Crucifying a library near you.
News
Improving literacy through school libraries – Sign On San Diego (USA). “We cannot afford to lose the academic enrichment that a library brings to a school community … let’s choose to be a literate society”.
Beyond the fragments – Public Finance. Austerity is forcing sharing services between councils thus making councils less local. Government is shifting the blame to councils for closing libraries etc while at the same time still subjecting them to “endless Whitehall diktats”.
Disintermediation and its discontents – Scholarly Kitchen. Discussion about library purchasing, publishers and the lesson learnt by Britannica. “We have to stop talking to our customers”.
Librarians and Rome: Rules for the University of Gloucestershire c. 1943. – Johanna Bo Anderson’s Blog
“However, people who don’t own those devices [eBooksare left behind. Underfunded schools, for example, barely have funds for printed books, much less e-books, e-readers or laptops, educators say. “I hate to see our increasingly divided culture leave the poor further behind by making texts available mostly in unaffordable and impractical formats,” says Denver School of the Arts literature teacher Gregg Painter.” New way we read: ten ways digital books are changing our literary lives – Denver Post (USA).
Public library use – ALA (USA). Fact Sheet showing current state of play for public libraries in the USA. 82% offer wifi, three-fifths of Americans own a library card. Children account for a third of use.
Whither the dream of the universal library? – Guardian. Copyright concerns are preventing the digitisation of all printed works.
Changes to tally
Walsall – Libraries may be privatised.
News by Authority
Derbyshire – Library opening hours slashed – Derbyshire Times. 30 libraries will have reduced hours. £1.76m cut.
Enfield – Fight begins against possible Enfield library closures – Enfield Independent. “Hands off Libraries” petitions started by Nick De Bois MP (Conservative).
Enfield – “No library short-listed to close” says Councillor Bambos Charalambous – Enfield Independent. Councillor in charge of libraries suggested no library in particular is highlighted to close in seeming contradiction to the words and actions of others in the Council. One of the libraries highlighted for closure, Ordance Road, would be controversial as it is currently undergoing refurbishment, due to reopen April 26.
Gloucestershire – Rev. Keith Hebdem “We need to continue to speak truth to power” – FoGL. Matson vicar organised vigil with line ““Were you there when they crucified our library?”. Council has given up on volunteers running it and suggest people go to nearest other library “20 minutes away by car”.
Lewisham – Battle lines are drawn over libraries’ future – South London Press. Campaigners presented case to DCMS last week, the council defended them to the DCMS, and community groups put forward their case for taking over the libraries, due to closed on May 28th.
Lewisham – Would you borrow a book from these people? – Brockley Central. Interesting comments.
Liverpool – Central Library transformation makes progress – Liverpool Echo. £50m project, the new features will include a “Discovery” zone for children, modern IT facilities and a rooftop terrace cafe.
Suffolk – Promise of big changes at county council – EADT. New council leader seems to be aiming to tone down the radical divestment strategy of predecessor.
Walsall – Walsall council staff may be moved to private firms – Express & Star. Education and Roads already contracted out. “We need to look at outsourcing jobs. Let’s take libraries for instance, there may be someone who comes to us and says ‘we will run your libraries for you’.”
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