Thursday 27 January 2011

Want To Check Out A Library Book?

Better get that CRB check sorted then, in case this wacky plan ever gets off the drawing board:
Schools could be asked to house public libraries and children’s centres to save on running costs, a council boss has indicated.
/facepalm
Mr Tinlin said: “We are looking at doing things differently, like having a children’s centre and library in a school.

“We don’t want to go down the same route as other local authorities in closing things.

“Instead, we need to think about bringing together some of our services, like children’s services, youth centres, schools and libraries.

“If they were run from the same building, we save money on overhead costs, maintenance, staffing and cleaning.”
Yes, because teachers are going to be happy to be part-time librarians for nothing, parents are going to be just delighted that all and sundry are now encouraged to access the increasingly fortress-like schools, and pensioners will no doubt be more than happy to undergo a CRB check just to take out a Catherine Cookson novel…

Some ideas should be strangled at birth.

4 comments:

William said...

As should anyone with ambitions to be a councillor!!

SadButMadLad said...

People should just accept that times have changed. Libraries were brought in for a reason. That reason doesn't exist any more. Libraries are now being used for a different purpose. That purpose is now disappearing too. Therefore libraries should disappear too.

The extra services that libraries use to try and survive are anti-competive. Things like internet access subsidised by the tax payer is harmful to internet cafes who provide the service for a fee. It would be cheaper to give those on benefit vouchers to use at the commercial internet cafes than have the service at the library.

Captain Haddock said...

"Some ideas should be strangled at birth" ...

As should anyone with political aspirations of any sort ..

JuliaM said...

"People should just accept that times have changed. "

The people who mostly use libraries are aware of the other options, but often can't afford them (pensioners, the poor) or can't get on with them (often pensioners, again).

"The extra services that libraries use to try and survive are anti-competive. Things like internet access subsidised by the tax payer is harmful to internet cafes who provide the service for a fee. "

They should never have diversified. Take that all away, and return them to being what they were, for their target audience.