Archive for May, 2011

Lewisham Council have closed New Cross Library a day early in order to avoid a planned demonstration.  Children who came to take out books and students who came to study were met with a shuttered facade.  Over the course of the day, the front of library was covered with protesting notes like the one above.  Heartbreaking.  A group of volunteers wish to reopen the library but, faced with a bill for rent alone of £16,000 per year, they face an uphill struggle.

Meanwhile, 150 people formed a human chain around near-namesake Bromley Cross Library in Bolton as a protest against plans to close it.  The circling vulture of library closures moves on to another target.

467 libraries (399 buildings and 68 mobiles) currently under threat or closed/left council control since 1/4/11 out of c.4517 in the UK (for the complete list by area see the page “Tally by local authority”)

News

Councils spend £100m on taxpayer-funded credit cards – Telegraph.  “The revelations are likely to spark public fury at a time when councils are axing more than 170,000 jobs, closing libraries and cutting spending on care for the elderly. Council tax has more than doubled over the past decade as local authorities have insisted they are cash-strapped.”
Finding inspiration and companionship at the library – NYPL (USA)
National Libraries Day – Voices for the Library.
Pint of bitter and a juicy murder story, please, librarian – Independent.   “Chris White, from the Local Government Association, said: “The definition of a library does not have to be confined to a municipal building full of books. Opening up libraries in shops, sports centres, village halls and even down at the local pub means that far more people can benefit from the library service councils provide.”.  Very strong pro-library comments show what people think about this line of argument.
Top children’s author Philip Ardagh from Tunbridge Wells slams cuts to children’s library service – Your Canterbury.  “”I appreciate money is tight for everyone but it’s a false economy to make cuts to school libraries because it will have a negative effect on the rest of a child’s life.
A well-stocked library with a professional librarian is such an important service. Volunteers and teachers do the best job they can but they can’t provide the same kind of knowledge as the experts.”
Towards a 21st century library service – GEER,  
Why can’t intelligent writers talk sense about politics? – Independent. Christina Patterson completely misses the point of Alan Bennett’s comment about closing libraries being “child abuse”, repeating claims libraries are (a) empty (strange so many are protesting then) and (b) full of middle class people (why is that a bad thing?) and (c) better to close than cancer treatment units (reducing the argument to absurdity, this is the rightwing equivalent of comparing cutters to Hitler).

News by area

Bolton – Closing this library is not okay in our book – Bolton News.   150-strong human chain around Bromley Cross Library organised by 65-year old Janet Allison. 4000 (30% of total population of area) have signed petition to save it. Letter also covers same story – Join library and save it!.
Cambridgeshire – Yaxley residents unite in bid to save library – Evening Telegraph.  Large crowd of 100 upset by cuts in opening hours, danger to service and to library staff jobs.
Central Bedfordshire – Shhh it’s time for the Big Library Debate – About My Area.  Consultation launched on future of councils’ libraries.
Doncaster – Bawtry: Library support team to meet – Star.  Bawtry is on closure list, steering committee established to run it with volunteers.
Essex – County Hall cuts opening hours at 51 of its libraries – Brentwood Weekly News.  27000 responded to consultation and (unsurprisingly) chose less opening hours rather than closures.  Council is using this as justification to cut hours and hopes volunteers will help.
Isle of Wight – Latest – Alan Gibbons.  DCMS talkling to Isle of Wight council about closures.  Campaigner may get to talk to Ed Vaizey, pro-library councillors not allowed though.
Lewisham – Action at New Cross Library on Saturday 28th May – LACA.  Council permanently closes library one day early in order to avoid protest. 
Lewisham – A “big society” vision for New Cross library – East London Times.  New Cross People Library’s Committee has 20 volunteers and is looking for more, in order to reopen but rent would be £16,000 per year.  Also covered in Transpontine.

Oxfordshire – Libraries latest: huge u-turn by council – Oxford Mail – “Council leader Keith Mitchell said that protests against the county’s original scheme to cut funding to 20 of 43 libraries showed the public cared more about the facilities than services for the old and vulnerable”. Comment from same paper says “Let us be clear: this is a victory of people power through a campaign given star quality (and therefore the oxygen of publicity) by authors Philip Pullman and Colin Dexter”
Oxfordshire – Campaigners cautiously optimistic – Oxford Mail.  
Suffolk – Library consultation methodology FOI – wikiSuffolk.  Consultation questions and how the answers will be analysed.
Warwickshire – Community library groups are frustrated: help them understand? – What’s in Kenilworth.   Hidden costs of running a library is putting off volunteers. 
Wokingham – Privatisation plans for Wokingham borough libraries approved– Reading Chronicle.

