Charlbury Library closure

Sat 28 May 2011, 11:33

Christine, I agree with you. Hidden away in the documents about the consultation on the OCC website is the information that Charlbury would have one third library staff time but it isn't clear what the starting point is. Does it mean we would have Penny for a third of the current hours or does this include management time for training volunteers etc.There will be a document available at the Library for people to complete so I hope everyone will make their views known. I also could not see that they had taken into account that all libraries do not have similar facilities. The Friends of the Library were told in 1999 that Charlbury Library had long been seen as inadequate for the size of population and has the smallest floor space in West Oxon and I suspect in the whole county. The fight continues!

Fri 27 May 2011, 20:45

Interested, but also sad, to see that OCC is reported by BBC Oxford to be saving a number of Oxford city libraries, but absolutely none round here. Is there any reason for this that people know of? Has the City Council decided to give a subsidy that WODC has refused?

I also find it rather amazing that it's reported that Charlbury will be converted to a volunteer-run service (with professional back-up) within 3 years, when I thought the various meetings in Charlbury had said that we did not want this. In some ways it's better than absolute closure, I suppose, but only if volunteers are willing to take over a professional job that deserves proper recognition & to be paid. Although I volunteer for various things, I personally would feel very uncomfortable about volunteering for this.

Since Burford, Stonesfield, Wychwood & North Leigh will be run on a similar basis, & even Woodstock will be run only with volunteer help, it's certainly NOT good news! I wait to find out what's happening to the all-important mobile library service?

Sun 20 Feb 2011, 18:52

Burning an effigy of Keith Mitchell might be more effective (and more satisfying).

Sun 20 Feb 2011, 17:09

Though I agree that book-burning sends out the wrong message, there could be something in a dramatic reconstruction on the 25th of March: a wide range of people coming into a volunteer-led library to show its shortcomings over a professionally staffed one, or perhaps even a cheque-burning to show the town's amnesty on the library's annual rent, should we be able to swing that one. I'm sure others have better ideas than I.

Tue 15 Feb 2011, 00:25

I agree with Derek---burning books is a very bad idea. Apart from obvious connections with the 30s it sends out completely the wrong message about the value of wisdom, beauty and all the other things that books can give us, and why we cherish libraries. I hate to think what Keith Mitchell would do with it.

Mon 14 Feb 2011, 23:12

I don't know about that Susie 'cos burning books in Cameron's front room in his Dean mansion might at least make him sit up and notice...

Mon 14 Feb 2011, 16:40

Mark, if you have books that you dont want, why not give them to Street Fair so that we can at least make some money from them! I dont think burning books is a very good way of demonstrating against the proposed closure of the library.

Mon 14 Feb 2011, 11:12

Mark: if you have books you don't want, please give them to Oxfam or some other charity shop so that they can resell them. Quite apart from anything else, burning books would be very damging to the environment! By the way, can you think of any other groups from history that indulged in public book-burning? Perhaps in Berlin in the 1930s? Get a grip man!

Sun 13 Feb 2011, 17:43

How about a public book burning? Sounds over dramatic I know but it would guarantee press coverage (possibly National)- especially in Cameron's own constituency. The justification would be that it would be an illustration of the philistinism of the current proposals and a symbol of the fact that easy access to free books won't be possible in Charlbury any more. I hate the idea of burning books as much as the next person but must admit I have quite a few that wouldn't be missed. I daresay most people could contribute some.

Sun 6 Feb 2011, 10:48

Thanks to all who attended yesterday's Read In at the Library. There were over 200 residents for a Library that is overcrowded with 20! Thanks also to the writers and supporters who read poems and prose and particularly to Patricia Huth Ellis for her especially written poem about the Library. The paper petition has more signatures. You can sign this as well as the e-petition. If anyone would like to take it around their street, please get in touch with me on 810573 or collect a copy from the Library.
Malcolm, all inter-library loans are only counted at the library where they are collected. However, if you borrow a book in person at another library and renew or return to Charlbury, it does not count in our figures.
The public meeting about the Library will be on Friday 25 March.

Sat 5 Feb 2011, 00:43

Gosh, if interlibrary requests aren't counted for Charlbury, that's a huge shame -- probably half of our forty books a week are from other Oxfordshire libraries!

