We’re all liberal whingers, apparently.

• Pressure your local MP to write to John Whittingdale, the Chairman of the Culture Media and Sport Committee, to ensure that the issue of DCMS intervention is brought up at the Autumn evidence session.  Someone in Parliament needs to start advocating on libraries behalf and your letter or email could be the spur that gets them to act.
• Please sign the national petition in support of public libraries.
• Attend the Library Campaign conference, 22/10/11
  

News

• Ann Widdecombe is right: Christianity in Britain is under severe persecution – Daily Mail.  “Public libraries have been instructed to place Bibles on the highest shelf – as if they were some sort of pornography likely to deprave and corrupt.” [This relates to 2009 MLA advice to Leicester and is so rare in practice that it caused a long discussion on the LIS-PUB-LIBS librarian message board about where the article had got it from – Ed.]
• Let’s zip up the unreadable trash – Independent (Boyd Tonkin).   “But the law, which turned against the protesters when a judicial review of library closures last week found in favour of Brent, still holds out hope. They have leave to appeal the judgment authorising the closures; it will be heard in early November. This swift re-match suggests that at least someone at the High Court values local libraries. In the meantime, the campaign has gained an injunction preventing the council from further action to wreck the suspended branches.”
• Liberal whingers are wrong: we should close our libraries – Telegraph.   In a deeply wrong and embarrassing piece that is full of arrogant assumptions that everyone has the middle-class resources of the writer, an ex-public librarian claims libraries are no longer used and middle-class people are campaigning to save them simply due to misplaced guilt.  The argument is that (a) Libraries no longer fill a unique gap as everyone now has the Internet and digital TV and mobile phones, (b) Library computers are too old and slow and are so are not used (c) everyone has the money and access to buy any book they need by the internet and (d) every child has a quiet study space at home and so libraries are not needed as study areas either.  Each and every one of these assumptions is wrong, making the piece ironic.  [One suspects it of being a lampoon. I really hope it is for the sake of the author – Ed.]
• Philip Pullman: Using the internet is like looking at a landscape through a keyhole – Telegraph.  ““A fight by middle class liberals? I’ll plead guilty there. But, firstly, what on earth is wrong with that? And, secondly, how does he know it’s condescension and guilt that’s moving us?” he says.“And I notice he doesn’t mention the needs of children at all except to say that ‘virtually every kid has a desk at home’. What the hell does he know about it? It’s absolutely bloody nonsense to say every child has a desk to study.”
• Just another liberal Whinger? – Walk You Home.  Lauren Smith demolishes the article above.
• Colm Linnane: John McTernan Is Wrong About Libraries – Scottish Book Trust. Another excellent rebuttal piece.
• Iain Dale – LBC 97.3 (Radio).  Friday, 9.30pm to 10pm.  Conversation on McTernan article.  Largely very favourable to libraries.  Annie Mauger (chief of CILIP) was first on, saying libraries had 322m visits last year and that the 1964 Act set up by a Tory government. She did not deny cuts had to made but said that they needed to be proportional, with substitute services being provided.  Iain Dale was largely very pro libraries but said that they had to take their “fair share” of the cuts. Several times.  All public comments were favorable including from children, teenagers, jobseekers, students, accountants and senior citizens. Most said “I love my library”. Even the Director of the Libertarian Alliance was pro.  He said that they were a very useful as a boy but were an easy target.  Powers that be would rather cut any service rather than their bloated salaries or Town Hall employees.  However, he did not like some modern libraries as they had loud kids and too many computers.  He was far more pro quiet useful reference placed with “improving journals”.  He was very keen on “browsing up and down the shelves”.  Many callers made that the point that libraries are an essential part of our community.  Some callers said that libraries should be expanded, with more cafes and larger spaces.  There was not a single person suggesting that libraries were not relevant or should be closed.

 “Most vigorous response to any piece I have ever written: http://tgr.ph/oyQV0t Because of time zones I will respond over the weekend.” John McTernan (Twitter) author of “Liberal Whinger” article [obviously being messaged by a lot of said whingers – Ed.]

“My attention has been drawn to an article in the Daily Telegraph purported to be  by John Mcternan in which it is  suggested that libraries are not be used and should be closed. I taught John at Sheffield University when he was on our MA Librarianship programme and, to say the least , find his views surprising. Moreover I know that he subsequently became  involved in Labour politics and was an adviser to Tony Blair and often appears on television to present Labour views. As a lifetime Labour supporter  I hope this article does not in any way represent Labour Policy. In fact it echoes the views from right wing think tanks such as the Adam Smith Institute et al.. Given that there is a major meeting on library cuts in London tomorrow I hope that the Labour Party will publicly  refute the views in the article. If it is indeed by John Mcternan, who many people regard as a Labour spokesperson it will do the party great damage. Perhaps Ms. Harman who now shadows cultural affairs would comment?”  Bob Usherwood, ex tutor to John McTernan in open email to Labour.

