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Voices for the Library statement on the Arts Council report: The release of the official view on community libraries has underlined our grave concerns about the future for public libraries in the UK, and the government's intentions towards them. Whilst some of the contents come as no great surprise, we are deeply troubled by how this report will be interpreted by library authorities across England. According to the report, community libraries run by volunteers are a viable alternative to a service provided by paid and trained staff (both professional and non-professional). We simply do not agree with this conclusion. Volunteer libraries are not a sustainable long-term option and simply offer many councils a quick fix or a useful tactic to shift responsibility for providing the service from the council to the local community. Very often, this is done despite the local community's preference for the service to be delivered by the local authority. In effect, this transfer of responsibility isn't so much recognition of "the value of communities being more involved in the provision of local libraries" (as the report claims), but a way to play on the fears of the community by informing them that they either provide the service, or it will disappear. Read the full statement here: http://www.voicesforthelibrary.org.uk/wordpress/?p=2800 Ian Clark Voices for the Library