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Finding a warm welcome and navigating to a new life

Editorial

Malorie Blackman has been an excellent children’s laureate and it’s been a pleasure to follow her work over the last two years.  I’m saddened therefore that her tenure has come to an end but also really pleased that Chris Riddell is the next laureate, especially as he is so clearly (like Malorie) pro library.

Interlending has continued to be a hot topic on Lis-pub-libs and I have reported snippets on PLN.  This is due to a suggestion from one authority looking to end interlending in order to cut costs.  I know that some authorites have already de facto ceased interlending already so it is good to get this out into the open.  As budgets get tighter, public libraries are forced to re-evaluate their costs and what they can charge for.  Rather than making such decisions alone, such debates help better inform. Which is good because public libraries are supposed to be good at information but all too often councils appear to do things in vacuum.

Ed Vaizey makes some prominent appearances on this post. He seems to be reconnecting with public libraries, which is fantastic, despite the cynicism that this may raise in many quarters.  Sieghart and the Libraries Task Force can take at least partial credit for this, even though Mr Vaizey still has clear difficulty (as to be fair any politician raised in our dysfunctional political system would) facing up to the impact of cuts to the service and the reasons for it.

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Another window-dressing review … and more on the increasingly disastrous Cambridge “Enterprise Centre”

Editorial

Ed Vaizey has announced another of his reviews of library cuts, this time in Harrow at the prompting of the local MP.  It’s easy to announce such a thing, and Mr Vaizey, has done so many times in the past.  It’s especially easy because everyone knows, include Ed (and probably the MP who asked for it as well) that no action is actually going to be taken.  When the review comes out, it will say that the council has taken adequate steps and that the decision is up to them – Mr Vaizey is moving non-interventionism into some sort of art form – but the headline looks good in the local newspaper.

The saga of the privately run “enterprise centre” that is to take over the third floor of Cambridge Central Library, which has already included heated discussions about lack of involvement and worries over tax avoidance, continues with news that the Kora businessman that led the negotiations is disqualified from being a company director until 2019.  This means that the council will again have to have a look at the proposals, which only squeaked through amidst much protest last week.  More widely, the case shows how desperate councils are to hive off parts of their buildings or services to others in a bid to cut costs, with such desperation sometimes leading – as it appears in this case – to corners being cut.  We’ll see how it pans out eventually but, in the meantime, this is a salutary lesson to councils to do their homework properly before they hand it in.

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The Government will help those who help themselves

Editorial

Ed Vaizey has spoken at the Society of Chief Librarians conference, in a speech trailed by the Telegraph in the morning.  He made clear he’s in favour of wifi and of the national libraries task force.  He’s also keen on public libraries moving with the times.  All the non-official comment I have seen about this is of the “that’s easy for him to say” and “try that when you’re facing big cuts in budget” variety.  Certainly, we’re not going to get any funding or protection from him but, rather, he will support those who help themselves.  That’s also the spirit of the new Localities report (funded by Arts Council England) on income generation in libraries, which is worth a read, although there is no easy wins in it.  The message I took from that is that we may lose the ethos of what a public library is – and why people go to these wonderful free, welcoming and neutral places – if one has to chase income.

In a move I have not come across before, Northamptonshire is considering moving its library service into a non-profit along with other “well-being” services run by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Northampton.  This would put libraries in the same organisation as one offering dietary and debt advice, as well as befrienders and stopping smoking. Now, weird as that may be sound, I can actually see some point in that, being aware every day of the health giving and beneficial effects of public libraries. More to the point, the chief of the council is of special importance to public libraries as her is Paul Blantern, chief of the English public libraries taskforce. We can therefore see this thinking as especially influential, even though the council itself seems to bury news of the proposal, with none on the library webpages and it being clear that libraries are being part of the proposals only if you get to the twelfth question of the consultation.

