Little Common Library re-opens

As a result of their preparations, Little Common's library re-opened after the holiday without a break and under new management.

On Tuesday morning Town Mayor Cllr Joanne Gadd was back at Little Common Community Centre in her official capacity to cut the ribbon and formally declare open the newly-created community centre library.

Just seven weeks before Cllr Gadd had chaired a hastily-convened meeting at the centre. The county council was proposing to close its branch library. Petition forms were circulating and Little Common was bracing itself for a protest campaign.

Instead, volunteers proposed a DIY approach. Friends of the Elderly chairman Doug Upton arranged a 2,500 donation. Newly elected community library chairman Percy Pearson negotiated a 1,000 buy-out of the county's 1,700-volume book stock and storage cabinets.

The last official county session was last Tuesday. On Maundy Thursday and again on Good Friday volunteers including community centre chairman Jean Jeans and secretary/warden Mary Berryman (in her capacity as library treasurer) set to work, sustained by chips eaten with the fingers. Percy Pearson said on Tuesday: "It was a great party. All the volunteers worked over the Bank Holiday.

"The Town Mayor was a great stalwart writing out all the tickets.

"The reaction from the public has been really positive. A number of people who used the old library have made donations. We have received 500 so far."

The volunteers who have also received a 1,000 anonymous donation reckon it will cost 2,000 to 3,000 a year to sustain the DIY library, plus 700 rent to the community centre.

Shopkeepers who put closure protest petition forms on their counters are now carrying publicity posters in their windows. Mr Pearson says: "They're still very supportive. They are saying, 'That's great that's what we want.'"

It is planned to offer community library users tea or coffee at the regular Tuesday and Friday sessions.

Commenting on the success of the DIY project, he says: "I think we have been very lucky. I think we have got it just right. It was a big enough project to interest people and it's a local project so there's enough volunteers to run it we now have 23 where there were 18 before, that's enough for two per shift."

The Town Mayor's attitude sums up the feeling of many involved. "I always wanted to play libraries when I was little. . . " she said.