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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Dalya Alberge

Millions wasted on attempt to create nationwide UK library website, campaigners claim

Laptop computers in a library
Attempts to bring together the UK’s many library authorities in a single website have struggled to make progress. Photograph: Panther Media GmbH/Alamy

The UK’s beleaguered public libraries have been let down by years of indecision and delays over how to spend millions of pounds in funding earmarked for a nationwide website.

This was among damning criticisms voiced on Saturday by campaigners who have lost patience with the government, the British Library and Arts Council England (ACE) over their longstanding failure to develop a nationwide scheme. The “Single Digital Presence” (SDP) – renamed LibraryOn – was meant to bring together public libraries in one website to enable the public to access collections across the country.

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