Archive for December, 2019

A record-breaking honours list for librarians?

Dec 28th

Posted by Ian Anstice in Uncategorized

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Well, I was going to do a review of the year this post but that will have to wait as it’s just so great to see so many people connected with public libraries receiving a mention in the New Year’s Honours List. All in all, I count fifteen such people – all mentioned below, don’t worry – on the list. Whatever one may think of the honours system, it is lovely to see so many deserving people mentioned. It can only help those people push for libraries and be an aid to the sector generally. For more on this, see this post I did back in March for Libraries Connected on the subject.

Changes by local authority

New Year’s Honours

The following figures connected with public libraries received a mention in the New Year’s Honours List:

National news

  • ‘An early Christmas present’: NPOs get 1.84% funding boost – Arts Professional. “More than 800 arts and cultural organisations across England will receive a 1.84% increase to their funding in 2020. Arts Council England (ACE) CEO Darren Henley said DCMS has confirmed it will receive an extra £7.5m in the next financial year, giving National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) an above-inflation funding boost rather than the planned 0.4% reduction on 2019/20 levels of grant-in-aid.”
  • Christmas appeal: ‘School librarian cuts are a catastrophe for young readers’ – I. Tom Palmer: “Around 8,000 jobs have disappeared in UK libraries since 2010, some replaced by volunteers. One in eight schools do not have a designated library space, with a higher proportion of poorer children more likely not to have one.”
  • CILIP says libraries need £250m in demand to Johnson government – BookSeller. “Recent figures released by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) showed funding for the service has fallen almost 30% during a decade of austerity, with analysis demonstrating library loans have plunged by 43% over the same period. CILIP called on political parties to make a commitment to libraries during the election campaign. It said the government’s planned £25m investment, through its Cultural Investment Fund, was “roughly one-tenth of the capital investment we need to deliver a world-class library sector over the lifetime of this Parliament”. An extra £250m would bring the funding close to its 2009/10 level of £1bn. The CIPFA figures show the sum is currently £744m, a slight improvement on the previous year.”
  • CILIPS in 2019 – Year in Review – CILIPS.
  • Jack Monroe: My manifesto for rebuilding a truly broken Britain – I. “Thousands of preventable deaths. 11,000 fewer firefighters. A 40 per cent cut in the number of Police Community Support Officers. 800 libraries closed. “
  • Library loans down 43% in 10 years, new analysis shows – BookSeller. “Analysing the full figures, which are not made freely available by CIPFA, together with past results, Coates said loans of printed books in English libraries stood at 150 million in the past year, adding to a total drop of 43% in the last decade and 59% since the turn of the millennium. There were also 371 libraries run by volunteers in 2018/19, up from 272 the previous year.”
  • New programme to help libraries to raise income – Libraries Connected. “Libraries Connected has been awarded £150,000 by Arts Council England to plan a programme of training and mentoring to help library services to develop strategic approaches to income generation. The Future Funding programme will be designed and delivered by Libraries Connected in partnership with expert partners from the public, third and commercial sectors. The programme will help libraries to generate income in new ways by using the skills and resources they’ve built up as centres of knowledge and information.”
  • Libraries Connected to launch income-generation funding scheme – BookSeller.
  • Rakuten OverDrive in buyout deal with KKR investment firm – BookSeller. “Investment firm KKR has signed a deal to buy digital reading platform OverDrive from Rakuten for an undisclosed sum. OverDrive is known in the UK for providing e-books to public libraries and has a worldwide network of 43,000 schools and libraries spanning 75 countries. KKR has a string of investments in related companies including audiobook firm RBMedia, which it bought in 2018, and Nielsen.”

International news

  • Canada – Radon gas detector kit wait list growing at P.E.I. libraries – Journal Pioneer. “Despite only being made available starting in late November, there is already a 74-person waiting list to access one of the devices. Each of the 15 units available can be signed out for a maximum of six weeks. Which means some people could be facing a wait of up to eight months. “
  • USA – Ten Stories That Shaped 2019 – LIS News. “1. Whither Late Fees? The movement to end library late fees seemed to reach the start of a tipping point this year. Whether or not your library continues this practice, it should at least justify the current policy in place.”
    • Island libraries eliminate late fines – MV Times. “Joining a movement across the country, all Martha’s Vineyard libraries will eliminate overdue fines for materials starting Jan. 1, 2020 for a fresh start to the New Year.”
    • Looking at Libraries – The Atlantic. A long look at the best US public libraries and activities. “Continuing the photo essay about public libraries, which showed many examples of children’s rooms and adult spaces, this collection shows some of the multitude of activities happening at public libraries. It also includes some of the kinds of collections besides books, and some of the public places where books are available to borrow besides at traditional libraries.”
    • Make Way For Books At Your Library – Princh. “As of right now, we have established a wonderful partnership with the Pima County Public Library in Tucson, AZ, focused around the Make Way for Books App. As an early literacy non-profit organization, we value libraries as one of our most important resources, providing support and equitable access to information for the community.”

