A campaigner who helped saved council libraries in Nottingham has said a better job needs to be done in promoting them to the public.
Last year a campaign was launched to save Radford, Lenton, Basford and Aspley libraries which were threatened by closure.
Nottingham City Council has confirmed the three libraries will stay open but will have their opening times changed.
Stewart Halforty, one of the campaigners, said: “We are very happy because it proves that people power work and it shows that the council can be made to listen. It is a good example of a community coming together.”
He added: “We think they can do a better job of promoting libraries to people. For example, some people did not realize there was a library at Radford, Lenton because the building is pushed back inside.
“Nottingham City Council is quite good when it comes to libraries, they don’t want to shut them down and they understand the value of them but we would just like to see more money and more promotion going to these libraries in particular.”
Mr Halforty spoke about the importance of these libraries and what the council can do better to help the libraries.
He added: “We are not happy that some of the other libraries have had their opening times reduced but what we are saying is that it is possible in the future to extend the opening hours of a library because once a library is closed it is not going to reopen again.
“The library is not just about the books – they provide a range of services.
“Young people that have a small house and a lot of siblings in their house use it as a space to study, recent immigrants use it to learn English, mature students use it to study for a degree, older people use it to socialize, and unemployed people use the internet there to search for jobs.”
“Closing the library for me would stop me from working in a different space”
ROB HOLMES
A resident who uses the Radford Lenton Library regularly was sad about the proposed closure.
Rob Holmes, 35, Radford, said: “I use this library now and again because I work from home.
“For someone like me who works from home I want to go to a space where I can work from a different location – closing the library would stop me from working in a different space.
“This library has been around for a long time. The library closing is more of a sentimental and emotional one because people who have been coming here as kids and are now adults also want to bring their own kids will have to stop.”
