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Readers tell libraries to fill shelf gaps
‘Only 5% of cash goes on books’
BOOK lovers are calling on the Town Hall to fill bare library shelves and widen the range of titles on offer.
Only five per cent of Camden’s libraries budget is spent on books, readers have claimed.
Critics have deplored the lack of a decent supply of classics, mourning the loss of complete collections of Shakespeare, Dickens and Chaucer. They blame investment in computers and “support services” for eating into vital cash for books.
Alan Templeton, chairman of Camden Library Users Group (CPLUG), told its annual meeting at Belsize Library that in the past year just under £380,000 is estimated to have been spent on books, out of the borough’s estimated £7.6 million libraries budget.
Mr Templeton said: “Camden spent five per cent of its budget on books – the national average is nine per cent.
“Almost 21 per cent of Camden’s budget goes on support services but what are they? We don’t know. Something is very wrong there and we need to take it further. There’s a possibility of transferring money from support services.”
Mr Templeton has challenged a council claim that more than £600,000 was invested in books and other reading materials in 2005-2006.
He said: “It appears this is actually the total material expenditure. If Camden has included audio-visual material in the new figure, it is attempting to mislead.”
One library user told the CPLUG meeting: “I don’t care what’s in computers. The most important things are in books. You can’t take a computer to bed and read.”
But a council press official said: “Camden library service is meeting the government’s public library standards targets for spending on books.
“One measure is how many new books a library service buys each year in relation to the number of residents – the national target is 216 and in Camden our figure is above that at 285.
“Support services costs cover functions that enable the library service to operate, such as finance, IT, payroll and administration.”
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