Volunteers invited to take control of Staffordshire libraries
Parish councils and community groups will be invited to bid for the chance to run libraries in Staffordshire from next week.
Council bosses have ruled that 23 out of 43 libraries across the county will be run by volunteers in future – not the council anymore.
Thousands of people signed a petition against the move to allow groups to run libraries. Bids can be made from Monday until July 31.
Staffordshire County Council's libraries chief, Mike Lawrence, said: "Each community group will remain connected to the county library service and have access to support and help over the coming years."
Assessment will begin in August, with recommendations made in September and the first groups taking charge of their libraries soon after.
The council has said that some community groups will take responsibility for delivering services as soon as they have satisfied the necessary conditions.
Others will go to a transitional stage where volunteers staff the library on a day-to-day basis.