Sunday 18 September 2011

Save Botley Library Runs Events before OCC Consultation Concludes



The Oxfordshire County Council has been running a Public Consultation on its’ proposal for the “Future Library Service for Oxfordshire” since the beginning of June which will conclude on the 30th September. The basis of the proposal is to keep all libraries open, with a good stock of books, public access computers and online resources. The consultation document (available on-line or from the Library) includes a Feedback Form to allow all residents to express their views. At the end of the Consultation results will be reported to the Council Cabinet in early November for a decision as to whether or not to take the proposal forward. If it is agreed, implementation will start from April 2012 as no changes to the library service will need to be made to meet the 2011/12 Council budget.

Although thanks to our campaigning it is proposed that Botley Library will remain open and fully funded, this does not mean that our task to Save Botley Library is completed. Before the Library Service Consultation concludes at the end of September we need to complete as many Feedback Forms for this as possible, in order to ensure that the Council fully understand how strongly we feel about our library.

In support of this, the Save Botley Library campaign has been running a number of events to encourage the completion of Feedback Forms. The first of these was a Mad Hatters’ Tea Party in the Precinct on Saturday 10th September. Members of the Steering Group and a number of our supporters dressed up as book characters, as shown in the photo, and we provided tea, cakes and a table for people to sit down and complete the Feedback Forms. This event was well supported and we had over 40 forms completed on the spot and a similar number taken away to be completed.

The second event was held in the Library the following Saturday – a Graphic Novel/Comic Strip Workshop run by Adam Murphy. A great deal of fun was had by all who came, ages ranging from 6 to 60, and one or two talented young cartoonists emerged who were glad to learn about Adam's cartoon course at the Old Jam Factory. Look out for a display of the cartoons done on the day in the Library. As well as a morning of fun a further fifty feedback forms were completed.

The final event will be held on Saturday 24th September a Horrid Henry Treasure Hunt, in the Library, which we are also expecting to be well-attended.

Thanks to all of your support we have taken a huge step in removing Botley from the November list of potential Library closures and we now need to make our opinions clear before the end of the Public Consultation. If you haven’t already completed the Feedback Form in the consultation document, and do not do so, then it will be assumed that you have no opinion should the Council change their position on our library. We know we can rely on you to help us reach our destination of a Botley Library fully funded and run by trained staff and librarians.

Save Botley Library Campaign.

Friday 2 September 2011

Come to the Save Botley Library Mad Hatter's Tea Party!

Save Botley Library is holding a Mad Hatter's Tea Party in Botley Square on Saturday 10th September at 11am. Dress up as a character from a book and come and celebrate the campaign's success so far! The event has a serious purpose too- to remind people to fill in and send off their Consultation forms to Oxfordshire County Council. (please read the information about the forms here). There will be forms to fill in for those who haven't already done so. Remember, the deadline for sending in the forms is 30th September!

As Save Botley Chairman Mike Sage said in his speech to our Save Botley Public meeting in June, we've come a long way in our battle to keep Botley Library open as a council-run library staffed by trained librarians, but we're not over the finishing line yet. Help us get over the line with one more big push! See you all on the 10th September!