The future of Headington Library is not yet secure

Save Headington Library Group

The County has bowed to popular pressure and has reconsidered its library proposals

Instead of cutting half of all the county’s libraries, it has now proposed to keep all of them open and will introduce a self-service system throughout.

It has completed some research into how many people live, shop, work or study within a one mile radius of each library, and has ranked the results in 5 league tables: Headington is in Group 2 and Old Marston is in Group 5

County is now proposing to keep Headington Library open for the existing number of hours and it would continue to be run by county library staff

It proposes that Old Marston Library becomes a community plus library, phased in over a three year period, which means it would be run with two thirds volunteers and one third paid staff

The Save Headington Library Group welcomes the change in the County's proposals as this would mean that existing services at Headington may be saved if the results of the consultation are favourable. But other rural and small libraries will see cuts in services as they will have much less county staff support and you may wish to highlight this in your comments

In filling in the questionnaire, we suggest everyone takes care with the questions about volunteering. It is possible that the county officers may use the number of people willing to volunteer as evidence that less county library staff are needed across all the libraries in the county when they summarise the results of the consultation. You may decide to leave this section blank

If you would like to comment on these proposals and would like a hard copy questionnaire to send back to the County, then please contact the Save Headington Library group or pick up a copy from Bury Knowle Library. To fill in the questionnaire online, please go to http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wps/portal/publicsite/councilservices/libraryserviceconsultation

We are members of the bigger Save Oxfordshire Libraries group. Their committee is asking the County Officers for more information about the proposals, particularly about the way in which they will be funded, what volunteers will be expected to do and training and health and safety issues around volunteering, and whether the county is still considering outsourcing the library service to an American company

Save Oxfordshire Libraries group is hoping to put forward some alternative options for the County Council to consider which would mean running all the libraries with county staff, not with volunteers. They will hold a meeting with all members to discuss this in early September

Please do send in your comments on this consultation by 30 September 2011 to make sure Headington Library services continue to be provided by paid library staff

Chinnor Library Group

Report from Richard Sherwood on his meeting with representatives of Oxfordshire County Council at County

Hall, Oxford on 23 August 2011.

The meeting started at 10.00 and finished at 12.00

The meeting consisted of OCC answering questions which had been submitted earlier with discussion

following up on answers given.

The Council was represented by

1 Karen Warren, Acting County Librarian (Social & Community Services)

2 Simon Kearey, Head of Strategy & Transformation (Social & Community Services)

3 Desmond Fitzgerald, Policy & Review Officer (Chief Executive's Office)

4 Richard Oliver

5 Howard Cox (Environment & Economy - Planning Implementation)

6 Darrell Marchand (who dealt with questions about electricity)

7 Carole Stow, Consultation & Involvement Manager, Chief Executive's Office

It was not clear why Mr Fitzgerald was present as he said nothing and was not referred to by anyone else.

He left at an early stage.

Mr Kearey lives in the Chinnor area and uses the library.

Some of you will remember Ms Warren speaking at the meeting at Watlington Church. She is very wellinformed

and had obviously done her homework.

Mr Cox and Mr Oliver left the meeting after we had dealt with section 106 aspects.

Questions are in bold. Each is immediately followed by the OCC answer. Where a passage is in quotes it

indicates a reasonably fair and accurate report of what was said. My comments are italicised. The accuracy

of this report would undoubtedly be better in places if I had been accompanied by a shorthand writer. “FoI”

refers to a Freedom of Information request submitted in June 2011 to OCC by Richard Sherwood and Becky

Crockett

1

Electricity

1.1 Is electricity supplied by a single supplier for all libraries?

Yes. It is bought through specialist brokers who act for more than one local authority. It is considered that

buying in bulk enables price reductions to be negotiated. The present arrangement was for four years and

lasts until 2012. In effect the price is reviewed annually. The price achieved on each review depends on

electricity prices generally.

Rates prevailing at the moment are certainly lower than I pay for electricity at

home.

Meter readings are taken by staff monthly.

It is not clear how well this works because OCC acknowledged

that some of the big variations between the spreadsheets for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are due to estimated

readings.

When was the price last negotiated?