Fri 4 Feb 2011, 16:25

We are not only in the Guardian map but also in today's Oxford Mail with a photo of the petition in the Post Office. There's a large feature on library closures.
Malcolm, interesting question to which I'll try to get an answer. There are all kind of related queries. Why are Book Club issues not counted? Penny has to receive them and take them back but they don't count. It may be that if you order a book from another library that it counts at both libraries. I'll also try to find out the numbers of inter-library issues for different libraries.

Fri 4 Feb 2011, 12:18

The Charlbury Library Read In has made it onto the Guardian map of nationwide protests against library closures that will be occurring on 5 February. Don't forget to turn up! See www.guardian.co.uk/books/interactive/2011/feb/01/library-protests-map

Sun 30 Jan 2011, 00:52

Are interlibrary transfers registered on the database as being issued from a specific library e.g Charlbury, or are the registered as central loans from the OCC library centre? We borrow 5-10 books weekly regularly for the kids all done by order in - are these counted as Charlbury loans? I see heaps of books Penny has to sort through to pull out our clutch piled up behind her desk and computer terminal on floor and old fireplace mantel. If they are not being registered as Charlbury issues then then any figures are a statistical nonsense. Could someone ask Penny how the issuing database works in terms of location of issue for centrally ordered books?

Sat 29 Jan 2011, 14:59

Thank you for your support Mike. There have been efforts to enlarge Charlbury Library since at least 1973! It is half the size it should be. Residents of Charlbury share 1 sq m with 88 others but those in Woodstock with 22. When the Library was saved in 1998 the Friends of the Library began to campaign for an improved facility and we were assured that a new multi-use library would be part of the new Community Centre which is also now at risk. Many order books from other libraries which means Charlburians pay council tax, pay extra for books and now are punished for not using a poor provision as OCC has made their decision based on visits and issues but ignoring other factors such as population size. When libraries are improved, issues go up, surprise, surprise.

Sat 29 Jan 2011, 13:58

Several people have recently expressed to me their dissatisfaction with our library. While it obviously has its limitations I think it is a wonderful asset for the community and if its limited range of books is insufficient the ordering-in service is an excellent and affordable facility.

I find it depressing that the strongest complaints have come from people who are likely to have the greatest independent means. It?s sad that such people seem to lack the imagination to put themselves in the place of the less fortunate.

Such views do them, the community and obviously the library itself a disservice. They ought to know better. At a time when our library is under such a clear threat I would hope that everybody can rally round and support this great asset. Like ancient forests, once lost they are not easy to re-establish.

Let?s fill the library to overflowing at the read-in at the Corner House at 12.00 noon to 1.00 pm on Saturday 5th February.

Fri 21 Jan 2011, 16:56

Christine, thanks for the offer of support at Wednesday's (26th) Town Council meeting but it is in the Anne Downer room with limited space and I am hoping to attend as I made the request for a public meeting as well as possibly other other Friends of the Library. I hope there will be a massive turnout at the public meeting so that we can show OCC how angry Charlbury is at the proposal of closure, especially as they had promised a new library in the Community Centre. John, the petition will be with you in the next week.

Wed 19 Jan 2011, 11:46

Suggestion: put the link to the online petition (mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=19 or http://tinyurl.com/6x9da6k) in a "signature" added to all your emails. That will help get the message round.

Wed 19 Jan 2011, 11:16

Friends of Charlbury Library are organising a 'Read-in' at the Corner House on Saturday 5 February, 12 noon to 1pm, as part of a national day of action to show support for threatened libraries. Come if you possibly can and if the press aren't there, we will send out our own publicity pictures. There will be a local petition for signatures.
It is even more important for everyone who cares about saving Charlbury Library to send letters (not emails) to David Cameron with copies to Neil Owen,our County Councillor, Judith Heathcoat,County Councillor with cabinet responsibilities for libraries, and John Jackson, Director of Social and Community Services, all at County Hall

Tue 18 Jan 2011, 15:37

I received an extremely supportive phone call from Cllr Neil Owen this morning in response to the email that I sent last week. He seemed quite hopeful that he had been given facts that would enable him to make a strong case for retaining Charlbury Library. He also said that he had been overwhelmed with emails, and apologised for the delay in replying.

Neil Owen referred to a Town Council meeting next week & said he thought Charlbury Library would be on the agenda. Does anybody know if there's much point in encouraging public attendance at that meeting with respect to this issue?