Local news by authority

Looking forward to 2024

Dec 15th

Posted by Ian Anstice in Uncategorized

1 comment

Editorial

So, Mr Johnson and the Conservatives have won a fourth term in office and will likely, gosh, be the government until May 2024. Putting aside Boris’s unlikely promise of investing in libraries even if his two conditions for it are met – the economy is booming and Brexit has happened – what does the electoral result mean for libraries?

Well, it means that there won’t be much extra money for a start. Say goodbye to whatever promises Corbyn made. After the dark days of cuts in the early 2010s followed by a still dark (but I fancy slightly less doom-laden) atmosphere in the last couple of years, we can expect things not to turn around any time soon. Best case scenario is the current low budgets for libraries remain stable. Worst case is, well, 2010/11 all over again. I’d probably go for the more optimistic (still quite grim) side of the scale on this one but being Boris is still an unknown quantity – who really knows what he believes? – so this is very much a guess. Terrifyingly, if Brexit proves a disaster, which it likely will, another wave of austerity is quite possible.

I suspect I am on far surer ground suggesting that councls cutting library services will be strongly encouraged to become trusts or other quasi-non council organisations. In addition, many councils are running out of money and so there may be quite an increase in trusts. This will at the least create a lot of extra work for the services being transformed and may or may not be good long-term, although it will certainly mean more entrepreneurship with all the good and bad that entails. We can also be fairly sure that volunteer libraries will continue to be lauded, although I know that many of them are now seeing the gloss come off because the first set of enthusiastic volunteers are leaving.

It is absolutely certain that there will not be any meaningful supervision of the sector and that such things as standards will remain a thing of the past. Also, sadly, and unless local councils get their act together with open data – doubtful – we can expect the ridiculously slow and income-driven Cipfa to remain the greedy guardians of performance data on the sector and fight any attempts to, well, do what their job should actually be (the quick and easy dissemination of data) because they are a monopoly and are determined to stay that way.

Finally, we can all stop pretending that public services, let alone libraries, are, in the final analysis, a deciding factor when it comes to general elections. If they had been, result would have been very different. We need to be prepared to leave or to work within the system that, over the last decade, has become increasingly tougher … and work in the service we still love and do such good work in until the bright promised future of post-Brexit UK(although who knows if Scotland will still be on board) in 2024 arrives. Ten years down, only another five to go.

Local news by authority

National news

  • Branching out – Wellston Journal. “In the last seven years one in six of all Wales‘ libraries have closed. A further 62 have changed hands and are now run either by outside organisations or with support from volunteers.” … “Llanelli library‘s building was completely renovated in 2012 and reinvented as “more of a coffee shop” than an austere library …”
  • Community and volunteer-run libraries – John Bevis. “There is no national strategy for the implementation of community or volunteer libraries. Councils may provide some professional librarian time, or none at all. Neither are there standards for range and depth of books, for IT provision, for a gateway to standard online reference works, national newspaper archives, links to the British Library… for any of the resources essential to meeting the obligation of library authorities to provide “a comprehensive and efficient library service”, as has been law since 1964. Community libraries may be run by the nicest folk you could hope to meet, but what they have to offer is pot luck.”
  • Held to account – turning activism into political support for libraries in 2020 – Libraries Deliver. “For the first time in living memory, four of the ‘main’ political parties in England – the Labour Party, the Conservatives, the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats – all included references to libraries in their Manifesto commitments. ” [Strictly true but the Lib Dems only mentioned libraries as a place to collect sanitary products – Ed.]
  • Jamelia: I needed kids clubs and libraries growing up, so now I’m voting Labour so everyone else gets them too – I. “My mother ensured we participated in experiences that enriched our minds. Though money was tight, we were able to use public facilities such as kids clubs, libraries, nature parks, leisure centres and a school with a thriving arts programme. “
  • Truth, lies, fake news, futures, Brexit – Matt Finch / Mechanical Dolphin. “Rather than chasing untruths in the media like a dog chasing a passing car, could information professionals be seeking to tend and moderate deeply local conversations about where communities choose to go next? Libraries are an obvious place to host such discussions – that’s why earlier this year I proposed the public library as the setting for community-centred foresight work, putting sophisticated strategic tools in the hands of local people.”
  • World Book Night Goes Digital for 2020 – World Book Night. “This year’s list features both paperbacks and audiobooks, with North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, Double Crossed by Brian Wood and Bedtime Stories for Stressed Out Adults edited by Lucy Mangan available for individuals to receive via an exclusive download code. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (which is celebrating a significant 42nd birthday in 2020) will be donated as both a paperback to organisations and an audiobook to individuals”

