Having attended the 'drop-in' at Coleford Library on

January 12 to put forward my disappointment at the

proposed changes to the libraries in our area I would urge

other members of the public to attend the only other

'drop-in' currently planned in the Forest. This is to be

held at Cinderford library on Friday,  January 21.

The  proposals mean that we will be reduced to

having one main library (Coleford), one library

express (reduced hours) in Lydney, no Library Link (self-

service), and potentially four community-run libraries (run

by the community/volunteers, a rent required, and to

purchase their own stock). 

But don't worry, we will have a virtual library,

because we can all afford a computer, we all know how to

use a computer, we are not too young and not too old nor

are we disabled and we don't mind paying for postage! 

Nor do householders mind paying for a reduced library

service and in some instances none at all, paying for

transport to get to a library now some miles away, or for

the delivery of books etc. And still pay the same amount

of Council Tax for the library service as everyone else!

Using Cinderford as an example, we are told that the

reason for its closure is the lack of use.  I would contend

that it is vital for this area to maintain a library,

along with  computers, to encourage young people to

read, to allow those children without computers to carry

out research and do their homework as well as others to

be able to go on-line to pay their bills and so on (again,

this is the direction in which we are all being

pushed). Where would people go for Social Housing

mutual exchange as now this is only carried out through

the Internet?

The proposals mean that all three mobile libraries

will cease, the Homelink for those in residential

accommodation and the Share-a-Book scheme for

children in deprived areas will all stop.  When questioning

the councillor at the drop-in about Britain's concerns

over literacy levels at schools and the need for young

children to become engaged in reading at an early age I

was told that schools have libraries.  What about pre-

school children?  I was given no answer.

Apparently, no one will be more than 15 minutes

away from a library – but then we all have our own

transport.  It also occurs to me, in these proposals, that no

one is taking any notice of our poor public transport

system in the Forest nor of  the fact that even this facility

may be reduced. 

Do we really want to become worse off in literacy and

services than a third world country?

Jobs are becoming more scarce, there is more

competition for jobs than ever before as these jobs are

also open to people from other countries and yet we are

handicapping the very people in our area that we should

be encourag­ing.  The proposals also discriminate against

the elderly and disabled.

On a different note, when discussing, with the

councillor, the reduction in the number of staff that the

proposals would bring about (approx 40 per cent) I

was extremely disappointed to hear him use the words

'get rid of'. What an unfortunate choice of words – so

much for employee relations!  The reliance of volunteers

to take on jobs that are carried out by those earning a

wage is quite worrying.  Volunteers taking away peoples'

livelihoods, the first flush of  enthusiasm dissipating  and

then no one to take over because the 'professionals' have

gone.  If I was a sceptic, I would say that the proposed

community-run libraries are virtually non-starters and

just an idea put forward to ease the transition so that we

in the Forest still think we have a chance of some sort of

additional service.

Please make your voices heard. Go to the 'drop-in',

lobby your councillors, write letters, make

life uncomfortable for the decision makers.  One never

knows, the people of Cinderford and surrounding areas

could end up with at least a Library Link service if enough

of you protest.

– Susan Hamilton Smith, Clearwell.