Sponsored by
Shock at library as reference books go
A SHOCKED user of Billingshurst Library has told of his concerns after the reference section at the village facility was removed overnight last Friday.
Graham Harper said he visited the library in Mill Lane last Friday to use the reference section. When he returned on Saturday morning he was shocked to discover the reference section of some 60 books had been removed.
Mr Harper, aged 69, of London Road, Adversane, said he has used Billingshurst Library and its reference section regularly over the past 36 years.
He added: “Only one in four people in my age group use the internet and the loss of the reference section will have a major impact for many residents in the Billingshurst area.
“As taxpayers we have paid for the books and we pay for the library service. It is utterly unacceptable that the reference section has been removed.
“There was no consultation process and no notice given to readers. This was an action by stealth.’’
He said he could not understand how the removal offered any savings for West Sussex County Council as he presumed the books had already been paid for by the taxpayer.
Mr Harper said he contacted the library service to complain and was told the books had been removed to storage in Worthing, but individual titles could be made available to access in future by prior request.
He now intends to lodge a formal objection with the county council, requesting that the reference section is reinstated at Billingshurst.
He is also asking Billingshurst Parish Council to take up the matter.
Mr Harper, who stood as a UKIP candidate for Billingshurst in the Horsham District Council elections earlier this year, said he was also concerned that similar cuts would happen at other village libraries.
He said: “The definition of a library must be an orderly collection of books for reference and access to information.
“Reference books have to be considered the most important element of a library. Remove them and what is the point of the library?”
A spokesman for West Sussex County Council said: “Work on updating the reference stock at Billingshurst was carried out as part of a planned programme in all West Sussex libraries.
“The library had a considerable amount of outdated material, mostly added ten to 20 years ago. It was largely unused and very dusty. Budgets for stock replacement have been reduced this year, and reference books need to be as up to date as possible.
“The resources on the electronic library are completely up to date and available 24 hours a day. If customers are unable to use computers, all staff can answer questions using the electronic library.
“West Sussex is one of many authorities who are replacing out of date reference stock in small libraries with electronic products.
“One big advantage is that these are usually available in all libraries, instead of just the larger ones.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Horsham
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 9 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Blatchford
Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at 10:47 AMThe problem, Normalnorris, is that the term 'progress' is too frequently deployed as an excuse for any kind of change, even when it's a change for the worse. In my view, replacing the 'out of date' books with new versions would be progress, but simply removing the lot and telling people to use the internet is not. Having said that, in retrospect I was hasty in lumping your comment in with the stupid statement made by Taxed, who was the real source of my irritation.
D McMillan
Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at 09:03 AMOne of the "discoveries" of my childhood was this wonderful place where I could borrow books for free. And if I wanted to look up The Anatomy of Melancholy (not buy it!) I could do that for free too. Even if it had dust on it. I speak as someone who uses computers all day every day but I am not about to denigrate other sources of knowledge. Attacking libraries and asserting "you can find everything on the internet" is sending out a message which we could live to regret. Have you ever researched "The Holocaust" on the net? There is a site or two to tell you it never happened.
Normalnorris
Monday, July 4, 2011 at 08:08 PMWell, excuse me for having an opinion. You'll be the one "afflicted" if you don't calm down, afflicted with high blood pressure. Read “The library had a considerable amount of outdated material, mostly added ten to 20 years ago. It was largely unused and very dusty". Yes, I do think its progress to get rid of such items.
Blatchford
Monday, July 4, 2011 at 11:34 AMI can't quite believe that "Taxed" is ignorant, and indeed, arrogant, enough to come up with the statement below - which, for some reason, he or she has decided to inflict on us twice. Libraries belong in the last century, do they? Books are so old-fashioned. Maybe we should burn them in a big celebratory Tory bonfire outside County Hall? No need for in-depth knowledge any more when you can find out all you need to know from Twitter or the Fox News headlines? No need for people to have free access to information when they can buy the books from Amazon, says Taxed. Does heshe have shares in Amazon? And what about those on benefits or lower wages who can't afford to buy a book every time they want to read it? Maybe Taxed considers such individuals to be sub-human and probably not capable of reading in the first place? Or maybe heshe thinks that the poor should not be exposed to ideas above their station and should simply keep on shovelling shit to keep himher in the middle-class lifestyle to which they have become accustomed? Or maybe, just maybe, Taxed has never actually read a book himselfherself and thus cannot actually imagine what a library is for and why people might value it? As for "Normal Norris" - do you really think running down libraries equates to "Progress"? I will say no more as it is unpleasant to mock the afflicted.
Normalnorris
Monday, July 4, 2011 at 07:31 AMI think the problem is that some people do not like change or progress. West Sussex give good reasons as to why they have taken the actions they have. The changes will probably benefit far more people than they will inconvenience.
Taxed
Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 10:14 PMLIbaries belong in the last century. Everything is online now. Books can be inexpensively purchased on Amazon. How much does it cost to lend each book? Probably cheaper to give them away.
Taxed
Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 10:14 PMLIbaries belong in the last century. Everything is online now. Books can be inexpensively purchased on Amazon. How much does it cost to lend each book? Probably cheaper to give them away.
D McMillan
Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 03:04 PMThe closure of libraries and restrictions on library services seems to be more ideological than economical. There is for example no promise from the government that when they have fixed the deficit (if ever) we can have the libraries back is there. It have often thought that Tory backwoodsmen are just one step away from book-burning :)
AyeshaHaq
Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 05:35 AMComment removed by moderator
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.