Sheffield deserves better than 'charity shop libraries' - Yorkshire Post letters

In the 1980s Sheffield Central library was the busiest public library in the United Kingdom outside of London.

To put that into perspective that means its central library was busier than Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff and other big cities outside the capital.

A few years ago the management of the library service decided in their wisdom to effectively abolish the reference library which formerly occupied what is now the Reading Room and downgrade it to a generic multi-purpose space containing odds and sods of stuff that the other parts of the library cannot accommodate - reading group book sets, art from the art groups on the shelves which used to hold hundreds of magazines and journals.

The music library used to occupy the room which now houses the multilingual book selection and remaining CDs and DVDs.

This used to have its own dedicated music librarians with specialist music knowledge, and a free CD listening post giving library users the chance to listen to latest or classic releases, as well as a plethora of music magazines to read.

On the top floors of the library the Graves gallery used to be open all the times which the library was, which up until 2014 used to include two nights a week open until 8pm.

The current management of the library and council does not seem to have a clue what to do with the building, or appreciate it's worth as a unique art deco central library, art gallery and theatre.

The 2014 "Future of Sheffield's Library Service" made headlines at the time for it's proposals to transfer the majority of the city's libraries out of the council's control into the hands of various established charities and voluntary groups started from scratch by local people.

Flying under the radar since has been it's mention of a volunteer programme for the remaining council run libraries and proposals to eventually outsource local studies libraries and archives.

In other words, there is nothing to stop the council management from recruiting volunteers to work alongside or replace staff at the staffed council run libraries, including the central library.

Proposals are also currently under way to introduce a new IT strategy which would reduce the number of library PCs available at libraries in favour of providing hotdesking space for people able to afford their own laptops.

You can make your own judgement as to what attitude towards those who need and rely on library services most displays.

Libraries are the gateway to our past and the key to our future. They should be treasured not demonised.

Library users in Sheffield need and deserve a professional service, not charity shop libraries.

From: Jenny Oakes, Balby, Doncaster.

More people should make use of their local library. They are ever more valuable as the price of buying books from shops like Waterstones goes up and up.