Scone Library Manoeuvring

SUE Abbott was angry when the Council sold the building which houses the library without community consultation and it was a catalyst for her becoming a Councillor at the last elections.

As a new Councillor was pleased to become the Chair of the library committee, but was surprised at the end of last year to hear the Council’s general manager, Waid Crockett, had stated publicly the Council had formed a position on the library and its role without her knowledge.

“Council’s position on the library which was news to me, was basically that Council’s decision was that libraries need to be more than about books and book storage, so that alarmed me and it clearly alarmed the community, I was in England at the time and I received a flurry of communication,” said Ms Abbott.

“I am a chair of the advisory committee and there is a community strategic plan being done at the moment and would imagine at some stage Council could discuss the relocation of the library and where it is going to go and it would be done at a Council meeting.

“I was surprised because we had not discussed it as a Council and I had been away,” said Ms Abbott.

“I think this is the sort of thing we need to discuss as a Council and as Councillors and we don’t even have a spot yet so why are we talking about what libraries need to become,” she said.

“I just get scared because having been in Britain the library decimation there is just unbelievable, they are the last free public space and if they don’t add up to the bean counters, they add up in so many other ways,” she said.

“The library in Merriwa is having a big revamp and there is funding for that and from what I have seen it is very exciting, but Scone library I haven’t heard anything,” Sue Abbott said.

Sue Abbott said she was surprised Council’s general manager had formed a position on the library.

At the last Council meeting Cr Abbott raised concerns regarding why the general manager had made the public comments and if there were plans for the library which had not been shared.

Mr Crockett responded that any plans for the library would be part of a strategic plan, which was currently being developed.