News

  • Gove faces backlash after South West London libraries insist children are reading ‘proper’ books – SW Londoner.  Mr Gove worried teenagers are reading Twilight rather than Middlemarch.  Librarians see no major problem in Twilight: ““If a series becomes popular, such as Twilight and Harry Potter, there is a trend amongst young people to read that particular genre. We also find that there is a lot of crossover between young people reading adult books and vice versa,”
  • Has the school library a future in the digital age? – Cambridge News. On the face of it, libraries are facing extinction as they are no longer needed for storage and distribution in a world where students have iPads.  However, “It is my belief that the library has the capacity to enjoy its own renaissance. Because of the digital revolution it is no longer just about the printed book. As a space, it is about inspiring young people.”
  • Sumter may privatize library operations – Daily Commercial (USA). “fear services will go down and fees will go up. Members of the group and other residents packed the room during a regular commission meeting Tuesday in Bushnell, some holding colorful protest signs. “If something isn’t broke, why would you fix it,” said Sue Azia, a Village of Carolina resident. David Starnes, a Lake Panasoffkee resident, said he didn’t trust a for-profit company stepping in. “Privatization is closely associated with outsourcing and both have the potential of not only reducing the quality of services contracted, but also the loss of your publicly mandated control … Private enterprise is subject to influence” See also petition.

Local news

  • Aberdeen – Donside: Labour candidate challenged on libraries – SNP. “An Aberdeen City Council report from September 2012 instructed council officers to “consult on the proposed two community library models, reduction of opening hours and options for closure of smaller least used libraries and report back to this committee.”
  • Essex – New Library for Springfield – About My Area. “The project has been made possible by a partnership between Essex County Council and Springfield Parish Council and strong support for a local library from the community.”
  • Liverpool – And yet…thoughts on the opening of the new Liverpool Central Library – Alan Gibbons.  “The three-year renovation cost a cool £55 million. The result is stunning. From the dazzling atrium to the glorious Hornby Room, from the legendary Picton Room to the state of the art décor, it amounts to a new wonder of Merseyside. I remember the worn, tired giant I used to visit and it is glorious to see it rising from the shabby decline into which it had fallen. And yet…and yet… There is a sub-plot to this apparent success story. Half of Liverpool’s branch libraries are set for closure.”