Tue 18 Jan 2011, 12:44

Can I have a copy now for my customers to sign, please? Email it to me and I'll print some off.

Tue 18 Jan 2011, 11:38

The paper petition will be launched on 5 February at the Read In at the Library from midday to 1 pm. Come along to show your support for Charlbury Library by reading your favourite poem or prose passage. There will be posters around the town and notice in the Leaflet. In 1997/8 when the Library was last under threat the petition had 1300 signatures! Lets see if we can improve on that.

Tue 18 Jan 2011, 00:12

Why dont we all do what they did in another village in Oxfordshire and take all the books out (the shelves are now empty!) to prove we do use the library. I'm going to get out three on Saturday, and three the Saturday after that!

Mon 17 Jan 2011, 21:07

94 now - just added my name.

Mon 17 Jan 2011, 20:40

I wonder if anyone is as ambivalent about petitions as I am? It's easy for the powers-that-be to ignore them - but if petitions don't garner many signatures, they can be used as a way of saying 'You didn't get much support, did you!'

The county-wide petition eventually got over a thousand signatures before being timed out. Earlier this evening, the Charlbury petition had attracted 93 signatures. I think that's an impressive total, and the names encompass a wide range of opinions - people who may not see eye to eye on other issues (Cornbury?) are aligning themselves strongly behind this issue. But in a town of our size, 93 signatures could be seen as a bit paltry - i.e. people who advocate closing our library could say that if we only have 93 supporters, there are well over a thousand who don't really care.

That doesn't take account of the fact that a lot of library users probably don't have internet access - in many cases, that's why those people are in the library in the first place. So this is just an appeal to those people who could easily sign the petition, but haven't done so yet ... Go on - and thanks!

Mon 17 Jan 2011, 20:10

Duly petitioned.

Sun 16 Jan 2011, 14:58

They are proposing to close Stonesfield too. Add the populations of Stonesfield, Charlbury and Finstock together and you have almost double the combined population of the Wychwoods.

Sun 16 Jan 2011, 11:13

The Town Council will consider holding a public meeting on the closure of our library at its next meeting. Cllr Heathcoat shows little knowledge of West Oxon when she states that the decisions have been based on local centres but doesn't seem to know that Charlbury is the third largest town in the area or that Wychwood library is in Milton-u-w not Shipton and is at the far end of the village, some considerable distance from Shipton!

Fri 14 Jan 2011, 15:00

It appears we have all had the same repy from Cllr Owen and Heathcoat which takes us no further forward - I think we ought to tkae them up on the offer of a public meeting

Fri 14 Jan 2011, 11:00

I've now received answers to my questions (see earlier post) from Neil Owen and Judith Heathcoat who is the Councillor responsible for Libraries. I reproduce them below.
1. On what basis was Charlbury selected for withdrawal of funding whilst your own local library in Shipton U Wychwood was not?

(NG)I…

Long post - click to read full text

Thu 13 Jan 2011, 20:29

Too bad counting the visits doesn't reveal the number of books borrowed during those visits. With four children and twenty books allowed each, we regularly borrow 80 books at a time, and use our little red wagon to transport them! (And sometimes, even I borrow a book or two!)

Thu 13 Jan 2011, 17:52

Thanks for the info about the epetitions Nick, have signed both and thanks Dave for your kind words. Apologies for the delay in providing details re The Friends of the Library but a meeting we had arranged with library managers before Christmas had to be postponed due to snow in…

Long post - click to read full text

Thu 13 Jan 2011, 15:36

There is now a "Save CHARLBURY library" petition as well as the general one. mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=19
Please sign both.

Thu 13 Jan 2011, 10:35

I've now had a reassuringly worded email from Councillor Neil Owen, saying: 'Thank you for your email. I have, as is standard procedure, sent your email to the Cabinet Member for Libraries so it can form part of the consultation process. I am seeking the same answers as you and am therefore obtaining a copy of the criteria letters so that I may better question it in my support for the Charlbury Library. I anticipate a meeting very soon of all parties to formulate a plan to fight for the Library.' I, and I think others in this thread, was regarding Councillor Owen as someone who wasn't on our side, but I hope that what he's written means that he should be treated as an ally. If others write to him, that's worth capitalising on.

By the way - 947 signatures when I last looked at the petition a few minutes ago.

