CAMPAIGN GROUP FOR NEWINGTON REFERENCE LIBRARY - Deputation to Walworth Community Council on Wednesday 7th February 2007
Chair, Councillors, members of the community,
Thank you for allowing us to bring this deputation tonight in which we would like to inform you of our concerns and findings regarding Newington Reference Library.
If the Council goes ahead with the closure of the Thomas A. Gilbert
Reference Library at Newington and the partial relocation we believe there would be a significant loss of service.
In the materials currently being circulated by the Council this loss of service, amenity and facilities is being downplayed or ignored.
The adult lending library has 3 sections on the ground floor at Newington. The Council�s plan is to take the whole of the back room to locate their planned new Information Service into.
Result:
1/3 of adult lending library space lost. More library books LOST.
Fax machine, printer, photocopier, microfilm reader facilities LOST.
Excellent natural light and ventilation from large sash windows in a
high-ceilinged room LOST.
An enquiry desk permanently staffed by 2 experienced dedicated Reference
Librarians LOST.
And, three quarters of publicly accessible reference items would no longer
be publicly accessible
The �Key Headline� poster currently displayed and visual plans do not make it clear that the �extended space� is in large part actually lending library space. The current library on both floors offers 48 study spaces, so the Council�s plans only give 2 more. Internet access and Wi Fi is already freely available
At the October Community Council Cllr Zuleta agreed to an Equality Impact Assessment. This has not been done.
A new report Relocation of Reference Library was published in November which is scheduled to be decided on this month.
At full council in December we opposed this new report and handed in our petition of over 1000 signatures.
Although our local Lib Dem Councillors voted with their party rather than their constituents, the motion they supported stated that:
�on two occasions Walworth Community Council has expressed its firm desire to see the Council explore, in full, every possible option for rendering the library accessible without significant loss of service�
We believe every option has not been fully explored.
We believe that the Report if agreed would lead to a significant loss of service. We consider the Council has paid lip service to consultation while sticking firmly with their own preferred solution.
We fear the public and Councillors may have been misinformed by Council materials currently circulating.
The public have been told since last Summer that the cost of installing a lift at the library is �400 000 (option 1), that the library would have to close for 6 months to do this, and that it�d be a waste of money as a new library was planned at the Elephant in 2009.This is not true. An (option 2) cheaper alternative was drawn up in 2004. Recently published Council costings show this to be half the cost of the other lift.
We believe this (option 2) internal platform lift, with associated other works, should cost about �70 000 (well under a half of the Council�s quote) and take one not 6 months to install.
By focusing the argument on the most impractical expensive lift option the public have been led to think, by the Council, that the closure and partial relocation of the Reference Library was the only reasonable way to make it accessible.
We have asked that the cheaper quicker option of an internal platform lift be fully explored.
Patrick Horan of Southwark Disablement Association visited Dulwich Library with us and has stated that this type of lift would be suitable.
The Council should assess three overlapping areas of responsibility:
To eliminate discrimination: To promote equality of opportunity; and To promote good race relations�
A majority of Reference Library users are from Black & Ethnic Minority groups. Studies and surveys show the BME communities live in overcrowded accommodation with consequent lack of study space.
An Equality Impact Assessment was promised by Cllr Zuleta, where is it?
The November report includes a Community Impact Statement which we are told �addresses equality issues particularly the key issue of disabled access to the Reference Service�. This should not be at the expense of other groups who also suffer discrimination.
The Councils plans do not have widespread public support.
Walworth East Area Forum�s 9 TRAs have given our Campaign�s proposals
unanimous support. We believe the financial implications of the Relocation of Reference Library report have not been fully explored or publicly divulged.
We believe our suggestion of retaining and making fully accessible the borough�s last bespoke Reference Library is possible at a fraction of the cost publicised if Officers are told to explore all other options. Gill Davies has stated that it is only �possible� that there will be a new library at the Elephant & Castle. By installing an appropriate lift to the upper floors, by utilizing the old
Cuming Museum space as an IT room, and by reconfiguring the downstairs space more than 80 study spaces and seats could be provided within an excellent public library, fully accessible and capable of answering modern and traditional needs of library users.
We request the Chair and Councillors to agree to:
1. Disagree with the Nov 21 report Relocation of Reference Library and request that it is withdrawn
2. Request that there is a new design and evaluation of the internal
platform lift option
3. Suggest Officers seek alternative sources of funding to make the
Newington Library accessible.
We request that these Deputation pages are included with the next minutes as part of the minutes.
Thank you Chair.
Julie Speechley, Helen O�Brien, Jasper Tomlinson, Isobel Durrant