those who use the library's facilities on a daily basis. They will have the financial wherewithal to purchase whatever books they choose, they will have an internet connection and will also be able to keep abreast of current events by purchasing a newspaper that reflects and reinforces their own political and ethical beliefs. However, you have to accept that when services, such as libraries are lost they are gone forever. .If Darwen Library closes, that will be it. All of the contents of the library will be dispersed throughout the borough and the library will cease to be. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against volunteers per se. I am, however, against volunteers being used to shore up the public sector at the expense of not only existing jobs but ultimately at the cost of the of the sector they are trying to support. A library is more than just a receptacle for books. A library provides a source of knowledge, education and reference. It is a place where those who are lonely and marginalised can interact with other people and is also an initial point where people can seek access to services and facilities which will allow them to enhance the quality of their' life. The problem is though, if places such as libraries become totally reliant upon a volunteer work force, then there is every chance that the service will collapse because by it's very nature you can not enforce a voluntary commitment.

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