Negativity Around Public Libraries

I still see a large number of tweets reflecting on public library services and reflecting how they are being cut, mutualised, privatised etc.  The tone is summed by articles like this, which is written by some one who fiercely opposed Brent's own public libraries transformation.  Part of the problem is that the campaigners in these cases always seem to be relentlessly negative to all sorts of change.  In the aforehand example even self service machines are attacked. 

To mount a successful defence of a public service, you need to show that it is doing a good job and providing value for taxpayer's money.  Simply opposing all change, and not demonstrating how the service is delivering benefits to the public plays into the hands of your opponents.

I don't think that there is any difficulty in demonstrating that Libraries such as Brent's are indeed value for money .  Brent achieves this through precisely the kind of Council pay roll, publicly owned and fully staffed model that Alan Wylie (the author above) says he wants to see.