Those of you who read Jon Henley's excellent library feature in last week's Guardian will recognise the name Tim Coates.

He's the ex-boss of Waterstones and has been responsible for shaking up library services around the country, in a very good way.

VentnorBlog are proud to announce that Tim has agreed to come over to the Isle of Wight on Tuesday 15th, to impart his extensive knowledge on how financial savings can be achieved, the service improved and no libraries are closed in the process.

Having seen what's planned for the Island's libraries, Tim is really keen to get involved, bringing his considerable experience to help us all - Isle of Wight council, local councillors and residents alike - for the best solutions for the Island's libraries.

Where, when and why? The event takes place at Quay Arts between 6-8pm on Tuesday 15th February, yes, that's next week.

There will be a £2 entry fee to cover Tim's travel costs, not unreasonable given that he's providing his consultancy time for free.

The whole premise of the meeting is a positive look at what we can all do together to help maintain, or perhaps even enhance library services on the Island.

If you're concerned about the future of the Island's libraries, please help spread the word of this meeting, which we hope is going to produce some very positive results.

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