See above

Given the recent large increases in energy prices will the Council consider investigating an

alternative supplier?

This will happen in 2012

1.2

What is meant by an “energy survey”, the expression used in reply to FoI question 1.5?

The question was: ”Has any investigation been made of installing a more efficient system? (See for example

the costs of gas at Goring.) If so what was the outcome? What would have been the estimated installation

and commissioning cost?”

Karen Warren read rather rapidly from a manual the gist of which is that it is an assessment of each property

against benchmarks. The benchmarks seem to be those obtained from within OCC and from other local

authorities. Apparently it does not involve actually looking at each property. Ms Warren gave an example of

what they look at: energy efficient lighting is up to 70% cheaper than the old-fashioned type and they

consider whether the installation expense would be justified to achieve a saving. “There is no capital

available for energy investment.”

No reason was given for having done no survey since 2001 except that

they do not do it very often!

1.3 When were costs of supply to Chinnor library last considered? Was any change of supplier

made following that?

See 1.1 above

1.4 Given that Section 106 funds are, and further such funds will become available, will the

Council address the question of installing a modern gas-fired space-heating system at Chinnor?

Section 106 monies will be used to install self-service across the County. Ms Warren said that each unit

costs £6787 and they consider that Chinnor needs two. However such an installation usually requires some

“remodelling” of the library layout. In answer to my question about the cost of this Ms Warren said that the

total self-service installation including remodelling is expected to be £40,000. This is about improving service

not cutting staff.

This means the remodelling would cost over £26,000. No details were offered showing how

this figure had been calculated. The nearest I got to an explanation is that they usually find that other things

can be done at the same time and might, for example, install movable shelving to enable the room to be

used for other purposes as they are anxious for libraries to be made available for other uses.

1.5

Will it also consider using such funds for improved insulation at Chinnor?

See 1.4 above

1.6

Why is Chinnor Library made to bear the whole cost of electricity to a building which it does

not exclusively occupy?

The explanation is that other users are “re-charged” when the amount is significant. These re-charges do

not appear separately in the spreadsheets.

I can understand that the administrative cost of re-charging for

small amounts is not justified, but I do not understand how the more significant amounts are covered.

In some cases sub-meters are installed to measure use by other occupiers.

1.7

Are there other libraries where the same “arrangement” applies?

Yes. Not all libraries are the same because some are in premises owned by the Council (as is Chinnor);

some are in rented accommodation with private landlords; and some, e.g. Neithrop which is part of Cherwell

District Council's Leisure Centre, with other local authority landlords.

One point which emerged here is that

OCC does have to pay the equivalent of business property rate on its premises. It is not entirely clear how

this is reflected in the spreadsheets and presumably it is re-charged in some way.

1.8

Were energy efficiency improvements considered when funds were more readily available?

This only happens when other works are being done. This is what happened when “one of the primary

schools in Chinnor” had work done recently and the opportunity was taken to connect gas and install more

economical heating.

2 Contract Cleaning

2.1

Has the Council ever considered putting the cleaning contract out to tender? If so what was

the result?

Apparently not in the sense that most of us understand

. QCS have to propose charges but no mention was

made of it being put in a competitive situation. The situation may be reviewed in 2012

2.2 Does QCS employ its own labour force or does it act as an agent in letting out cleaning

contracts?

QCS is a very odd animal. Those at the meeting were not even sure what the letters “QCS” stand for,

although Simon Kearey thought it might mean Quality Contract Services. OCC call it a “traded service”.

This seems to mean that departments of OCC do not get their cleaning done “free” but are charged in some

way through the accounts, as we see from the spreadsheets. The staff are paid by OCC. Whether this is

cost efficient is not clear. No claim was made by OCC in this respect.

3

Westgate Site

The presence of this column in the spreadsheet for 2009-10 was described by OCC as “an accounting

arrangement favoured by a particular management accountant”.

(see 3.7 below)

3.1 What use is made, and by whom, of the ground floor?

This floor consists mainly of foyer, lifts, staircase, security office, with no separate offices as such.

