HISTORICAL and irreplaceable documents cared for at Skipton Library are not at risk under changes being proposed by North Yorkshire County Council.

A three-month consultation on the future of some Craven libraries is due to come to an end on February 8.

Under the plans, which are not due to be adopted for two years, Skipton will be a core library, while Bentham, Cross Hills and Ingleton libraries will become community run.

Supporters of Skipton Library have been warned volunteers will be needed to maintain its current hours, while professional staff will have enhanced roles helping the outlying community libraries.

But concerns that the Petyt collection would be lost to the town and perhaps sent to Northallerton to the county archives were scotched by North Yorkshire's assistant director, library, customer and community services Julie Blaisdale.

Ms Blaisdale told Skipton Town Council there were "no plans whatsoever" to move the any of the unique collections and that it was hoped to enhance facilities at Skipton making it a core library "centre of excellence".

But she did warn that cuts would have to be made and that if the community wanted its library to maintain its current hours, it would need help from volunteers.

The council is trustee of the Petyt collection and pays an honorarium to the library to care for it, including overseeing access to the public.

Ms Blaisdale said at Harrogate Library there were volunteers with local knowledge who wanted to be involved and she hoped that would be the same at Skipton.

"We want to look for skills in the local community, we see that as a way of seeing that Skipton stays a local hub," she said.

The last round of library cuts, which resulted in some, such as Gargrave, being turned over to communities in 2012, attracted around 6,000 comments, whereas the current consultation had so far attracted around 4,000.

Asked by a library user why none of the library staff was at the meeting and whether it was true they were not allowed to speak out, Ms Blaisdale said they had been informed before the start of the formal consultation. Formal consultation with staff would follow in the autumn when they would be asked to re-apply for jobs.

She could not say how many people at Skipton would stay in post, but added during the last changes to library services, only ten were made redundant.

She added changes, if approved, would not come into operation until February, 2017 to give communities a chance to make plans. They would also be assisted by the council's stronger communities programme.

Skipton Town Council is to consider its formal response to the consultation at its meeting next Thursday, February 5.