Sir, – In April, Friends of Bedale Library circulated a petition seeking support for our opposition to North Yorkshire County Council’s proposal that our library should be "community managed" (ie run by volunteers). More than 2,300 people signed it. It has had two results so far: the first is that we are often asked what is happening to the library, and the second is that some people have gained the impression that its closure is imminent. Bedale Library is open and active.
We do not know what the future holds, but the results of a consultation of the public by the county council's Library Service will be made known in June. Meanwhile, I understand that, because of the way local authority budgets work, no significant changes will be made until 2017.
The best way for people to support their local library is to go there, find out what is on offer, join it and use it. Bedale Library is a friendly, welcoming place, open part-time five days a week, and offers more than just the loan of books. For those who cannot get there, Home Library volunteers deliver books to people in their own homes. If anyone is interested in this service, the contact number is 01845 034 9500.
SUSAN PERKINS
The Friends of Bedale Library.
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