3.2 Are there any floors above the second floor? If so, what use is made of it, and by whom?

No

3.3 Is there any space on either the first and second floors which is not used by the library?

“The roof space contains airconditioning machinery etc.”

3.4 What contribution is made by the Learning Centre to building costs?

“Oxford Spires are re-charged”

3.5 What contribution was made by Oxfordshire Studies?

“This is managed by County Property Services”

3.6

Who uses the office space?

“Community Services”

3.7

Why were separate costs shown for this site if is really the Central Library?

“This was an accounting arrangement favoured by a particular management accountant”

4 Mobile Libraries

Why do the costs for these not appear in the spreadsheet? (Their absence gives an extremely

skewed and very misleading impression of library operating costs)

“Because the OCC proposal is about the branch network. We are trying to make it cost effective.” Ms

Warren then said that with the original proposal (closing 23 libraries) the mobiles would have been expected

to do much more.

This does not address the point that the proposals affect the entire service and one cannot ignore the mobile

costs.

5 Staffing Costs

5.1 “The Consultation documents do not quantify the savings which the Council expect to make by

reducing staff time by one third or two thirds depending on branch.

What savings does the Council expect to make in each affected branch?”

“These are indicative savings”.

This seems to mean that the Library Service was asked by County to

calculate one third (or two-thirds as the case may be) of the staff costs of the community libraries, just to

provide a budget figure showing what the service would lose.

“The actual anticipated savings have not yet

been costed.”

5.2

There are similarities between the visitor figures for Chinnor and Neithrop branches. Why are

staffing costs at Neithrop (£28,785) so much lower than Chinnor (£42,355)?

Ms Warren disagreed that Chinnor and Neithrop are comparable because the number of issues differs

(Chinnor about 45,000 and Neithrop about 30,000).

She said that they are “holding vacancies” at places like Neithrop.

This seems to mean that they are

not filling vacancies pending the consultation and are covering by moving staff around.

Some of the staff are

temps.

“This is to do with re-charges”.

Soon after the meeting Ms Stow sent me details of the floor areas of Chinnor and Neithrop:

Chinnor - 150 sq metres

Neithrop – 74 sq metres

This clearly demonstrates that these libraries are dissimilar in size as well as in respect of issues.

6

Premises Costs

Comparing Chinnor and Neithrop, Chinnor has costs of over £4,000 but Neithrop has none at all.

What is the explanation?

“Neithrop is rented from Cherwell District Council. The building includes the Leisure Centre. The business

property rate is included in the re-charge”.

The amount of the re-charge was not supplied.

2.3 Use of non-library areas of Chinnor building

Given that the library service is struggling to reduce its operating costs will consideration be given to

charging other users (whether other parts of the Council or otherwise) for their use of the building?

OCC made reference to the possibility of Chinnor Parish Council taking over the space not used by the

library.

7

In the Consultation Introduction, paragraph 1 states that the “only route available to us was to

withdraw funding from a significant number of our libraries”. What other routes were investigated?

What was the outcome of any consideration of these?

“Hours cuts would have left some libraries unviable, particularly as, pre-Christmas, we were looking at a

50% reduction to achieve the savings then required”.

8

The Consultation Introduction says that the Council wants to “encourage use of library

buildings as community space” but does not say on what financial terms. What terms does it

have in mind? If no terms are in mind why has this not been considered, particularly as the

Council is anxious to reduce the net cost of running the service?

“It is not always practical to re-charge.

“Previously we could not use unoccupied areas as community space because our insurance did not cover it.

Cover is now being changed so that we can.”

9

The Consultation says “Property costs are relatively low”. Has the Council enquired why this

is? Is it because they have not been maintained properly, a reflection of bad management?

“This is compared with the country as a whole.

“There is a mix of properties. Some are small. Property management has been outsourced”

A lot of the properties are OCC-owned which means that no rent has to be paid.

(No mention here of recharging.)

9.2

“Why are employee costs “relatively high” (as stated in the Consultation)? Relative to what?

How do top level employee costs compare with the comparators(s)? What does the Council

intend to do about this?”

“Oxon is an expensive to place to live. Unlike some authorities with a small number of large libraries, we

have 43 and it is more difficult to achieve staff savings.”

