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“TLC (The Library Campaign, the national umbrella body for library user groups) confidently looks forward to the invitation to its own panel discussion with Liz Forgan. After all, no ‘people’ business trying to improve would completely ignore its customers (or indeed its frontline staff). ACE cannot afford to be out of touch with by far the most active and inventive advocates for libraries – library users.

And it would be unwise, at a time when drastic cuts are being forced on library managers against widespread public protest, to ask only those managers what a library service should be. For instance, the feedback TLC gets from local people in Lewisham gives a very different picture of its new ‘lively and flexible’ volunteer-run libraries.

Without some kind of consensus, the future will be chaotic. It should not be so difficult.For instance, the panel’s discussion on buildings begins with the familiar mantra that ‘it’s the service, not the building’ – and then every point made underlines the importance of the small local library. 

The real worry is the fact that this leisurely blue-skies discussion is taking place during the worst emergency ever to threaten the public library service – both at local level and in its role as a national network giving equal access to resources nationwide.ACE needs urgently to get to grips with this reality before it starts trying to ‘get thinking “not for tomorrow” but for 5 or 10 years’ time’.

We look forward to helping with this as much as we can – and as soon as possible.”

Laura Swaffield, the Library Campaign, in an open letter to Arts Council England regarding the panel discussion on the future of public libraries organised by ACE last week.

“There is increasing concern that Arts Council England should listen to the voices of librarians and library users in undertaking their “conversation”. Is the current exercise rather like the NHS ignoring patients when consulting about hospital services? While Liz Forgan has met with a panel of senior local government officers, ACE officials seem to be avoiding groups representing library users, local library campaigners and library assistants.” Desmond Clarke

News

“I think it is a great shame. It’s very sad what’s happened to the libraries in Brent. I read that Brent had closed more libraries than anywhere else in the country. Closing them is something that is actually avoidable as there are boroughs that have actually opened libraries recently.” Boris Johnson offers his support to Brent library campaigners – Brent & Kilburn Times.  “Boris Johnson has offered his support to Brent’s library campaigners – describing the decision to axe half of the borough’s reading rooms as “a real shame”.”  Brent campaigners say “With the kind of breathtaking chutzpah that is almost expected of our politicians, Boris has decided that he does indeed support our libraries. A year too late, and after they have closed. I guess there is an election coming.”

• Decline and fall of the Library Empire – Information Today (USA).  “The past 30 years of library history is littered with projects and plans and sometimes just dreams of ways the library might play a more pivotal role in the digital revolution that continues to transform the information landscape around us. Some of those projects never really got off the ground.” … looks at library experience in web directories, library 2.0, virtual reference, intermediated searching [no, me neither – Ian.], public access computing, ebooks. All of these have either failed or are showing signs of failing.  Writer is very knowledgeable and, interestingly, is Vice President of private library company LSSI.
• Ed Miliband speech to launch Labour’s local election campaign – Labour.  “In Newcastle, Labour councillors have kept libraries open, so families can afford to find a book to read to their children.”
• Ed Miliband launches Labour’s local election campaign – Conservative Home.  Article (slightly mis) quotes Public Libraries News to question Labour’s record in Newcastle. 
• Privatized libraries: not so bad for everyone – Library Journal (USA).  “Difficult to tell if it’s been privatized or not. Think about that one for a moment. For the people using the library, it usually just doesn’t matter. Oh, occasionally some patron who romanticizes libraries will wax poetic about the public in public libraries, but for the most part people don’t care. Being open to the public is what makes the libraries public, not where the library staff get their direct paycheck from.” … “Librarians oppose outsourcing library services because it’s bad for librarians.”
• Public Lending Right “not given in volunteer run libraries” – BookSeller.  Public Lending Right registrar says volunteer-run libraries not covered by PLR agreement but it is a “grey area” and will need the government to look again at legislation.  “Nicola Solomon, general secretary of the Society of Authors, said: “If PLR isn’t being paid by a library then the library has to pay for that use of copyright in another way or it is infringing copyright. If we saw libraries that weren’t paying PLR, we’d want them to be paying something analogous as recompense to authors. We’d have to do think about how to do it and how to enforce it.”.

• Which law are we talking about? – Good Library Blog.  “If the argument is that the only effective and proper place for the scrutiny of the Minister is Parliament, and not the Courts, then somebody ought to alert the Culture Select Committee to their role in the 1964 Act- there ought to be proper regular reporting to Parliament and the Act does need to spell this out. What is happening at present is public deception – the people believe they have recourse to a law which is affirmed by Parliament, but in fact this law is not protecting them at all. This is not because the law is wrong, but because the courts and our legal system are, apparrently, refusing to uphold it.”
• Woman battling to “protect” St Andrews may save thousands after court win – Scotsman.  Landmark legal decision means, potentially, that library campaigners may be protected from paying high costs if judicial reviews are lost.

