Archive for July, 2011

 

News 

• Analysis: The onward march of the leisure trust – ThirdSector.  Review of Trusts noting that granting charitable status was (and is) controversial “by permitting charities to carry out services that councils are bound by law to provide, such as libraries”.  Excellent (rare) report describing both the pros and cons of Trusts.
• Library Association welcomes Labour’s positive stance on free public libraries – Lianza (New Zealand).  “In this time of technological change it is crucial that the principle of freedom of access to information, irrespective of format, is enshrined in law. There is currently a risk that some local authorities will treat the introduction of e-books as an income generating opportunity”.
• Morgan to be Arts Council libraries director – BookSeller.  Nicola Morgan of the MLA will be new libraries boss, seeing her job as “an exciting new chapter” to “take forward libraries’ vital and enduring role in our communities in spreading reading, learning, and access to information.”
• Parents “must let children choose what they read” – Guardian. “make sure children talk directly to a librarian or a bookseller, while parents stand well back”. 
• Plans to move gov online “lack cyber-security” says MPs – Register.  “It said the efficiency reform group should continue to make online services accessible via libraries, which have recently faced closures and cuts, as well as through post offices and other public spaces.”
• Premier League Reading Stars – National Literacy Trust.  Chance for public libraries to receive major football backing free of charge. 
• Review of library statutory duties – Voices for the Library.  Government review of all duties (including the requirement for a “comprehensive and efficient” library service) now closed.  “The greatest numbers of responses, due to the campaign generated interest, were on: planning (including duties regarding allotments), children and young people, and libraries”… “we can see that support for public library services remains strong, which is extremely encouraging and positive, but at the same time there may also be a risk that these services can still be eroded via other routes.”
• Shush No More – Voices for the Library (Nilam Ashra-McGrath) – “who will listen to these voices? Will it be the mid-level policy adviser, fast-tracked through the civil service graduate scheme, who now finds himself in the midst of the library storm with his hands clapped firmly over his ears? I hope someone’s listening.”
• Travelling to Taiwan? Free public Wi-Fi launched in Taipei – TNW.  Free Wifi in all libraries in Taipei, to be extended to blanket coverage of the capital by end of year.

Changes

Cambridgeshire – 48% cut over 5 years inc.  29 out of 45 managers to lose jobs. 
Enfield – 20% budget cut.

Local News

• Bromley – Chick lit author Adele Parks officially opens Orpington Library with MP Jo Johnson – News Shopper.  “I firmly believe that people’s lives are enhanced by reading so it’s wonderful to see this facility available to local communities.”
• Cambridgeshire – Public libraries – Meandering the Bookshelves.  “The situation is incredibly tough – 48% base savings needed over 5 years, but their remedy seems akin to a bloodbath rather than just tough medicine.”
• Carmarthenshire – Library group in cuts battle – News Shopper.   “This is the eighth fortnightly gathering since Carmarthenshire Council announced the intended closure of three Gwendraeth Valley libraries — Pontyates, Pontyberem and Tumble — by March 31.”
• Dorset – Campaigners unite to fight Wool village library closure – Daily Echo.  Campaigners say it makes no economic, social or geographic sense to close the only static library, and one of the last public services, in an a largely rural area and one which is already part-funded by the parish council.
• Dorset – High profile tories back library campaign – Dorset Echo and Top tories back plan to keep Dorset libraries open – Daily Echo.  Local newspapers report support of Lord Fellowes and Oliver Letwin.
• Enfield – Council survey shows library closures possible – Enfield Independent.   20% budget cuts means closing (“consolidating”)  libraries “likely”.
• Gloucestershire – Court Hearing for Permission for Judicial Review against Gloucestershire County Councils drastic library cuts http://tinyurl.com/66aogzy Thur 10.30am (arrive 10am as security queue likely).
• Hampshire – Streamlined mobile library service set to be launched – Salisbury Journal.  “Streamlined” means “cut”. 
• Isle of Wight – Cautious welcome for Bembridge Library decision – Ventnor Blog.   Bembridge will have maintained opening hours until end of September to allow for volunteers to be trained – already this has included IT training and will soon include shadowing of library staff.  Users group would greatly prefer council to keep lease and maintain some paid staffing.  
• Oxfordshire – County libraries need your support – Oxford Mail.   “the public need to understand this is only if we largely staff it ourselves with volunteers. This seems very hard when other libraries, which cost more and are used less, will apparently be fully staffed.”
• Somerset – Communities in Somerset planning library takeover – BBC.  Bishops Lydeard and several others about to be taken over by volunteers, with free buildings, enthusiasm and furniture but not much else.
• Somerset – Reduced mobile library routes in Somerset revealed – BBC.  “Details of the changes will be sent out to mobile library users over the next few weeks. The county council has also said static libraries which could have their funding cut may be offered a mobile library service as a replacement.”  Also Mobile library cuts attacked by MP – Mercury 24. “Wells MP Tessa Munt described the cuts as “a grossly exaggerated response to the Conservative council’s aim to cut the libraries budget by 25 per cent over three years.” 
• Waltham Forest – Churches unite to fight library closure – Guardian Series.  “In this part of the borough we have a lot of elderly people who use the library services and by doing what it is proposing, the council is expecting them to travel further away.”  Conservatives accuse Labour council of wishing to close libraries in areas where there are few Labour voters.

