180 new libraries in South Korea, Dr Beeching in the UK

401 libraries plus 53 mobiles currently under threat or recently closed (List below “News”)

News

180 new libraries are being built in South Korea as part of a government campaign to promote reading. This is especially fascinating as South Korea is a very high technology country (with higher internet usage than most places in Western Europe). Clearly it thinks there is a place for public libraries in the future. While opportunities to read are being cut here (news today suggests school library services will be hit hard too), South Korea is going down a different road. Perhaps we can send them some of our bricks?

I have seen the second mention of Dr Beeching and the railways in relation to the library cuts. In other news, the £4 billion spent on the now (literally) scrapped Nimrod spy-planes would have kept the entire UK public library service funded for nearly four years.

Brent – community run libraries? “There is no way the voluntary sector can take this over” – Harrow Observer

Brent – most candidates in by-election mention need to save the libraries – Harrow Observer

Doncaster – “alternative library services” for those who lose their library – The Star

Dorset – 1000 name petition needed “We have a statutory right to have a library and I’m not going to watch the council take ours away.” – Dorset Echo

Dorset – campaigners letter to “bombastic” Ed Vaizey – Alan Gibbons

Flintshire – Campaign starts to save Halkyn Library (total saving £6700 pa) – Leader Live

Gloucestershire – libraries one of the top three things that affect older people’s quality of life – FoGL

Gloucestershire – national day of action – FoGL

Hammersmith and Fulham – Charge for accessing local history is shocking – Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle

Hampshire – “Library is a gold mine” – Andover Advertiser

Hertfordshire – cuts in hours – Watford Observer

Highland – no libraries will close but less opening hours, less budget, turned into a trust – Press and Journal