Changes

• Bedford – Computer access will be charged after first free half hour.  
• Isle of Man – E-gaming firm PokerStars will fund mobile and family library for three years.

Local News

• Bedford – Local libraries to charge for use of computers – Bedfordshire News. “As of Monday morning, computers in libraries throughout Bedford Borough will cost £1.20 for every half hour they are used with the exception of the first half hour which will remain free of charge. There will be a 60p charge per 30 minutes for concessionary users including the elderly, under 16s and people on various types of benefit. Service user Mr Durant, of Elstow Road, Bedford said: “I think this is unreasonable and it demonstrates that the council tax freeze for this year is not what it seems as people are either being asked to pay more for things or pay for services which were previously free to compensate.””

• Central Bedfordshire – Library closure fear dispelled – Comet.   “Efficiencies will instead be made through reducing back room costs and investing in self-service technology.”
• Croydon – Council spends £40,000 on library consultant – This is Croydon Today.   “The authority told the Advertiser it had employed the “highly specialised” worker since the end of January to ensure “quality control throughout the life-cycle of the project” of privatising its libraries.  Campaigner says “”If the council is incapable of running its own library services, how can it be in a position to decide who can accurately oversee the process?”. Council says post is temporary but advert said permanent.
• Gloucestershire – Cynical and highly misleading: Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries comment on Gloucestershire County Council’s “new” library strategy – FoGL.  ““This is a deeply disappointing strategy.  With a few exceptions, GCC has duplicated the same proposals for individual libraries as the original review which was declared unlawful.  We believe that GCC has been running down its library service for a number of years, and these further destructive cuts simply continue this trend.”
• Library consultation flawed and misleading: campaigners – This is Gloucestershire.   “Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries (FOGL) claims the Conservative executive has cherry-picked the results of a second consultation about increasing the use of volunteers.”
• Desperate plea from a Gloucestershire community to Council Leader Mark Hawthorne – FoGL.  Lechlade furious over being misrepresented in media reports. 
• Isle of Man –  E-gaming firm to fund Manx library service – BBC.  “Pokerstars, which has headquarters in Onchan, will fund the family and mobile service for the next three years.”
• Manx Education Foundation confirms library funding from PokerStars – Energy FM. “The non-profit Manx Education Foundation has confirmed it’s secured private sector funding from  PokerStars. The company would fund the libraries for the next three years. Staff and current service levels would be maintained.”
• Warwickshire – Baddesley Ensor Library to go live – Warwickshire News.   “The library closed on 23 March with the community group then taking over its management and opening a new service at the Village Hall which is to become the village hub.  Working with county and borough councils, as well as the community and voluntary sectors, the building is to be a community hub with a café, IT  suite, parish office, broadband throughout the building ,a  cinema and both adults’ and children’s library.”
• Mobile library services goes to Kingsbury – Warwickshire Council.   “Kingsbury Library closes at the end of the month and the mobile library service has announced that it will be stopping at two venues in the town every Wednesday.”

• To provide unbiased access to info.  
• To promote community and civic engagement
• Role in promoting health.  
• Digital access.
• Contribute to get people back into work/volunteering/increase skills/learning.  This is “absolutely core”.

• No longer transactional [that is, not based on stamping out books – although this was not explained in the discussion] but moving to transformational [presumably, this means, improving people’s life chances].
• Generate prosperity.
• Force for social change. 
• Libraries can be a space for busineesea and entrepreneurs,  providing meeting space, patent clinics, inventor clinics.  
• In the larger cities, libraries can in the future supply 3D printing and fab-labs 
• Community spaces for all sorts of different things.
• Libraries will increasingly work with communities, where “anything can happen”.  Libraries will be very different “two miles down the road”. Volunteers can deliver more so “every neighbourhood is different” and evert library will be different.  We need to employ people who positively react to community and allow libraries to be places which  “people can recognise as their own space”.

• Teachers teach children to read but libraries allow them to practice the skill “and the only way you get better is to practice it”.  Without libraries, if one has a bad experience at school, then one doesn’t become a good reader.  The Summer Reading Challenge and library books allow a second chance to those who failed to pick up literacy skills in school.  This second chance continues with adults.  Libraries allow self-direction for their users, where the public can control the pace of learning.
• Another great reason for libraries doing these activities is that they, unlike every other cultural/council building, are part of the daily routine.  One can go in for reading, photocopying, coffee, rhymetime … no matter what age or background one is.  Other cultural institutions are more a “special event”.
• Libraries provide a shop window for others.  This can be seen in their role encouraging people back into learning.  Other venues may feel quite scary and remote.  Libraries are local. 

The four core purposes of libraries are Learning, Literacy, Community Spaces, Information. 

• Libraries are provided by local authorities so need to have a responsibility to make life better for people.  Howeverm within this,  “the sky’s the limit” as long as framed by core needs.  “The ambition is to create surprises.”
• There also needs to be an element of free at the point of provision.  This is very important, especially with the current inequality and recession.

