Sheffield City Council has issued a response to yesterday's cancellation of an event planned by Library Workers for a Brighter Future. The event was to feature poet Ian McMillan and was to take place at Upperthorpe Library in an effort to highlight the value of public libraries..
Richard Webb, Executive Director of Communities for the council said:
"We were approached by Library Workers for a Brighter Future, which is a group campaigning against library cuts locally and nationally. Our understanding was that they wanted to hold a workshop event in a library which would both celebrate libraries and be part of their campaign against cuts. We gave the advice that at this time, when Councillors haven't made any decisions about funding for libraries in the coming year, it would not be appropriate to hold an event like this in a library.
"Ian McMillan is a great writer and a great Yorkshireman. He's also a powerful ambassador for celebrating what libraries have to offer and is always assured of a warm welcome here. If something has got lost in translation here, then we want to put it right. We are trying to contact him and would be delighted to work with him to showcase what Sheffield's libraries do - and to get more Sheffielders to enjoy what they have to offer."
BBC Radio Sheffield reported this morning that they were refused permission by the Council to record a segment in a Sheffield Library yesterday.
Richard Webb, Executive Director of Communities for the council said:
"We were approached by Library Workers for a Brighter Future, which is a group campaigning against library cuts locally and nationally. Our understanding was that they wanted to hold a workshop event in a library which would both celebrate libraries and be part of their campaign against cuts. We gave the advice that at this time, when Councillors haven't made any decisions about funding for libraries in the coming year, it would not be appropriate to hold an event like this in a library.
"Ian McMillan is a great writer and a great Yorkshireman. He's also a powerful ambassador for celebrating what libraries have to offer and is always assured of a warm welcome here. If something has got lost in translation here, then we want to put it right. We are trying to contact him and would be delighted to work with him to showcase what Sheffield's libraries do - and to get more Sheffielders to enjoy what they have to offer."
BBC Radio Sheffield reported this morning that they were refused permission by the Council to record a segment in a Sheffield Library yesterday.