Future Of UK Library Service

EDM number 248 in 2008-09, proposed by Kelvin Hopkins on 11/12/2008.
Categorised under the topic of Libraries.

That this House notes that UK libraries have made an essential contribution to the social, cultural and economic well-being of communities for the past 150 years and that more people in the UK visit libraries than football matches or cinemas; acknowledges that despite increased investment in the library service over the past decade, more needs to be done to keep libraries strong and central to their communities; therefore welcomes the launch of UNISON's report Taking Stock: The Future of our UK Library Service; supports the report's five point plan for a revitalised public library service maintained and improved by adequate resourcing and public funding, including empowered staff-shaping services in partnership with their local community, partnership working between libraries and councils across the UK, responsiveness to library users from all backgrounds and the provision of staff training and professional development; is confident that this fresh thinking will ensure that the library service can build on its past successes; and calls upon the Government to incorporate this plan as part of its current review of the library service.

This motion has been signed by a total of 72 MPs, 4 of these signatures have been withdrawn.