4000 petition names not enough? Local democracy in action

• Connecting spaces and places: the public library in the 21st Century, by John Blewitt – Envisioning the Library of the Future.   “these new libraries do not have to be iconic projects garnering front page coverage in journals and magazines. They just need to be attuned to their neighbourhoods and localities. The Shard in Birmingham and Canada Water Library in Southwark (like Peckham Library before it) are local libraries whose success will depend on their ability draw energy from and in turn to energise their local communities.”
• Southampton University library: the resource revolution will be digitised – Guardian.  “Our virtual reading room is now home to some of the library’s most important collections. The viewing figures for the digitised content give testament to the reach of the web: in the academic year between August 2010 and July 2011, the electronic collection of nineteenth century pamphlets was viewed over 85,380 times, with around 51,800 PDF downloads and over 4,380 citation captures. These numbers far outstrip reader requests to view the original paper versions held by seven university libraries.”

Changes

Birmingham – £545k to replace pre-fab West Heath library. 

Local News

• Birmingham – Pre-fab West Heath library still standing 25 years after it was supposed to be demolished – Birmingham Mail.  “A city prefabricated library which was only meant to last for 12 years is finally being replaced –just 25 years late. West Heath Library was built in 1975 and was given a life span of about 12 years after which it would need to be pulled down. But the popular pre-fab building has instead proved remarkably robust and, with a few patches and repairs, has survived almost four decades without the roof falling in.”
• Brent – Campaign to save All Souls’ owned library continues – Cherwell. “The lifelines for the survival of Kensal Rise library continue to persist as a petition for the restoration of library ownership to the local community nears it target of 500 signatures.”

“Thank you for your support to Save Kensal Rise Library, we are now over 400 signatures! This weekend Cherwell.org (Oxford student paper) reported on our campaign and brings the petition to restore the Library to All Souls doorstep: http://www.cherwell.org/news/college/2012/07/08/campaign-to-save-all-souls-owned-library-continues In this “age of austerity” Libraries are more important than ever. Please help spread the word about the petition, every signature makes a big difference.”

• Lambeth – Upper Norwood Library “could be saved by community” – This is Croydon Today.  “The Lambeth report commits the council to providing £170,000 a year to fund the library in Westow Hill until 2014, which until now has been jointly run by Lambeth and Croydon councils. It says Lambeth will also explore the possibility of some kind of co-operative running of the library with the community and Croydon Council. It is offering a further sum of around £2,000 to help the community kickstart the idea, if hopes of reviving a joint running agreement with Croydon finally bite the dust.” … “no commitment could be given to anything until the results of Croydon’s consultation exercise on the future of the library were published. There have been more than 2,000 responses and the analysis of these is expected to be presented to Croydon’s cabinet in September.”

• Northamptonshire – Author backs Northampton library campaign – Chronicle series.  “An author has written to county councillors to protest over the potential move of a community library out of a Northampton school. The local authority want to save money by placing the Wootton Fields Library, currently at Caroline Chisholm School, off Wooldale Road, to somewhere else in Wootton.” … “Roopa Farooki, author of the soon-to-be-published The Flying Man, which has been longlisted for the Orange Prize 2012, wrote: “As a writer of five internationally published and award nominated novels, a teacher, a reader and the mother of four young children, I see every day how important local libraries are to our community, and to our children.”
• Oxfordshire – Go compare – Question Everything.   “OCC have posted the job application for the volunteer coordinator. The salary is £34,549-£37,206 per year.” … “Nine pages and 2393 words for the per unpaid volunteer and six pages and 1208 words for the 34-36k coordinator. The job spec for the community libraries co-ordinator is so choc full of meaningless jargon it almost makes my brain bleed.”
• Shropshire – Phone box is now village’s library – Shropshire Star.  “rather than lose the ‘Jubilee Box’ local residents bought the local landmark for £1 and have converted it into one of the world’s smallest libraries. People can now visit the box and take books home at their leisure. The only rule laid down by locals is that if a book is taken it must be replaced with another title, thus ensuring a full quota of about 50 books.”
• Surrey – Campaigners offer way forward in volunteer-run libraries dispute – Surrey Libraries Action Movement (letter uploaded by Alan Gibbons).  “SLAM has sent a letter to Council leader David Hodge suggesting a compromise. SLAM says that paid staff and the library management system should remain in place for stability and sustainability but that volunteers could assist in the delivery of services and be able to have a greater say in what additional services are offered.” 
  • “Council  not listening” Bramley library volunteers say – Get Surrey.  “All 80 Surrey county councillors are being pressed to execute a U-turn over the authority’s controversial plans to make 10 small libraries, including Bramley, volunteer-run. The steering group established to run Bramley Library has condemned the current proposals, which many believe are not viable, and has instead suggested a “small adjustment” that it believes will bring an end to the furore surrounding the issue.” … “she said the absence of any consultation prior to the decision being made about the scheme and the “unwillingness” of the county to “make the small adjustments to the scheme that would have brought communities with them has resulted in the community, media and legal furore that has done nobody any good”.
• Wolverhampton – The Grey Wolves (Wolverhampton branch of the Pensioners’ Convention) come out in support of local libraries – Finchfield Estate Community Hub.  “agreement of all the lead petitioners and asked that a cumulative total of signatures be taken into account. So far combined signatures are climbing well over 4000. The Council refuses to combine the petitions as Finchfield has already had their case heard before the petitions committee and any further petitions will be considered as part of the official consultation. FECH have challenged this response on the basis that the petitions sprang up independently but are all concerned with the same issue and should be counted as one if so requested. Thousands of people have made their feelings very clear – the Council should listen to that and respond reasonably. No doubt, Wolverhampton Council will continue to refuse to take a cumulative total.”