NSW librarians warn of potential closures

The NSW Public Libraries Association (NSW PLA) has warned that libraries may be forced to reduce services or close if current funding levels aren’t guaranteed in law and indexed to inflation, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

NSW PLA president Dallas Tout said financial security would prevent a repeat of the ‘unprecedented funding crisis’ in 2018, which followed decades of budget cuts.

While the state government boosted public library funding by $60 million earlier this year, Tout said only half of state government funding was protected by the library regulation. ‘If the per capita funding and all other components of the state funding contribution is not indexed to cost of living increases, NSW councils will once again find themselves funding an increasingly disproportionate share of library costs, which may well lead to library service reductions or closures,’ Tout said.

The NSW PLA launched its report at the NSW Parliament on Tuesday.

Category: Library news