IFLA and good news from St Helens

Editorial

Northamptonshire is again in the news, with the DCMS announcing they will look at complaints about cuts to its library service. There’s also more news about cuts in Somerset and East Sussex amongst other places. I more positive news, the Arts work that St Helens Libraries undertake has played a role in giving the borough city-wide recognition.

I don’t normally pay much attention to IFLA. It’s the global librarian association and I tend to concentrate on more parochial issues of direct concern to British public librarians. Small-minded possibly but I often find it hard to associate with their publications, initiatives and conferences. But I suspect this is my failing and not theirs. So have a look at the various links below about their recent conference and make up your own mind.

Changes

• Dudley – Woodside Library Link (itself a replacement for Woodside Library, closed in 2008) to close.
• Pembrokeshire – Neyland Library to move into co-located new building.

National news

• How to make an official complaint to the DCMS – Public Libraries News. Notes from a campaigner on how to bring a complaint about cuts to a public library service to the attention of the Government.
• Nicola Sturgeon reading challenge extended after success – Scotsman. “First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s reading challenge will now include secondary schools, libraries and community groups. The programme was set up in 2016 and since last year has included all primary pupils from P1-7.”
• St Helens Named as First Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture – St Helens Council. “Cllr Barrie Grunewald, Leader of St Helens Council said: “This is brilliant news and particularly appropriate that St Helens should be the first Borough of Culture in our 150th year. “St Helens has a growing reputation as a centre of excellence for arts and culture with both the Heart of Glass and St Helens Libraries Cultural Hubs programmes in the Art Council Englands National Portfolio.”
• Welsh Public Library Standards Independent Adviser – Sell2Wales. “The aim of this contract is to appoint an Independent Adviser to; Assess local authority library service performance for 2017-18, based on reports submitted by local authorities. Prepare assessment reports and letters for local authorities to an established and existing timetable.”

International news

• Global – IFLA President’s Meeting 2018: Opening – IFLA / YouTube. “The IFLA President’s Meeting Opening will include an introduction by IFLA Secretary General, Gerald Leitner, and a welcome address by IFLA President, Glòria Pérez-Salmerón, under the theme: “Leading the way: Libraries as Motors of Change”.” … see also Our vision, our future – IFLA / Vimeo and IFLA President’s Meeting, Barcelona – Matt Finch. “The conversation about libraries’ mission must include other professions, other philosophies, communities we have both embraced and neglected, and our staff at all ranks from the front desk to the people gathered in this room, because as we go forth and explore the universe of knowledge, information, and culture, we must do so in the company of all” and IFLA Global Vision – IFLA. “IFLA’s eagerly-awaited Global Vision Report Summary reveals incredible insights into the views of over 31,000 participants from 190 UN Member States across all seven continents”
• New Zealand – The digital literacy sweet spot: what do you need to flourish? – Library Boss. “The digital literacy sweet spot is at the intersection of active experience, motivation, deliberate practice and social negotiation.”
• USA – Meet Chicago’s punk-rock librarian: Jeremy Kitchen urges you to read, nosh, and mosh – Chicago Reader. “Kitchen, who’s 47, doesn’t look like a stereotypical librarian. He’s a tough-looking, tattooed guy who favors ballcaps and Hawaiian shirts in clashing Day-Glo patterns. He’s been a singer in several punk bands and is a gulf war vet. His unconventional path to becoming a librarian makes him well qualified to meet the needs of a public that is increasingly uninterested in traditional academic matters. He’s able to reach those who aren’t naturally bookish. If libraries have a role to play in our tech-besotted, forgetful age, we could do a lot worse than Kitchen as a guide.”
• USA – Minimalist Librarianship – Medium. Any more description of this article than this would be go against the spirt of the article.
• USA / Global – Let’s Build a Great Digital Library Together…Starting with a Wishlist – Internet Archive Blogs. “We are looking for partners to help us build a great physical collection of books to be preserved, digitized, and made available through our Open Libraries project. Working with more than 500 library partners, the Internet Archive has already helped make more than 3 million public domain books available online for free access through archive.org. We have also brought more than 500,000 in-copyright books online to provide full access to those with print disabilities.”

