Trust structure one way forward for libraries

Published: 28 April, 2011

• WHEN facing the unthinkable, one must explore the unthought-of.

At the news of the threat of closures of our libraries, Camden residents’ reaction has been inspiring. 

The fear of losing their cherished local library has acted as a call to arms, with groups coming forward and offering to help and to serve. 

In street-stall after street-stall across our borough I have spoken to men and women who are prepared to do their part to retain this priceless service. This shining example of civic duty must not be ignored by our council but rather incorporated into a strategy aimed to protect these beloved services from closure.

Our local library is a community hub, where else in this day and age can you see the generations mix, the elderly, the school-children and the young interacting by simple proximity? 

And it is within our community that the resources can be found to cope with this situation.

Volunteers can be part of the solution but only part. There are many other options that can be added to a strategy of library protection and even expansion. No single option is the silver bullet that will save our service but a combination of them could serve the purpose.

We might want to consider turning our libraries into a trust. 

Such an organisation would then have the autonomy to seek out additional funding, by a smarter management of the resources including the buildings, some of which are clearly underutilised, and our archives of photos and documents, many of which going back a century or more. 

They could actively work towards finding donors and raising funds. They could promote a commercial use for some of the vacant space. They could even look at forms of sponsorship and advertising. I would rather see an IBM logo over the Swiss Cottage library’s computer room than a “For Let” sign over the entire library.

If the libraries have under-utilised space, couldn’t they give out that space to other council departments, thus saving on Camden’s overall costs?

And in terms of efficiencies, has Camden explored simple avenues such as renegotiating its contracts with utilities, gas, power, water, broadband? It’s the first thing lots of households do.

And what about replacing the antiquated paper-based filing system with computerised bar-codes and electronic readers? It could save staff time, create space and boost productivity.

All of these options seem to fall into the unthought-of category I mentioned. With communities rallying against the threat of library closures, everyone – and chiefly Camden Labour and the council – has to be prepared to explore new options and even question many “philosophical” assumptions.

CLLR GIO SPINELLA
Conservative, Frognal and Fitzjohns ward