Cambridgeshire City Library was officially re-opened on Wednesday by Princess Anne after a £7.5 million renovation. The event also brought out a dozen demonstrators, who chose the occasion to protest government cuts.

Twelve members of Cambridgeshire Against the Cuts stood outside the newly-refurbished building with signs demanding “More Library Services. Less Bankers” and “Don't use our books to balance the bankers’ books.”

Tom Woodcock, who organized the day’s protest, explained that City Council recently voted to cut social services by £1.1 million, or 20 per cent, with much of that coming from library budgets.

Woodcock said, “I'm not denying the government’s deficit, but private banks received 1.3 trillion in federal funds. They're making money while the rest of us are working for far less and receiving far less from the government.”

According to Woodcock, cuts in library funding will mean fewer or no mobile libraries, increased fines, library closures, and reduced funds for buying new books. The cuts are expected to go into effect in the next fiscal year.

Despite holding the protest at the opening of the newly-renovated library, Woodcock emphasized that he was not protesting the library itself. “There are loads of positives about it. It’s an excellent resource,” he said. “But now we need to look after it.”

Sarah Whitebread, a County Councillor for the Market Ward, Cambridge, detailed some of those positives, noting that the new library “is really bright and welcoming, and the facilities are excellent.”

She added, “I think libraries are an incredibly important resource for any community – we’re very lucky in Cambridge to have such a good one.”

Nevertheless, Whitebread herself chose not to show up for the opening celebrations, because she “didn't think it was appropriate for the Council to spend money in this way when in this year’s budget they have made cuts to library services.” It is estimated that the event cost in excess of £1000.

Margot Eagle, a Library Supervisor, meanwhile was keen to talk about the new facilities at the library. “Everything is bigger and better,” she said.

According to Eagle, the re-designed library now includes a bigger cafe, public meeting rooms, exhibition space, a larger children’s area, more books, DVDs, music, and 75 public computers. The library has also formed a new partnership with the British Film Institute that allows patrons to watch archived television, film, and documentary footage.

Above all, “Princess Anne seemed very pleased with it,” Eagle said proudly. “And our community is too.”