“Mr Vaizey turned to a government press officer and said: “I’m not sure what to do. Can I speak? You are here to protect me from things like this.” Help! Ed Vaizey refuses to answer library questions – Camden New Journal

“I’m not surprised Ed Vaizey had nothing to say to the New Journal about libraries. If my government was responsible for destroying local public services and annihilating community libraries, I would stay quiet too.” Cllr Tulip Siddiq, Lambeth

451 libraries (383 buildings and 68 mobiles) currently under threat or closed/left council control since 1/4/11 out of c.4517 in the UK (for the complete list by area see the page “Tally by local authority”)

News

Alan Bennett condemned for “closing libraries is child abuse” comment – Mail.  Report, again, on the Newsnight article.  For the record, Mr Bennett did not claim that closing libraries was the same as child sexual  abuse although, admittedly, may would presume he meant it that way.
Circus Stars – The summer reading challenge for public libraries, 2011.  
Don’t write libraries off yet – Mature Times.  Summary of the situation in libraries shows councils have made some u-turns.  Also in the same issue is Shelve free drinks to save libraries. Suffolk has spent nearly £60,000 on free employee drinks that could be used a better way.
Government scraps duty to inform, consult and involve local people – False Economy.

Quotations about libraries and librarians – IFLA.  

“We see National Libraries Day as a positive day of celebration to promote the whole culture of reading for pleasure, information and engagement whether you read your traditional books or on your laptop or e-reader. It is time to make reading a universal culture. We want people to go to their local school or public library and use their School Library Service. Use it. Join it. Love it.” Support for National Libraries Day – BookSeller. 

Why don’t more author and publishers “get” libraries? – Loudpoet (USA).  Libraries offer things useful for the author/publisher that ebooks/bookshops don’t – they allow easy browsing, learning how to use computers, they offer a wider variety of stock – and so should be cherished.  However, few authors/publishers have really got behind libraries in the way that is needed fot them to survive.
Written answers and statements – House of Lords.  “No. We do not have any plans to revise the Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964. We believe the statutory duty on local authorities to provide library services performs an important function.”

Changes to “Tally by local authority

Camden – Volunteers will be necessary to maintain library service.   
South Tyneside – £10 fee introduced for using computers, free for under 18s and over 60s

News by local library authority

Barnet – Councillor Robert Rams admits Barnet library plans may not have “universal enthusiasm” after protest on Saturday – Times Series.  400 at protest at Friern Barnet on Saturday.  Councillor would welcome a talk with them.  Comments after article make an interesting read showing how polarised the debate has become – those people who don’t use libraries resent those that do or don’t believe they actually do.
Buckinghamshire – New leader of Bucks County Council talks to the Advertiser – Bucks Advertiser.  “Mr Tett also backed the county council’s decision to stop funding libraries and youth clubs and to make them volunteer run, saying that they could continue to be a success.”
Camden – “Help!” Ed Vaizey refuses to answer library questions – Camden New Journal.
Doncaster – Council want library views – Doncaster Free Press. 
Dorset – Weymouth: residents urged to attend library meeting – View Online.  “The obvious solution is to keep the little local libraries open but all this seems to be beyond the county council’s ability to comprehend.”
Essex – Library leaflet encourages scores of new volunteers – Yellow Advertiser.  100 people start volunteering (in the community, not libraries) due to leaflet.
Leeds – Joy as Leeds Library saved – Yorkshire Evening Post.   Rawdon Library’s closure delayed for a year.  ““We’ve won the battle but we have not won the war.” says campaigner.
Lewisham – Deadling looms for Lewisham library closures – BookSeller.  DCMS appears set to fail to intervene in Lewisham or even tell campaigners that it won’t intervene. 
Somerset – Friends of Somerset Libraries appeal – Alan Gibbons.  Somerset campaigners need to raise £5000 or their legal appeal about the closures will fail.
South Tyneside – Cash-strapped council to charge for computer use – Shields Gazette.  £10 fee introduced for using computers, free for under 18s and over 60s. “…tell South Tyneside Council that the plan to charge users for computer access is wrong. We don’t want to have to pay to access the internet. Not many other councils are planning this.”

