Dumfries reprieve 7, York Gardens saved (but services cut)
523 libraries (462 buildings and 61 mobiles) currently under threat or recently closed/left council control out of 4517 in the UK
171 authorities listed out of 206 in UK, 133 of those are on record as (at least) considering closing libraries or making significant cuts (list below news), 56 on record as not closing libraries in 2011/2 (list at bottom)
Known changes since last posting
Camden – plus 5 – inc. Highgate (previously listed as “some”)
Central Bedfordshire – 1 mobile library confirmed as closing
Camden – plus 5 – inc. Highgate (previously listed as “some”)
Central Bedfordshire – 1 mobile library confirmed as closing
Dumfries and Galloway – minus 7 – £256k cut (staffing, other), previous proposal to close 7 not agreed.
Wandsworth – minus 1– York Gardens reprieved – but with loss of librarians, community use of hall, loss of computers
Wandsworth – minus 1– York Gardens reprieved – but with loss of librarians, community use of hall, loss of computers
Local News – all news is representative and not comprehensive
Brent – two letters to the council – Good Library Guide (both useful for campaigners)
Brent – Brent North Labour MP Barry Gardiner slams Labour council over library closures – W & B Times
Brighton & Hove – Opposition united to defeat Tory budget – Argus
Bromley – 2 libraries (Penge and Anerley) to merge to save £90k, 800 petition – News Shopper
Camden – Tracy Chevalier and Julian Barnes protest over Camden library cuts, fears over Highgate – BBC
Central Bedfordshire – Sadness at libraries axing – Biggleswade Today (1 mobile library confimed to close)
Doncaster – Foul play in Doncaster Council – Save Doncaster’s Libraries
Dorset – Lyme Regis campaigners fight on – Dorset Echo
Dumfries and Galloway – No library closures, £256k staff cut – Scotsman
Gloucestershire – Vicar nails books to a cross over closure of Matson – This is Glos
Gloucestershire – Matson residents hold protest and vigil – FoGL
Gloucestershire – 43 community groups would be interested in 23 buildings – Wilts & Glos Standard
Gloucestershire – Video of Matson vigil – Youtube “Were you there when they crucified the libraries?”
Gloucestershire – Smoke, mirrors and double standards – FoGL
Islington – pants to big bonuses – Islington Tribune
Kent – Council embarking on an epic fail? – Thoughts of a wannabe librarian – RFID “staff times are not reduced”.
Lewisham – letter from Lewisham – Alan Gibbons
London – Mayor Boris Johnson considers library trust idea by London councils – Harrow Times “failing libraries should become not-for-profit companies” “I love libraries and I want to keep the libraries we have”, too late for 6 closing in Brent.
Manchester – Hundreds join protest march – BBC
North Yorkshire – Ed Vaizey in plea to York businesses – Press (minister considers tax breaks for private sector “philanthropy” to culture, apparently inc. libraries.
Sheffield – Trade union rally against the cuts – Indymedia UK “Banks aren’t lending, libraries are!”
Suffolk – Crowd gathers for Beccles library – EDP
Brent – two letters to the council – Good Library Guide (both useful for campaigners)
Brent – Brent North Labour MP Barry Gardiner slams Labour council over library closures – W & B Times
Brighton & Hove – Opposition united to defeat Tory budget – Argus
Bromley – 2 libraries (Penge and Anerley) to merge to save £90k, 800 petition – News Shopper
Camden – Tracy Chevalier and Julian Barnes protest over Camden library cuts, fears over Highgate – BBC
Central Bedfordshire – Sadness at libraries axing – Biggleswade Today (1 mobile library confimed to close)
Doncaster – Foul play in Doncaster Council – Save Doncaster’s Libraries
Dorset – Lyme Regis campaigners fight on – Dorset Echo
Dumfries and Galloway – No library closures, £256k staff cut – Scotsman
Gloucestershire – Vicar nails books to a cross over closure of Matson – This is Glos
Gloucestershire – Matson residents hold protest and vigil – FoGL
Gloucestershire – 43 community groups would be interested in 23 buildings – Wilts & Glos Standard
Gloucestershire – Video of Matson vigil – Youtube “Were you there when they crucified the libraries?”
Gloucestershire – Smoke, mirrors and double standards – FoGL
Islington – pants to big bonuses – Islington Tribune
Kent – Council embarking on an epic fail? – Thoughts of a wannabe librarian – RFID “staff times are not reduced”.
Lewisham – letter from Lewisham – Alan Gibbons
London – Mayor Boris Johnson considers library trust idea by London councils – Harrow Times “failing libraries should become not-for-profit companies” “I love libraries and I want to keep the libraries we have”, too late for 6 closing in Brent.
