A series of public meetings are to be held over the future of four closure-threatened libraries.
Forums will take place to discuss proposals to shut Rack House Library in Wythenshawe, Barlow Moor Library between Chorlton and Didsbury, Clayton Library and East City Library.
The planned closures are part of Manchester council’s attempt to save £109m in one year after receiving one of the most swingeing budget cuts from the government.
Council chiefs say they want to hear from residents about the proposals.
Coun Mike Amesbury said: “We have no choice but to consider these options – even if we take these measures, we will still have a first-class service of which all Mancunians can be proud.”
The town hall says East City Library was only ever intended to be a temporary resource until Beswick Library opened.
A new library is also set top open later this year in Higher Blackley and Manchester’s Central Library will reopen in 2013.
Miles Platting and Hulme libraries will also close, but not before town hall officials find an alternative provision.
The meetings take place at:
- Tomorrow– City Library, Deansgate
- Wednesday – Rack House Primary School, Wythenshawe
- Thursday – Wythenshawe Forum
- Friday – Barlow Moor Community Centre
- Next Monday, – Longsight Library
- Tuesday, March 22 – Beswick Library
- Wednesday, March 23 – North City, Harpurhey
All meetings start at 6pm, except City Library (6.30pm)
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
OH WELL...ITS JUST ANOTHER CHAPTER
Would it be cost effective to issue each school age child with a basic e-reader (assuming the capacity canbe sourced and a robust enough design found), and allow them to access books electronically, rather then phyisically, for shcool use and from libraries.
Then introduce some sort of (possibly subsidised) scheme for adult library users and allow them to download books either by phone/internet or schools.
Presumably the saving on buildings and the purchase, transport and stroage of books would be substantial, even allowing for losses and damage to the readers.
Residents of Manchester this is your chance to be heard, go in numbers, take your family friends children and their friends, the bigger the number the better the argument and more chance of saving libraries in your area.
Rackhouse Library meeting - FB event http://bd4b.eu/dUmT9w
For your information Hulme Library is moving to the Zion centre which is only a matter of yards away.
In an age of austerity, there needs to be hard decisions made on spending. Although libraries are considered important to some, I do think that, as far as cuts go, they are one of the least damaging to the community. Far better, surely, to preserve care in the community, nursery schools, and the like. Possibly, libraries belong to a different age - indeed, one of Manchester's 'first' was in providing the first public library - and it seems like we need to move on.
Libraries educated me more than school or university ever did
no exams ,learn what you like
works for me
I have an octogenarian neighbour who visits Oldham library several times a week. Her greatest joy in life nowadays is reading. She has to travel into Oldham centre nowadays because those wonderful Lib Dems on the council closed our local library, regardless of the amount of visitors it received.
Have your say................
Say it, but it wont make a blind bit of difference.......
people in beswick and harpurhey dont read books! just close them, if people want a book they can jump on a bus and go to central(when its finished)