WITH cuts to library service well under way in England and Wales, it might be time to remind the County Council that the librarians professional body, The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) is preparing to fight back through legal means.
You are reminded that under the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act and subsequent government published standards of provision, the public has a statutory right to enjoy ‘a comprehensive and efficient library service’.
A good efficient library service has long been recognised as a factor in attracting prospective employers and staff to an area, and is anyway a cornerstone of civilised society.
I do not know the reasons for the abandonment of the County Library Headquarters in Dew Street, Haverfordwest, one of the few purpose built libraries in West Wales.
It seems that in recent years library opening hours have been severely cut in some areas, and that library assistants, the bedrock of the service, here for years have been faced with cuts to their salaries.
This beggars belief and finally leaves me speechless.
MALCOLM GORDON
(Ex area librarian, Pembrokeshire)
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