Southport Library Closure

[Hilary]

According to the Southport Visiter Sefton Labour and Conservative councillors yesterday voted not to house a temporary library servicee for Southport whilst the present library, Atkinson Gallery and Arts Centre are refurbished. The reason it'll cost too much. The Liberal Democrats wanted there to be a temporary library.

At the present time noone knows or is saying what will happen to the present Local History collection housed at Southport Library. In fact noone is saying anything about what we happen to the stock or the staff.

Southport is furious!

Ed Officer

[HOLLY]

Hi - have a look at this - www.southportvisitor.co.uk

[MaryA]

I'm not surprised Southport is furious, we don't want to lose facilities, even temporarily but this is treating people and their jobs very badly.

Is this the one in Birkdale where your meetings are held?

If you know any contact details we could all write and ask the question about what temporary and long term plans are being made, a bombardment of emails and letters might provoke them to come up with something.

[42aitch]

Mary it is the town centre library on Lord Street. This is the one that holds most of the local history and reference library for the area. I don't know who to contact but I am sure that the more people who e-mail Sefton Council with their concerns the better.

I agree the library does need updating and repair but they must find somewhere for the books and important reference materials to be available for the Sefton residents within the town centre. I am not a Southport resident, but have used the reference library on numerous occasions.

Lets hope that it does not lead to them "losing" the valuable books and reference material like they did when they closed the old Bootle library and museum. It worries me also that the closure of Liverpool Library could go the same way and we will lose all access to any research material in the Merseyside area.

Eileen