Your email and the very many I have received will give me ammunition for my opposition to the closure and I look forward to the consultation period.

Wed 12 Jan 2011, 22:31

There are now over 900 signatures on the petition, but that's from all across the county - and although I can see a lot of Charlbury names, I'm sure we ought to be able to get it over the 1000 mark by Thursday evening! Go on - follow the link that Richard has put on the News page, and add your name.

Wed 12 Jan 2011, 20:26

For identifying & then writing to -- or faxing (sometimes more effective)-- any relevant Councillor, MP, MEP or Lord, I recommend Writetothem.com. You fill in your postcode & lists the relevant persons & formats the letter. You can also spell check & preview, & the whole thing looks more official.

Wed 12 Jan 2011, 19:38

By the way, that's Neil Owen's 'official' email address. Until recently, and maybe still, his home email was c/o his wife: anita.owen@tiscali.co.uk So if you don't get a reply, try that one.

Wed 12 Jan 2011, 19:27

neil.owen@oxfordshire.gov.uk
keith.mitchell@oxfordshire.gov.uk
camerond@parliament.uk

For all county councillors see tinyurl.com/4qwdpl7

Wed 12 Jan 2011, 19:06

can someone post email addresses for Keith Mitchell and Neil Owen; also the local MP. Thanks in advance

Wed 12 Jan 2011, 10:07

I have sent Neil Owen a message asking him to explain, as our county councillor and as a resident of Milton, why Milton has been saved while Charlbury, with twice the population, is to be axed. I copied the Oxford Mail/ Witney Gazette and also Keith Mitchell. Others might like to do the same. If it is the case that the rent is £2,500 pa and the only other cost is Penny's salary, then we ought to be able to put together a financial case the shows that the cost of a mobile library would be greater (including the investment in the library itself) than keeping our library open. It's not clear from what they are saying whether the plan would be to provide that as a service, but worth making the case. I'd be happy to look into that and would welcome suppot from those with more informationon the costs.

Wed 12 Jan 2011, 09:09

Christine - Currently, those that see a mobile library only get it once a fortnight, not weekly.

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 22:03

Dave, you didn't point out that the general petition closes on Thursday - so can everyone sign it quickly? Also lots of people are asking lots of very good and important questions on this thread. I hope everyone's also putting these questions to the people responsible (e.g. Judith Heathcoat) and the person supposed to be representing us (Neil Owen). Thanks!

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 21:57

Christine -- the county pays £2500pa rent for the space, plus a contribution towards overheads. That's what I based my £2 per household on. But I agree: the savings are very small and possibly non-existent. It suggests all the more strongly that the motivation is every bit as political as financial.

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 21:54

755 have "signed" the "Save all Oxon Libraries" petition
While we wait for the Charlbury-specific petition to be "approved" please can everyone "sign" the general petition

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 20:16

Given that OCC can't sell off the building, the plan to close the library seems extremely puzzling. I had been wondering about the economics of this, & wonder if anyone has seen the calculations of the proposed savings. If so, it would be good to share them so that a better case for keeping the library open could be made.

Present costs would include wages of one part-time librarian & other associated staff (also part-time & not very highly paid, I would guess), together with insurance & electricity costs. But what else? I was told -- but don't know if it's true -- that the library space is currently leased on a peppercorn rent.

Paying for the diesel & driver & insurance on a mobile van (which OCC would presumably would supply us with at least once a week) decreases the amount of savings, as would also extra staff in the libraries & book storage facilies that are to be kept open. This is, of course, assuming that some extra staff would be needed to process books that are ordered online & picked up and returned to other branches. In addition, of course, there must be redundancy payments that would be due to existing staff. To me it seems all very odd.

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 19:03

David -- can't find a report of the Gifford Trust AGM on the trust's website. But good to know Amanda is speaking up.

Mark -- Penny probably isn't allowed to contribute here, but a chat with her might be enlightening. Unfortunately if OCC is looking to 'save' money by flogging off real estate, saving a few hours' wages here and there may not make much of an impression. The worst of it is that once premises are sold off, they will never be re-purchased. At least they can't sell the Charlbury library, but it's small consolation overall.