• Don’t concentrate on the building, concentrate on the service.  Be able to respond to the needs of the community.  Some services don’t need buildings at all, for instance, online and ebooks.
• In Lewisham, small community libraries have become more lively and flexible enough to adapt to needs of local communities e.g. Eco Computers recycle IT. They donate computers to local residents, train residents and add broadband to people’s homes.  The council “could not sustain” these buildings and the local community [in fact, a local non-profit company].  Local communities are “exploding the concept” of what libraries should be and “making the building their building” [See New Cross People’s Library, and Blackheath] . 
• The civic space of libraries can be “infinitely flexible” but needs to be local.  doorway.
• In Staffordshire, they use libraries as “touchdown centres” (as in Derbyshire) where wifi means other workers (especially council) can use them.  This means financial savings as other council offices can be closed down. 
• “loads of new libraries” are being built in all sizes.  There “is an attachment to buildings” but a “new offer” for users inside them, presented in a different way.  However, they still do four core things. 

• Less and less libraries are built “on their own”. Co-location with other services [such as One Stop Shops, health, tourist information, police]. is the order of the day.  This makes buildings more efficient and gives a chance to  “re-engineer the service”.  With co-location, the library service is very different and usually better.
• All libraries exist within a network.  A very small library can access the expertise of any other library in the country.  This has improved with the new technology. 

• In Staffordshire, money was reallocated money to a local arts grants scheme (up to £800) to put on local based arts.  This was linked very closely to libraries so if you want an illustrator or dance, then the library can be a venue.  This has generated enormous interest and library staff have been encouraging it. 
• It will be a learning experience for libraries and “ticks all the boxes”.  We have to stop thinking about what particular services do, allowing locals to do it independently when it suits them.
• ACE can look at things with wider lens.  Liz Forgan saw a core of libraries with “weird things happening around the edge”. 
• “There are far more libraries than any other cultural institution.”.  Synergies with other types. 
• Communities are getting older and libraries reduce social isolation.  They offer something people can trust.  For example, one panel member mentioned Tai Chi at one of their libraries.  A lot of those people who went to that would not dream to go into the sports centre next door.

• We’re no longer recruiting librarians, just people working in libraries.  We recruit youth workers, events managers, experts in partnership relations and in commercial opportunities.  These are core skills for running a library now, not “librarian” as such.  We’re looking to “broker relationship”
• The key is to look at the person in front of you and engage the person, not just the straight answer to the question.  Pro-active and holistic, personalise the service. We’re going to allow people to do what they want.  “How can I help” is the key question. Core customer service skills. 
• Staff need to broker relationships [sounds good, unclear as to what it means, no explanation was given].
•  some traditional skills “no longer relevant”.  There are very few people needed in acquisitions, very few needed as cataloguers – new technologies do this.  “Once is fine” for classifying a book.
• We need to realise the challenges new technologies bring and recruit staff accordingly.
• Interact with community groups.  “partnership brokering” [Again, no explanation of buzzword give – I think this means talking to groups and trying to link them in the best way to other groups, resources.]
• For those who aim to work in our sector, we need a new core body of knowledge needed than what was being taught a few years ago.  Having said that, some of those skills taught then have simply changed names – the “reference enquiry” of twenty years ago is simply the same as “excellent customer service” of today.  

“We will see in the next ten years a move towards a positive relationship with volunteers”

• You don’t need librarians to do that.  You hire in an expert to pass skills on.
• The SCL had a debate on volunteers and decided that they “add a rich variety”.  Movement towards devolving services [that is, getting volunteers to replace paid staff] not involve [that is, having volunteers to complement paid staff].  “We still need librarian at the heart of it” [No explanation of what this means, considering librarians will not be trained as librarians any more.  Also, no idea of how many are needed.  Twenty? One? This is the same viewpoint shared by Ed Vaizey].
• Volunteering and fundraising is not the full answer. 
• Birmingham Central Library will have 160 paid staff with volunteers acting as guides, IT buddies and in conservation.  None will displace paid staff activities but we need to manage them properly. “If we can do that we add value to ourselves”.  They become our advocates.
• [There seemed to be the most underlying, though very polite, disagreement between the panel members here, between those who wanted to replace staff with volunteers and those who wanted to use them to add to a paid service.]. 