Local news by authority

• Bexley – Crayford Post Office officially opened in library – Bexley Times. “A new post office was officially opened inside a Bexley library last week, (Friday, March 16) to meet the demands of Crayford, which has been without a post office since 2016.”
• Carmarthenshire – Music and virtual games hub ‘to broaden’ Ammanford Library – BBC. “People will be able to take a virtual reality trip under the sea and record their own demos in Ammanford Library. It is hoped the “digital creative store”, the first of its kind in a Welsh library, will broaden the appeal of the traditional service.”
• Dudley – Councillors clash over plans to close Woodside Library Link – Evesham Journal. “The library, which is currently housed within Woodside Primary School in Highgate Road, is set to close after no alternative sites could be found. A consultation period giving residents the chance to air their views ran from December 11 to February 4. Woodside councillor Qadar Zada said the fact it was run over Christmas meant many “simply did not have the opportunity to respond”.
• East Riding of Yorkshire – ‘It’s been fun, if occasionally terrifying’ – library curator reaches Mastermind TV final – Hull Daily Mail. “An East Yorkshire library curator is set to go head-to-head against some of the brightest minds in the country as he prepares for the Mastermind final. Alfred Williams, an assistant curator for East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s libraries, archives and museums service, booked his place in the popular TV show’s final after impressing with his knowledge of French composer Erik Satie.”
• East Sussex – Bishop hits out over East Sussex library closures – Eastbourne Herald. “A Sussex Bishop has expressed his disappointment that more than a quarter of libraries in East Sussex are to close. The Rt Rev Mark Sowerby, Bishop of Horsham, who chairs the Diocese of Chichester Board of Education, warned that young people would be particularly affected.” see also Serious mistake to close libraries – Eastbourne Herald / Letters. “What is now to happen to the premises and all the books, computers etc they contain? The computers are a great help to job seekers and anyone wanting to use them for educational purposes. And staff redundancies? It seems utterly irresponsible, why not make small charges for using the facilities?” and Help find a way to save library – Eastbourne Herald.
• Northamptonshire – Award winning Northampton library gardener fears his hard work will go to waste – Northampton Chronicle. “A green-fingered library user, who has won three awards after revamping a once unloved garden in St James, hopes the community can keep his book-lender open. Former printer-turned-gardener Roy Eaglestone, 71, has lived in St James for 40 years and was asked to provide some much needed TLC to St James Library garden in 2014, after he retired.”
• Northamptonshire – Letter from Culture Secretary Matt Hancock, confirming a formal complaint under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 – Gov.uk. “The Secretary of State has confirmed he is treating representations received from CILIP (The library and Information association) that Northamptonshire County Council is failing to deliver its statutory duty under the 1964 Act, as a formal complaint.” see also Northamptonshire County Council: Government to probe library cuts – BBC. “The letter said CILIP had raised concerns the council would no longer be able to provide a “comprehensive and efficient library service”, had “failed to consult” on the decision and that the option voted for “was not the same option as in the public consultation”.” and Government to investigate Northamptonshire library closures – BookSeller.
• North East Lincolnshire – Library hours slashed and full day closures as council looks to cut costs – Grimsby Telegraph. “Grimsby Central Library, Cleethorpes Library, Immingham Library and Waltham Library will all close at 5.30pm instead of 7.30pm in the week and will close for one full weekday” … “Following public consultation last year, which attracted nearly 800 responses, the new opening hours have been set around current use, historic footfall figures from the last year, and user’s views. “
• Oxfordshire – Didcot signs point to Narnia, Gotham City and Middle Earth – BBC. “Fictional worlds such as Narnia, Gotham City and Neverland have mysteriously appeared on road signs in Oxfordshire. The roundabout signs in Didcot – described as England’s most normal town – also direct drivers to Middle Earth and Emerald City.”
• Pembrokeshire – Work to start on £1.5m Neyland Athletic Club development – Milford Mercury. “The £1.5m development will see the town council and the town library rehomed on the site. “
• Plymouth – Are pop-up libraries the solution? – ITV. “Plymouth City council insists shutting five libraries and replacing them with a so called ‘pop-up’ version is working and was the right thing to do. It’s been six months since councillors took the decision.” … “Stoke Library is one of five Plymouth libraries which closed for good last year, as part of the council’s drive to modernise services. People in the neighbourhood will have to wait till Fridays before they get access to a library now – when the new pop up service drops in to the local Christian Centre. The council claims this move has been a huge success, allowing them to sell off buildings which were not being used enough and take the library service out into the community.”. Council claims this is not a cost-cutting move.
• Sandwell – Library sessions to teach residents about ‘MySandwell’ services – Halesowen News. “A MySandwell account helps people get in touch with a range of council services, from reporting a problem to viewing their council tax bill. “
• Somerset – Council has ‘disturbed a hornet’s nest with anger’ over library cutbacks – Burnham on Sea.com. Save Highbridge Library campaign takes to the barricades. see also Angry residents hit out at council’s decision to extend libraries consultation – Weekly News. “residents have hit out at Somerset County Council’s decision to extend a consultation into the county’s libraries with one saying the council has ‘disturbed a hornet’s nest’. “
• South Gloucestershire – Concorde Book Award 2018 – South Gloucestershire Council. “Author Sarwat Chadda, writing under the pseudonym Joshua Khan, beat off competition from five other young people’s fiction titles to claim the coveted award. Receiving the award at a gala event at the Bristol and Bath Science Park, ‘Shadow Magic’ author Sarwat Chadda said: “Wow, what a glorious day! Big thanks to all the readers”
• South Gloucestershire – New community library opens in Hawkesbury Upton – Gazette series. “Debbie, creator of the Sophie Sayers village mysteries, gave an opening speech, in which she noted: “You can get just as much of a buzz walking home with an armful of library books, as with an armful of books you’ve just bought.” … “Based in the village hall, the new service will open once fortnightly on Friday afternoons, from 2.15pm to 4.15pm, staffed by a group of trained volunteers. The South Gloucestershire mobile library service came to an end in September and the new library will provide an opportunity for children, young people and adults to access books easily without having to leave the village.”
• Suffolk – Case Study: Speed & Simplicity – Why Suffolk Libraries chose to build their own self-service app – Dootrix. “You can buy existing, all-in-one solutions from a bunch of current suppliers, but we felt what they offered was often too expensive and were too over-engineered for what we needed and weren’t particularly user-friendly. We chose a website rather than an app, which I guess is the original or innovative aspect of this project.”
• Swindon – Newborns in Swindon to receive Steve Antony library card – BookSeller. “All newborn children in Swindon will receive a library card, designed by illustrator Steve Antony, as part of a drive to tackle low literacy in the area. Antony created the design, which features two characters from his Mr Panda series (Hodder Children’s Books), as part of his role as Patron of Reading in the Borough of Swindon. Last month the National Literacy Trust designated Swindon as a “literacy hub” because by the age of five, the children from the poorest families in the town are on average 19 months behind children from the richest families in terms of vocabulary.”