Archive for October, 2010

CIPFA figures show library visiting and borrowing down, staff down, volunteers up – alangibbons.net – CIPFA figures showvisits 2009 to 2010 down 1.6%, borrowers down 2.4%, .1% increase in expenditure. Northern Ireland shows big increase in usage and expenditure.
10 points for public libraries from the Reading Agency roundtable – alangibbons.net
Lewisham – Protest march as 12 libraries about to close – South London Today, via alangibbons.net.  Tim Coates analyses the figures and suggests no Lewisham libraries need to close at all.
Devon – 1 hour Wii per day – BBC
Devon – New Ecotown of Cranbrook to include library – BBC
Dorset – £22.5m cuts probably to include libraries – BBC
FirstClick online introduction courses in libraires – BBC
Harrow – 34 jobs lost due to self-service – Harrow Observer, via alangibbons.net

In praise of physical libraries – Times Online“God put the rainbow in the clouds … so the viewer can see the possibility of hope. That’s what a library is” says Maya Angelou – NECN.Com
GUAM – 4 out of 6 libraries to close due to cuts – Guampdn.com
USA – library lends out Nook ebooks – Columbia Patch
USA Keith Richards plays NYPL “I love libraries”  – New York Post

Leicester – merged library will cost £500k but save £228k p.a. – BBC News.  Full info on Leicester council site.
Ebooks – BookSeller blogger attacks publishers “confrontational and regressive” – BookSeller
Oldham – one quarter off library budget – comments below article of equal interest – Oldham News
Hertfordshire / Cornwall / West Sussex cuts summary – BookSeller
Aberdeen’s £127m cuts plan includes libraries – BBC
Staffordshire meeting the future – self-service, wifi –  Staffordshire Newsletter

USA Hartford Libraries set up HartfordInfo.org, winning Top Innovations Award – Huffington Post

Libraries may be frozen out of ebooks from publishers – Guardian. Radio 4 PM programme discusses the matter (at 47 to 53 minutes).
Leicestershire – look at new library, staff losses, public fear less books –  This Is Leicestershire
Hertfordshire looks to cut library opening by one third as an alternative to closing them – BBC, with more information here showing mobile library routes in town will be cut.
New mobile libraries may come to Angus after libraries closed down – Press and Journal

HOLLAND – a “post-print” library – fastcodesign.
USA Chicago looking at vending-machine books – Chicago Sun Times
NZ Human chain moves books to new library in Hawaii – Hawaii News Now and a video of it is here.
USA Retaining the institutional knowledge of retiring staff – American Libraries Magazine
AUSTRALIA cuts in Liverpool libraries –  Liverpool Leader
USA Seattle gets collection agency to call those with fines – komonews.com

Libraries will be among hardest hit by cuts – Express, via alangibbons.net
Nottingham authors fight against 75% bookfund cut, 80 job losses – The Independent
US libraries have too few computers to meet increase jobseeking demand – The Economist
Lawrence library emphasises its many different roles in order to boost its funding – Lawrence Journal, US
Omaha librarian resigns after her work teaching English to immigrants is questioned – Omaha World-Herald, US
Library wants more Friends, summary of what Friends have done for them – Herald Extra, US