News

“The welcoming smile of my librarian
The anticipation in my heart
All those books—another world—just waiting
At my fingertips.”  from My first memory (of librarians) Nikki Giovanni

  • Cheapskates love libraries (it’s mutual) – Boing Boing (Cory Doctorow).  “Libraries aren’t just the mark of a civilized society — assembling, curating and disseminating knowledge to all comers! — they’re also a cheapskate’s best friend. Anyone who’s interested in saving money probably already knows about the free Internet access, daily newspapers, DVD and audiobook borrowing, and book lending (duh). But local libraries go beyond that — many host community meetings, book readings for kids, author signings, and workshops, as well as providing free or low-cost meeting spaces…”
  • Ebooks spur reading among Americans, survey shows – CNN (USA).  “E-book users tend to read more often than people who read only print material, Pew found. In particular, they read more books. A typical e-book user read 24 books in the past year, compared with the 15 books reported by typical non-e-book users. Also, a third of people who read e-content say they now spend more time reading than they did before e-books. This is especially true for people who own tablets and e-book readers.”
  • Judge weighs arguments in Simi Valley library case –  VC Star (USA).  “The union argues the city must follow a law about privatizing library services that took effect Jan. 1. Written by Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara, the law requires cities to demonstrate that hiring a private company to manage public libraries would save money and not result in layoffs.”
Quotes about libraries – Pinterest
  • Redesigning libraries for today’s climate and tomorrow’s needs – Guardian (“Efficiency and Risk Hub”).  Article on library consortia (partnerships between authorities) “Typically a pilot authority trials the project before it is refined and rolled out to the whole network of libraries. Staff across the library service benefit from working with colleagues and in situations they would not otherwise encounter, and libraries benefit from sharing knowledge with colleagues across council boundaries. An expert member of staff can be called on to offer training to others across the whole group. Library visitors, meanwhile, benefit from faster, better services and the innovation driven by the group.
  • Travelling Librarian Award to the United States – CILIP.  “The Travelling Librarian Award is an opportunity to do a study tour in the United States for two weeks.The English-Speaking Union (ESU) and CILIP invite applications for the Travelling Librarian Award, from UK library and information professionals who are personal members of CILIP.”  Award is for £3000.

Local News

“I implied no such thing. We have had volunteers working alongside paid and trained staff in Gloucestershire Libraries for many years. Contrary to the title you gave my letter, I believe volunteers have much to offer the library service and  enhance it in many ways. However, I do not believe volunteers should be made to fund and run libraries themselves, reliant on philanthropy alone, or that libraries should be being discarded willy-nilly from the national libraries network.” Johanna Anderson from Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries on a letter printed in the Independent entitled “No volunteers at our library”.

  • Gloucestershire – Protesters blast “destructive” cuts to county’s libraries – Stroud News & Journal.  “With a few exceptions, GCC has duplicated the same proposals for individual libraries as the original review which was declared unlawful. We believe that GCC has been running down its library service for a number of years, and these further destructive cuts simply continue this trend.” 
  • Somerset – Library users given chance to shape services – Weston Mercury.  “Somerset County Council will carry out a public library users survey across all the county’s static and mobile libraries for a week from April 23. The nationally recognised survey asks users what they think of the service and their satisfaction with different aspects.”
    • Library users rate service in Bridgwater – Bridgwater Mercury.   “The Public Library Users Survey, PLUS, will be carried out in all the county’s libraries, static and mobile, during the week beginning Monday, April 23. The nationally recognised survey asks what library users think of the service, how satisfied they are with its different aspects, and some questions about the users themselves.”