“ We are revising our management support structure and hope to achieve a saving of 16%”

This is the first

indication I have seen of any attempt by OCC to reduce operating costs otherwise than by reducing paid

branch staff.

9.3 “It is not clear whether the Council considers that the library service currently meets

needs. What is its view?”

Ms Warren said “OCC constantly pushes its services re meeting needs”.

This does not actually answer the

question.

10.1

“Is it necessary for the service to include films now that they are so readily available for hire

from other sources? See Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.”

“It was an income generator and has protected the library service. It still generates income. It attracts

people into the building. We cover a market that no-one else serves.”

No figures were produced to support this statement. David Cannon has previously said that the information

in the spreadsheets is insufficient to judge whether this yields a net income after all expenses have been

paid (for example no purchase costs are shown, only hire charges and sales.

10.2 “Why is no information given about the working of that part of the library service which

the public never sees? (A proper consultation would contain enough information for the

public to make informed comment).”

“The Holton site is not included in the statistics. The consultation is about the branches. The item M32000 in

the spreadsheets covers area managers.”

It was assumed that I knew what the Holton site does. I don't. Is it the main book store?

10.3 “Why is no information given about what section 106 funds the Council holds for each

district having a library and might reasonably expect to hold?”

A list of these agreements covering the whole county was handed to me. There was insufficient time to

consider it at the meeting.

Since the meeting I have considered the list and have the following comments:

The agreements vary in date from 2001 onwards. Some, like the St Andrews School Chinnor agreement, will

never yield any money because the permitted developments will never be carried out. Some are related to

multiple planning permissions on the same site.

The list discloses something which has not previously been disclosed about Chinnor library contributions: the

agreement for Land rear of nos 7,9 & 11 Oakley Road "allows for the money to be used for non-library

infrastructure". It does not specify what these infrastructures might be. The amount involved is £1,808.83. It

has already been received but is yet to be spent. I intend to ask OCC if they have any plans to use this other

than for the library. Quite a lot of agreements in the County have this provision and some actually say what

the alternative possible expenditures are e.g. a site in Peppard Common which allows expenditure on "local

education/library/waste management/museum resource centre and social & health care required or any

alternative which achieves a similar benefit".

The total potential amounts receivable by OCC are enormous, but the list includes cases where planning

permission has been refused (and therefore no money will ever be paid) so at first sight it can be a bit

misleading. In the SODC area £205,751 has been received of which £173,167 has been spent. The list does

not say what it has been spent on.

10.4 “Does the council have any specific proposals for how such funds will be used in

Chinnor?”

See elsewhere in this document.

10.5 “What methods do the Council use to compare performance variations between

branches?”

“A comparison is made between branches on a monthly and quarterly basis.”

Different officers are involved with each of these reviews.

10.5

“What lessons does the Council consider can be learned from such comparisons?”

“Lessons learned in one branch are applied to others.”

11

Revised structure chart: I note that there is a Building Superintendant for Central Library but

the chart does not expressly indicate where responsibility lies for other building e.g. Chinnor, and for

services such as energy. Where do they lie?

“Central Library is a very big building and due to the complex nature of the site a superintendant is

necessary. Responsibility for these aspects in relation to other libraries rests with the appropriate

departments of OCC e.g. Property Services.”

Richard/documents/library/Meeting OCC 23.8.11 Notes for SOL

Letter Writing Templates

Letter  Writing Campaign

We are currently running a letter writing campaign. We hope you will consider writing Cllr Mitchell  a  ‘proper letter’ to complain about the proposed library cuts. Emails are quick and simple to reply to, letters are not. All letters will need a response. We have prepared some letter templates which you might like to use. Letter collection boxes will be found in the foyer of the Library and the Reception at Windmill School if you wish to save the postage. The letter boxes will be collected on Sat 12th Feb. for a mass presentation at a Council Meeting. Please share this with your friends. Thanks for your support Lynda 

Here below a variety of letter templates on which to base a letter to Chris Mitchell County Council Leader of Oxfordshire. They include those writing from the perspective of a young family member, elderly, disabled etc.