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 18:59

Amanda, did you get a reply from Judith Heathcoat, and will she come to a meeting? In the letter from the Chief Librarian on the OCC website, there is another address we can write to with our comments: futurelibraries@oxfordshire.gov.uk. Keith Mitchell states "We have a clear vision to have a quality, core network of libraries based on centres of population." I'd like to know what he means by a "centres of population". Apparently Milton under Wychwood is one, as they appear to be retaining their library, in spite of the fact that they have a population half the size of Charlbury's

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 16:56

I believe Amanda Epps is the Chair of the Friends of Charlbury Library and she spoke very eloquently at the Gifford Trust AGM

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 16:42

I do agree with Glena's suggestion of partial cuts across the board rather than the extremes of closure/non-closure. I think if we can suggest a positive alternative policy to OCC we might have a better chance of being heard. Does anyone know the current cost of running the Library and how much it gets from different sources? Also, how the expenditure breaks down. A few basic facts would help those of us who are uninformed but willing to sign up.

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 16:16

There used to be a 'Friends of Charlbury Library', indeed I was told it met recently, but there is no trace of it on this website, on the Town Council website, or in the latest Chronicle.

My guess is that the majority of people who will be most hurt by a closure will be elderly, not online, and outside the 'usual' communications channels.

But let us hope, along the lines I think you are suggesting, Nick, that Sir A, Lady B, Professors C, D and E, Lt General F, Drs G, H and I and the Duchess of X, together with an impressive cohort of lawyers and other professionals, who all fought Cornbury, will now fight for the library.

It is interesting that the OCC publicity on the proposed closures implies that part of the expected saving would come from selling off existing library premises. In Charlbury they cannot do that, as the premises they occupy are rented from the Corner House Committee.

In other words, as a fallback, if the Town Council put the rent on the rates (£2 per household per annum should pretty well cover it), and a subscription list was opened of people willing to contribute a significant annual sum towards the librarian's salary and book acquisition costs (min £500? £1000?), with the list of subscribers displayed in the library itself, we'd probably be there.

I'd happily supply books at the same substantial discount that the present library service gets, and the library would receive its books far quicker and more efficiently than it does at the moment.

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 15:26

Thanks Richard. I've signed the general petition and as other districts have done the same, submitted a particular "Save Charlbury Library" petition. I'll post the link when it's approved and I urge all those in the town to sign both petitions.

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 14:49

There's a petition here for all of Oxfordshire's libraries.

In a letter to the Oxford Mail, it was suggested that "The local communities will be given the option of buying the library premises". Do I presume that the Charlbury library premises are already owned by the local community, as part of the Corner House?

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 14:45

Charlbury Library is an extremely valuable asset to the community. I am reluctant to suggest anything other than keeping it open in its present form,however, it seems to me that OCC is being very lazy in its planning.
Why close all the libraries they mean to close completely and keep other libraries open completely ? It would surely be better to trim a few hours off all of them ? Then, at least, the jobs (albeit slightly depleted) and the libaries themselves would be saved in all the venues.

Tue 11 Jan 2011, 13:29

Now that the Cornbury application is decided, could Charlburians now direct their new found activism to the campaign to save the library? There's been nothing on this site for over a month now and time is running short. I for one would appreciate an update and whether anyone is picking up the issues from Mark Purcell's thoughtful contribution.
I'm conscious that we need a careful strategy; one which fghts tooth and nail to keep the the existing service and in particular our wonderful librarian, Penny, but also has a fall back positin to use volunteers if we fail.
I sent the following email to Neil Owen a few days ago and as yet have received no reply. I will post the reply when and if it is received.

"Dear Mr Owen

I would be grateful for your response to the following questions about the Conservative proposals for withdrawal of support for our local library.

1. On what basis was Charlbury selected for withdrawal of funding whilst your own local library in Shipton U Wychwood was not?

2. What representations have you as our elected representative made against the withdrawal of funding?

3. Does the "clear vision" of Mr Mitchell, the Conservative leader of the Council for the future of Oxfordshire libraries extend to the relationship between the reduced funded core of the library network and libraries staffed by volunteers? Will books circulate between the voluntary libraries and the funded libraries?

4. Will the County lay down a standard for the management of voluntary libraries and assist in the training of staff?

5. If Charlbury library manages to survive as a voluntary library will you commit to campaigning for its readmission to the County library network after the immediate funding crisis is over?

I look forward to your response."

