I like this clever phrase from the Living Streets website, which has chosen libraries as the first in its series of neighbourhood heroes.

Known changes to info on authorities/library funding/opening since last posting
Manchester – (Hulme added to closure list)  – Rack House, Barlow Moor, Clayton, East City to close.  Miles Platting and Hulme will close after “alternative provision has been found”.  I am of two minds as to whether this counts as 4 or 6 but, until certain, have gone for middle ground with the grand total.
Monmouthshire – all to stay open
Shropshire – considering Trust/Volunteer/Charity/Private management

Local News – all news is representative and not comprehensive
Brent – latest campaign update – Save Kensal Rise Library
Dorset – Michael Partington to play charity concert to save Puddletown’s library – Dorset Echo ““The opportunity to make these discoveries and profit mentally and spiritually from reading should not be considered a luxury but a fundamental right that every member of any community should be afforded.”
Isle of Wight – Political unrest explodes across island – Spoof
Manchester – Have your say on libraries facing the axe – Manchester Evening News
Manchester – Libraries consultation – Manchester council
Monmouthshire – 2.9% tax rise; all Libraries to remain open – Free Press

Shropshire – “Radical changes” will help Shropshire Council save £70m – Shropshire Star ““The library services are a good example and social enterprise and working with community groups. You might even get a partnership which includes the private sector.”
Suffolk – Don’t close Bungay Library – Luke Wright (inc. poem “The misspelled writing’s on the wall
they’ll sell the land for shopping malls, an ash of Dewey Decimals, it makes good business sense”)
Suffolk – Save Bungay Library – SustainableBungay
Suffolk – Villagers protest at Capel St. Mary’s library closure plans – 1200 signatures so far  – EADT
Warwickshire – Saving Bulkington Library – 3000 signatures collected so far – What’s In Kenilworth
Wiltshire – vote to decide fate of Aldbourne Library – This is Wiltshire

National News
It’s now or never for library leadership – BookSeller
Keep them close, don’t watch them close – Living Streets
Keys to success in managing service change (event) – Local Government Group “Come and join like-minded library practitioners and frontline managers, looking at delivery change.”
LGA hails innovative new library services – Public Sector Executive – [Lambeth is included in this – the same authority that seems to be innovatively sacking all its qualified librarians]
Letter to my MP – Girl in the Moon
Libraries remain relevant in digital age – Star (Malaysia) ““The Library has but one criterion for admission: curiosity.”
Library saviours or council spindoctors? – Scribble City Central
New models for library services in changing times (event) – Local Government Group
Prevent the abolition of the duty to protect libraries – Posterous
Protect the legal duty to provide public libraries – Girl in the Moon
Public libraries’ legal protection under threat – CILIP
Threat to 1964 Act’s protection of libraries – BookSeller
(The) Time for libraries is NOW – Walk You Home