Collection boxes in St Andrews and Windmill School foyers until Fr. 11th Feb

Headington Library until Sat. 12th Feb.

Cllr. Keith Mitchell

County Hall

New Road

Oxford

OX1 1ND

February 2011

Dear Cllr. Mitchell,

Re: Proposal to cease funding Headington Library

Your changes to the library services in Oxfordshire mean that as a Headington resident I will be expected to travel to Oxford to use the Central Library. I have mobility problems and journeys into Oxford are something I rarely do. Headington is a wonderful place to live because the bank, post office, supermarket and library are all within such close proximity of each other.

I am sure it was not your intention to cause older people and the disabled distress but that is what your decision has done. I will no longer be able to access books independently and I will no longer be able to benefit from the company and contact the library provides. I know this will cause stress to me and to others. Can you explain how you are going to address my concerns and what your reasons were for targeting Headington?  

Yours sincerely,

Cllr. Keith Mitchell

County Hall

New Road

Oxford

OX1 1ND

February 2011

Dear Cllr. Mitchell,

Re: Proposal to cease funding Headington Library

As a  holder of an over 60s FREE bus pass I am concerned about the number of over 60s who are now going to be making additional journeys into Oxford to  use the Westgate Library.  This measure seems to be saving money which will then be handed over to the local bus companies. Has any assessment been done into the number of library users who are over 60. 

Yours sincerely,

Cllr.  Keith Mitchell

County Hall

New Road

Oxford

OX1 1ND

February 2011

Dear Cllr. Mitchell,

Re: Proposal to cease funding Headington Library

Can I please urge you to reconsider withdrawing funding to Headington Library. The cost of public transport  to Oxford will be too expensive for my family to use the Westgate library on a regular basis. Travelling into Oxford with a pushchair is time consuming and  difficult, often we cannot get on the bus when it stops in Headington because there is already a pushchair on board. Will you be instructing the bus companies to carry more pushchairs per journey? We currently use the library after we have finished playing in the park, it provides us with a pleasurable FREE family outing. 

Yours sincerely

Cllr. Keith Mitchell

County Hall

New Road

Oxford

OX1 1ND

February 2011

Dear Cllr. Mitchell,

Re: Proposal to cease funding Headington Library

I regularly use the library with my toddler when we have been to the park. We Like to sit and look at lots of books and choose the ones we will take home. When the library closes  can you please explain what provision you intend to make to  ensure that pre-school children will be able to get access to books?

Yours sincerely

Cllr.  Keith Mitchell

County Hall

New Road

Oxford

OX1 1ND

February 2011

Dear Cllr. Mitchell,

Re: Proposal to cease funding Headington Library

I am writing to express my concerns about the proposed closure of Headington Library.

In the press it has been stated that you have made assessments of local needs.  I cannot believe that any sections of the Headington community could possibly have thought that travelling to Oxford on public transport or by car was a viable or affordable alternative to using our local library.

Can you please provide me with information concerning the individuals and groups who took part in these consultations.

Yours sincerely,

Cllr. Keith Mitchell

County Hall

New Road

Oxford

OX1 1ND

February 2011

Dear Cllr. Mitchell,

Re: Proposal to cease funding Headington Library

It is my opinion that the proposed changes and restructuring of the Oxfordshire Libraries has been done without due concern for local communities. Especially a large community like Headington with it’s well used library.

·         Social impact on communities loosing there libraries does not justify the financial saving

·         No consideration has been given to the needs of sections of the community living in deprived areas and the housing expansion in  areas like Barton

·         No travel impact assessment  have been carried out about how older people, disabled, children, young families and the unemployed are going to use and afford transport links to the Westgate

·         The Council have displayed a lack of logic around why some libraries have been recommended for closure and not others.

·         Closure of Headington library would mean not only a loss of books but the removal of the only FREE access to computers and the internet locally

 I would appreciate your comments on these matters.

Cllr. Keith Mitchell

County Hall

New Road

Oxford

OX1 1ND

February 2011

Dear Cllr. Mitchell,

Re: Proposal to cease funding Headington Library

Your changes to the library services in Oxfordshire mean that as a Headington resident I will be expected to travel to Oxford to use the Central Library. I have mobility problems and journeys into Oxford are something I rarely do. Headington is a wonderful place to live because the bank, post office, supermarket and library are all within such close proximity of each other.

