A couple of hundred ideas for public libraries, plus coverage in the Express and Independent

Editorial

Considering that it has been a fairly quiet few days, what a heck of a lot of national newspaper coverage. The Express continues its quite impressive “crusade” for libraries with a couple of big of articles this weekend and, I understand, more coming in the next week. The newspaper, not known for its pro-public service sympathies, is publishing a few pro-library articles a week at the moment, which is brilliant as I suspect the decision-makers tend to discount the Guardian (the normal reporter on library matters). The Independent too has published three stories this weekend too, which is fantastic. And all of these articles in both papers have been entirely positive about the sector which is great.

Oh, and I love the “50 times libraries surprised everyone” article by Boredpanda. There were a couple on there I’ve not seen before, including having the books lying down and spine up so people can clearly see their titles. I’ve been collecting ideas and innovations for public libraries for a few years now, by the way, and recently updated by seriously nerdy list here.

Changes

• Dundee – £700k upgrade proposed for Coldside Library.
• Moray – Burghead, Dufftown, Cullen, Fochabers, Lossiemouth and Tomintoul under threat. Reduced hours for Buckie, Forres and Keith.
• West Sussex – Co-locations planned.

Ideas

• Coat donations for the homeless – Devon and Hackney.

National news

• Camilla turns to poetry to inspire young to use libraries – Express. “Camilla,71, read to pupils from three Wiltshire primary schools. She chose Come Into the Woods, a poem penned by local author Alfred Williams who died in 1930: “Come into the woods, the wild birds are singing, The white hawthorn’s scent wafts into the wind, The skylark is up and the sheep-bells are ringing, Young Pleasure’s before and old Sorrow’s behind.” The Duchess was visiting North Swindon Library in her role as patron of the National Literacy Trust.” … “Author and illustrator Steve Antony, patron of Swindon libraries’ children’s reading services, said: “I cannot begin to say just important it is for children to have access to a public library. “One of the reasons I try to do as much as I can with the libraries is to make children and adults aware of what’s on offer.”
  • Children’s library books ‘vanishing from shelves’ – Sunday Express. “More than 1.7 million books have been cut from public libraries in the past year with children’s titles suffering the biggest cull, shocking figures have revealed. There were 184,775 fewer children’s non-fiction books on library shelves in 2018 compared with the previous year, a drop of 4.1 per cent.” … “Last night, shadow culture secretary Tom Watson, who is backing our campaign, said public libraries are paying the price after council budgets had been “cut to the bone”. He said: “No child should visit a library to find empty shelves.”
  • Delighted nine-year-old helps Camilla cut cake during library visit – Gazette News.
• Council funds for libraries, museums and galleries cut by nearly £400m over eight years, figures reveal – Independent. “Libraries, museums and art galleries across England have had their funding slashed by nearly £400m in the past eight years, forcing hundreds to close, The Independent can reveal. Leaders of county councils, which are mainly Conservative-run, say spending cuts have been made to the arts and education to ensure there is enough funding to provide care for the elderly and the vulnerable. It comes as Essex County Council plans to close a third of its 74 libraries, while Birmingham City Council is looking to reduce its grants to arts and cultural organisations by nearly 50 per cent.”
  • Libraries should not be about nostalgia – my kids have taught me that – Independent / David Quantick. “… a library is a colourful, living experience, all about potential, and roads not yet taken.Libraries are portals to other worlds; supporting and funding them is supporting the future, not the past. Without them, we’re just rooted in the present, watching lives go by that we never got to live.”
  • Library funding cuts mean we are denying people the joy of reading for pleasure – Independent / Cressida Cowell. “We need public and school libraries where the books look modern and exciting and relevant to the children’s lives, like sweets, not brussels sprouts” … “If your parents can’t afford to buy books, and there is no public library to borrow them from, and your primary school hasn’t got a school library, how on earth are you supposed to become a reader for pleasure when you have no access to books whatsoever?” … “We need librarians in school and public libraries, who are expert in getting children to read for pleasure, and getting the right book in the hands of the right child at the right time.”

  

International news

• Global – 50 Times Libraries Surprised Everyone With Their Creativity And Sense Of Humor (New Pics) – Boredpanda. Reading dog, bee hive, noise-affecting colour warning sign, loanable cake pans, books on sides of lower books so easier to see what they are, “grab and go” genre bags.
• Global – Reading Habits Around the World in 2018 – Princh. Lots of interesting infographics.
• Librarians abroad: ‘None of us thought we’d grow up to be one’ – Irish Times. Estonia/Egypt/Australia. ” Irish librarians, in my professional experience, are dedicated communicators, innovators and improvisers and, inspired by an exceptional Estonian librarian, I recently decided to check in with some of their counterparts further afield.” … “ibrarians might well be misunderstood, but nonetheless these guardians of literature and community are paddling away between the shelves, worldwide.”

• USA – A Fine Way to Encourage Reading – Now I Know. “many kids with fines don’t have to have those conversations with their parents — they can avoid the fine simply by avoiding taking other books the library. (And at that point, the library is going to suspend their borrowing privileges anyway.) The result is a lose-lose situation: the kids read less and the library doesn’t get that $10 anyway. So, the Los Angeles County library system fixed it. They call it the “Great Read Away.”