 “Probably the single most controversial issue has been libraries.  Again we are listening to what people are telling us. And we are hearing that libraries are vital to communities across Suffolk. Not just as places that lend books but as social meeting points. A place where people of all ages are able to interact. Again our thinking has evolved. So, it will not be about closing libraries – but about exploring every available opportunity to keep them open. That is why we are considering the setting up of a community interest company that could work in partnership with communities to ensure that as many libraries as possible remain open and are able to flourish.”  Suffolk – New county council leader Mark Bee signals change of direction – Evening Star. 

Warwickshire – Future of libraries in Warwickshire: have you had your say? – Warwick Courier. Consultation ends on June 9th.  “There has already been strong interest from smaller communities threatened with the loss of the service who are preparing business plans with a view to running their own library with the help of volunteers.” 1500 physical and 1700 online questionnaires returned.
Worcestershire – Lottery grant may keep library open – Worcester News.  £1.49m spent on threatened library last year.  Council may need to pay back money to Big Lottery Fund if it closes it.  Report on library service presented to council today.

News

Children with internet access at home gain exam advantage, charity says – Guardian.  Lack of internet can mean a difference in a grade but there are many with no internet access and government aid to improve access has all but stopped. This article is examined from a library perspective by the Voices for the Library post  “Will library closures leave children behind?” which says “The belief that libraries are no longer required when ‘everyone’ has an internet connection is one of the driving forces behind proposed closures.  Such misinformation is endangering the economic prosperity of an entire generation”
Communities need money not gimmicks – Independent (leading article).  “As Phillip Blond, one of the original cheerleaders for the Big Society, has warned, libraries are closing now and there is simply insufficient time for charities or neighbourhood groups to get organised and take over the running of these valuable social assets.”
Dispatch from Iraq – New Statesman.  “That free public libraries are a democratising force is strongly apparent in Iraq, which suffered the near-obliteration of its libraries under the Ba’athist dictatorship.”… “As more of our libraries are closed down in the UK, it is instructive to remember just what an important role they play in a democratic society. In 1852, for instance, Charles Dickens opened the first free public lending library in Manchester, built upon the philosophy of providing “wisdom for all, regardless of background”.
Roy Clare’s last words – M&H. 
Top 20 Facebook apps for book lovers – Galleycat.  
Vital role libraries play in award winning books – Futurebook. Croydon local studies staff gave vital support in helping author of Sherlock Holmes book of the year. “It’s easy for us to forget the role libraries play in a world where everyone assumes that all facts are available on the web. Virtually all the new facts unearthed for this book don’t appear anywhere on the web and were buried deep in books and newspaper archives that are unlikely to ever make it onto the web.”
We’re not dragons in pearls, say librarians, we’re just misunderstood – Sydney Morning Herald (Australia).  New South Wales is the only state that mandates every school has to have a librarian, but funding decreasing as colleagues fail to understand their role.

Changes to library services by authority

Oxfordshire – None will close this year.  Funding guaranteed until 2012.
Wakefield –  Westgate Library to be opened in 2012, merged with Wakefield Museum.
Worcestershire – Council meeting May 2011 to be followed by public consultation, may include more volunteers and less opening hours, previous reports of threatened libraries unconfirmed.

News by library authority

East Riding of Yorkshire – Libraries buck the national trend – AboutMyArea.  Up 2% issues, 5% visitors. “East Riding of Yorkshire Council is committed to investing in libraries, which is demonstrated by the works carried out at both Snaith and North Ferriby libraries, which have modernised the venues.”
Essex – Voluntary charity tours libraries – Daily Gazette.   This does not appear to be involved in recruiting volunteers for libraries. 
Leicestershire – Library hours set to be reduced in cost-cutting measure – Lutterworth Mail.
Milton Keynes – Survey – Friends of Stony Stratford Library.
Oxfordshire – Libraries get a stay of execution – Oxford Mail.  Libraries will have secure funding until 2012 giving communities a chance to work out rescue plans for closing ones.  Also covered by the BookSeller.
Oxfordshire – Visits to libraries under threat increase 7 percent – Henley Standard.  Average county increase of 2%,
Sheffield – City leader attacks cuts “cynicism” – Yorkshire Post.  New Labour control of Sheffield has examined outgoing Lib Dem cuts – “For example there is the £1.4m for libraries, that was a single line in the budget, and they said no libraries will close. But what they told the library service was that they would need to apply that cut and keep buildings open, without any indication of how.”
Wakefield – Site share plan for library and museum – PSE.  Wakefield museum and library could be on merged into the new Westgate Library building.
Worcestershire – Library futures to come under scrutiny – Evesham Observer.  Council meeting this week followed by public consultation.  Increased “role” for communities, opening hours to be cut.

