Archive for January, 2014

Editorial

More children’s libraries stuff is coming in, all of it good.  Not so good is the difference of opinion in Swindon between two letter writers, one in favour of paid library staff and one in charge of library volunteers.  The claim by the latter that “To claim that paid staff can in any way give a better service is ridiculous. The job is neither difficult nor too demanding and the one thing they do bring along that paid staff cannot is local people talking to local people.” may make some of you reading this choke a little.  If so, you may want to read a new piece about the dangers of mixing volunteers and personal data and breathe a little better. Breathe, damn it!

An interesting Arts-Council funded initiative has been announced by Locality, which is researching ways public libraries are making (and can make) money from non-traditional library services/ideas.  They are asking for the completion of a short online questionnaire by 11th February.

Finally, a story has surfaced from the United States that means that those interested in UK public libraries may want to keep an eye on the salaries of the leaders of any new libraries trusts.  It turns out that the boss of the Queen’s library trust in New York has a salary of $390k (£235k – more than the mayor) plus gets a nice car free every three years and (get this) apparently also a 250 square foot area of desking, built with teak tile, as a “private smoking area” by his office.  I may have to move there.  Except, sadly I wouldn’t get a job as the same trust has lost 130 posts too, which must make for some interesting staff meetings.

Please continue to send your children’s library pictures and thoughts to ianlibrarian@live.co.uk.  I also welcome any news public library related stories, thoughts or comments on the same email address.

Changes

• Hull – Mobile library to be lost, opening hours to be cut.

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Editorial

I am really disappointed in the state of children’s libraries in this country but, then, my imagination has high standards.  To me, the children’s section should be a place of wonder and of entertainment.  The basics are weekly rhymetimes, story times, colouring in sheets and loads of books in colourful displays.  Extra points for play cookers, teddy bears, cushions and toys.  Ideally, I’d also be going for big animal shaped kinderboxes, reading caves, frequent class visits and a primary school reading group too, with full marks only really gained for aquaria and petting zoos. Children’s libraries are for a clientele with a radically different taste than our other customers and so they should be demonstrably different in looks and feel to the rest of the library: they should be friendly, exciting and also a place of safety. In this, the world has some truly amazing examples like this mountain of books in Mexico and, noted today, the co-located children’s library and hands-on museum in New York.

So, it was with some disappointment that I visited the two biggest new libraries (Liverpool and Birmingham) recently. Both of their children’s libraries were pretty boring places, with the biscuit taken by Liverpool where, apparently, a dedicated space can’t even be found and the place serves as an auditorium as well.  Birmingham – which has had truly mind-boggling sums of money thrown at it (which is noticeable everywhere apart from the somewhat non-awe inspiring room stuffed with old books at the top) – has a tedious children’s section, notable only for a stepped section which was being used by no-one when I visited.  So, if you’re lucky enough to be in a position to be in charge of, building or refurbishing a children’s library, come on and make it exciting and different. Children, as the Summer Reading Challenge has shown, are an ever more important part of the public library mix and they deserve, generally, better than many UK libraries are currently giving.

Send me pictures and information to prove me wrong (or right) via ianlibrarian@live.co.uk.

Changes

• Barnsley – Central Library to move temporarily to Wellington Street while plans are made for new town centre co-located building.
• Dumfries and Galloway – Wigtown Library may have hours cut from 40 hours per week to 17.5.
• Hampshire – 3 under threat (Kingsclere, Grayshott and Milford-On-Sea) 12% budget cut by 2015.  Volunteers looked for to replace paid staff.

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Editorial

A checklist for councils on digital inclusion has been launched by the Government. It’s up for consultation until the end of the month so consider commenting on it, not least because it does not mention public libraries.

In other news, I was saddened to see that the newly refurbished, no doubt wondrous and full of panache, Manchester Central Library will not be open on Sundays.  This is unlike its spiritual brothers, the new Liverpool and Birmingham central libraries, and seems such a waste being the refurbishment alone cost £48 million.  Cuts sometimes rarely make best use of resources I guess.

Sue Charteris, elsewhere on Public Libraries News, gives us her observations on Japanese public libraries.  Did you know 10% of them are run by private companies?  I didn’t.  Also, in “they do things differently abroad” category, there is news of 135,000 free e-books for lending in Norway and 5,000 in the Netherlands.  These are both central projects and show how far behind the UK is falling in this field: I hope the current e-lending studies in this country report back soon (and to be fair I have been assured that they will) and then something may actually, at long last, get done.

