Sheffield Library - proposed closures

[sbn73 10]

despite what some people say on this thread this council and many others are run by a bunch of self serving tools. they could cut their budgets for their jollies,nonjobs,expenses and stop paying themselves ridiculous wages..i mean what is julie dore on? she wouldnt even get to supervisor level in my place of work.stop defending this shower..they are supposed to be labour which are supposed to encourage social mobility..how can you have that withou the help of things like public libraries? the OP was shouted down for what..having an opinion that your ****house of a council are once again using the people they serve as political pawns..and you lot defending them are ripe for the picking.

[Penistone999 10]

despite what some people say on this thread this council and many others are run by a bunch of self serving tools. they could cut their budgets for their jollies,nonjobs,expenses and stop paying themselves ridiculous wages..i mean what is julie dore on? she wouldnt even get to supervisor level in my place of work.stop defending this shower..they are supposed to be labour which are supposed to encourage social mobility..how can you have that withou the help of things like public libraries? the OP was shouted down for what..having an opinion that your ****house of a council are once again using the people they serve as political pawns..and you lot defending them are ripe for the picking.

 

Well said ............... There are some on here who will defend the council all day long. Sadly the voters of Sheffield will always vote Labour because their parents voted Labour and their Grandparents voted Labour and so on. Until people look at alternatives , then sheffield will never change.

[max 13]

Well said ............... There are some on here who will defend the council all day long. Sadly the voters of Sheffield will always vote Labour because their parents voted Labour and their Grandparents voted Labour and so on. Until people look at alternatives , then sheffield will never change.

 

Unlike the buffoons who vote Tory because their parents voted Tory and their grandparents voted Tory and so on, I suppose?

[Blackbeard 10]

The BBC news website is carrying a story saying that

"More than half of Sheffield's libraries could shut within two years unless community groups step in to save them.

 

Sheffield City Council is proposing to retain just 12 of the city's 28 facilities as "key" libraries."

The key libraries are

"Central, Chapeltown, Crystal Peaks, Darnall, Ecclesall, Firth Park, Highfield, Hillsborough, Manor, Parson Cross, Stocksbridge, Woodseats"

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-24113129

[ECCOnoob 1,050]

Seems perfectly fine to me.

 

12 libraries scattered around the city is more than enough to cover the real demand in 2013. I think the Council have reached a good solution there.

 

IMO there is lots of faux upset going around - just like there was with Woolworths when that got the chop, all these talking heads in tears about how its such a loss and then they stutter for an answer when someone asked the last time they bought something from it.

 

Who really who uses them enough to keep all 28 open these days. There has been a massive rise in the number of kindles being purchased and with free downloads and the ability to swap ebooks onto each other's kindles the need for book borrowing is declining rapidly.

 

Libraries that serve a purpose for community, historical and research needs should definately be kept open. However, 28 is too many and I simply dont beleive that they are all under high demand.

 

I bet a majority of people under a certain age dont even have a library card these days, let alone borrow books. Lets not forget there are also libraries in the colleges and both universities have major libraries so that's the students covered too.

 

I really dont see what all the fuss is about.

[R.Majewski 10]

Seems perfectly fine to me.

 

12 libraries scattered around the city is more than enough to cover the real demand in 2013. I think the Council have reached a good solution there.

 

IMO there is lots of faux upset going around - just like there was with Woolworths when that got the chop, all these talking heads in tears about how its such a loss and then they stutter for an answer when someone asked the last time they bought something from it.

 

Who really who uses them enough to keep all 28 open these days. There has been a massive rise in the number of kindles being purchased and with free downloads and the ability to swap ebooks onto each other's kindles the need for book borrowing is declining rapidly.

 

Libraries that serve a purpose for community, historical and research needs should definately be kept open. However, 28 is too many and I simply dont beleive that they are all under high demand.

 

I bet a majority of people under a certain age dont even have a library card these days, let alone borrow books. Lets not forget there are also libraries in the colleges and both universities have major libraries so that's the students covered too.

 

I really dont see what all the fuss is about.

 

idiot.

 

not everyone can afford to buy books.

 

Education is a right not a privilege

[lily may 10]

I'm over the moon that Ecclesall library is to stay open. Really sorry for others that use libraries who will lose theirs. Ecclesall library is always busy but maybe this is not the case across the city. It is such a shame that some children have not experienced many of the activities on offer. It's also a brilliant place to do homework away from the distraction of TV's play consoles etc.

