Enniskillen Library RMG25
This Saturday protesters will gather at Enniskillen Library to campaign against the proposed cuts to the town’s library.
The campaign ‘Hands off Enniskillen Library’ has already had good support from the public and users of the library to keep existing opening hours.
The organisers are asking the public to sign an online petition against the cuts which they say will affect a wide range of users. So far they have had an excellent response, according to Fermanagh Council of Trade Unions official Donal O’Cofaigh.
The protest follows Saturday’s distribution of leaflets at the Diamond in Enniskillen.
The organisers collected signatures from the public for a petition calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to provide adequate funding for the library services in the town.
Speaking after the petition gathering Mr O’Cofaigh explained, “Last Saturday Fermanagh Council of Trade Unions and other progressives from across the county established a local campaign to demand retention of the existing opening hours in Northern Ireland’s libraries, in particular in Enniskillen.
“Since then, we have become aware of plans by Libraries NI to suspend the operation of the rural library bus service in Fermanagh during the peak Summer period for three weeks.
“For many rural users, particularly young children who represent its core clientele, this will mean that they will lose access to the library bus for up to five weeks as it operates on a fortnightly rotation.
“Libraries NI needs to provide the public with an explanation for this suspension as well as an assurance that they are not simply testing the water by seeing the public reaction to this. They must make a public commitment to reintroduce this service after the suspension.
“The consultation that Libraries NI is conducting on proposals to cut Enniskillen library opening hours by a further five hours is a fig-leaf exercise. The questionnaire seeks to pit one set of users against another by asking them to identify which hours to cut. Having said that, we recognise that Libraries NI management is being forced into taking these steps as a consequence of policies adopted by the NI Executive.
“We are asking members of the public to take the time to sign the online petition against cuts to libraries opening hours on change.org. The link is provided on our facebook campaign page. We will also be collecting signatures for a paper-based petition in the days and weeks to come.
“On Saturday 25th June at 1pm we will be holding a protest against the cuts at Enniskillen Library and would ask that members of the public attend to show their support for the retention of library services in the county.
“Anyone wanting to get involved in the campaign should contact us through the facebook page or by contacting their workplace trade union representative,” Mr O’Cofaigh concluded.
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