A GIRL has made an impassioned plea to county council chiefs for Llanfyllin Library to stay open.

Katie Finlayson, from Pen-y-Garnedd read out a piece written by her 11 year old daughter Rosie at a drop-in session on the future of the Library.

“Please don’t shut down our library - I come here every week hungry for more books. We have a big house, and lots of books, but I have read all the books that I would enjoy and some more besides, so I always crave more books, different books.

Despite the fact that most people associate libraries with books, a good library (which this is, as I’ll explain in a minute) also offers knowledge, access to the internet, and clubs/groups. You can learn from books and you can learn from the internet.

"Tell me, how would you feel if you couldn’t afford a home computer and you used your library – this library – for all your online stuff, and you heard that someone was trying to shut the library down?

"I come to a knitting and crocheting group here every Thursday, and I learn new things and meet new people through that. It’s also great fun and I love it.

"I know you want to shut the library down because of money, but what if the people using the computers are searching for jobs to pay taxes? They can’t look for a job without the library!

"As I said before, the library is about knowledge and learning. The library helps to educate you. People of all ages come here, from old people wanting to meet other people and get out of the house, to little babies who were brought here by their mothers or fathers. If you’re going to say that the school is for education, then I tell you this: All schools need a library. This high school has moved it’s library into the English department, so they are using this library as their school library.

"I hope all of this will convince you to save our library. If not; I hope someone else has something that will save our library.

"I know that this is sometimes considered a small library, but people come from other places to our library. There’s a lady who comes to our knitting group from Llanfair.

"Once again I implore you – please, please, please don’t close our library down.”

Last month the county council said ‘new ways of sustaining the service’ must be found, with Cllr Powell stating that the local authority was facing “unprecedented financial pressure” on services.