• No, it’s an opportunity.  The introduction of public access computers fifteen years ago was seen as a threat but “if we hadn’t have done it, libraries would be dead by now”.  Ebooks are now the same as computers then.  We can’t pretend it’s not going to happen.  We can see what is happening as there is not much reference publishing left e.g. Britannica.  – We provide resources to those who cannot afford it.
• Mobile technology is another big challenge for libraries.  It is now less about boxes on desks, more about wifi and mobiles.  How can we use it to make libraries better?  “The future is mobile”.  Whole subcontinents are moving directly to mobile.
• 3D printing will revolutionise our lives esp. Big City libraries.
• Arts Council can push forward opportunities e.g. set aside half of bookfund to ebooks through ACE negotiating with publishers [This would have no effect.  Pretty much all the big publishers refuse to supply e-books to libraries.  A Public Lending Right for e-books in libraries would be a pre-requisite for it, which Labour has signed up to but the Coalition has not]. Bulk buying may revolutionise services.  E-reader costs £80, if we bought millions, it would be cheaper.  Library spending power is incredible but we need to harness it.  Britannica only stopped when public libraries stopped paper copies [this seems to sit uneasily with previous point about Britannica no longer printing the encyclopaedia due to the inexorable march of progress.].  No individuals were buying them.
• There are perhaps five years aheard where large parts of the populaiton need to get online savvy.  They will come to the library.  We need to be cautious thinking everyone has an Ipad.  e,g, Race Online.  No point in superfast broadband if communities can’t use it.

• Gloucestershire – Library consultation ends – BBC.  4000 respond.  Council claims 82% agree with sharing buildings.  “The concept of using volunteers in libraries was also well supported.” Support for somehow sharing mobiles with other services. 13% completely disagreed with plans.  Final decision is taken just next week.  “The new proposal includes plans to keep nine main libraries open six days a week, 12 local facilities open five days a week and others run as community ventures.”
• Thousands respond to Gloucestershire County Council’s library proposals – Gazette.  “Cllr Mark Hawthorne, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “This was an extremely thorough consultation and I am delighted that so many people took the time to take part.”
• Libraries consultation: Library service strategy – Vector Research.  Long report into findings [which I have not analysed yet due to time constraints – Ian].  Gloucestershire campaigners have pointed out the following:

1. there is overwhelming support for retaining the mobile library service, a service that Gloucestershire County Council would have been scrapped almost a year ago if not for tireless campaigning.  FoGL expect them to now to be granted a reprieve. 
2. the consultation report states that the cuts will have disproportionate impact on the elderly who are “twice as likely to expect negative impacts as a result of the implementation of the strategy”.  This is very important considering the reasons why the Council lost the court case last time.
3. The statistics Gloucestershire County Council quotes, in an effort to justify the cuts, need to be considered with caution, as they do not provide the full picture. For example, the consultation report shows that there was particular opposition to the community library proposals in Minchinhampton Library, Lechlade Library and Brockworth, 3 of the areas that are set to have their county library service withdrawn and replaced with the volunteer run model.  
4. Most interestingly, especially considering the opposite view expressed in the media reports ““Although some people accept that the library service has to change because of the reduction in GCC’s funding, the majority feel that the proposed cuts are too severe””

“As we have been saying all along, the consultation was fundamentally flawed …16,000 people signed a petition against these plans. 6 others were submitted by communities. Significantly higher numbers than took part in this flawed consultation. The buck stops at Vaizey. He and his chums have failed us. ” Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries

Action to consider

• Comment on the blogs at the “Envisioning the library of the future” website or tweet your views with the hashtag #acelibraries if you wish your views to be included in this stage of the Arts Council England consultation on the future of public libraries.
  

News

• Guest Post #4: Creating curiosity for young and old alike, by Richard Veevers, Library Camp – Envisioning the library of the future.  “I’ve worked with scores of people in our library who’ve never used a computer. Whilst the majority are retired, we see an encouraging number of younger folk.” … “Some disappointed taxpayers have voiced their concerns at the suitability of the volume of noise generated by our Baby-Bounce, in the corner of the main lending library.” “Richard Veevers is a frontline librarian who helped set-up Library Camp.  Library Camp is an informal group of individuals passionate about public libraries who run free events to “debate, explore and learn” how libraries can develop and adapt.”

Changes

• North Somerset – 1 more under threat – Backwell Leisure Centre “Library Access Point” to close in April, replaced by mobile. £347k cut to service. Overall opening hours cut by just one hour for whole authority due to increase in self-service, volunteers.
• Warwickshire – Cuts in opening hours from April 1st.  Kingsbury Library closed, replaced by mobile.  12 branches to be volunteer-run by end of April.

Local News

• Barnet – Library campaign forced outside for activity afternoon – Barnet and Whetstone Press.  “Campaigners fighting to save their library have criticised the council after being barred from using its children’s area for a public event.  Members of the Save Friern Barnet Library group were prevented from holding a series of activities, including story-telling, a puppet show and an historical talk, at the library in Friern Barnet Road on Saturday afternoon.  As a result all the events were held outside and campaigners complained that the speaker and puppeteer were rendered inaudible by traffic.” … “Barnet Council said the decision was a child protection issue – but group secretary Joanna Fryer said that it had held at least four similar events in the past.” [How forcing them to hold the event by a road is safer for children is not adequately explained by the council – Ian.]
• Conwy – Volunteers need fund to run Penrhyn Bay Library – North Wales Weekly News.  “A steering committee has been set up to pave the way for Penrhyn Bay library to be run by volunteers with help and support from Conwy County Council. But the maintenance and upkeep of the Llandudno Road premises will fall on the voluntary organisation, says chairman of the steering committee June Heathcote. Conwy Council will continue to provide 3,000 books, four computers and 15 hours of staff time each week.”