This "green and pleasant" picture of the Kentish countryside was taken from Kemsing Library, Sevenoaks on Wednesday.  No ocean views but, still, what a lovely view

This “green and pleasant” picture of the Kentish countryside was taken from Kemsing Library, Sevenoaks on Wednesday. No ocean views but, still, what a lovely view

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Scottish national library strategy: North Yorks deep cuts: Cambridge Central

Editorial

Scotland is the latest country to give English public librarians an inferiority complex by publishing a national library strategy. As it says, this is necessary to give an idea of destination and direction of travel over the next five years.  We have nothing like it in England, although the Public Libraries Task Force is saying similar things about wifi for all libraries and the need to look at alternative methods of provision.

North Yorkshire is continuing its bid to lead the field in the latter, due mainly one suspects to having one of the most cut library service in the country, with the recent proposals being represented as an improvement on the original proposals, even though they include a reduction of £4.23m.  Even the biggest libraries will have a cut in staff of 40%, with most being expected to get by almost entirely on volunteers.  It’s worth noting that the success of the first wave of volunteer libraries is being touted by this council: while that’s great, I wonder how those volunteer libraries already in existence feel about their example being directly used as a way of softening the news impact of the loss of large numbers of paid staff.  I also wonder (though one suspects one knows) about how those paid staff feel.  However, of course, there’s no saying that the two are causally linked and it’s fair to say that the cuts would have come anyway, considering the depth of the austere budget imposed.

It’s also probably fair to say that, further south, the decision to let out the third floor of Cambridge Central Library to a private company as an “enterprise centre” was not well received.  Problems don’t just include the loss of space for a busy library but also questions over proper political process (with not one of the meetings deciding the issue before it went public involving a councillor) and even tax avoidance. Readers of Public Libraries News will be very familiar with councils approving unpopular decisions and this one has proved no different but it’s notable that it only squeaked through by one vote.  Far from being a role model for other libraries, therefore, Cambridge may become more of a lesson on what to avoid.

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CILIPS and Lincolnshire: one full week of public libraries news

Editorial

I was hoping to be in Dundee about now for the CILIPS 2015 Conference but a brush with gastroenteritis has put paid to that. This is a great shame as I find there is nothing better than being at a conference to get a feel for what is really happening.  Doing this blog has given me a good vantage point for what is going on but it is only ever that – a position to see what is going on at a distance.  To really understand what is going on, one has to speak to those involved and there’s little better than a conference for that.  I tend to adopt a talk to everyone strategy at such things that pays real dividends and builds up vital links.  I therefore recommend them to you, not least of course the CILIPS one because there is quite a lot of interesting stuff going on.  I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful CILIPS team for taking the news of my cancellation (I was down to do one of the optional talks) so well and at such short notice.  I hope to see them all in the future and express my thanks personally.

The hard fought campaign against cuts in Lincolnshire, which has already seen successful legal action and the threat of more, takes another turn this week with the announcement of the six bidders for the library service there.  The list includes one for-profit company (notably not a recognised public library “player” before) and five leisure trusts, including four which already run public libraries.  It will be very interesting to get to see who is successful and how successful they are in identifying ways of cutting the budget without cutting library services.  I find it curious no “big player” library profit companies (LSSI, Carillion etc) are on the list – whether this is because they’re not interested (with the profit seen as too little) or for another factor, I don’t know.

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The South West Has All The Best Library Views

Editorial

Many thanks to those who have sent in pictures of their libraries.  I thought my view of a pet shop from my office was good until I saw some of these.  It looks like, though, that the South West of England has all the best views.  The one that kicked it all off was from as South West as one can get, the Scilly Isles, and the ones featured today are from Devon and Cornwall.  Mind you, the Americans really took it to heart when I posted the picture on the ALA Think Tank (ALATT) Facebook group: have a look at the pictures here.  ALATT, by the way, is an informal and friendly group where librarians post queries, curiosities and funny things that have happened.  There’s nothing like it I’m aware of in the UK … but I have been tempted to start one up.  Let me know if you want to give it a try.  Email address as usual is ianlibrarian@live.co.uk.

