Doncaster, Surrey, Wakefield, Gloucestershire, Brent

• E-book loan revenue should fund book-buying – BookSeller.   BookSeller’s Assocation “has called for “a seat at the table” of culture minister Ed Vaizey’s review into e-book lending in libraries, while warning against the government using e-book loan payments as a “stealth revenue”.” Organisation supports proposal that e-books should only be available for loan via a physical visit to the library.  Also happy for libraries to charge for e-books, with the revenue being used to buy more library e-books.

“Gary Green: How do ACE aim to ensure that the non-arts aspects of libraries is developed as much as the cultural and arts aspects? Areas such as (but not only) support for education & literacy, community & social aspects are as important as the cultural and arts focus of libraries. Will the ACE charter and mission statement be amended to reflect your new responsibilities that go beyond the arts, as indicated above?Alan Davey: To Gary Green: We are already working hard to ensure that we join up arts and cultural activity with the wider libraries agenda, mainly through the Libraries development initiative announced in January. Areas such as education and literacy will be targeted through projects like the one led by the London Borough of Richmond, which tests the delivery of adult learning in libraries. The Books on Prescription project will also help libraries address health and social care issues by prescribing books from a list of high quality self-help manuals for people suffering from common mental health problems. It is also worth noting that most of the artistic activities going on within libraries will be used to support education and literacy, and will involve local communities. In answer to your second question, our mission statement has already changed to reflect our wider cultural remit and is very much embedded in our decision-making framework Culture, knowledge and understanding. Our charter has also been updated.” Arts Council England Live Chat – Information Twist.

• Shared services: a proven model for libraries – Public Service. “The library services of 15 London boroughs work together on integrated development and problem-solving, reducing duplication and ensuring resources are used as efficiently as possible, writes Enfield Council’s Madeline Barratt”
• Ten things I’ve learned from (and love about) libraries – Ten things I’ve learned (USA).  “Libraries are free public spaces. Think about what that means. A free open space for anybody to use and enjoy. Public space is sadly becoming more and more rare these days…”

Truths and horrors of allowing porn on the internet in our public libraries – Safe Schools Safe Libraries (USA). Some shocking comments on Youtube page: be warned.

Changes

• Gloucestershire – Nailsworth will reduce from 35 hours per week to 12 hours per week (paid) and 10 hours per week (volunteer/town council).
• Wakefield – 7 under threat (inc. 2 already closed) – Outwood and Walton likely to close. Middlestown and Balne Lane will stay closed.  Altofts, Kettlethorpe and Havercroft will be run by volunteers. Up to 21 jobs to go, likely all by voluntary redundancy.

Local News

• Barnet – Friern Barnet Library: a casualty of “One Barnet” – Campaign for a Better Barnet.  Campaigner talks to shops near closed branch “Three of the four … had seen their livelihoods plummet since the library was closed. Mr Rajendrum of Anika News said his takings were down between 35 and 40%. The owner of Pizza Plaza, Mr Hassan, told me his business was losing over £700 worth of business a month. Meanwhile, Mr Masani, who runs the grocers on the corner of Friern Barnet Green, complained that his income had slumped by £1,500 a week. They all want the library to reopen.”

“I was ashamed to see an institution of my university, and a registered charity, involved in the actions that Were reported so luridly. There has long been a spirit that Oxford colleges, often unobtrusively, bring help and enlightenment to deprived areas (my own has a Settlement in a poor area of London, for instance). The same spirit would appear to be behind the original grant ofthe land at Kensal Rise under a restrictive covenant to the people of that area, the gift to stand as long as the building was used as a library.” Brent – Letter from Lindsey Davies to All Souls College