“One idea for generating funding to keep the library running is a system where individuals and businesses can help support it for a small annual fee.”

• Gloucestershire – Outcome report: Focus group meeting as part of the Libraries Consortium held on 13 February 2012 – Gloucestershire Council. Gives some insight into councillor’s viewpoints. Interestingly, two fairly contradictory bits from this: “Members felt that it was not the role of the library service to be an education or social service” and “There was agreement that access to libraries/books was important. Books can help both with educational development and also general wellbeing.
• Kirklees – New Facebook campaigns to protest possible Colne Valley library cuts – Slawit.org.   “The Save Slaithwaite Library group and the Save Colne Valley Libraries group have been started with a view to informing and mobilising local people to campaign against the possible cuts to the library services.” … “Here’s the rub. Kirklees council has *already* made the cuts required by government to its services – yet it continues this programme of attrition and reduction, targeting a service that we will sorely miss when it has been left to rot.”
• North Somerset – Nailsea library new hours from September – Nailsea People.   Full breakdown of cuts, some of them quite serious.
• Warwickshire – Volunteers “vital” to keep library open – Courier.   “A cafe and community use are among ideas to attract people to Whitnash library – but there has been disappointment at the number of offers to volunteer. Opening hours at the Franklin Road library will be cut from Sunday April 1 as a result of £2 million cuts across the county’s service.” … “frustration with the library service, which she said had not made it clear how volunteers could help.”
• Shake-up sees new mobile library for Kingsbury and volunteers opening doors in Baddesley – This is Tamworth.   “As the shake-up of libraries in North Warwickshire continues, a new mobile service – replacing the library in Kingsbury – has been announced. Kingsbury Library closes at the end of March and the mobile library service has announced that it will be stopping at two venues in the town every Wednesday from Wednesday, April 4.”

• Envisioning the library of the future – Arts Council England.  “On this blog are a series of guest-written articles intended to invite your comments, conversation and debate to inform Envisioning the library of the future. This is part of a larger Arts Council programme of research and consultation that will help us to shape what libraries will look like in the future. You can also join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #ACElibraries.” but the site continues “If you have any comments relating to current library issues, please direct them to your local authority rather than posting them here.”
• Guest Blog 1: Libraries and social justice by John Vincent, the Network – Need to focus on the power that libraries have on levelling inequalities.  Libraries have a “fundamental” role.  The Network is a website that supports libraries, museums etc in tackling social exclusion. 
• Guest Blog 2: It’s been a while … by Antonio Rizzo, Lewisham Library and Information Service –  Imagines what libraries are like in 2022: library cards issued at birth, self-issuing books, all library catalogues in UK unified, “staff spend their days as navigators, trusted experts who help residents jump from Italian literature to numeracy skills, from story-times to sound recording, from homework clubs to javascripts… And these buildings, you should see them: they’re heaving with people who trust our expertise” … “Do you remember when we used to call ourselves ‘librarians’?”.  Lewisham recently opened the Deptford Library at Deptford Lounge. [On the other hand, last year, it withdrew five of its twelve branches from council control, with three given to a computer recycling/library social enterprise, one to Age Exchange and one to volunteers. Visits to these branches initially dropped by 46%.  A 21.6% cut was made to its budget.]
• Guest Blog 3: Focusing on poverty is risky but necessary, Jonathan Douglas, National Literacy Trust – Average income expected to fall by 7% by 2020. “Libraries have always had a bias to the poor” so the “prize is great”. … “they can turn lives round, boost relative social mobility and even stop the newly enlarged poverty footprint in the UK becoming intergenerational. They will also demonstrate their indispensible role in UK policy.”.  Libraries need to prioritise those on low incomes and the vulnerable at the expense of other targets. 

News

• Beyond the BookShelf – University Business (p.12-13).  Suggests linking university and public libraries and emphasises the need for using technology.
• Harriet Harman re-iterates Labour’s 2Mbps for all 2012 policy – Think Broadband.  “Broadband access for many will be made all the more difficult by cuts in libraries. According to the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, almost 600 libraries are threatened by this Government.”

 “In this country we all believe that healthcare should be free at the point of delivery. Literature, stories and poems are the same. It is not something just for rich, educated and privileged people, it is for all of us. It is our culture. Robert Louis Stevenson and Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl’s stories are for everyone, not just for everyone who can afford a book.” Michael Morpurgo in “Like the NHS, libraries are a vital free service for all” – London Evening Standard. 

• Public and academic library closures in the US, UK and Eire, part VI – Examiner (USA).  Looks at the lack of coverage of National Libraries Day in Kent, Croydon etc. Also looks at the role of the LGA which “made the breathtakingly irrational statement, “Closure of a library does not automatically mean a decrease in access to library services; with the exploration of on line and community delivery models, it can mean accessing services in a different way”.

