Lancashire's 'web over books' policy blasted by Hyndburn council leader (From This Is Lancashire)

Lancashire's 'web over books' policy blasted by Hyndburn council leader

11:05am Wednesday 24th June 2009 in News By Emma Cruces, Reporter

Coun Peter Britcliffe

A COUNCIL leader has criticised a Lancashire-wide decision to replace library reference books with an online service.

A restructure of Accrington Library’s services by Lancashire County Council has seen the reference book section at Accrington Library removed and replaced with an online database.

The changes will mean reference material can be accessed by users from home PCs.

The county council insists the most popular books will remain at Accrington while some ‘important materials’ will be kept as county-wide loans available on request.

They describe the changes at Accrington as 'modernising services', but Hyndburn Borough Council leader Coun Peter Britcliffe – and a leading local historian – have criticised the move.

Coun Britcliffe said Accrington Library should be treated as a central one.

“Many people feel that a library without a reference section is a sandwich without a filling,” he said.

“A town the size of Acrington should certaintly have one.

"We need computer facilities but not at the expense of books.”

Historian Walter Holmes, who spent decades researching the Accrington Pals with the late Bill Turner, said he found countless historical facts while using the reference section.

He said: “I have come across a lot of things on the internet which is either wrong or contradicted on another website.

"A book is clearly more reliable and most importantly, doesn’t change.

"Research is made very difficult when internet articles change all the time.

“However I would say they have provided two new microfilm machines of newspapers going back to the 1800s, so that at least is something.”

A spokeswoman for Lancashire County Council said each district would also have a dedicated community history manager.

Julie Bell, acting head of the council’s library and information service, said: “The development of our online reference library means more people and every member of staff has access to high quality, reliable, up-to-date information through hundreds of online books and Lancashire Lantern – the community history database.”