Following the rejection of Great Lakes Council's application for a special rate variation of six per cent above the rate pegging limit of 3.6 per cent by Local Government Minister Kerry Hickey, the library is just one of many services likely to suffer a budget cut.

However, a proposed cut of $50,000 from the combined $104,000 budget of the libraries at Forster, Bulahdelah, Tea Gardens, Nabiac, North Arm Cove and Stroud has the Friends of the Great Lakes Library Service Inc (FOGGLS) up in arms.

FOGGLS president Audrey Semon said that unfortunately institutions like libraries tend to be taken for granted and are an easy target for budget cuts.

"This would have a dreadful effect on the quality of service and staff moral," Mrs Semon said.

"It would be very short-sighted to lower the library standards.

"Whilst the Great Lakes Library may be one of the busiest in the State, by no means does it offer the best services in the State. It should have a professional librarian dedicated to children and youth as well as provide a service to the housebound."

Mrs Semon said that the future cost to the community of a $54,000 budget cut to library services would be far more than just a dollar value.

"Public libraries are important centres of social interaction; they are a safe place to be and they play a vital role in life-long learning," she said.

"Most significantly, they are one of the few institutions which has a mandate to be available to all people, a huge cross-section of the community come through their doors.

"There is nothing exclusive about public libraries.

"Our area actually needs an improved and expanded library service, not a contracted one. Because of the large proportion of retirees in the shire we should be providing a service for the 'invisible community'.

"These are elderly citizens who very rarely leave their homes because of disabilities, as well as residents of nursing homes, hostels and retirement villages."

FOGGLS have called upon councillors and council management "to show vision and courage" and make no further cuts to the library's book budget, which already received a $20,000 cut in the previous budget.

"Stronger representations must be made to the State and Federal Governments to assist regional areas to have better libraries," Mrs Semon said.

"FOGGLS would be delighted to co-operate with Great Lakes Council in any such efforts."