Changes

• Cheshire West and Chester – Library staff have c.5% cut in pay on top of 3 year’s pay freeze.  
• Worcestershire – Opening hours cut (inc. Market Place Redditch 2.5 hours, Woodrow 1 hour, Wythall 4 hours), 28 to 30 full-time posts to go.

Local News

• Barnet – Protests over impending Friern Barnet library closure – Times series.   “parents and children protesting against the closure of a Barnet library held a small demonstration outside its entrance on Saturday. Members of the Save Friern Barnet Library group held placards opposing Barnet Council’s plans to shut down the service on April 5.”
• Cheshire West and Chester – CWAC union members take further industrial action in contract dispute – Guardian series.   “Nearly 50 per cent of libraries in west Cheshire closed their doors as staff walked out on March 24, with those in Northwich, Barnton and Winsford affected.” … “The new contracts remove pay enhancements for staff working weekends, overtime and bank holidays, as well as reducing the rate for working nights.” … ““For library staff it will be at least a five per cent cut and for care staff it will be much more. This is on top of a three-year pay freeze.”

• Durham – Outrage at “scam and trick” library exercise – Teesdale Mercury.   “Once hours have been cut, the council plans to hand libraries, together with leisure centres and other council assets to a ‘Non Profit Distributing Organisation’ (NPDO). Robert Stenlake from the Friends of Barnard Castle Library, who chaired the meeting, said the council is not consulting on this move.“They are not asking our views but I don’t think that prevents us from giving them,””

• East Sussex – Support for BookStart family scheme – Eastbourne Herald.  “Libraries and children’s centres in East Sussex are promoting Bookstart 20, a nationwide campaign to promote book sharing, and will also help celebrate the 20th birthday of Bookstart, the reading scheme that gives free book packs to every baby in England, Wales and Northern Ireland”  … “A series of story and rhyme time events and Bookstart parties to celebrate 20 years of Bookstart will be held at venues across the county for parents, carers and children to enjoy.”
• Kirklees – Council reviews library consultation plans – Huddersfield Daily Examiner.  Council may change the wording of parts of the consultation as “library supporters have expressed concern about the way the process has been carried out, accusing the council of trying to ‘hoodwink’ volunteers instead of providing the reasons and other options for the move.” 

“This just feels like they are throwing the keys in the door while they drive off as fast as they can.”

• Isle of Man – Funding hope for libraries – Manx Radio.  “This morning in the House of Keys, Education Minister Peter Karran revealed they may yet be saved through other means of funding. That is rumoured to be coming from Island-based e-gaming firm Pokerstars.” [yes, Pokerstars – did things just get surreal? – Ian.].
• Portsmouth – Libraries continue to prosper – About My Area. “We’re not closing libraries, we’re looking at ways to modernise them.”. Two branches may move/be upgraded.  “Portsmouth’s housing department will be funding the £90k re-fit of the Paulsgrove library site. “.  “Between 3-4% of residents use the library in its current location, and figures for the number of books taken out are well below what could be expected for the area. Residents raised issues with the current location in a 2006 consultation, citing concerns over the steep slope causing difficulties for wheelchairs, buggies and the elderly.”
• Warwickshire – Bedworth’s “honesty library” proves successful – Coventry Telegraph.   Not really: only 60 people used the facility in five weeks, with only 150 books taken out.  “The library is based at Bedworth Heath Community Centre and has been saved from closure by local residents following a Warwickshire County Council cost-cutting exercise.”
• Worcestershire – Library opening hours cut – Redditch Standard.   “”This is a type of small change that allows us to continue with a comprehensive library service across the county and although reducing opening hours in some of our libraries isn’t something we’ve done lightly, it’s clear that a slight reduction in service is better than complete and outright closures. We believe these measures will ensure we achieve our financial objectives in a way which inflicts the least disruption to our valued library users.” [Losing at least 28 full-time posts is not “a small change”.  It’s a large proportion of total staffing, probably a guesstimate would be a quarter – Ian.].

