Chinnor Library Group has been set up to co-ordinate a campaign to keep our library open and staffed by professional librarians.

Update

JUNE 2011
Oxfordshire County Council’s consultation on the future of Oxfordshire’s library commenced on
27 May 2011 and will run until the end of September 2011.

In response to OCC’s data CLG members have decided to carry out their own short survey on the users of Chinnor Library. In addition we will be seeking users opinions on how they would like to see the library run and the type of additional services and features users may like to see.

Please take part, so that we can fight for the library service you want.

Meetings

Chinnor Library Group continues to meet regularly to follow events and plan action. Anyone wishing to participate should contact Maxine Pickard on 01844 354420 or by email: maxinepickard@talktalk.net or Paul Carter on 01844 351723 or by email: pauljc@globalnet.co.uk.

News

Formal consultation begins

Oxfordshire County Council’s formal consultation is now underway.

Oxfordshire County Council, has completely changed it's ideas. The new proposal from County is to keep all libraries open, although some will need volunteers to work alongside Oxfordshire County Council staff.

Chinnor Library has been identified as a “Community Plus Library”, meaning that it would have two-thirds paid staff and one-third volunteer staffing with effect from April 2012.

You can express your views by:

• Completing the online feedback form on the county council wesbite
  http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/libraryserviceconsultation
  
  
• Sending back the FREEPOST feedback form at the back for the consultation document – available at all libraries and council offices
  
  
• Going along to a library service consultation event. CLG is investigating as to what this actually means.

Chinnor Library Group’s response

A detailed response has been prepared by CLG.
Please click on this link CLG Response to download a pdf of the full text.

Action

Publicising our campaign

Chinnor Library Group aims to keep the village informed of progress and encourge participation by:

• Displaying posters in shops, the Village Centre, St Andrew’s Church and notice boards in Kingston Blount and Henton, encouraging people to use the library or lose it. The posters change every few weeks.
  
  
• Regular updates which appear in the Chinnor Pump and are circulated to all members of CLG.
  
  
• Display board in the library will continue to be updated as necessary.

Talking to other groups and Oxfordshire County Council

• Close liaison with Save Oxfordshire’s Libraries will continue.
  
  
• Questions to OCC will continue and responses scrutinised and shared.

Investigating ways of improving our library

• Investigations are being made into operating costs and savings that can be made.
  
  
• Costs of renovating and updating the library building are being estimated, as the overheads for heating and water supply appear unusually high. Accurate details on S106 money (that is money from housing developers for the community) is being pursued to see what funds are available for improvements.
  
  
• Ways of producing income from unused rooms are being considered.
  
  
• A survey has been carried out on usage by children.
  
  
• A survey will be carried to find out about current library users and to seek their ideas on ways to improve the library.
  
  
• Information regarding use of the library by day, time and age group has been provided by OCC and is being checked.
  
  
• Information regarding DVD lending and usage of library computers has been requested from OCC.

Background

Saving Chinnor Library

• In November 2010 Oxfordshire County Council (“OCC”) proposed to withdraw funding from 20 of its 43 libraries by the end of December 2011 to save approximately £2 million over the next 4 years. Chinnor’s library was one of those threatened with closure.
  
  
• The Parish Council organised a public meeting to discuss these proposals, inviting Keith Mitchell and John Jackson from OCC to take part. Held in February, the Village turnout was excellent giving a clear message that if OCC needs to make savings in the library service, then the fairest way is for cuts to be made across all the County’s libraries and not just a few branches.
  
  
• Chinnor Parish Council followed up the meeting with a parish survey. More than 2,000 households received a questionnaire and within one week 467 forms had been returned. The overwhelming majority (90%) of residents who replied wanted a campaign to keep our library open with funding from OCC and staffed by professional librarians, even if there had to be a reduction in opening hours.
  
  
• More than 50 people offered their support and at an initial meeting on 3rd March, to discuss ideas and objectives, Chinnor Library Group (“CLG”) was formed to act on behalf of the parish to keep the branch library open with funding from OCC. A small group of ten people from the meeting, including residents from Aston Rowant, Kingston Blount and Henton, formed a working group and have met twice during March to put together an action plan.
  
  
• In March 2011, in response to public pressure, OCC announced that its proposals to withdraw funding from the 20 named libraries were being reviewed. However, OCC still wishes to reduce funding from the library service and this means that ALL Oxfordshire’s libraries could be under threat from withdrawal of funding to a lesser or greater degree!
  
  
• A county-wide campaign group has been formed called “Save Oxfordshire’s Libraries” (“SOL”) and Chinnor Library Group is a member. More information can be found on the SOL page.

Contacts and links

Save our libraries (SOL)

A Yahoo group of representatives of Oxfordshire libraries – Chinnor Library Group is represented. SOL was initially formed to provide a way that the “20” libraries listed for withdrawal of funding could share information and campaign together for reduction in funding across the board, with libraries to be staffed by professionals and funded by OCC. In light of the change by OCC in its approach to reduction in funding this group has expanded to include representatives of all Oxfordshire’s libraries who wish to join.

SOL’s current objectives are:

• No libraries to be closed
  
  
• All library sites to be retained as libraries
  
  
• No private company to be used to run the library service
  
  
• All libraries to be fully plugged in to all county-wide services (inter-library loans, catalogues etc)
  
  
• Paid staff at all libraries

Chinnor Library Group’s representative has been successful in getting Friends of Watlington Library, Thame Town Council and Wheatley Parish Council interested in taking note of OCC’s proposals. Wheatley and Watlington now each have a representative on SOL and other members of the group are trying to increase involvement across the county.

OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
OCC’s website is at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk