Sir – Rather than closing libraries, could the county council reduce expenditure by ceasing some of the worthy but peripheral services they provide.
I have in mind, in particular, the provision of information, advice and assistance where this is not directly related to the location of books, and to the provision of public access by telephone for information and the renewal of books. With changes such as these, lunch-time closure and a reduction in hours to, say, 10am to 5pm, with some extra staff period for replacing books on shelves, most small libraries should be able to run with three staff, one of whom would be the cover for leave sickness etc.
This represents a significant reduction on current city branch staffing, and the financial position could be further improved if, when the Central Library’s self-issue and return system is fully operating, the system could be extended without further large start-up costs to the branches.
Frank Bland, Oxford
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