News

• £2.2 million boost for Wales’ museums and libraries – News Wales.   “The funding will also help modernise eight public libraries in Wales. Over £1 million will be allocated to provide modern library facilities in Caerphilly, Baglan, Pontycymer, Bettws, Chirk, Mold, Prestatyn and Aberaeron.” …”A key aspect of the library modernisation programme is to create a cultural hub in the community with flexible space for activities. Activities will include storytimes for children, free access to computers and Wi-Fi connectivity for mobile devices alongside the ever popular books in an attractive environment.”
• I’ll give money to save libraries, ex-Waterstones boss pledges – Independent.  “Someone needs to show leadership. Libraries in the UK need management. The situation is dreadful and getting worse.”.  Money could go to “A series of campaign groups have sprung up to support them and come up with alternative ways of running individual sites. These include sites in Brent and Lewisham, both in London, Gloucestershire, Somerset and the Isle of Wight.”
• Coates blasts UK library service as Bilbary launches in US – BookSeller.  E-books site will share profits with US library services but not with UK libraries as they are “not organised at all” as there are over 150 different authorities.  Instead, some profits will go to local campaign groups. 
• Comment from Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries [by Jo, who is an academic librarian] points out that they are not campaigning to control their libraries but, rather, for the Council to keep running them themselves. “We argue that breaking it up by cutting “individual sites” off so they are run outside of this network, by volunteers, is counter-productive, unsustainable, inequitable and a massive leap backwards”.  
• Comment from Shirley Burnham [non-librarian, campaigner involved for several years, starting with Swindon] says “The point I made yesterday was that private money is not the answer to a national problem and that DCMS must be urged by all to protect the public library service. Whether the firm pledging money were Bilbary, Boots or Brake Brothers, I’d have written in a similar vein.”
• Library campaign police – Good Library Blog.    Tim Coates describes comments in BookSeller articles as “yapping dog” and says the “professional library staff” campaigners can’t stand a word he says, specifically those in senior management.  “the ‘professional’ library staff, actually work in Town Halls and County council offices, and certainly remote from the library floor and counter. If we need to save money (and we do) it is from among the ranks of these people that the savings should be made. If we lost 20% or 50% of the ‘professional’ staff from public libraries, it would be no loss at all” [In the interests of declaring perceived bias, which I am trying, possibly too hard, to avoid,  I am a member of a public library campaigning group – Voices for the Library – which, although un-named, may be one of those being attacked by Tim in this article.  I am also a professional librarian but work at branch level and am at the most junior level of management – Ian.]
• Is this the kind of help public libraries need? – Infoism.  Notes that Tim was not always an advocate of e-books.  Agrees that Mr Vaizey and the Society for Chief Librarians has a questionable record on library campaiging. Concerns that (a) US libraries would appear to subsidising UK ones under Tim’s model, (b) councils should run libraries not volunteers (who lack expertise) and funding such groups will only encourage more libraries to be threatened in future.  “Whilst local authorities, national government and the SCL have arguably failed public libraries over the past few years, I am not entirely convinced that these proposals provide the best alternative.  At a time when library campaigners need to unite to fight library cuts and closures, we certainly do not need to provide local authorities with any more encouragement to wash their hands of local libraries and force them upon their local communities.”

• Libraries can prosper: if they can change – Independent.  “There are, of course, some libraries that are unfit for purpose. But those that use digital technologies as an aide, rather than treat them as a threat, more than hold true to their core purpose. And those that have made the leap are seeing visitor numbers rise, not fall. Britain’s libraries do not need closing but they may need changing. We can only hope that Mr Coates’ support can help many of them to do so.”
• Library crisis “like Beeching cuts to railways” – London Evening Standard.  “The Standard has set up a Save Our Libraries campaign. In the Commons, Mr Jarvis said the minister had “no vision, no strategy”. Mr Vaizey urged him to speak out over Labour-run Brent closing parts of its library service.”
• New chair of Arts Council to be appointed – DCMS.   “DCMS will launch a search for a new chair of Arts Council England following a decision by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt not to reappoint the current chair Dame Liz Forgan” … ““The next chair of the Arts Council will have to steer the organisation and the sector through another challenging period, in particular in increasing the amount of private giving to the arts and encourage the sector to make the most of technological changes.””
• Anger as Arts Council chief is forced to quit by ministers – Independent.   “Dame Liz never hid her left -wing views, which led to one arts industry expert to say: “This is a political move. She is a well-known left-winger. Perhaps the Government wants someone more in tune with its own views,” before adding: “This could well backfire.”

“This is seen by many to be a political decision as Forgan is perceived to be left of centre, was appointed by Labour and is the chair of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian and the Observer! Hunt wants to appoint someone with experience of private funding as he sees this as a future priority for ACE. A worrying sign of things to come?” The chair of ACE told to step down, a political decision? – Stop the privatization of UK public libraries.  

• Philip Pullman: Libraries are not just about books – Independent.  Author recalls meeting with Ed Vaizey, libraries minister: “He seemed to be listening; his eyes were moving and his responses indicated life. Yet he hasn’t taken any notice.”

“Libraries are different from schools, because you don’t have to go. Children can go there to read and it’s just for pure pleasure. This has all been a gradually declining mess. The library is not just about books. It is a place where people can go. Having that sort of space is very, very important in many parts of Britain, they provide social functions. These services are being torn from people who need it most.”

• University cash crisis hits historic women’s library – Islington Tribune.   “The world-famous Wom­en’s Library – formerly the Fawcett Library – will shut six days a week, be privately run or move out of its historic home at the end of this year, the Tribune can reveal. The board of governors at Holloway-based London Metropolitan University,  trustees of the archive, are seeking a “new home, custodian or sponsor” for the library’s treasured collections.”