[lectrolove 10]

I'm pleased about Ecclesall too, it's my local library and I do use it. I'm surprised to see Walkley and Broomhill on the list of closures though, I would've thought they were well used.

[Ms Macbeth 75]

Seems perfectly fine to me.

 

12 libraries scattered around the city is more than enough to cover the real demand in 2013. I think the Council have reached a good solution there.

 

IMO there is lots of faux upset going around - just like there was with Woolworths when that got the chop, all these talking heads in tears about how its such a loss and then they stutter for an answer when someone asked the last time they bought something from it.

 

Who really who uses them enough to keep all 28 open these days. There has been a massive rise in the number of kindles being purchased and with free downloads and the ability to swap ebooks onto each other's kindles the need for book borrowing is declining rapidly.

 

Libraries that serve a purpose for community, historical and research needs should definately be kept open. However, 28 is too many and I simply dont beleive that they are all under high demand.

 

I bet a majority of people under a certain age dont even have a library card these days, let alone borrow books. Lets not forget there are also libraries in the colleges and both universities have major libraries so that's the students covered too.

 

I really dont see what all the fuss is about.

 

My small grandchildren (aged 2 to 6) love visiting the library. When I've gone with them there are usually quite a few other children there. I've been a library member since I was a small child, as have my kids. The older two are very into technology, their dad works in IT and there are laptops and Ipads for them to use, but they are also encouraged to enjoy books.

 

I used a lovely library where I lived as a child, but the one I used in Doncaster was a portakabin in the primary school grounds (Bessacarr) and in Rotherham (Bramley) it was a mobile which visited a couple of days a week. I'm so pleased that Hillsborough branch is staying open!

[ECCOnoob 1,050]

idiot.

 

not everyone can afford to buy books.

 

Education is a right not a privilege

 

Calm down dear.

 

Where did I say that EVERYONE can afford to buy books. There are 12 libraries which will remain open across the city under the new proposals.

 

Money is tight and things need to be cut. Money does not grow on trees and with other parts of the council services facing far more severe cuts, 12 libraries remaining open is perfectly sufficient.

 

Whether you like to admit it or not there is a clear drop in library use. If there wasn't they would all be queuing out of the door each and every day.

 

Now, stop being so rude just because someone has a different opinion to yourself.

[tzijlstra 11]

Apologies for the long post, just to give you the view of someone who does know a bit about the subject, unlike people such as:

 

and stop paying themselves ridiculous wages..i mean what is julie dore on? she wouldnt even get to supervisor level in my place of work.

 

She is on an ALLOWANCE, not wages, for the period of April 2013 to July 2013 (4 months) she got about 10.000 pounds, I realise that might seem a lot to you, but most people in charge of an organisation employing the number of people that SCC does are on about 10 times that. She also has to pay for all the extras that come with being in the council from that, like seeing constituents and organising meetings and rallies.

 

Now, I am not defending Mrs. Dore here, I think she isn't fit to run the local chippy, but lets not fool ourselves with the perennial Daily Mail nonsense that councillors are 'self-serving baboons'. If more people were prepared to stand for elections we might actually get a good council, fact is that most people that are suitable would have to give up way too much income to achieve that.

 

The ONLY way to protect your local library is by using them.

 

On the subject of libraries (as I said I know what I am talking about: I am from the profession myself) the fact that there are closures now is hardly surprising and has been in the pipeline for years.

 

2 million footfall per year for 26 libraries in a city with half a million people, that means that every visit costs around 3£ or 12£ per citizen per year. That doesn't seem bad but if you visit the libraries around the city you will quickly realise that most, if not all, are in urgent need of major spending to bring them up to date, never mind compliant with health and safety and disability regulations. This would cost well in excess of anything that can be mustered from that yearly budget of 6.4 million (now 4.8 ).

 

Footfall has dropped dramatically over the last few decades.

 

The selection of the libraries is likely done with this knowledge and can therefore be defended in a time where it is unlikely the council can find any money to modernise the service.

 

I might add, that there are people that use their library every day. The majority of the 500.000+ inhabitants of this city haven't seen the inside of a library for well over a year.

 

So I repeat: The ONLY way to protect your local library is by using them.

Edited September 17, 2013 by tzijlstra

[jgharston 11]

She (Julie Dore) is on an ALLOWANCE, not wages,

Councillors' allowances ARE wages/salary, what else is something you get paid in return for working? "Allowances" is just the legal name for them. Ask the Inland Revenue. I've got an old payslip here. It says "SALARY".