The petition supporting the campaign to protect rural services was handed in by mobile library user Louise Bray and Liberal Democrat parliamentary hopeful Gail Coleshill.
The campaign follows concern that the council had intended to start a consultation on a mobile library route review which could have led to the end of the service in villages in the area.
Since then Cabinet member for Development and Major Projects, Councillor Terry Gazzard, has said he is asking officers to consult on other options including leaving the service as it is.
The petition was signed by villagers in Bathford, Compton Martin, High Littleton, Hinton Charterhouse, Wellow, Priston and Hunstrete with messages from people including teachers from Shoscombe, Wellow, Combe Hay and Midford.
Louise Bray, who relied on the mobile library service during a recent serious illness was pleased that the council was now proposing to consult on other options.
She said: “I am sure that many residents are relieved to know that the consultation on the mobile library route review will now include more options than just scrapping the village routes.”
“I hope the council will make efforts to consult residents and parish councils in all the villages presently visited by the library.”
Mrs. Coleshill said she was pleased that officers were being asked to look at alternatives and hoped the council would listen to the residents who relied on the mobile library in rural areas.
She said that the suggestion in the original papers that altering the route to make it effective by stopping for longer periods in certain locations would allow residents to make more use of it would have led to other problems with some of the locations not accessible by bus.
In the case of Timsbury, which had also been proposed for a longer time slot, there were no convenient bus services from many of the excluded villages including Wellow and Shoscombe.
She said: “Many of the residents who use the mobile library service are elderly, not car users, have young children, or have disabilities.”
“In my view these are the people to most consider when providing services in rural areas. We have seen the demise of post offices, shops and pubs in villages all over the area which leads to a sub class of people who have to rely on family, neighbours or social services.”
Mrs Coleshill said that the mobile library should be seen as an underused asset which could mean more than a book lending service but a communication link for residents unable to get to the council’s information service.
She is calling on Cllr Gazzard to not only look on a route review but also to look at how it can be used more effectively to bring council services to local residents.
Cllr Gazzard told councillors that as well as a survey among residents library staff would also be talking to parish and town councils for their aspirations for the service in future.
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