Manchester – Hundreds join protest march – BBC
North Yorkshire – Ed Vaizey in plea to York businesses – Press (minister considers tax breaks for private sector “philanthropy” to culture, apparently inc. libraries.
Sheffield – Trade union rally against the cuts – Indymedia UK “Banks aren’t lending, libraries are!”
Suffolk – Crowd gathers for Beccles library – EDP
Suffolk – Protest march to save Leiston library – EADT. 200 march
Suffolk – Video of the Leiston protest march – Youtube “Progress? the Victorians OPENED libraries”
Suffolk – Top authors urge library rethink – EADT “Suffolk Book League has mobilised” “Co-signatories include Esther Freud, Louis de Bernieres, Baroness Ruth Rendell and Ronald Blythe” “the whole idea of volunteering is that it’s not something that is thrust upon you.” (Esther Freud)
Surrey – libraries face uncertain future following Surrey county council– Epsom Guardian (11 to be closed/dropped ““This decision comes despite a council officer describing the potential savings as minimal”)
Walsall – two new mobile libraries – Bloxidge Tallygraph
Walsall – one of the best library campaign sites ever – Bloxidge Tallygraph
Wandsworth – Well done, we’ve saved the library – Save York Gardens Library (Facebook)
West Sussex – a library opens – Alan Gibbons
Wirral – a letter – Alan Gibbons (no closures, intro wifi, ebooks and information screens) “why do so many other local authorities keep claiming that there is no alternative to mass closures?”
Worcestershire – Volunteers could run Broadway – Evesham Observer
Surrey – libraries face uncertain future following Surrey county council– Epsom Guardian (11 to be closed/dropped ““This decision comes despite a council officer describing the potential savings as minimal”)
Walsall – two new mobile libraries – Bloxidge Tallygraph
Walsall – one of the best library campaign sites ever – Bloxidge Tallygraph
Wandsworth – Well done, we’ve saved the library – Save York Gardens Library (Facebook)
West Sussex – a library opens – Alan Gibbons
Wirral – a letter – Alan Gibbons (no closures, intro wifi, ebooks and information screens) “why do so many other local authorities keep claiming that there is no alternative to mass closures?”
Worcestershire – Volunteers could run Broadway – Evesham Observer
National News
38 Degrees – What should 38 Degrees do next? – 38 Degrees (the group some see as instrumental in saving the forests is considering concentrating on libraries – your vote could mean they do)
38 Degrees – What should 38 Degrees do next? – 38 Degrees (the group some see as instrumental in saving the forests is considering concentrating on libraries – your vote could mean they do)
BookTrust – Trust in books – KirstyLouMcQ (a mother and a teacher talk about Booktrust)
BookTrust – Ties in with Dolly Parton [!] to give free books to looked after children in Scotland – BBC
Ebooks on borrowed time – Guardian (HarperCollins limiting ebook loans to 26 in the USA – probably will do so in UK as well, claiming 26 loans is the average for a print book, nonsense says CILIP).
In support of libraries – Hundred dance moves per minute “The release of hundreds of librarians into society would be catastrophic”.
Librarians are bonkers, it is they who are closing libraries – Good Library Guide
Libraries – Spout (libraries are “a sort of large container of treasures, rather than a treasure itself” Griff Rhys Jones)
Library Ireland Week – Youtube (dominoes and libraries – may do this myself)
Public volunteers help Britain battle deficit – Boston Globe (USA)
Savage cuts by UK local authorities spearheaded by Labout – World Socialist Worker [“Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International” – wow]
Wil Wheaton in praise of libraries – Walk You Home
World Book Night – What Price? – Spectator
BookTrust – Ties in with Dolly Parton [!] to give free books to looked after children in Scotland – BBC
Ebooks on borrowed time – Guardian (HarperCollins limiting ebook loans to 26 in the USA – probably will do so in UK as well, claiming 26 loans is the average for a print book, nonsense says CILIP).
In support of libraries – Hundred dance moves per minute “The release of hundreds of librarians into society would be catastrophic”.
Librarians are bonkers, it is they who are closing libraries – Good Library Guide
Libraries – Spout (libraries are “a sort of large container of treasures, rather than a treasure itself” Griff Rhys Jones)
Library Ireland Week – Youtube (dominoes and libraries – may do this myself)
Public volunteers help Britain battle deficit – Boston Globe (USA)
Savage cuts by UK local authorities spearheaded by Labout – World Socialist Worker [“Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International” – wow]
Wil Wheaton in praise of libraries – Walk You Home
World Book Night – What Price? – Spectator
Print article | This entry was posted by Ian Anstice on March 6, 2011 at 10:16 pm, and is filed under Uncategorized. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. |