International news

  • Australia – State Library Victoria proves libraries aren’t just about books: they’re about community – The Conversation. “State Library Victoria already holds a prominent place in Melbourne’s cultural and urban fabric. It is now ready for the future.”
  • Is reading an effective therapy strategy? Many experts think so – Sydney Morning Herald. “The concept is far from new, with Tsakalakis saying it can be traced back to ancient Greece. At that time, libraries were constructed next to hospitals. “And above the library there would be a banner or placard which read, ‘Places for healing of the soul.’ “So you’d go to the hospital for physical healing, and there was this understanding that libraries were places to seek solace and healing, and to nurture ourselves through stories.””
  • China – China’s library officials are burning books that diverge from Communist Party ideology – Washington Post. “Library officials in northwest China recently hoped to demonstrate their ideological fervor and loyalty to the Communist Party by purging politically incorrect books and religious materials in emphatic fashion: They burned them. Then they uploaded a report — and a photo — to showcase their work.”
    • China to punish library officials for burning books – but only because they did it in public – Independent. “In October, the Ministry of Education called on school libraries across China to dispose of books “that damage the unity of the country, sovereignty or its territory; books that upset society’s order and damage societal stability; books that violate the Party’s guidelines and policies, smear or defame the party, the country’s leaders and heroes”.”
  • EU – Eblida and NewsGuard Announce Partnership to Bring Media Literacy Tool to European Public Libraries – Eblida / Newsguard. “The News Literacy Program, launched in the U.S. in late 2018, is now used by more than 600 libraries globally. While select library systems in the U.K., Germany, and Italy have joined the program since NewsGuard expanded to Europe in mid-2019, the partnership with EBLIDA will enable more libraries across the continent to use the anti-misinformation tool”
  • New Zealand – New Zealand: Man Builds ‘stick Library’ For Dogs At Park, Lauded By Locals – Republic. It’s not a public library but it’s stil wonderful.
  • Norway – Oslo’s new main library – Designing Libraries. “Basement: cinema, 200-seat auditorium, freely accessible book depots. First floor: square, restaurant, café, newspapers, magazines, books for short-term borrowing. Second floor: fiction, history of literature, children’s section. Third floor: music, movies, comics, games, speculative fiction, workshops, recording studios, mini cinema, gaming rooms, movie screening stations, stage. Fourth floor: class rooms, reading rooms, books on art, architecture, health, technology, and science. Fifth floor: social sciences, history, psychology, philosophy, religion, literature about Oslo, the original Deichman collection, study desks, reading rooms, the art project Future Library.”
    • In Praise of Norwegian Libraries – Norway, One Year / Medium. “The library/culture house is a hub for community and a destination instead of an errand to run or a spot to grab books and pass through. Even towns like Hamar and Sandefjord have libraries/culture houses that seem rather ostentatious for smaller Norwegian municipalities.”
  • USA – L.A. libraries will stop collecting late fees for overdue books and other materials – Los Angeles Times. “Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Friday that the city will stop collecting fines for past-due books and other materials this spring, part of a larger effort to make the 73-branch library system more welcoming to the city’s neediest residents.”
    • No Holds Barred: Policing and Security in the Public Library – In the Library with the Lead Pipe. “For too long, the negative effects of police and security presence in libraries have been ignored or, at the very least, neglected. Police officers and security guards should be used judiciously just as one would use any other security tool available to library workers.”
    • U.S. libraries checking out book theft / ‘Most-stolen’ list will help curb crime – SF Gate. “The theft of books, CDs, videotapes and pamphlets from public libraries is a national problem, one that probably costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year. No one knows the size of the problem, but the American Library Association has taken a first step, e-mailing hundreds of libraries around the country and asking them to list their most-stolen items. “

Local news by authority

  • Aberdeenshire – North-east bookworms invited to take part in reading challenge – Evening Express. “Readers can take part in the Winter World Challenge individually, together as a family or as a group of friends. It starts on Saturday and will run through the winter months, ending on the extra day of 2020, which is Saturday February 29. To start the challenge, bookworms should head down to their local library and pick up a challenge card.”
  • Borders – No more fines for late Borders library books – Border Telegraph. “The scrapping of fees is in a bid to entice new members to join a local library and to encourage previous members to return and use a library service again. Members with outstanding charges have also had their fees removed, but are instead asked to make a small donation to Live Borders who will use it to purchase food for a local foodbank before Christmas.”

“Removing fines will be a permanent change and our aim is to ensure that our libraries are there for everyone. By removing this barrier it will help more people to discover their local library and achieve our charitable aims of keeping everyone healthier, happier and stronger in the Scottish Borders.”