I must also point out the great idea that is storyspheres.  This gives you a chance not only to show the items you want on the internet but also to add sound files to them.  So that a library user could potentially “walk” around your library virtually and listen to stories (or the relevant sounds of the place) as they do so.  I’ve plugged this a few times and I do think that it’s worth a go.  Have a look at the video below for further delectation.

Salcombe Library in Devon

Salcombe Library in Devon

 

 

Another view from the lovely Salcombe

Another view from the lovely Salcombe

Hayle Library, Cornwall

Hayle Library, Cornwall

Hayle again: imagine what it looks like when the sun is shining

Hayle again: imagine what it looks like when the sun is shining

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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South Ayrshire, Bromley … and a Herts Attack

Editorial

News includes the frightening news that South Ayrshire may be closing all their libraries. That seems like an exaggeration to me … let’s see what the real story is when it emerges.  Further south, Bromley is looking at six libraries being “community-managed”.  That phrase can mean a lot of things, from basically “volunteer-run” to volunteers raising funds for a mix of paid and volunteer staff.  In other news, the Guardian reminds Ed Vaizey that he has agreed to debate Alan Gibbons and lists recent cuts announced.  The one about Hertfordshire, though, understates the problem – it’s not just “cuts to mobile libraries” but rather closing all seven of them.  Finally, my thanks to Devon for this view from one of their libraries – it may not be on the beach like Scilly but it’s still darn good.

View from Ilfracombe Library - not bad, my friends, not bad

View from Ilfracombe Library – not bad, my friends, not bad

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The most beautiful library view in the world?

Editorial

Linda Thomas, the manager of St Mary’s Library in the Isles of Scilly has sent me this rather amazing picture of the view from her workplace window and has laid down the challenge to everyone: can anyone beat it? I’m looking for photos from your library so we can judge if there is any better view out there.  Send them to me at ianlibrarian@live.co.uk and we’ll see if Linda gets the kudos of Most Beautiful View From A Public Library or not.

St. Mary's Library, Isles of Scilly: Is this  the most stunning view from any library in the UK?

Is this the most stunning view from any library in the UK?

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Calm (ish)

Editorial

One week after the election and things are still quiet, although it’s hard to say the mood is optimistic …

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Literally taking the cake: Ed Vaizey continues, under new boss John Whittingdale

Editorial

Although utterly revolutionary in many respects, as those in public service can testify, David Cameron is very loath to change his ministers once appointed.  This can be a good thing – after all, they can learn their brief far better than if they are just parachuted in for a year or so – or it can cause groans across entire sectors who had hoped to get rid.  I’ll leave it up to you to consider which category Ed Vaizey falls into. He knows public libraries well but we know that he won’t ever intervene. However, it’s unlikely any Conservative minister would.  He’ll also put on the best possible spin on the situation, again like any minister. Tampering around the edges, as much as can be done with the prevailing belief in his party of minimal government funding combined with minimal government direction, will be what will happen. He’ll continue doing small-budget things which may at one extreme nudge national impacts e.g. over WiFi (with the first vacancies currently being advertised) or, on the other extreme, may do nothing at all.  So we know who we’re dealing with and we know he knows the service fairly well. We also know he’s agreed to debate Alan Gibbons, which should be fun to watch, especially now blood sports are (officially at least – although Mr Whittingdale is a keen supporter of fox hunting) banned.  Ed’s new boss knows libraries too and, while he may be  little distracted dismantling the BBC, he’s probably better than the uninterested Sajid Javid.

Of all the possible people that could have responsibility for the library service, therefore, under a majority Conservative government, these two (shocked gasps) are not the worst … and possibly some of the best that we can hope for amongst those eligible.  We’ll see how optimistic or pessimistic that statement is over the years to come.

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