A KINVER councillor is calling for volunteers to come forward and help keep their library afloat.

The appeal follows proposals from Staffordshire County Council to revamp their entire library system which would leave some relying on volunteers to keep going.

As a result, 20 of the council's 43 libraries will be managed and staffed by the library service, while the remainder will be supported in the community.

Community groups have been encouraged to come forward and take responsibility for managing and delivering their local library service once they have satisfied necessary conditions.

Other libraries, such as Kinver, will go through a transitional stage where volunteers would staff libraries on a day-to-day basis, the library itself being part of a cluster which would have support from a member of the library staff.

Assessments of applications will take place in August with recommendations being made in September, with groups expected to take charge shortly after.

Kinver Parish and District Councillor Lin Hingley said: “We'll have to do what charity shops do and run the library with volunteers.

“We've already had a couple of volunteers come forward - but we need much more. It might be that people could do a morning, afternoon or evening session.

“Everyone who volunteers will be trained and there would always be support available. It might well suit someone who has recently retired.

“We did ask community groups if they were interested in becoming involved, but no one has come back to us.

“This is something we've been told we cannot bury our heads in the sand over - it will happen.

“Kinver has a lovely library and I would hate to lose it!”

The call for volunteers has been back by Andy Calloway of Kinver On-line, who said: “The library plays a very important part in the community and it's not just about books.

“They have PC's there which people who haven't got computers can get access to the internet and I believe they also hold training sessions there. That's why it's so important for people to come forward.”

Staffordshire County Councillor Ben Adams, cabinet member responsible for libraries, claimed no libraries would be closed as part of the process, saying: “The purpose of this review has been to re-energise our libraries after years of declining use and keep them relevant to the communities they serve.

“Part of this process is to understand each group's strengths and how their ideas will lead a library which will be responsive to the needs of the local community.”