Lisa Denham, Connected and Creative Communities Manager, Live Borders
  • Calderdale – Rastrick Library to temporarily close for final stages of work – Halifax Courier. “Construction work has been taking place to deliver disabled access to the building, including the installation of a new ramp and the creation of a disabled parking space.”
  • Cornwall – New library, local studies and archive centre in Cornwall – Designing Libraries. “A derelict brewery in Redruth Cornwall has been transformed into a modern archive and library space, with £11.7m funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. “
  • Cornwall’s libraries let people pay fines with food – Pirate FM. “All food donated over participating library counters during December will then be passed on to local foodbank charities.” For fines up to £5.
  • Essex – Essex County Council denies ‘secret’ meetings with library takeover bidders – This is Local London. “Essex County Council has disputed claims that it held “secret” meetings with people and groups bidding to take over libraries. The authority held meetings for community groups interested in taking over the running of libraries … Campaign group Save Our Libraries Essex (SOLE) handed out leaflets outside the Greenstead and Ongar meetings to dissuade groups and individuals from continuing with takeover bids, which it describes as a ‘closure plan by stealth’.
  • Inverclyde – All food donated over participating library counters during December will then be passed on to local foodbank charities – Greenock Telegraph. “The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals [CILIP] sees such a move in the latest budget round as a ‘short-term solution that will create long-term problems’. In an open letter to council leader Stephen McCabe, CILIP Scotland has called on the cash-strapped local authority to leave the ‘vital’ library service alone as it wrestles with more enforced cuts. “
  • Leicester – Libraries staff choose their favourite Christmas reads – Leicester City Council. “Overall favourite amongst the city council’s libraries staff was timeless ghost story A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Also singled out for recommendation were The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs, Kipper’s Christmas Eve, by Mick Inkpen, and How The Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr Seuss.”
  • Merton — Sensory project transforms children’s libraries – Designing Libraries. “Visit one of Merton’s award-winning libraries and you could find yourself in the heart of the forest, under the sea or at the South Pole being chased by racing penguins.” … “Each of the borough’s seven children’s libraries has been transformed into an immersive space as part of a ground-breaking project to make them an exciting place for all children, whatever their sensory needs. Project Sense, as it’s known, is the result of a successful £95k bid by Merton’s libraries for Arts Council funding.”
  • Norfolk – Whoops! Library accidentally reveals a secret – EDP 24. “Norfolk’s biggest library has accidentally revealed the latest chapter in its success story – it is the best in Britain. ” … “The post has since been removed.”
  • Northamptonshire – £184k loan to parish council agreed to help save Moulton library – Northamptonshire Chronicle. “It will see DDC [Daventry District Council] provide the parish council with £184,000 to purchase the surrender of the lease, on the condition that the parish council then provides a community library for a ‘sensible minimum period’ suggested as 15 years.”
  • Torfaen – Volunteer encourages others to take part in Torfaen Libraries ‘Read To Me’ service – South Wales Argus. “The service is intended for people who are unable to take part in a shared reading group because they are prevented from doing so by ill health or disability. It sees reading companions visit them weekly, reading aloud to the person on a one to one basis. “
  • Warrington – The best read library books in Warrington – Warrington Worldwide. “Topping the fiction list for adults is The Second Child by Caroline Bond, which was a designated “Book of the Month” – showing how popular the initiative is in encouraging library users to try new books. Big name thriller authors like Lee Child, James Patterson, Michael Connelly and David Baldacci were other popular choices.
  • West Lothian – Campaigners lodge petition to stop local library closing in the mornings – Daily Record. “Library users in Craigshill have lodged a petition with West Lothian Council to plead for the saving of morning opening in Almondbank library. The petition was lodged as the council unveiled proposals to change opening hours across its library branches in a bid to save money.”
  • Wiltshire – Community Library Manager – Wiltshire County Council. Salisbury, temporary for 2 years part time 30.5 hours per week £26,999 – £28, 785 pro rata.
  • Worcestershire – Celebrating library volunteers’ role in supporting communities – Tewkesbury Admag. “From leading a Lego club or Health Walk, being a digital champion or volunteering to deliver the Library Service at Home, these are just some of the ways volunteers are supporting their communities. Each week dozens of volunteers gift their valuable time supporting our county’s libraries. This Thursday to recognise their efforts, Worcestershire’s libraries are marking International Volunteer Day 2019 by celebrating their contribution. “

It’s been a bumpy ride since 2010 and it looks like it will continue

Dec 8th

Posted by Ian Anstice in Uncategorized

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Editorial

The timing of the CIPFA figures for libraries is normally embarrassing for something supposedly from the information sector. The figures are published, in this age of instant communication, a full eight months after the period they cover and have a hight cost attached, despite councils giving their information for free.

However, the timing this year, a week before the general election, looks inspired. The figures clearly show the damage that has been done to the sector since 2010: a huge cut to budget which, even leaving aside inflation, is almost a third down; big decreases to staffing, issues and visits. It’s an awful record for any government and there is nothing to credibly show that Mr Johnson would change tack if given, gulp, another five years.

But I’ve looked at the latest opinion polls and it looks like the electorate will give him another five years. So keep putting on the body armour, library sector, the bumpy ride is set to continue.