“Sources, from with the Warwickshire Library Service, tell me there is no news, just a lot of anxiety. But they (being employees) are expecting to hear that the library management are likely to recommend all 16 library closures. This employee has been looking at survey results and not one agrees with proposals. The majority are vehemently against where others have questioned the consultation format. He/She concluded saying WCC have been canny, stating that they want Community Libraries rather than just closing them. This may of stopped any protests – shame as libraries really are doomed.” Warwickshire – Libraries overview and scrutiny meeting Monday 11 July everyone please attend – What’s in Kenilworth.  16 libraries face threat of closure, councillors have only three days to read report.

• Wokingham – Borough libraries are owed £55,000 – Get Wokingham.  “Mr Alexander said the money owed in arrears would be taken over by the new management company along with books which were already out on loan.”  

“Reading is origin of “taking the biscuit”. Huntley & Palmer gave free biscuits to 1st class passengers. Closed 1976. Tins in Reading museum”

• Beach fatties strain the limits of liberalism: as does the sight of our libraries minister exposing his feebleness in public – Independent (DJ Taylor).  Ed Vaizey is the only minister whose performance has been “unremittingly feeble”.  “The Bookseller recently described this Government as an “anti-books regime”. It is worse than that. It is anti-cultural.”. 
• Biteback – Sunday Times (behind paywall). “Richard Brooks, Editor of the SUNDAY TIMES Culture Section in his Biteback column ( Behind the pay wall) writes about Ed Vaizey being “in a spot”. “He has no direct say over cuts made by local authorities, which run libraries, but has the power to intervene if damage is being done. How and when do you define damage?” (courtesy of Desmond Clarke).
• Between the covers – Independent.  “All power to the Women’s Institute and its Love Your Libraries campaign, which is encouraging members to join their local libraries, lobby councillors and sign a petition. (David Cameron promised to hold a debate on any petition with more than 100,000 signatures; the WI has about 205,000 members.) We look forward to the film version, in which Helen Mirren leans across a naked Celia Imrie and says: “Lawrence, we’re going to need considerably bigger John Bunyans.” 
• Debate about cuts is obscuring the real problem about public libraries – Good Libraries Blog.  Tim Coates blames the management of libraries – need more books, more opening hours, less managers, better book supply… “the real problems of the library service we are defending it for what it ought to be like and not what it is like”. 
• Great purge of our libraries – Quadrant (Australia).   Removing books from academic libraries due to digitisation means world vulnerable to cyber-attack, censorship and the loss of vital works.  Compares the currrent situation to the burning of books during Henry VIII’s time.

• Libraries – the new frontline in cuts row – Channel Four News.  Glos legal hearing this week seen as national test case.  Lechlade group and mobile library user interviewed.  Cllr Hawthorne says local communities want to take over libraries, campaigners say it was purely an ultimatum – run them yourselves or council will close them. Public Interest Lawyers say council is in “clear breach” of its duties “…you cannot have central and local government able to act outside the law”.  Also Channel Four news article Libraries latest battleground in legal fight against cuts.
• Library is booming after first year – Leader (Australia). Extended Tasmanian library now has cafe, more seating, more computers, more meeting rooms, “imaginarium” and “digital pod”, usage up more than a third on one year ago.

• Dorset  – Campaigners urge Dorset County Council to save library jobs – Dorset Echo.  Campaign for save 10 libraries would mean 6 jobs lost rather than 24. “The campaign group is now calling on the public service union Unison to back its fight as they say the matter has now become a jobs issue.Acting chairman Tim Lee said: “It looks obvious to us that the union representing library staff should want to back our campaign.”
• Ealing – Decisions on the libraries, and on the taxicard scheme – Ealing Today.  “Ranjit Dheer (Lab) presented the report as portfolio holder. Ranjit said, “we bow to the wishes of the Borough’s residents and keep the libraries open” but that we need to look at how to deliver this in the longer term in the context of the cuts. He floated the possibility of setting up a charitable trust and pointed out that the fact that the nearly 1,000 potential volunteers that have come forward “fits in well with the Big Society agenda”… then went to say he had “never read a book in his life”.  
• Gloucestershire – Cllr Hawthorne continues to spin: whilst this time Newnham Library Group  sets the record straight – FoGL.  Newnham and Lechlade groups have taken issue with the Glos leader’s statement that they want to take over the libraries.  Rather, they are only considering it as a last resort.  
• Herefordshire – Council scraps mobile library service – BBC.   All mobile libraries to be stopped by the Autumn. 
• Isle of the Wight – What news of the Island? – Alan Gibbons.  Legal Aid has been repeatedly delayed to library campaigners apparently due to Government interference.  Independence of the LSC (who provide the funds) questioned.  Decision on if Isle of Wight legal challenge will received Legal Aid “imminent”. 
• Milton Keynes – Summer Reading Challenge 2011 – Milton Keynes Libraries.  Council asks for volunteers to support Circus Stars. 
• West Sussex – Chief’s pay-off – West Sussex County Times.  £400,000 given to leaving boss. He received the money even though he was “sacked”.  “I think councils in general are looking in the wrong areas to make cuts and want to look more closely at overpaid salaries, before they even think about closing libraries and other services, especially for the needy in their area.” 
• West Sussex – Shock at library as reference books go – County Times.  60-book reference section removed from Billingshurst Library without consultation or notice.  Council said books were old and users could access information on computers.  Complainer said “Reference books have to be considered the most important element of a library. Remove them and what is the point of the library?” 
• Worcestershire – Concern that volunteers could run libraries – Worcester News.  Councillors worried that replacing staff with volunteers may be a legal problem and that they would need substantial training and support.  Libraries possibly run as a co-operative or other Trust.