Finally, great news from Westminster that they have the go ahead for a £12 million new library in Marylebone with nearly twice as much space as the original library plus with all the mod cons. The reason they can afford it, of course, is that they’re selling some of the space for accommodation, which I understand can be slightly expensive in Central London. No-one said postcode lotteries were fair.

Changes

• Birmingham – 2 libraries threatened. Erdington District: £70k cut (explore volunteers, reduce space and bookfund); Ladywood District: Springhill Library to close; Bloomsbury library closed due to theft of lead from roof may not reopen; £54k cut 2014/15 £243k cut 2015/16; Hall Green District: Hall Green District: no cuts; Perry Barr District: Handsworth and Kingstanding Libraries to have reduced hours, £35k cut to staff: Library of Birmingham/Housebound/Mobile: Trust may need to fund rest of £1.35m cut.
• Manchester – Refurbished Central Library to reopen on 22 March: will not be open on Sundays.
• Middlesbrough – £474k cut: merging community hubs and libraries, more self-service.
• Redbridge – Woodford Green Library may co-locate with a gym.
• Westminster – New £12m Marylebone Library confirmed: 75% larger usable area than original library it replaces. Includes cafe, meeting room, display area (source: council email 22 Jan 2014).

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Editorial

I didn’t mention it in my look at the DCMS report on public libraries yesterday because it’s been done before but there is a dispute about the number of libraries closed in the last couple of years.  The report said that, as far as they could tell, it was around 90.  This incensed others who called the figure “bonkers” and point out that Cipfa count about three times that many and Public Libraries News a fair few more.  The reasons for this disparity is all down to interpretation of the statistics. The DCMS count (for some reason, can’t quite put my finger on it, someone help me out here) the very minimum ignoring volunteer and mobile libraries, Cipfa count those councils tell it about and this blog counts absolutely everything, including those that are just under threat and not closed yet.

However, the scary thing is that “as far as they could tell” bit. Because the DCMS, the Central Government for goodness sake, has no access to reliable facts. Cipfa includes a general up or down figure on the number of service points and relies on councils telling it the honest truth to consistent rules … which is a big ask.  When it comes down to it, that means that there’s really no independent checking, which makes it a bit of a joke if you’re actually wanting something as ambitious as truly comparative data between authorities and between years.  No-one else official counts up the figures at all so it’s left to guesswork. Which is probably how the minister wants it.  Which is the true madness here.

Changes

• Bradford – Petition against library cuts.
• Hampshire – Move to volunteer libraries inc. Milford on Sea.

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Editorial

CILIP have, through freedom of information requests discovered that the gov.uk webpage promoting volunteer libraries was not signed off by a minister before publication.  They call it “deeply worrying”.  The immediate Past President, Phil Bradley, has also noted in his blog that Ed Vaizey is no longer meeting with Annie Mauger, the boss of CILIP, presumably due to feeling hurt about the vote of “no confidence” in him at the last AGM.  That pretty much proves that members were right to make the motion then.

Phil also says in his post, and I agree with him, that we need to stress one message – that libraries save communities money.  In a world gone philistine, where only the buck counts or else it stops, this is the strongest argument that we have.  Those who preach austerity can have little argument with this message or otherwise they’ll be exposed for the ideologues so many of them are.  So let’s do it, let’s do the research and get it out.  I know Brian Ashley announced late last year that Arts Council England are hoping to do something in this line.  Let’s hope they do.  Have a think about if you can as well.  Remember, people, as Phil says, “”A pound spent on a library isn’t a pound wasted, it’s a pound invested”.  

By the way, Yougov research shows around half the population of the UK has used a library in the last year.  They headline the comment “libraries: not dead yet”.  Many of the comments suggest that some with online access and big salaries think that this is a shame.  We need to bring home the point to them that it is their attitude that is shameful, nothing else.

National Libraries Day

The official National Libraries Day logo

Available for download at the National Libraries Day site. Twitter hashtag #NLD14.  There will be plenty of blog posts and news announcements will be added to the site over the next couple of weeks too at http://www.nationallibrariesday.org.uk/news/.

Changes 

• Rhondda Cynon Taff –  14 libraries (Treherbert, Ton Pentre, Penygraig, Maerdy, Ynyshir, Cwmbach, Penrhiwceiber, Ynysybwl, Cilfynydd, Beddau, Tonyrefail and Nantgarw) will close. Porth and Pontyclun libraries, which were both earmarked for closure, will remain open and Tylorstown and Rhydyfelin will close in their place.
• Swindon – Library consultation launched until April.

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