The Friends group intends to support the library staff and enhance the library.

So all Ventnor Library users, do come along and support Ventnor Library!

My apologies for not having posted for so long – been busy with other things, and will still be busy for next two weeks. But some important stuff…

Ventnor Blog, blessings upon them, have highlighted http://ventnorblog.com/2011/03/10/your-help-needed-for-nationwide-library-closure-challenge/  and http://ventnorblog.com/2011/03/01/legal-challenge-to-library-closures-started/ 

the excellent Alan Gibbons’ Campaign for the Book http://alangibbons.net/?page_id=206 

and the proposed national legal challenge on their behalf by Leigh Day & Co http://www.leighday.co.uk/ on library closures:

http://www.leighday.co.uk/news/news-archive-2011/campaign-for-books-launches-library-closure

So what we need to do by Wednesday 30 March is to send any evidence we’ve got to support the legal challenge to

librariesact@voicesforthelibrary.org.uk

DaveQ’s letter to the Secretary of State has already challenged the Isle of Wight Council’s decision – see Ventnor Blog article

http://ventnorblog.com/2011/03/10/letter-to-the-editor-formal-complaint-to-the-secretary-of-state/

in which he asked for people to contact him at djqhda@yahoo.co.uk.

http://ventnorblog.com/2011/02/12/save-our-libraries-tim-coates-to-meet-with-council/

Come along and join in the debate!

Rumour has it that Tim Coates may suggest changes to the way books are ordered, so it may be interesting to check out the Council’s Stock Management Policy (only 332 KB download) from http://iwight.com/living_here/libraries/Documents_and_Forms/libraryd.asp

Google Tim Coates and you get a wide range of views, both good and sceptical. Here’s an interesting sceptical one – it’s old by web standards, from 2004, so it’ll be intersting to see if things have changed! http://www.culturewars.org.uk/2004-01/libraries.htm

Save Ventnor Library Campaign

meeting 1400 tomorrow Saturday 12 February

at Ventnor Community Cafe, 1 Albert Street

http://ventnorblog.com/2011/02/08/tim-coates-to-present-at-vb-save-the-libraries-event/

So come along and join in the debate!

They wanted to find out what some of us thought about the Isle of Wight Council Cabinet decision on libraries last night.

See Ventnor Blog’s coverage on

http://ventnorblog.com/2011/02/08/cabinet-meeting-live-coverage-3/ (libraries discussed 1935)

 http://ventnorblog.com/2011/02/09/new-proposals-for-isle-of-wight-libraries/

http://ventnorblog.com/2011/02/09/verbatim-library-speech-by-cllr-george-brown/

We should all congratulate ourselves on having persuaded the Council to back down a bit, because they might have just gone ahead with closing 5 libraries at the end of March and another 4 at the end of March 2012 as planned.

But we need to keep campaigning, because the Council do still want to close 9 out of 11 libraries and make most of the librarians redundant.

All they’ve proposed yesterday is a stay of execution.

They’re still trying to make out that having ‘Libraries Local’ funded and run by volunteers in the back of a shop or pub will be as good as proper public libraries in proper library builidngs funded by our council taxes and staffed by proper librarians.

It seems that they still don’t get it that a decent civilised democratic society needs public libraries in towns and villages, not 10-15 miles away from where thousands of Islanders live.

‘Are councils right to save money by closing public libraries – has the easy availability of affordable books made libraries less important than ever?

‘As local councils look for ways to save money, many have identified cuts in their public library services. These cuts have been vociferously opposed by a number of high profile authors as an attack on a vital educational service.

‘But are lending libraries really as essential as they once were? Supermarkets are selling popular novels at knock-down prices, bookshops offers 3 for 2 on a wide range of publications, paperbacks can be ordered online for the price of a takeaway meal, and books can be bought for tuppence from second hand shops. And now as online retailer Amazon reports sales of their e-reader made up more than 15% of their paperback sales last year in the US, are we wise to spend scarce public funds on our libraries?

‘But many libraries fulfil more needs than just reading. What does your library do for you? Could you live without it? How do you and your family access literature?’

The Call You and Yours website says that to take part call 03700 100 444 between 10am and 1pm on the day, or call in advance and leave a message with your telephone number.

You can text by texting YOU and your message to 63399.

You can write to  You and Yours, BBC Radio 4, Broadcasting House, London W1A 1AA (sorry, bit late now!).

You can email youandyours@bbc.co.uk.

There’s also a form on the website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/you-and-yours/call-you-and-yours/

http://events.onthewight.com/2011/02/05/celebrate-ventnor-library

Sandown’s celebration starts at 11

http://events.onthewight.com/2011/02/05/a-celebration-of-libraries

Come along and join in the fun!

Cllr George Brown makes some surprising claims… (see also http://ventnorblog.com/2011/02/03/community-interest-in-library-proposals-say-council/)

You can read it online at

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/feb/03/hands-off-our-libraries

but why not say thank you by going out and buying a copy?!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/feb/01/alexandria-youth-protecting-library?INTCMP=SRCH

If that doesn’t inspire us what will?!