• Doncaster – Woman’s library legal battle judgement reserved – BBC.  “Forty-three councillors voted to include the budget amendment. Six councillors voted against and three abstained. David Wolfe QC, representing Ms Buck, said the mayor had “set his face” against the amendment from the very beginning.”He’s decided at the very outset not to draw down the money come what may,” said Mr Wolfe” … “The verdict for the judicial review at Leeds Combined Court Centre will be heard next week.”
  • Judicial review: judgement reserved – Save Doncaster Libraries.   “BBC News Online, BBC Look North, BBC Radio Sheffield Bigger at Breakfast, Yorkshire Post and many more media outlets have covered the Judicial Review that took place at Leeds Combined Court yesterday, 24th July 2012. Campaign members were present to support Carol and the Public Interest Lawyers in this legal argument.  The Judgement has been reserved until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.  We can only hope Justice prevails.”
  • Woman challenges library closures – Halifax Courier. “A wheelchair-bound woman has launched a legal challenge against Doncaster’s elected mayor after he overruled a council decision to save the town’s libraries. Carol Buck has been left unable to visit her local library after mayor Peter Davies closed two facilities and made cuts to 12 more. Two thirds of councillors voted in favour of an amendment to allocate funding to the libraries but Mr Davies refused to change his decision.”
• Gloucestershire – Reduced library hours to be introduced in Nailsworth – Stroud News and Journal.   “Nailsworth library is currently open for 35 hours a week but will go down to 22 hours a week following a public consultation. The new opening hours include 12 hours of statutory library provision and 10 hours with the support of volunteers and the town council.”
• Portsmouth – Launches the nation’s largest ever library card scheme – Portsmouth Council.  “David Percival, libraries and engagement manager at the council, said: “We know that children who regularly use libraries are much more likely to be better at reading, so we’re making sure every child has the chance to discover what we have to offer. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without the support of all the schools in the city, issuing 23,000 cards is quite a challenge. I’m thrilled we’ve been able to make, what was once just an idea, into a reality. The children are eagerly awaiting their colourful library cards and we will be putting even more books on our shelves, so there’s plenty to capture their imagination.””
• Surrey – Plans for volunteer-led libraries approved by Surrey County Council – Guardian series.   “Lee Godfrey, of the Surrey Libraries Action Movement, said SCC has made an ideological decision which will not save money. He said: “The council’s library plan removes professional staff from our libraries but saves no money.”Given the free choice, SCC has decided that volunteers working just one or two hours every other week will provide a better service than professional staff that have spent years developing their experience, knowledge and training.”This is an irrational decision driven by ideology alone.”
  • Resident’s anger re-stoked after yesterday’s irrational decision – Surrey Libraries Action Movement.   “Conservative councillors at yesterday’s cabinet meeting lined up to expound the virtues of volunteers running libraries and, by implication, denigrate the profession of library and information professionals. Let’s make this clear. Surrey County Council has freely admitted that removing paid staff and replacing them with volunteers will save no money. So given the free choice, SCC has decided that volunteers working one or two hours every other week will provide a better service than paid professionals with years of experience, training and knowledge.” … “This is a decision that was motivated solely by an ideology that says that all public sector workers are bad, therefore anybody or any policy that removes them must be good, no matter what damage is done to the service in the process”
  • Volunteers to run 10 Surrey libraries –  This is Surrey Today.  “Volunteers are being trained to run libraries in Surrey leading to the loss of paid jobs for full-time librarians.”
  • Interview – Helyn Clack and SLAM’s Godfrey Lee – BBC Radio Surrey.  From 1:41.
  • Council pushes on with volunteer run libraries – Get Surrey.
• Tameside – Survey – Surveymonkey.  Tameside Council are proposing closure of all but two of their libraries [the survey is so incredibly upbeat about this though that many may not notice – Ian].
• Wakefield – Communities set to lose libraries – Wakefield Express.   “People in Outwood and Walton look set to lose their local libraries by March next year, as Wakefield Council will no longer run them and no community groups have come forward with viable business plans. There are no plans to replace Middlestown Library, which was demolished last year, or reopen Balne Lane Library, which shut in January. But community groups are hoping to take on the running of libraries in Altofts, Kettlethorpe and Havercroft. And the remaining city libraries will continue to be run by the council.”

• £1m and more modern – Wakefield Express.   “A million pound investment will transform city libraries into versatile social spaces. The council announced this week that it will continue to run 14 of the district’s 25 libraries. These ‘hub’ libraries will be modernised to allow for more activities and events, and more digital facilities such as free Wi-Fi and e-books.”
• Why must the service be changed? – Wakefield Express.   “Library use in Wakefield has declined by 43 percent in the last 20 years, and this month’s cabinet report said just 14.5 per cent of people are now using the service regularly.”