'Don't cut our library funds'

Marlborough people are responding to a call to action over the future of public libraries, and any possibility that funding to them may be cut.

Fifteen hundred postcards have been snapped up to send a strong message to Parliament that Marlborough wants to retain its public libraries as a core, frontline local government service.

The move comes as Local Government Minister Rodney Hide has indicated that councils need to decide what are core services as they are held to greater account for their rates bills.

Marlborough District Library manager Glenn Webster said a campaign promoting the importance of libraries in local communities has been led by the Library and Information Association of New Zealand/Aotearoa (Lianza).

The action is being taken ahead of the central government's local government review next month, when local councils' services will be assessed and decisions made on whether they should be restricted as a way of reining in rates.

Yesterday at the annual Local Government New Zealand Conference, Mr Hide said the review would look at ways local government services could be given greater transparency. He also suggested holding referendums before major spending.

Library users in Marlborough took little prompting to join the campaign to show politicians the community's support for the public library.

Marlborough's Friends of the Library placed a flier on the Blenheim and Picton front counters, urging people to send Lianza postcards to Mr Hide or other members of Parliament.

All 1500 postcards issued to Marlborough have now been sent, but anyone else wanting to join the campaign can send independent postcards or letters, Mr Webster said. He described the library as a core service to local government and which helped raise the community's literacy and encouraged life-long learning.

Under the Local Government Act, library membership is free and users have ready access to a huge resource of books, DVDs, magazines and CDs and internet facilities.

He said the library received great support from the Marlborough District Council and it was probably the most well-used local government service.

Public libraries have become a central facility where people meet, Mr Webster said. Gone are the days when libraries were "hush, hush" places.

"We try to market the library as a community place, where people can fit in and engage in each other's company, as well as borrowing material.

Lianza chairwoman Barbara Garriock said libraries were an integral part of a democratic community and should be locked in as a core service of local government.

"We understand the Government wants local government to focus on core, frontline services. What could be more frontline and core in a democracy than a public library?"

Mr Hide said in a speech to the conference yesterday that it was not his role to identify individual councils' core services. Those in a metropolitan district might differ from those in rural areas.

Decisions made about the work done by local government was best made locally, he said.

"I want communities to really feel that they are a part of the local community and its governance ... They need to be able to see what is going on and to be in a position to hold their councils to account for spending their rates money."

- The Marlborough Express