Proposals for the first staff-led Libraries and Archives Community Benefit Society (CBS) are being considered by City of York Council.
If approved, staff will own a third of the new CBS which will have exempt charity status. The new service will run on a five-year contract starting 1 April 2014.
Sonja Crisp, cabinet member for leisure, culture and tourism, said: ‘We made a commitment to ensure the future of our exemplary library and archive services, our public consultation showed us that residents biggest concern is that the libraries stay open, and this ground-breaking plan which is winning national acclaim aims to do just that. Not only will it secure the service, but will offer the best possible route for continued improvement.’
The proposals will be put forward to cabinet 16 July.