Michael Gove’s 50 Books Challenge – Easy if you have money, or a library…

Changes by Library Authority
Barnet – 2 threatened (out of 16) – 1 to go as merge North Finchley and Friern Barnt libraries at “Artsdepot” site;  Hampstead Garden Suburb to close (books with self-service machine to be placed in local Institute); Bookfund up by £10k; £3m raised by selling off buildings (Finchley Hill, Church End, Child’s Hill and Grahame Park – to be moved into presumably cheaper buildings); 16FTE lost; £350k saving joint backroom services
Bournemouth – No libraries to be “cut” for four years if Conservatives win in May
Bradford – 5 announced will close on June 30th “saving” £70k.  £490k cut – £245k via voluntary redundancies; £50k via one floor of Bradford Central Library closing.
Newcastle –  12 jobs lost; charges introduced for book reservations, rise in fees.  NB article says 9 “closed” but “downgraded” may be more applicable so have not added to statistics (email if you think they should be added)
Oxfordshire – Review on closing 20 (out of 43) will end in July.

News – The Wider Picture
Authors raise doubt over Gove’s 50 Book Challenge – Guardian “children’s laureate Anthony Browne has said Gove’s aims are at odds with the library closures happening under his government’s watch. He declared himself “surprised” at Gove’s comments, “given that the government is cutting library budgets, and that programmes giving free books to children, such as Bookstart, are also being cut.”
Big Society – Opportunity or dog’s breakfast? – CILIP
Court rejects Google Books settlement – CNET
Future of library services in the Big Society – Conference, 21st June.
How to hobble the 1964 Act? – Shirley Burnham’s Blog
Marching for public services March 26th – UNISON
Michael Gove: pupils should read 50 books per year – Daily Telegraph
Mountain to climb on deficit is threat to growth budget – London Evening Standard “The squeeze will become increasingly visible to voters as touchstone services like libraries and Surestart centres shut their doors”
Restore library budgets to educate citizens, grow economy – Cap Times (USA)
Why we’re librarians in the first place – Save NYC Libraries
Will Self, Fire and Ire – Johanna Bo Anderson’s Blog

News –  By Local Authority
Barnet – Councillor Robert Rams speaks out on library review plans released today – Barnet & Potters Bar Times
Barnet – New library planned for North Finchley artdepot while Hampstead Garden Suburb will lose out in review – Barnet & Potters Bar Times
Bournemouth – council’s budget will need to be cut by £10.5m – Bournemouth Echo
Bradford – Deadline set for Addingham, Denholme, Heaton, Wilsden and Wrose libraries rescue bid – Telegraph & Argus
Bradford – Community ownership the answer? – Telegraph and Argus
Bradford – Another area looks at volunteers – Alan Gibbons
Cambridgeshire – Programme of meetings to debate future of libraries – Peterborough Today
Cambridgeshire – Save Cambridgeshire Libraries Petition – GoPetition
Camden  – Save Camden Libraries petition – Petition.co.uk
Doncaster – View from the front line: Gagged staff speak out – Save Doncaster Libraries
Doncaster – Save Doncaster Libraries on BBC Radio Sheffield – Save Doncaster Libraries
Flintshire – £635k benefits blunder – Flintshire Chronicle “This money could be better spent on protecting our libraries and heads should roll for this.”
Gloucestershire – Library housebound club volunteer: “We all need to realise how important these places are” FoGL
Leeds – Parish outraged by library gaffe – Yorkshire Evening Post
Newcastle – Newcastle Council introduce library charges – Chronicle
North Yorkshire – Library lifeline – Yorkshire Post “The proposed closure of many libraries in North Yorkshire is of concern to many people. Of greater concern to people who live in the smaller villages is the proposed death of our mobile libraries, about which we hear very little in the press or on television.”
Northern Ireland – Lionel Shriver will bequeathe money to libraries after her death – Culture Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland – Author’s generous legacy to beloved Belfast libraries – Belfast Telegraph “Libraries inculcate better reading habits. If you buy a book, you feel compelled to read it, even if you don’t like it after page 10.  If you take six books out of the library, you will only read the ones you like, and then you’ll go back for more and do the same with them.  You read more widely and more voraciously and become more discerning when you’re a regular library user. I firmly believe that”
Oxfordshire – Have your say in libraries debate – Henley Standard
Suffolk – Protest over cuts to Stowmarket and Debenham libraries – EADT (Stowmarket – 150 form human chain around library:  Debenham – 1000 protest inc Dan Poulter MP, 28 hour read-in)
Suffolk – Defence MP Nick Harvey visits school – Suffolk Free Press ““The minister was disappointed by the county council’s approach to cut frontline services, such as school crossing patrols and community libraries, at the heart of the community,” (see Alan Gibbons’ comments)
Suffolk – Library petition gains support – Haverhill Echo
Suffolk – Suffolk CC must come clean on library categories – Wordblog
Warwickshire – Brainstorming begins to save Harbury Library – Leamington Courier
Warwickshire – Public views sought on closure of Warwickshire libraries – Coventry Telegraph