Changes by local authority

Cipfa reaction

  • Britain has closed almost 800 libraries since 2010, figures show – Guardian. “Cipfa chief executive Rob Whiteman said that while spending had increased slightly in the last year, the figures showed a sustained trend where local councils on tight budgets had been forced to redirect funding to priority services such as social care.”

“We are encouraged to see that local authority spending on libraries rose slightly this year even though levels have fallen significantly over the past decade. We know we must do more to demonstrate to national and local decision makers how much libraries contribute to a range of outcomes from literacy, to health and social mobility. We are particularly concerned about the fall in book loans, which is why we’re determined to fundraise for more projects such as our BBC novels campaign that specifically targets people who are less engaged with books and reading”

Libraries Connected.
  • Latest CIPFA stats reveal library numbers still falling – BookSeller. “Laura Swaffield, chair of The Library Campaign, said the newly released statistics were already “way out of date” and only highlighted the gloomier news about libraries. She said: “As always, the headlines highlight national decline – hardly surprising, with funding slashed, and hundreds of libraries gutted, closed or dumped on to volunteers. As always, there’s nothing to highlight the scores of services that still thrive despite it all, and nothing to analyse how they manage it. What a waste of essential data.””
  • ‘Libraries are the universities of the streets’: authors call for a stop to further closures – I. 35 closed 2018/19.
  • Libraries in the archive: snapshots of reading in Britain 1930s-1990s – Guardian. “The news that Britain has closed almost 800 libraries since 2010 has prompted us to look back at images of libraries in the Guardian and Observer archives. These are a few highlights, with snippets from their original captions and related headlines.”
  • Nearly 800 public libraries closed since austerity launched in 2010 – Independent. “Spending has fallen by 30 per cent over past decade, figures reveal. Currently there are 3,583 libraries open in the UK – 35 fewer than last year and 773 fewer than in 2010, a survey from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) has found. The closure of nearly a fifth of the UK’s libraries comes after spending has declined by 29.6 per cent over the past decade, figures from Cipfa reveal. National spending on libraries topped £1bn in 2009-10 before austerity began, but then dropped to less than £750m in 2018-19, the annual survey shows.”
  • These are the busiest libraries in Yorkshire after a decade of austerity cuts hit their budgets – Yorkshire Post. “The busiest libraries in Yorkshire were Harrogate, with 274,471 items issued, York with 263,082 and Sheffield Central with 235,886. The three most visited libraries – Central Manchester, Wembley Library in Brent, and Woolwich Library in Greenwich – continue to receive well in excess of one million visitors a year. The data released today also reveals how local authorities have redesigned library services in response to tightening budgets and changing consumer habits. “
  • The slow extinction of our public libraries is a quiet tragedy – Telegraph (behind paywall). “in collections, leisure centre upkeep, park hedge pruning: council tax-funded contributions for which I am grateful but cannot credit with bringing much joy to my life. The library rises above, then, as the great outlier – a place where you can read the latest bestseller for nothing or rent a film; use a photocopier, should you need one, or download an audiobook from the comfort of your own home. …”
  • Thousands of Welsh children took on the challenge to read during the summer holidays – Wales 247. ““Libraries in Wales are under more and more pressure, so it’s wonderful to see that over 37,000 children in Wales have taken part in the challenge at their local library this year, and this is a testament to the hard work of library staff across Wales.””

National news

International news

Local news by authority

“You may remember we took the decision to move from the old Carnegie building to the Children’s Sure Start Centre back in June 2019. In doing so, we were able to use the Dementia Friendly principles in design and layout. I have just done some evaluation six months on and it continues to be a great success. Visitor figures are up 21%, book issues up 47%, reservations up 87% (we consciously invested in a large number of new books), new membership is up 140%, we have delivered 61% more events as the space is more flexible and attendance as a consequence is up 95%.

We have been able to work with some partners in the new location because of the great facilities at the new site such as Barnardo’s. We delivered sessions to young carers, to prepare meals and network in a safe environment.  We were funded to deliver a six week Read and Feed program which was part of the Kirklees Youth Alliance “Holiday hunger” project. These sessions were to help families on low incomes prepare, cook and eat together, who could then reproduce the recipes at home.”

