PROTESTERS have gathered in The Square in Wiveliscombe as part of a campaign against the closure of the town library.

Some 150 people took part in the protest last Wednesday which featured the Wiveliscombe Ukulele Band performing ‘Where Have All the Libraries Gone?’, written especially for the event.

Townsfolk also had the opportunity to sign a big book containing hundreds of names opposing library plans and children made badges saying how important the library is to them.

Somerset County Council wants to make the library – which serves a rural population of 7,000 people and has 23,000 visitors a year – a community-run amenity or replace it with a mobile service.

Julian Mellor, who is heading the campaign to run the library as it is now, said neither alternative was acceptable – and highlighted the growing burden being put on volunteers.

He said: “Volunteers are already having to do so much to provide services that used to be run by the council. We are having to run Wivey Link to replace lost bus services, run the toilets and our own swimming pool. Volunteers are already doing a huge amount of work here and we are running out of capacity to take on even more.”

He said a mobile service calling in for an hour or two every week would not come close to replacing the library and it would not be able to replace services the library offers such as internet access for those who cannot get online at home and as a base for afternoon and evening events.

Mr Mellor said the possible closure could also affect people who do not have their own transport to get to the library in Taunton as the bus service was expensive and not very good. It could also affect shops in Wiveliscombe as library users forced to go elsewhere may use the town’s shops less.

The protest was staged during a consultation in the library run by the Community Council for Somerset and library staff. Visitors were asked how they used the service and about what they valued, and were invited to ask questions.

Mr Mellor added: “The protest was a message to the county council that the library is incredibly important to Wiveliscombe. If it closes, it will have such a damaging impact.”

Announcing a consultation into the future of libraries in Somerset last month, cabinet member for resources and economic development Cllr David Hall said 15 of the 34 libraries could close without community involvement to keep them running.

He added: “These are challenging financial times and we must put libraries on a sustainable financial footing for the long term, while still delivering a modern thriving library service across our county.

“Library services will continue across Somerset whatever the response from this consultation but our proposals highlight that keeping some libraries open may require community support.

“Where we are unable to keep libraries open, we will deliver library services in other ways such as via alternative venues or mobile library services.”