Library opening changes
Just read that the council are considering cutting staff hours but allowing access to library users by a card and monitored via CCTV. Hounslow's libraries have always been excellent, but getting rid of humans and handing over to machines is, in my opinion, a step too far. All these things seem O.K. but what happens when something doesn't work properly? As it is we have been able to borrow and return books via a machine for a long time, but there are occasions when something doesn't do what it should and you need a librarian to sort it out for you. We are having this sort of thing foist upon us with no say, first of all those dreadful self- service machines in supermarkets, when did anyone ever consult their customers about them? Now some shops are concerned about the rise in shoplifting because of these, what on Earth did they expect? When it comes to library users they are pretty easy to contact and ask for their views, so what's the excuse for not doing so Hounslow? Our libraries are a precious and valued asset, and there is a drive to get more children to read, taking human beings out of libraries is hardly conducive to that, and our libraries offer so much more nowadays right across the age range, many people who are not online at home go there to use the computers, students use them for study areas, they are truly the heart of a community. This really is a retrograde step even for this council.
Vanessa Smith ● 54m0 Comments