THE FATE of Tavistock Subscription Library has become caught up in the negotiations over relocating the town council.

The subscription library is a reference library, with a collection of old and rare local history books.

Councillors want to move it out of its premises at Court Gate to make room for the council, which needs a new home to meet health and safety standards.

The councillors would like the subscription library to move into the new library in Plymouth Road, due to open this spring.

But subscription library members do not want to move and say it would not be feasible to combine with the new library.

They doubt if there is any suitable alternative accommodation in the town. A meeting between council and library officials is to be arranged.

It is still not certain that Court Gate could be made suitable for the council.

If not, the library may be allowed to stay where it is, at least for the present.

Cllr Norma Woodcock said: 'The subscription library has a fine collection, but it is only used by a few people, and it would be marvellous if it could be available to all in the new library building.'

Cllr John Wright, said: 'I would like to see the subscription library in the new library so that the whole public could have access to it. It would be unfortunate if the council's intended move to Court Gate were prevented by the subscription library being there.'

But the library's secretary John Gale said: 'Many of our books are so old and fragile that you could not put them into a public reference library. Members need to have their own key.'

He said he would much prefer the library to stay where it was and doubted whether the building could be made fit for the council.

It would be better for the subscription library to link up with the town museum than with the new library, he said.

The Association of Independent Libraries has expressed concern that the collection could be broken up or find itself without a home, as has happened to other collections.

Julia Wilson, its newsletter editor, said: 'For this small but historically important library to be made homeless would be a great shame. I hope the town council will take the long-term view.'

She added that it was in a lovely setting and would look lost in a modern building.

A Devon County Council spokesman said they had received no proposal to house the subscription library in the new public library, but would be happy to look into it.

The library, founded in 1799, is the smallest and one of the oldest of its kind in the country and has about 80 paying members.

It has been a tenant at Court Gate since 1831 and members view it as a social club as much as a research resource.

l The new public library is running slightly behind schedule and will probably open in early to mid-June, according to county council project officer Chris Dyer.

He said it would have many more books, compact disks and videos, as well as more IT facilities, a meeting room, a bigger study area and a mobile library service.

l See letters on page 4.