Gunnedah Shire Council will lobby the Liberal and Labor parties to support state funding of public libraries.
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Councillors voted at the recent meeting to urge Tamworth MP to call for a "sustainable" state funding model and write to Minister for the Arts Don Harwin and shadow minister Walt Secord to push for funding to mirror the rising cost of living expenses.
They also resolved to take a leading role in lobbying for funding and endorse the NSW Public Libraries Association's NSW funding advocacy information in the library and get involved with association activities.
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The association recently launched the second phase of its funding campaign after the first phase secured an increase of $60 million in funding over a four-year period.
The aims of phase two of the Renew Our Libraries campaign is to secure legislation to protect the funding already won, and ensure it won't decrease in value over the next four years.
In a report to council, Gunnedah librarian Christiane Birkett said without increased funding, councils would have to step in to keep the doors open.
"This is our opportunity to lock in the historic 2019 state funding increase for NSW libraries once and for all, thereby ensuring the future prosperity of the NSW public library network," she wrote.
"If successful, this will have a positive impact on library grant revenue in the future."
At the meeting, Cr Owen Hasler said lack of state funding for libraries had been an issue for "some 25 years" and urged his fellow councillors to support the motion.
"It's been very good that we've made some inroads in recent times but we have to keep up the campaign," he said.
"The fact that things aren't CPId is nonsensical. We just go backwards."