I am sure it was not your intention to cause older people and the disabled distress but that is what your decision has done. I will no longer be able to access books independently and I will no longer be able to benefit from the company and contact the library provides. I know this will cause stress to me and to others. Can you explain how you are going to address my concerns and what your reasons were for targeting Headington?  

Yours sincerely,

Cllr. Keith Mitchell

County Hall

New Road

Oxford

OX1 1ND

February 2011

Dear Cllr. Mitchell,

Re: Proposal to cease funding Headington Library

Oxford and Oxfordshire have a diverse population. For many there is an excellent quality of life with access to good housing, schooling, leisure and employment opportunities. For others there is unemployment, low skills level, poor housing, anti-social behaviour. The restructuring will mean it is harder for people to escape their social class and have aspirations for the kind of advancement that reading can provide for them.

Closure of libraries would mean not only a loss of books but the removal of FREE access to computers, internet and information necessary for up skilling people so they can enter the work place, in homes where there are limited resources.

The elderly, disabled and unemployed will have their convenient access to FREE books removed, little consideration being given to the most vulnerable in our communities

Children (of a certain age) can have independent use of local libraries which they will not have when local libraries close

Additional travelling costs and time will affect library use when local libraries close

Adequate library provision at a local level is key to improving educational opportunities and raising standards. The plans show little regard for the needs of children who are already suffering because of the educational cuts, which are having an impact on resources in schools,  in our area with its poor educational attainment

Libraries play an important role in supporting learning and reducing barriers to learning particularly for those pupils who come from disadvantaged backgrounds

Can you please address these points and explain why you have chosen to make the most vulnerable in our community the biggest losers?

Yours sincerely,

Cllr. Keith Mitchell

County Hall

New Road

Oxford

OX1 1ND

February 2011

Dear Cllr. Mitchell,

Re: Proposal to cease funding Headington Library

It is my opinion that the proposed changes and restructuring of the Oxfordshire Libraries has been done without due concern for local communities. Especially a large community like Headington with it’s well used library.

·         Social impact on communities loosing there libraries does not justify the financial saving

·         No consideration has been given to the needs of sections of the community living in deprived areas and the housing expansion in  areas like Barton

·         No travel impact assessment  have been carried out about how older people, disabled, children, young families and the unemployed are going to use and afford transport links to the Westgate

·         The Council have displayed a lack of logic around why some libraries have been recommended for closure and not others.

·         Closure of Headington library would mean not only a loss of books but the removal of the only FREE access to computers and the internet locally

 I would appreciate your comments on these matters.

Save Headington Library Group Public Meeting -Date For Your Diary

A public meeting is to be held at:
St.Andrews School, London Road, Headington

Time: 8pm
Date: Tuesday 11 January 2011

To discusss the future of Headington Library, Bury Knowle Park, Headington.

Local politicans including city and county councillors will be invited, together with representatives of local interested groups.

For further information contact Editor At

www.oxfordprospect.co.uk

member of the Save Headington Library Group

Ways of Funding the Library

We must be prepared to consider altenative ways of funding the library that do not depend on a miracle.

One possiblity is advertising.
At the moment libraries do not permit private advertisements on their premises. Yet they already permit leaflets for theatre, music and opera, all of which run on a commercial basis, so what is the ideological objection?

What about letting local people who run ballet classes, drama classes, music classes, language classes, riding schools etc put up adverts for a charge of perhaps £50 per year, which would provide some income? Of course all advertising would have to be vetted to make sure it was acceptable to the majority of library users. But I don't see why things like restaurants should not advertise. The advertisers would have the satisfaction of knowing that their money was going to help keep the library open.

At the J.R. they have a notice-board where you can advertise rooms to rent etc for 50p per week. The board is glazed over and if you pay you know the card will remain there for seven days. I don't know how much money the hospital gains from that, but it's worth asking.