Thu 9 Dec 2010, 14:14

Making contact from North Leigh. Our library is also under threat and it seems to me that we should make common cause (along with Stonesfield if possible)across West Oxfordshire so that OCC does not try to pick off one library at a time. North Leigh residents do not have the history of campaigning for their library that Charlbury obviously has, so we are just starting our campaign -- a small group of us got together earlier in the week and are about to start a petition. Any advice about what you believe may be effective would be most welcome.

Mon 6 Dec 2010, 00:18

Response to Harriet --
I think you misunderstood me, because I know very well about ordering books from the wider library system and having them delivered to Charlbury. As a home-educator, I rely on this for a great number of research materials. My point was that changing the library into a self-run, localised service might meant this interchange would be lost, and that would make the library virtually useless as far as I'm concerned. Hope that clears things up.

Fri 3 Dec 2010, 16:54

The Friends of Charlbury Library have already been active in campaigning against possible closure. Considering the awful weather there was a good turn out at Wednesday's Thomas Gifford Charity AGM where the subject of the Library came up as it has been linked to the new Centre. County Councillor Neil Owen should be in no doubt about the anger over the issue. FOCL have a meeting arranged with Penny's Library service managers and I have sent a long list of questions to Judith Heathcoat, the responsible cabinet member. More info when I get her replies. I'm told she's prepared to come to a public meeting.

Tue 30 Nov 2010, 21:06

Charlbury Library, like the whole of the public library system, operates under the terms of the Public Libraries Act of 1964. The library service is not a discretionary service, as the Act mandates local authorities to provide an efficient and comprehensive service, and lays out in considerable detail what that means. In proposing to close 20 of 43 libraries it sounds to me as if Oxford County Council may be sailing rather close to the wind, and this line may ultimately prove to be more effective of attack than generalised grumbling. I imagine some campaigners will have realised this already, and certainly cuts on a similar scale in Wirral almost exactly a year ago had to be abandoned on legal grounds (all of the background on this is readily availble on the Web). It may also be worth noting that the Minister responsible, Ed Vaizey, has a statutory duty to uphold the 1964 Act. Not only does he represent an Oxfordshire constituency, but he has publicly stated that he supports the 1964 Act, and that the Coalition has no intention of repealing it.

For myself I suspect that sooner or later the public library system is going to need drastic reform (I speak as a professional librarian, albeit one working in a very different field from anything that goes on in Charlbury Library; we cannot escape that the word of information has changed quite a bit since 1964). But for the time being the 1964 Act stands, and andone concerned about the library here ought to be aware of this and may wish read the text for themselves.

Mon 29 Nov 2010, 11:42

Going to write also. It provides a fantastic & speedy service - I regularly ordered books in from across Ox, no problem. Speaking from Africa where the local library has few new books, lots which wouldn't even grace a recycling bin in the UK and yet is jam-packed with people every day, I think Charlbury library should be appreciated and better used!

Sun 28 Nov 2010, 16:34

It does Kat
You can order books from the online system which allows you to look at the library database and have them delivered for pick up there, you can renew books there, take them back there if you got them from eg Witney or Oxford.

Perhaps the problem is people don't know this?

Sun 28 Nov 2010, 14:59

Is our own self-run library supposed to be able to tie into the county system and have access to their large collection? I'm sure there are sniggers all around.

Sat 27 Nov 2010, 13:20

Here we are again! A replay of 1997 when the Friends of Charlbury Library was formed when the Library was previously under threat of closure. I wonder if our County Councillor can explain why the residents of Charlbury who pay the same council tax as those in Woodstock should have to provide their own library service or pay fares to travel to other towns. Perhaps we should demand a rebate on our tax. I shall cetainly be writing to the PM. He should have measured my wellbeing yesterday afternoon when I heard the news from Penny. I am sure there are other fairer ways of reducing costs.

Sat 27 Nov 2010, 12:20

According to the news item, it isn't going to be closed -- unless volunteers do not offer to keep it going. That will be the government/council line. "Oh dear, Charlbury, you lost your library because your Society wasn't Big enough." You'd need a jolly smart and well-trained team of volunteers to replace Penny. All very internet-savvy, for starters.

Sat 27 Nov 2010, 08:23

This would be a terrible shame. I'm going to write and object.

Fri 26 Nov 2010, 14:48

I see from he news item at the top of the page that Charlbury library is listed for closure. Does anyone have any definite information. If it is true it will be a huge loss for the town.