Alderney Library. Org

Comments about the Alderney Library made by Prof. Sir Norman Browse. (President of the States of Alderney)

Freely available books and reference works are an essential public amenity even in these days of Television, Radio and the Internet, and are especially important in a small relatively isolated island. Apart from a small annual grant and premises leased at a peppercorn rent the group of people, collectively known as the Alderney Library, have voluntarily provided a high quality library service for the residents and visiting holidaymakers of the Island of Alderney for 50 years. Any member of the public can volunteer their services. There are at any one time 40-45 volunteers. Their duration of service has ranged from 5 to 30 years. Since its formation this group has had more than 200 members. They elect a Committee, Secretary, Treasurer and Chairman to guide their fellow members' unceasing efforts to improve the facilities and run the library. They staff the borrowing and return desks, catalogue, repair and restore the books and raise funds for new books and developments such as the Children's section and facilities for the physically and visually handicapped. Over the past 2 years they have raised sufficient funds to build a new library.

Most members devote approximately 2 hours each week to their library work, many much more. One member once calculated that Alderney Library lends out more books per head of population than the government -funded libraries of our sister island- Guernsey. Nearly all of the long-serving members have served on the Committee and as an elected officer. Professional librarians who visit Alderney are invariably surprised of how a group of untrained volunteers run a library to such high professional standards. Without them, the 2,500 people who live on Alderney would have no library. No other Alderney volunteer has a greater or longer record of willing, helpful, never failing unpaid service.

(Prof. Sir Norman Browse. President of the States of Alderney)