Amazon.com selling more kindle books than print books – Amazon. “We had high hopes that this would happen eventually, but we never imagined it would happen this quickly” says founder.
Birmingham City Council care funding cuts unlawful – BBC.  A legal decision with implications for protecting public libraries (which are a statutory service) – “councils can no longer take it for granted that they can keep on cutting back on social care – a statutory service after all – just because money is tight.”

“We delivered our folders to both the DCMS and No 10 as arranged. Huge thanks to those who turned out to help.  Better, that the police and authorities allowed us to stand right outside the offices of the DCMS.  Even banners were tied to the columns! All the books, not wanted by Lewisham libraries, were given away, with leaflets.  Plenty of photo calls, too! No 10 was great too, more photo calls!…” Pat and Peter Richardson, Users and Friends of Manor House Library. 

Danger of the Kindle Lending library – ORG Zine.   “‘Amazon now has more power than any other book company on earth. And yes, you damn well better be afraid of this.” 

“I was interviewing a pupil in a foreign country last week and mentioned how public spending cuts meant libraries were closing in the UK. He look bemused. “Why would anyone want to do that?” he asked. Answers on a postcard, please” Chalk Talk: Independent.

In defence of the library – Dan Zambonini. “If you haven’t visited a library for a while, I urge you to take 20 minutes out of your weekend and give one a try.”
Newsflash: print isn’t dead – Futurebook.  4% increase in US print titles (cf. 169% for ebooks).

Changes to library tally

Leeds – 13 to close (Allerton Bywater, Armley Heights, Belle Isle, Broad Lane, Holbeck, Ireland Wood, Kirkstall, Lofthouse, Osmondthorpe, Richmond Hill, Swarcliffe, Swillington and Swinnow) Rawdon and Cow Close libraries will stay open until March 2012 to allow volunteers time to organise takeover.

News by local library authority

Buckinghamshire – Council chief loses out in leadership contest – Buckinghamshire Advertiser.  “”I think they (Conservative members) just felt it was time to move on – there was dissatisfaction over libraries, roads and the school to transport issues – but probably no more than in other parties. I think some members believe the council haven’t dealt with these issues very well.”
Camden – Historians fear for the future of “irreplaceable” collection as libraries budget faces 25% cut – Camden New Journal.  Camden Archives based at Holborn Library may be merged with Islington Archives or closed completely.
Conwy – Conwy Council consults over libraries future – North Wales Weekly News.  7 out of 12 may close – consultation in two parts with “stakeholders” until end of May the a wider consultation in July. 
Dorset – Beaminster: library popularity on the rise – View Online.  “We accept that libraries serve many other purposes than merely lending out books but that is what most people expect of them. And on that basis, last year the county’s bigger libraries lost business, while some of the smaller libraries lent more books than in the year before.”
Dorset – Book loan figures from libraries slammed by campaigners – Bridport News.   Reduced usage caused by reduce opening hours.  “I am not overly surprised at the decrease in usage,” said Ms Williams. “Since we started the library campaign, we have heard consistently from the users of our library that they are not happy with the service operated by the county. The library is currently only open for 20 hours per week and we hear from all sections of the population that this is not sufficient.”
Essex – Cuts to library opening hours announced – Epping Forest Guardian.  No library in Essex will remain open on Sundays. [Comment below – thank you – makes clear that Sunday opening continues in some branches outside of the Epping Forest area]
Leeds – Rawdon Library gets stay of execution – Wharfedale Observer.  Rawdon Library will close in 2012 rather than in 2011. Friends group willing to take it over as volunteer run.
Leeds – Council presses ahead with Leeds library plan – but two get last-minute lifeline – Guardian.  Cow Close and Rawdon Libraries will stay open until March 2012 to allow for volunteers to take over. 13 others to close this year. Mobile libraries will serve areas.  Council Leader “many people at Allerton Bywater see the introduction of a mobile service as an improvement to the existing service, which was only open a few hours on a Saturday.  Reported by BBC as Leeds City Council to close 13 libraries.