Secondly, there are already public libraries in the UK which get Lottery Funding. My friend STephanie Jenkins tells me that to qualify for this, libraries have to show that they are making an effort to really extend their usefulness right into the whole community. Details here:
http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_community_libraries
Of course in the present blood-bath of cuts, a lot of applications will be going in. I suggest that we form a committee to prepare a proper application and make a list of people who are willing to volunteer to commit to doing something towards making the bid plausible.

Has anyone in this campaign got any experience making applications for Lottery funding? Come forward, please!

It is very heartening to see that 211 people have already signed the online petition to save Headington Library and I am confident that the one thing we won't lack is public support.
Julia Gasper.

David Norbrook, English Faculty, Oxford University

"If a person could not walk from Headington or Cowley to the Central Library to get a book, he did not deserve one" (reported remark of committee member, early 1930s, on the proposal to open branch libraries in Oxford, quoted at http://www.headington.org.uk/library/index.htm).

At least we can now get a bus. But what's happening at so many levels feels like a wilful return to the values of the 1930s, including major cuts in universities as well as libraries. As current policies aim to turn higher education more and more into narrowly vocational courses, it's especially important to encourage the grass roots of the best education in the kind of serendipitous browsing and independent reading that libraries make possible. And we are so fortunate to have a library in a settting that makes visiting it such a natural part of family activities.

David Norbrook, English Faculty, Oxford University
http://www.english.ox.ac.uk/about-faculty/faculty-members/early-modern/norbrook-professor-david

Bury Knowle Library is 8th most well used library in the County and the 3rd most well used in the city.

Dear All,
I will work in whatever way to support Bury Knowle library from protest to constructive consideration of ideas to keep this important local facility open including partnership and community-led options. I am also acutely aware that library staff jobs are under threat and that community-led proposals will face a moral dilemma where volunteers could be doing work that were previously held by County employees. Nor does the 'Big Society' idea seem to take account of the skills and capabilities entailed in librarianship and in other public sector jobs currently at risk.

BKL is 8th most well used library in the County and the 3rd most well used in the city.

It is not clear how the Tory administration in County Hall has come to the proposals they released a couple of weeks ago which suggests about half the library service will be cut. I am working with a Headington resident who has prepared a cost benefoit analysis of the proposed closure which suggests that the long-term loss could be many times higher when costed out than to current cost of running the library. It is that aspirational / visionary benefit which should be borne in mind when such decisions are taken rather than the bean-counting approach which now threatens the service.

I could say more about the ideological basis of the huge cuts being inflicted on local government by the Con-Dem coalition at this time but readers can work that out for themselves and draw their own conclusions.

And, of course, I am equally concerned about proposed closure of Old Marston library.

Roy Darke
County Councillor for Headington / Marston division
http://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=157

"Bury Knowle library is one of the most beautiful public libraries in England!

"Bury Knowle library is one of the most beautiful public libraries in England, thanks to its sylvan setting in an exceptionally handsome building. It must have helped thousands of children to learn to love books.

It is one of those institutions that makes Oxford different from anywhere else, a tranquil corner reserved for thought and imagination in a world largely given over to crassness and noise. I understand that there is less money about than there was, but I cannot believe that the local authority is unable to think of anything else to cut, given its top-heavy, amply-rewarded bureaucracy. It is a sign of irresponsibility and short-sightedness among officers and councillors that they should even have considered closing such an irreplaceable asset. "

Peter Hitchens, author and journalist.
http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/

What you can do to save Headington Library

You can write, phone, email and lobby the following people:

PM David Cameron, MP for Witney
http://www.number10.gov.uk/footer/contact-us

Ed Vaizey, MP for Wantage and Minister in charge of libraries
http://www.vaizey.com/text.aspx?id=36

Andrew Smith, MP for Oxford East
http://www.andrewsmithmp.org.uk/contact-andrew

Sign our e-petition
http://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=10&TPID=138315

Add your comments of support to this website.

Join http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Headington-Library/185947578089135?v=wall
For further information contact Nicholas Newman Editor at http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/

You can also email Caroline Taylor the County Librarian
at futurelibraries@oxfordshire.gov.uk or you write to Oxfordshire Libraries, Community Services, Holton, Oxford OX33 1QQ.