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Irish Booksellers Association warns government about centralised library supply

The Booksellers Association of Ireland has called on the Irish government to reconsider its planned centralised national library tender scheme, due to commence in September, reports the Bookseller. The cost-cutting strategy to centralise library supply was first proposed in 2013. At the time, the late European Booksellers Federation president John McNamee warned up to 100 booksellers could lose their jobs, as many of Ireland’s independent bookshops rely on supplying local libraries. Other companies that specialise in library supply are also predicted to be hurt by the proposed plan. In a manifesto sent to all senators and government ministers, the association argues that although Irish booksellers ‘recognise the economic rationale behind the original decision’, it is in fact a ‘counter-productive move which will result in serious economic damage to small bookshops and specialist Irish library suppliers’. The manifesto also argues that centralising library supply would damage the range of Irish published material available in Irish libraries.

 

Category: Library news International