Kirklees Libraries via email
  • Leicester – Leicester libraries put on special events this Christmas – Leicester City Council.
  • Manchester – 27,000 children in Manchester don’t own a single book – Manchester Evening News. “The statistics come as libraries across the country continue to have budgets cut, with many services having to close completely. Last year, the M.E.N revealed that Manchester city council was spending nearly £8.5 million less on libraries than it did in the financial year of 2010 to 2011. At the time, the council said it was committed to providing an ‘excellent’ library service and used the refurbished Central Library as an example of investment.”
  • Moray – Moray libraries offering fun adult computer sessions – Northern Scot.
  • Newham – Opinion: Visit library and get lost in a book – Newham Recorder. “when I go into our libraries these days, the scene is very different; here, a small group of sixth form students chat over a project they’re working on, there, some carers talk as their toddlers play together. Libraries always were places of learning from books but now there are groups learning Yoga and crafts and meeting new friends too. Schools have regular visits to our libraries and encourage children, who, like most of us, automatically resort to a search engine to find out facts, to use books instead to stretch their minds in a different way.”
Northamptonshire – Kindly emailed to me, thank you Sarah.
  • Nottinghamshire – Worksop Library will not be fully operational again until next summer – Worksop Guardian. “Worksop Library may not be back to full working order until next summer as the clean-up from last months devastating flooding continues. Flooding affected the whole of the building recovery specialists are currently clearing and cleansing the building, whilst Nottinghamshire County Council and its property partnership ARC develop a programme of works to restore the building for use again.”
  • Oldham – Children’s poet and author Joseph Coelho signs up to Oldham Library service – Oldham Council. “Oldham recently celebrated more than 1,000,000 people coming through the doors of Oldham Libraries between 2018 and 2019.”
  • Perth and Kinross – More people are visiting libraries in Perth and Kinross – Daily Record. “Presenting a quarterly report to Perth and Kinross Council’s scrutiny committee on Wednesday, November 26, Culture Perth and Kinross chief executive Helen Smout announced a 1.8 per cent increase in footfall for 2018/19. She said 11 out of the 13 libraries across the local authority were seeing a “continued increase.”
  • Redbridge – Is the decline of libraries affecting our society? By Shanzay Yousaf, Oaks Park High School – This is Local London. “I spoke to local resident and librarian, Fozia Jan, on just how the closure of libraries will affect future generations. She spoke to me about how the internet and social media is having a “negative impact on the amount of children coming to read as they would much rather just relax on Instagram”.”
  • Suffolk – Lavenham Library confirms introduction of extended opening hours at start of 2020 – Suffolk Free Press. “Lavenham Library is set to extend its opening hours beginning in the new year, following a public consultation. Under the changes, the library in Church Street will open on Mondays, between 10am and 1pm, and increase its current hours on Fridays, opening from 10am to 1pm and from 2pm to 5pm.” … “The changes will result in a total increase in opening hours per week, at no cost to Suffolk Libraries, due to small changes to staffing patterns.”
  • West Sussex – Cuts to West Sussex’s library service budget approved – Chichester Observer. “Following a public consultation, members of the cabinet approved the plans, which will save the county council £175,000 and come into effect in April.” … “The loss of the mobile service did not go down well with everyone but Duncan Crow, cabinet member for fire & rescue and communities, said some of the alternatives – hinting at the risk of closure for some of the smaller branches – were ‘quite unpalatable’.”

Boris loves libraries and wants to invest in them. But there’s a couple of things he wants to do first …

Dec 1st

Posted by Ian Anstice in Uncategorized

1 comment

Editorial

I was out this morning helping my wife clear up after the local Christmas parade. Feeling a bit tired after both this and playing a certain festive gentlemen the day before (205 children seen in 270 minutes – a new personal best), I got home to see someone had tweeted me that Andrew Marr had straight out asked Boris Johnson about public libraries on national TV. After getting up off the floor, I produced this transcript of the conversation:

Hmm. It’s worth pointing out that the record of the Conservatives since 2010 has been over 500 closed plus over 500 now running only with unpaid staff. Assuming we accept his word that this was the fault of local authorities and nothing of course to do with central government – a pretty big ask, admittedly – it’s great to see Mr Johnson going on record to say that he “loves” libraries, even though the more cynical of us may wonder if he knows how many he has. However, if he is going to wait until both after Brexit is “done” and the economy is working unti they’re invested in then the sector may have to wait quite some time, even if we believe the prime minister. He has, after all, already got a patchy record on statements about libraries.

Ideas

National news

“We are a volunteer-run, community library, reliant on donations and volunteer time to keep us open. Last week a homeless gentleman, who uses the library toilet to wash, amongst other things, gave us a donation of 85 pence. How much is it worth to keep a library open? To the gentleman concerned, 85 pence is a lot of money. I am reminded of your comment piece last week, about the value put on public libraries in the Party manifestos.”

Chris Clarke, Friends of Jesmond Library
  • CILIP welcomes Labour Party Manifesto commitment to libraries – CILIP. “Responding to the Manifesto announcement, CILIP CEO Nick Poole comments, “This is a real win for CILIP, our partners at the EveryLibrary Institute and for everyone that has been campaigning to raise libraries up the political agenda. Public libraries are the heart of their community and they are in urgent need of reinvestment after 10 years of public sector cuts.””
  • Corbyn: I guarantee libraries will be protected under Labour – Guardian. “Speaking at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in London on Sunday, the Labour leader attacked the Conservatives’ policy on libraries, saying that the party knows “the price of everything and the value of nothing”. “They’ve closed hundreds of libraries because they don’t recognise, and don’t want to recognise, the lifeline that libraries provide as a free service open to all regardless of wealth,” said Corbyn”

“The Labour leader, asked if he could promise his pledge to protect libraries would be honoured should Labour win the general election, told Penguin: “I can absolutely give you this guarantee.” He said that libraries gave him “a fantastic start in life and I want that for everybody”.