Local news by authority

• Bath and North East Somerset – Volunteers reflect on first few months of the Bishop Sutton Community Library – Chew Valley Gazette. “Here the volunteers who run this library from inside the former Methodist Chapel in Bishop Sutton reflect on the first few months of operation” … “We have events coming up to celebrate the Chinese New Year, Mothering Sunday and Easter. We have a resident volunteer on a Saturday who sits and read to children and we are always open to new ideas and initiatives across the Valley”

“We have served over 500 cups of coffee and 300 slices of cake”

• Bradford – Extra events added as part of library consultation – Telegraph and Argus. “Consultations on library cuts will be held in several libraries across the district next week – after criticism that entire communities missed the opportunity to have their say.”
  • Bradford Libraries to become “Community Hubs” – Blouinart Info.
  • Cash-strapped Bradford Council criticised over £420,000-a-year lease on City Library – Telegraph and Argus. “uestions were also asked as to why the cash-strapped Council was having to pay £420,000 a year to lease one of its libraries. “
  • Fears voiced over future role of Keighley’s historic library – Keighley News. “he prime town-centre building is earmarked as a ‘community hub’ under a cost-slashing shake-up of the district’s libraries. But the plans to move other council and community-sector services to the North Street premises have sparked anxiety that current provision will be eroded. And there are renewed calls for the ‘green space’ nearby, created following the demolition of the former college building, to be retained.”
  • Council criticised over consultations into £1m cuts to libraries Ilkley and Shipley – Yorkshire Post. “, councillors had a long list of criticisms over the way the consultations were carried out, saying they ignored the district’s more diverse areas, that they were hastily arranged, and that one consultation event started an hour late.”
• Cheshire West and Chester – Something for everyone at libraries’ Health and Wellbeing Week – Northwich Guardian. “There will be advice sessions from a host of health organisations and partners, including Healthbox, Citizens Advice and the Macmillan team based at Brio.”
• Darlington – Letters: ‘Have your say on the future of Darlington libraries’ – Northern Echo. “We would like as many people as possible to engage and provide direction to the Council on how to achieve this and the importance of incorporating our history and culture into our future and maximising assets like Crown Street in supporting the town.”
• Dundee – Historic Dundee library set for £700, 000 upgrade – Evening Telegraph. Coldside Library refurb.
• Essex – Freya’s plan to save Hockley Library – Echo News. “reya Carlyon, eight, who attends Hockley Primary School, has asked residents to record their own video to show support for the library, using the hashtag #SaveHockleyLibrary. ”
  • Talks to take Essex County Council’s library plans for review – Halstead Gazette. “Wivenhoe, Shrub End and Prettygate councillors in Colchester have been leading opposition against Essex County Council’s proposals to close a number of libraries across the county. Their latest move has been organising a meeting with a London-based lawyer to see what the options are in calling for a judicial review. A judicial review can be called for regarding any local Government decision and anyone can call for one to take place.”
  • Public meeting in Basildon tomorrow over Essex Council plot to axe Vange and Fryerns libraries – Yellow Advertiser. “Basildon Council will host a meeting tomorrow for members of the community who might be willing to run their local libraries for free. “
• Harrow – Harrow libraries running smoothly after Carillion collapse – Harrow Times. “Harrow Council insists it is “business as usual” a year after taking the borough’s library services back in-house as Carillion collapsed. It assumed responsibility for Harrow’s libraries in January 2018 following the collapse of the private sector contractor. Prior to the multinational’s liquidation, the council had intended to renew its contract for another five years. But it decided to bring things in-house to ensure “the most efficient and high-quality library services in the future”.
• Kent – Heavy cuts in Tonbridge library hours could affect mental health – Times Local News. “County Hall is proposing to take off 18 hours a week as part of a countywide scheme affecting 99 libraries in a bid to save £1million a year. The plans have been put to a public consultation, which closes on Monday [January 29]. More than 3,000 responses have been collected so far.”
• Moray – Libraries that faced axe in Moray five years ago under threat again – but local leader warns saving other services should be the priority – Press and Journal. “A court bid had been threatened before the climb-down by the authority. Now those three libraries have been slated for closure once more, this time alongside Fochabers, Lossiemouth and Tomintoul in the latest wave of savings. Meanwhile, reduced opening hours have also been proposed for the sites in Buckie, Forres and Keith.”
• Newport – Cost to repair Bettws Library after repeated vandal attacks last year is revealed by Newport City Council – South Wales Argus. “Newport City Council say they have spent £6,000 fixing up Bettws Library as a result of anti-social behaviour at the site. Every window has been smashed and replaced several times at the troubled site.”
• North Somerset – Council hikes its tax precept by 8% to help fund library service – Bristol Post. “This is above inflation but the parish council believes it is “reasonable” in light of taking on responsibility for a community library. The library closed in Long Ashton at the end of last year as a result of North Somerset Council’s need to make cuts.”
• Suffolk – Suffolk libraries to give away free leisure passes – East Anglian Daily Times. “Suffolk Libraries has teamed up with East of England Co-op and Abbeycroft Leisure to launch on Sunday January 27, focussing on improving people’s health and happiness. Visiting one of the libraries will give punters a chance to win one of 1,300 free leisure centre passes and the possibility of getting one of fifty available £5 Co-op vouchers.”
• Surrey – Second consultation to decide future of Surrey’s libraries – County Border News. “A second round of consultation is set to take place around the future of libraries in Surrey. More than 7,000 people responded to surveys over the future of library and cultural services provided by Surrey county council. Details of how the service will change are still to be decided, but a report to go to members of SCC cabinet next week says there was “broad support” for moving to more digital services and to be community based, with perhaps a cafe in the library.”
• West Sussex – West Sussex libraries will be transformed into community hubs, bringing various services under one roof – West Sussex Today. “Early concept drawings for Worthing Library, the pilot project, show how the three-storey building in Richmond Road, Worthing, could house children and family services, registration services and library services.”
• Worcestershire – Bromsgrove Council leader urges everyone in the district to have their say in library consultation – Bromsgrove Standard. “Coun Geoff Denaro spoke after a question was put forward by Coun Steve Colella urging the district council to look at ways it could safeguard the libraries. He said the district council would be happy to help and do all it could but added what would happen with the libraries would not be clear until after the consultation”