What did the council finally agree to?
When Marston Council announced in January that the town library would close in March, few people expected a fight. Library visits had fallen by a fifth in four years, and the building needed £300,000 of repairs. Yet within a week, 2,400 residents had signed a petition, and a group of volunteers calling themselves the Book Rescue Team had begun meeting every Saturday morning. 'It is not only about books,' said retired teacher Mr Okafor. 'It is where children do their homework when there is no quiet room at home, and where lonely people find someone to talk to.' By June, the volunteers had raised £48,000 through cake sales and a sponsored read-a-thon, and the council agreed to a compromise: the library would stay open three days a week, run jointly by staff and volunteers. Critics say this is only a short-term fix. Councillor Hale admitted that 'the long-term future is still unclear', but the Book Rescue Team insists the campaign has already proved something. 'People care,' said Mr Okafor, 'far more than the visit figures suggested.'
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. To keep the library open three days a week, run by staff and volunteers
- Step 1: Look for the sentence beginning 'By June'.
- Step 2: The council agreed that the library would open three days a week, run by staff and volunteers together.
Answer
To keep the library open three days a week, run by staff and volunteers.
Why not the others: To keep the library open every day, funded by the council's own repair budget: Only three days a week were agreed, and the funding came largely from volunteers. To close the library in March as first announced: The closure was avoided, though only in part. To hand the library entirely to the volunteers: It would be run jointly, not by volunteers alone.
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