  • General election 2019: Emeli Sande and Lily Allen back £1bn Labour arts pledge – Mirror. “Labour said their ‘Arts for All’ charter aims to give all of Britain access to culture. It includes £1billion for building and upgrading libraries, museums and art galleries and £175 million a year in an arts pupil premium to give every primary school student in the country access the arts.  Research by the House of Commons Library has shown that libraries, museums and art galleries across England have had their funding slashed by at least £640m since 2010.””
  • Two Great Books To Fight Stigma Around Autism in Tweens & Teens – Book Riot. “The library can be a safe haven, but both public and school libraries need to take a few steps to ensure it is a place someone with autism wants to visit.”

“Create a sensory space with board games, fidget toys, calming lights and scenes, bean bags. This is not to be confused as a play area for children—a space that becomes too busy and loud will be the opposite of what someone with autism will want to engage with.”

  • Want to build democracy? Then build libraries – Financial Times. “Populists are starving public libraries of funds, while India’s rightwing BJP is building ‘party libraries’ for its members” … “Libraries are secular gathering places, and it’s remarkable how much of the scholarship on libraries supports the argument that they act as a vaccination against urban loneliness, a refuge for the poorest and the most vulnerable, especially in cities that have very little else to offer them … In the UK and much of the world, libraries already face threats — funding cuts, branch closures, a lack of staff and resources. If we were serious about protecting democracy, we would start with saving the libraries we already have, and then build far, far more across the globe. “

  • What are libraries worth? – CILIP. “The report’s conclusions are that Suffolk Libraries is successfully responding to the social issues of loneliness and isolation and now has insight into the social value it is creating. The authors say: “With this information, the organisation is in a strong position to make strategic and operational decisions that could help them create even more positive change in these communities” and they recommended that Suffolk Libraries continue impact measurement to gain deeper understanding of their social value.”

International news

Local news by authority

  • Bolton – Joseph’s love of libraries – Messenger. “As part of his ‘Library Marathon’ Joseph Coelho visited a library in each Greater Manchester authority to join and receive his library card. His journey started yesterday morning at Stockport Central Library and ended at Altrincham Library in the afternoon, but not before making a visit at Bolton’s Westhoughton Library. “
  • Bromley – Council votes to take next step towards library move – News in Beckenham. “Despite fierce local opposition including a petition which attracted more than 4,500 signatures in just three weeks, Bromley Council has voted in favour of pushing forward with plans to replace the current Beckenham Library with new housing and moving the library facility to Beckenham Halls.”
  • Calderdale – Calderdale to lead UK in exploring air quality and respiratory health with £25,000 project – Halifax Courier. “Calderdale Libraries will run a project focusing on ‘clean air’ after the service won a grant of almost £25,000 from the highly competitive Engaging Libraries Programme.The new initiative aims to engage the public with research around air quality and respiratory health.”
  • Cornwall – “Food for fines” amnesty in 15 Cornwall libraries to benefit food banks – Cornwall Council. “Food for fines’ was suggested by Cornwall Council Library and Information Service Manager Linda Moffatt, and her idea quickly gained support to bring a little Christmas cheer to those families facing hardship on low incomes.”
  • Dundee – Call for Dundee’s libraries to join dog-friendly revolution – Courier. “Library bosses at Leisure & Culture Dundee say they are considering trialling the idea. It comes after Perth and Kinross announced last year that “well-behaved” dogs would be permitted inside its local libraries on Fridays. Broughty Ferry councillor Craig said many Dundee businesses already had a positive attitude to pooches and libraries could also see the benefits.”
  • Essex – General Election candidates show support for Essex library campaign – This is Local London. “Labour, Liberal-Democrat, and Green MP hopefuls joined campaigners in city centre information stall, an event opened to candidates from all parties. ” … “Chelmsford’s Conservative candidate Vicky Ford took a different view, saying: “Each Library is different in what it offers, but volunteers can be extremely beneficial. For example, Springfield library is extremely popular and very successful, it is also run entirely by volunteers”
  • Glasgow – Refurbished Partick Library to reopen to public next month – Glasgow Live.
  • Kirklees – Death cafes are coming to Huddersfield and this is why – Examiner Live. “Kirklees Libraries will work with libraries in Newcastle in the North East and Redbridge in London, engaging the public through interactive installations, death cafés, panel debates and workshops in local hospices. A programme of activities and events for people to get involved in will be announced during the next six months.”
  • Lancashire – Celebrate Lancashire on its special day with one of these events – Lancashire Post. “Libraries across the county will be celebrating Lancashire Day today. Local historian, Dick Gillingham will be at Savick Library sharing songs, poems and historic images.”
  • Lewisham – Archibald Corbett Community Library – News Shopper. “Previously named Torridon Library, the Archibald Corbett Community Library, Arts and Heritage Centre is a fantastic local resource that opens every day of the week with the exception of Wednesdays and Sundays. Not only is it a fully functioning library, but it also works to encourage artistic advancement; for example by hosting children’s arts and crafts sessions, as well as promoting local artists’ work by selling their products, such as cards and paintings. “
  • Lincolnshire – Homeless troublemaker banned from four libraries after being threatening and aggressive to staff – Grimsby Live. “Aaron Beacock’s sometimes aggressive and threatening behaviour, mainly at Cleethorpes library, has been frightening for staff and customers who have been subjected to it.”
  • North Yorkshire – Volunteers to mark first “successful” year running Goathland Library – Northern Echo. “Volunteers who have worked tirelessly to provide a fully-functioning library at Goathland Community Hub since it was formed almost a year ago, said it had become an asset to the village. “
    • Hidden disability sunflower scheme at Harrogate library – North Yorkshire County Council. “Harrogate library customers with hidden disabilities are set to benefit from more support with the pilot of the sunflower lanyard scheme. ” … “At the library, customers will be able to pick up one of the lanyards, which have been designed to act as a discreet sign to staff that they may need additional help.”
  • Northamptonshire – First Northamptonshire library up for sale at Higham Ferrers – Northamptonshire Telegraph. “The library is being sold by the county council for £400,000 although the authority says it would still welcome offers for the building that would allow it to continue as a community managed library. The library, which will cease operating on December 31, is one of 22 the council wants to hand over to community groups in a bid to reduce its annual library running cost bill.”