• Library cuts “threaten child reading project” – London Evening Standard.  “library closures in government spending cuts risk damaging the scheme, which accounts for a fifth of all books issued to children in a year. Figures show 780,000 children took part this year in the national Summer Reading Challenge organised by the Reading Agency – a 20,000 increase on last year.” … “Miranda McKearney, the agency’s director, said skilled librarians were key to the challenge’s success, and emphasised the importance of having libraries as dedicated reading spaces. “Those who say we no longer need libraries should get real and take a long, hard look at the huge public response to the programme,” she said.”
• Summer Reading challenge numbers rise – BookSeller.   “”Children who use libraries are twice as likely to be above-average readers, and we can’t afford to lose the creativity, passion and massive community mobilisation libraries bring to the task of turning children into readers for life.”
• 2011 Summer Reading Challenge results – BookTrade Info. “The scheme looks set to account for 20% of all books issued to children in a year. 53,000 children have newly joined their local library to take part, and boys look set to account for 44% of the total who have participated. Many were supported by teenage volunteers from secondary schools,”.  Includes quotes from children and teenagers.

Changes

Somerset – Bishops Lydeard library will be taken over by volunteers in April if judicial review fails.  Users will be charged £3 per year for membership

Local News

• Brent – MP demands “grown up” conversation over libraries – Harrow Observer.   “Ms Teather has written to Gareth Daniels, the chief executive of Brent Council. She is urging the authority to properly consider the library campaigner’s proposals for keeping the six libraries open. Ms Teather, who is also Children and Families minister, said: “Everyone I talk to in Brent wants the libraries to stay open and I hope that the Labour Council can take this opportunity to reflect on their actions, see sense and start talking to local people.” … ” the MP also wrote to Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, to urge the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to instigate a local inquiry into the closure of half the libraries in the borough”
• Children’s Minister asks Hunt to intervene in Brent – BookSeller.  
• Teather urges Brent Council to have a grown up conversation with Library Campaigners – Sarah Teather and Brent Liberal Democrats. “A negotiated solution at this point would also mean that Brent Council could stop wasting tax-payers money fighting its own residents and start protecting the services treasured by the community.”
• More cuts: library closure challenge fails – UK Human Rights Blog. “a resounding defeat for the campaigners” but appeals and other actions may take place.  “Meanwhile the campaign gathers pace, with high profile supporters such as Philip Pullman – and possibly low profile supporters like my toddler –  set to join the demonstration outside Kensal Rise library at the weekend.”
• All Souls in library dispute – Cherwell. “It is believed that, owing to the covenant under which the library building was given to the community, ownership of the building will pass back to All Souls if the building ceases to be a library.” … “if ownership were to revert to All Souls they would be unlikely to keep the library running, telling Cherwell, “All Souls is an institution committed to funding world-class research in Oxford. We cannot justify funding a library in Kensal Rise: that is the ambit of local government.”  
• Camden – Muswell Hull Library celebrates 80 years service to the community – Ham & High. “Muswell Hill, remains for many residents a beacon of public learning.” … “Nowadays the library is relied upon by “people from all sectors of the community, and that’s how it should be,”
• Croydon – Upper Norwood Library is an embarrassment – Timothy Godfrey.  Jointly run library is run for £400k per year rather than the £658k average for a purely Croydon library. Council has broken agreement and is seeking to divert attention away from its “unpopular” plans to privatise its service.  45% of Croydon libraries budgets is on “back office contracts”.  Councillor Godfrey wants Labour to agree to take over any libraries privatised by the current Conservative-run Croydon Council.
• Lambeth seeking urgent meetings with Croydon Council over Upper Norwood Library – Croydon Guardian. Croydon has “pulled out” of running Upper Norwood Library.  Croydon unhappy that Labour-run Lambeth refused to attend joint committee meeting because two Conservative councillors from outside of the area were nominated onto it, rather than local Labour Croydon councillors.     Lambeth suspects Croydon simply wants to shift full cost of service onto it, especially as the Library is sited in Lambeth territory.
• Council forced to pull out of library arrangement – Croydon Council.  “This breach has been caused by Lambeth refusing to attend the last Annual General Meeting and failing to co-operate at the 2010 meeting. This means that there has been no effective oversight of the management of the library for almost two years, including no effective oversight of financial management and staffing issues. Lambeth also continues to insist on Croydon putting local councillors onto the committee, despite the fact that the council is advised that this would be illegal under current government legislation concerning executive committee structures.”