Changes

• Derbyshire – 15 branches now have self-service.   Duffield and Whaley Bridge are having “major refurbishments”.  
• Dorset – £2m refurbishment of Christchurch Library.  
• Neath Port Talbot – £114k grant from Welsh Government for improving Baglan inc. children’s, events, wifi. 

Local news

• Bath and North East Somerset –  Council staff to get paid for volunteering – This is Exeter.  “B&NES said it expected the amount of time taken by staff in volunteering would add up to less than a full-time post and cost around £15,000 in the first three years.”
• Brent – Labour loses Dollis Hill seat to library campaigner Alison Hopkins – Preston Library Campaign.  “It is clear that a huge number of Brent residents are still very angry at Labour’s decision to force through the closure of half of our libraries in the face of massive public opposition.”. [The newly elected councilor is the Neasden representative on the Brent SOS libraries campaign and collected hundreds of signatures protesting against the library closure.]  Alison, retains the seat for the Lib Dems.

 

“These are shocking and saddening statistics – and exactly what was predicted by everyone in the Brent Save Our Libraries campaign. The only positive point is that Brent has not disposed of any of the old libraries.” Brent Liberal Democrat Leader Paul Lorber

• Cheshire West and Chester – Union action to close Northwich libraries – Guardian series. “Librarians will walk out in protest against changes to their contract terms and conditions.”. 
• Libraries staff strike: libraries to close on Saturday 24th and Saturday 31st March 2012 – West Cheshire Unison. “UNISON and other Council trade unions believe members have no choice but to take industrial action, given the Council’s refusal to negotiate. From April the Council is stopping paying enhancements for staff working weekends, overtime and all bank holidays, except Christmas. They are also reducing the rate for working nights. Staff contracted to use their own cars for work face reductions in car allowances of around £1500 per year.”
• Croydon – Half-baked news of Croydon Libraries bidders and campaigners concerns – Save Croydon Libraries Campaign.   “No one debates that the local press must have great difficulty verifying the real situation as Cllr Sara Bashford and Croydon Council are almost silent on the matter, pushing through the privatisation of all thirteen libraries, knowingly having only consulted with the users of less than half the libraries in the network.”.  Concerned over private companies making profit from libraries, lack and poor quality of National Libraries Day events.
• Shortlist of companies bidding to run Croydon libraries revealed – Guardian series.  Lists names of companies and briefly describes them.  LSSI quotes as saying “No longer will libraries simply sit and wait for their customers to arrive. They will be more proactive, more outgoing and offer the range of educational, leisure and cultural services that their communities demand.”.
• Derbyshire – Libraries to re-open after improvement – Ripley and Heanor News.   ““I hope people will come and see what is new, particularly those who have not been in a library for a while. They might be surprised. All 45 of Derbyshire County Council’s libraries have computers with access to the internet and books can be reserved from anywhere in the county.””
• Dorset – Charmouth: library roof to be refurbished before hand-over – Bridport News.   “Hazel Robinson, chairman of Friends of Charmouth Library, said: “In the case of Charmouth, it would have been impossible for the Friends to have taken on the library unless the roof and heating system were put into good order before the September handover. The good news was that this was agreed. “The bad news was that requests for set-up grants were turned down.”
• Work begins on the refurbishment of Christchurch Library – Dorset Newsroom.   “Work has started on the £2 million extension and refurbishment of Christchurch Library. It is set to bring vastly improved facilities, more books, and the creation of a new adult learning centre.” … “The project will increase the public library space by 60%.  The current floor area is 481 square metres and is serving a population of over 40,000.  This is little more than a third of the recommended floor area for the population.”
• Leicester – New chapter in hypocrisy – This is Leicestershire.   “How insensitive and hypocritical of the city council to be actively promoting the increased use of libraries at exactly the same time as it is closing some of them down!”
• Neath Port Talbot – Extra cash will boost security of collections – This is South Wales.   “Heritage Minister at the Welsh Government, Huw Lewis, said: “Our libraries and museums enrich people’s education and knowledge so it is essential that as many people as possible can access and enjoy their collections.” … “Baglan Public Library will receive £114,460 capital funding to help deliver modernised facilities. The money will be used for its modernisation programme to create a cultural hub and activities for children. Free access to computers and Wi-Fi connectivity for mobile devices will also be available. The funding has been awarded under the latest round of grants through CyMAL, the Welsh Government’s Museums, Archives and Libraries Wales division.”
• Northamptonshire – Andrew Carnegie-funded Kettering Library “needs £1m” to be restored – BBC.   “The council said it “simply cannot afford” to fund the work by itself, but has contributed £250,000 for the floor’s restoration and to enable the “grand entrance” on Sheep Street to be re-opened. An appeal by the Friends will pay for the library to get new plasterwork and redecoration, as well as work on the Collyweston slate roof.”
• Surrey – Library funding fight heard at High Court –  This is Surrey Today.  Summary of the main arguments used.