“Current Northamptonshire situation: There were 36 libraries in total in the former statutory system. The NCC Cabinet decision in May 2019 meant that 22 places were told that their libraries would have  to be community-managed but 5 of those would still be ‘statutory’. Volunteers at one of the five have now withdrawn their offer to run that library so it is returning fully to statutory status with a paid member of staff in the New Year. This leaves 17 libraries to be volunteer libraries outside of the statutory system.  If Higham Ferrers does not survive then that group will go down to 16. ”

Alison Richards via email
  • Pembrokeshire – Special Christmas delivery at your local library – Western Telegraph. “Children can post their letters to Father Christmas using the special post box at libraries in Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Pembroke Dock and Tenby this festive season. Father Christmas will reply to all letters but as he is very busy at this time of year, he will have to leave them in the library for collection. “
  • St Helens – Top prizes to be won in St Helens Libraries’ giveaway for teenagers – St Helens Reporter. “Young people who are aged 11-18 years old are encouraged to either borrow a library book or download an eBook, eComic or eMagazine from St Helens Libraries before Friday, December 13 to be entered into the ‘FOMO-R’ ­– or Fear of Missing Out on Reading – prize draw.”
  • Sheffield – How two young men are changing the library scene in Sheffield – Star. “John Kamara and Macole Lannaman, aged 27 and 23 respectively, are the managers of the Basil Griffith Library, based in the Sadacca on the Wicker. Earlier this year, The Star told how the library opened in an attempt to better engage the black community with reading and it has proven to have worked, with ‘a lot more people’ getting involved. ” … “Volunteers are an important part of Basil Griffith Library because the operation of it relies on donations raised through fundraising events.”
  • Suffolk – Thurston Library volunteer wins People’s Champion award – Bury Free Press. ” A Thurston Library volunteer has won recognition at the first Suffolk Libraries People’s Champion Awards. Emma Fakes – young volunteer of the year – was among seven award winners from across the county. Suffolk Libraries has 1,170 volunteers who gave 4,771 days last year.” “
  • Surrey – Talking Books and Libraries by Alyssa Gobin,Reigate College – This is Local London. ” On 31st October I visited Redhill Library where I talked to librarians Tina Campey, Adela Cross and Dawn Cleaver, which enabled me to gain an insight into the importance of the library and reading. “
  • Vale of Glamorgan – Now Vale customers can borrow iPads from their library – Cardiffian. “The project is led by Newydd Housing Association and Digital Communities Wales (DCM). Tablets are loaded with library apps, social media, Duolingo and the Vale council app.  Each tablet has access to mobile data so people can download their own apps and use it as a personal device  ” … ““All the libraries were at different IT skill levels so what we’ve said to them is: Learn it yourself until you feel confident giving it out to the public.” “
  • Warrington – There’s an awful lot of coffee – at the library – Warrington Worldwide. “The town’s libraries are launching a range of artisan coffee called “Brazilian Book Blend” to emphasise the fact that a good book and a good brew make a perfect partnership. Coffee is the most popular drink worldwide – according to the British Coffee Association more than 95 million cups a day are drunk in the UK.. LiveWire has teamed up with Amber Coffee, a north west-based artisan micro coffee roaster to create a special library blend of coffee. “