Painful to read

• Please sign the national petition in support of public libraries.
• Book your place on the Library Campaign conference, 22/10/11

News

• CILIP Vice President 2012 – Walk You Home.  Lauren Smith, library campaigner (of Save Doncaster Libraries and Voices for the Library) will become vice-president of the professional library association in 2012.  “The library and information profession has seen considerable changes over recent years. CILIP is seeking to better meet the needs of its members, with support for new professionals, an increased emphasis on advocacy and the provision of a significant voice for the profession, to inform policy and legislation. In Defining our professional future, members said that they “want CILIP to become, above all, a visible campaigning body. This means pro-actively advocating the profession to government, opinion leaders, employers and society as a whole, to ensure the professional function and skills are fully understood, appreciated and resourced.”
• Peet accuses politicians of “weasel words” over libraries – BookSeller.   “Peet was speaking at a Publishers Association (PA) and Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society (ALCS) fringe event on the future of libraries at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester yesterday [4th October].” … “(CILIP) chief executive Annie Mauger describe libraries as “a changing service” rather than a “dying service”, and National Literacy Trust c.e.o. Jonathan Douglas call libraries “an all-powerful resource which promotes social mobility”. 
• Keith Mitchell: People love libraries.  That’s why social care cuts are deeper – Guardian.  The Leader of Oxfordshire County Council is angry that the “single area of huge campaigning activity” against the cuts was to do with libraries, blaming “a local lefty with a track record of opposition” who organised other lefties, Greens and “anarchists”, plus newcomers like Kirsty Young.  These people selfishly and ignorantly defended libraries to the detriment of social care. Reading the comments is an essential.

Changes 

Bolton – Five closures – Astley Bridge, Oxford Grove, Heaton, Highfield and Castle Hill – confirmed for 2012.  Heaton will remain as community/children’s centre.  13 FTE staff to go.  Central Library hours extended, including on Sundays.
Doncaster – 14 branches under threat (total revised again due to more information) – 2 closing outright (Carcroft and Denaby) while 12 others (Bawtry, Intake, Warmsworth, Moorends, Rossington, Stainforth, Scawthorpe, Balby, Bessacarr, Edenthorpe, Wheatley and Sprotbrough) will be run by volunteers. 
Hertfordshire – New Barnfield Library (central resources library) – closure to go ahead but with documents moved to another location with reduced opening hours (source – Save New Barnfield Library newsletter). 
Islington – 16 staff to go, opening hours cut, more self-service, share housebound library service with Camden.
Sandwell – Campaign group: Friends of Rowley Libraries (Facebook group). 

Local News

• Bolton – Library closures: the final plan – Bolton News. “Five libraries — Astley Bridge, Oxford Grove, Heaton, Highfield and Castle Hill — will shut next year. The Heaton building will, however, be retained as a community hub and children’s centre; and one new full-time post has been created to man neighbourhood collections.”. Most people will be within two miles of another library and so have been asked to travel “that little bit further”. Campaigner says ” “We understand that despite an overwhelming rejection of its proposals by thousands of petitions and survey forms, Bolton Council intends to press ahead with its short sighted and destructive plans to close a third of our libraries.”
• Long struggle to keep Bolton’s libraries open – Bolton News. Timeline of proposals and public opposition detailed, including the 15,000 name petition.
• Documents on closures, including consultation – Bolton Council.

• Camden – Hampstead sale: well, this is a turn up for the books, Glenda – Ham High.  Heath: “The library is threatened with closure after Camden Council withdrew its funding. The friends group is holding a meeting on October 19 to discuss the library’s future. Perhaps Glenda will lend her support with another surprise appearance?”
• Doncaster – Oy, Mayor Davies: there’s more to working in a library than stamping out books – Save Doncaster Libaries.  “Mayor Davies’ profound contempt for the entire library profession is appalling – his comment on local radio yesterday that it can’t be that hard to stamp out a few books demonstrates his total ignorance. He admits he doesn’t know what librarians do and blames Doncaster’s librarians for the state the libraries are in – even though he knows full well there haven’t actually been any librarians running the service for several years because they were made redundant.”.  Excellent long list of what librarians actually do is then listed.
• Mayor Davies defending cuts to library services –  BBC Radio Sheffield (59:23 and 1:05:32 but items scattered around entire show).  “Top story” on programme, including defending librarians as needing postgraduate qualifications.  
• They were never ever going to listen – Save Doncaster Libraries.  Analysis of the new proposals from Doncaster and of the radio interview with the Mayor, including polite response to him from Phil Bradley of CILIP.

 “What’s the training required to have a book out and stamp it and take it back the following week?  Things are made mysterious … libraries haven’t been altogether successful these last few years” says Mayor Davies. (1:14) 

• BBC Radio Sheffield on library cuts – libraries discussed again after Mayor’s comments.  Leader of Labour group defends the role of libraries and the need for paid library workers.
• Can Bawtry and other libraries be successfully run by the community? – Bawtry.org.
• Islington – Bad news from Islington – Alan Gibbons.    16 members of staff (10%) to be lost, more self-service, opening hours to be cut (possibly down to three days per week) except in two largest libraries.  Housebound library service to be merged with Camden.  “There are also ominous noises about how a ‘library can be set-up anywhere’ and the renting of space within library buildings, if not the buildings themselves being sold off eventually.” … “It seems quite obvious, that for political reasons, the council has decided not to close any branches outright. Instead the Service will be fragmented by ‘spreading the pain around’”
• Sandwell – New group launched to give Rowley’s libraries a boost – Halesowen News.  Friends of Rowley Libraries formed, uniting Friends from Cradley Heath, Blackheath and Oakham. Friends groups aiming to improve libraries and stave off worst effects of the cuts, complementary to the main service.  “Elan Homes have donated £250 to the group and they have already organised the repainting of Oakham Library through the community payback scheme and we are hoping to raise funds so the inside of Cradley Heath Library will be painted.”
• Surrey – Update on plans for Surrey libraries – Information Twist.   Summary of cuts proposed.  “Following this, on Saturday morning library campaigners held a number of events at libraries in Surrey that would be affected by the decisions. In the afternoon, a rally was held outside Woking Library. The aim being to highlight and challenge the changes being made to Surrey Libraries. Campaigners also collected petition signatures, for both the local campaign & the W.I. national campaign. A number of people spoke at the rally: Alan Gibbons sent a message of support, UNISON spoke about the cuts, campaigners talked about Surrey’s plans and their concerns and, as a representative for Voices For The Library, I highlighted the value of public libraries by reading out quotes/comments from library users throughout the country”.
• Westminster – Council to share senior management roles – Westminster Chronicle.  “There will also be one director of adult services, one director of libraries and combined environmental services across the three boroughs.” of Westminster, Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea [Making it possibly the longest job title in the history of libraries?].  50% cut in senior and middle managers, 50% cut in overheads attached to frontline services.