Libraries fight to survive under tight council budgets

When councils cut their budgets, it's always libraries that have the spotlight put on them. As staff hours and numbers are cut, librarians are overcoming their reluctance to whisper about the value of their services. The value of libraries goes well beyond a book repository, and librarians are asking local body politicians who haven't stepped inside one for a while to take a good look at what they do. Times are tight, for local councils as much as anyone, so it's not surprising they're running a ruler over all their services. That includes libraries. From Auckland's Wayne Brown suggesting they could be staffed by volunteers; to Christchurch's Phil Mauger saying last month that community libraries were just "buildings with some books in them" as he proposed shutdowns; these community facilities seem to always bear the brunt of cost cuts. Reduced hours, staff redundancies, and closed doors on Sundays have all been on the agenda. Library lovers tend to leap to their defence, including author Rachael King who wrote an opinion piece in The Press championing books. But some librarians, while welcoming the support, are pointing out that libraries are far more than just book repositories. They're there for research from family histories to iwi claims and school projects, for internet services and photocopying, for providing a central focus for the community, and for just having a warm place to shelter. Today on The Detail Tom Kitchin speaks to south Auckland-based author David Riley who defends the vital role of libraries in society."It's such a powerful thing to be able to transport yourself anywhere in the world, in your imagination, with just a book in your hand," he says. David Riley writes books to engage young Māori and Pasifika readers."Nothing else can do that."We can watch something on TV, we can watch movies, but the pictures are provided for us. But when we read a book, it's all in our mind." Riley points out that books are very expensive, and the people who go into shops to buy them are not likely to be young brown people, or anyone from a low socio-economic background. "Where are they going to get books from? It's the library that provides books for free. If you take away that, our population is going to become dumb. It's the one place where people who can't afford to buy books can experience the joy of reading." One-in-three New Zealanders hold a library card and are active library users, says the president of the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) Richard Misilei. …Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details