Bad news comes in threes: Vivacity, Leeds and Bertrams

For a guide on when public libraries in the UK are reopening, and the current situation, see this page.

For a guide on how libraries around the world are coping with the crisis, and the various health and safety precautions that are being used, see this page.

Editorial

Well, the consequences of shutting down libraries for a few months started to be shown this last week. The leisure trust Vivacity, which has been running libraries in Peterborough since 2013 and has interests in Cambridgeshire libraries too, handed back control to the council due to running out of money because lockdown meant it had no income. This is the third trust involved in libraries to have failed in six years and leaves question-marks over some of the other organisation of this model, especially common in Scotland, who must be facing similar problems.

Announced pretty much at the same time was a terrifying story from Leeds, where the council has announced it may close every library because of extra costs incurred this year. It justifies this – on the face of it a clear breaking of the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act – by claiming “a skeleton, online-lending resource” would do. Nonsense, but, as the CILIP CEO has pointed out, the Act has been a dead letter for years. How Leeds, though, will square this with the Equalities Act is anyone’s guess though. The suspicion is that this is just a way of pressuring the government and preparing the people of Leeds for deep cuts that don’t quite reach the library-geddon threatened last week.

Finally, we have the sad news that library supplier Bertrams has gone bankrupt. This is a tragedy for the hundreds of those who have lost their jobs but also represents a further tightening of the screw on the library stock supplier market, which has few enough competitors as it is.

The worry with all this is that these stories may just be the first as councils and companies up and down the country start look at their balance sheets and see Covid-related red lines. And there’s us just concentrating on infections.

Changes

• Bath and North East Somerset – Paulton Library transferred to parish council, to be run by volunteers.
• Leeds – All libraries under threat.
• Peterborough – Leisure trust Vivacity hand back contract for libraries to council after losses caused by lockdown.
• St Helens – Opening house changed, 5 voluntary redundancies.

National news

• Bertram Books collapses with 450 jobs at risk – BBC. “Joint administrators Turpin Barker Armstrong said the majority of staff would be made redundant with “immediate effect”. Kip Bertram, who started the company with his mother Elsie before selling it in 1999, said its collapse was “very sad for the staff, the city of Norwich and the customers”. He disputed the claims of the administrators over the reasons for the collapse, saying: “It’s nothing to do with e-Books or Covid-19 – people still like to hold and smell books.” U.K. Wholesaler Bertram Group Is Up for Sale – Publishers Weekly. Worries reported in early May. Subsidiaries are Dawson Books and Education Umbrella.
• Libraries Connected Statement on Black Lives Matter – Libraries Connected. “We condemn racism and discrimination in all its forms. Public libraries were founded 150 years ago on principles of social justice and equality … Libraries Connected believes in a society where that racism and discrimination are replaced by equality and justice for all. We will work with libraries and partners to ensure that we use every resource at our disposal to make this happen.”

The Carnegie UK Trust is looking into how public libraries across the UK have helped and supported people and communities across the UK during lockdown. We want to use this information to help raise the profile of libraries’ contributions during Covid-19 and to advocate for public libraries’ role in supporting individuals and communities in the rebuilding process following on from lockdown. We  also want to find out and share information and learning across the sector about challenges and what didn’t work. The Trust is keen to hear the views of all library staff, including frontline staff, managers and heads of service. We would be grateful if you could circulate the following survey widely:  If you and your colleagues have 10 minutes, the Trust would love to hear your views. The deadline for responses is Friday 3 July.

Carnegie UK Trust, via email

• Libraries of the future – Living Libraries. Ten minute audio on what the future may hold.
• Puppy Demand, Bike Thefts and Library Openings – BBC Radio 4 You and Yours. “The book shops are open again on our high streets but what about our libraries? There’s no date set for opening in any of the nations with only Wales offering a click and collect service for borrowers.”.

“if the Secretary of State agreed today to ensure that, as part of this, he will develop a national plan for education, where local authorities are funded to make a summer holiday local offer to children and young people; where schools are provided with additional resources, such as an enhanced pupil premium to help disadvantaged children; and where public buildings such as libraries and sports centres are used to expand the space available to schools to ensure safe social distancing.” They Work For You.

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP

• Rencontre avec Cécile Touitou, directrice scientifique de l’ouvrage collectif “Bibliothèques publiques britanniques contemporaines” – Presses De l’Enssib. Interview with Cecile Touitou who has recently edited a book on contemporary British public libraries. She is surprised and impressed by the level of public interest an involvement in protecting libraries.

International news

• Australia – Shoalhaven Libraries Leading way in Contactless Service – Mirage. “the Shoalhaven Libraries App provides a one-stop shop for all library services. By using the app, library users can deactivate RFID security without using a public kiosk or any other hardware.”
• Canada – As libraries go digital, paper books still have a lot to offer us – Conversation.
• EU – Libraries in times of coronavirus: Viana Public Library (Spain) and Public Library in Aleksandrów (Poland) – NAPLE Sister Libraries. “encouraged the children that normally go to the library to make drawings during the confinement. Children from 3 to 5 from both libraries made a total of 77 drawings, 37 from Aleksandrów and 40 from Viana.”
• Global – Meet the librarians going above and beyond to get books to kids in lockdown – Big Issue. Ethiopia: More than 26 million children are out of school during the Covid-19 lockdown so Save The Children’s camel library is bringing the life-nurturing power of books to 22,000 children in 33 villages. USA: “in the US state of Virginia, the books travel via air. Montgomery County public schools became the first in the world to use a library book drone delivery service.”
  • Webinar: Phased Reopening of Libraries | Roskilde Municipality and Fayetteville Public Library – Bibliotheca. On-demand.
• India – Bengaluru’s iconic British Library to shut its doors and go fully digital – News Minute. “The British Council announced earlier this week that five of its eight libraries in India would be completely digitised. In a communication to its physical members in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Pune, the British Council said it would now offer full online services and extended the online membership for existing physical members by 6 months.”
• USA – How Libraries Are Supporting The Black Lives Matter Movement – NPR. “Boston librarian Stacy Collins about how libraries are taking up issues of policing and Black Lives Matters.”
  • How to Tackle Library Signage in a Pandemic and Make Visitors Feel Comfortable With Your New Rules – Super Library Marketing.
  • Librarians of the World Unite – The Nib. The horrendous experience of one US library system before and during lockdown.
  • Libraries Are Dealing With New Demand For Books And Services During The Pandemic – NPR. Ebook loans up around 60% nationally, with adult fiction doubling. “if this burst in digital lending is sustained, it could be a financial problem for cash-strapped libraries.”

Local news by authority

• Aberdeenshire – Live Life Aberdeenshire Summer Reading Challenge returns in a new format – Grampian Online. “By simply signing up online Live Life will take you on a journey filled with fun, fantasy and action-packed activities for children and families of all ages and interests.”
• Bath and North East Somerset – Winners of local library service’s lockdown writing competition revealed – Bath Echo. “Bath-based writer Bel Mooney and Chris Beale, a performance poet from Bristol, were among the writers who appeared in a series of videos to announce the winners and runners-up on Saturday 13th June from a total of 60 entries. Adults were invited to submit either a short story or a poem online on the theme of ‘Lockdown’ in competitions designed to give people a creative outlet as they adjusted to restrictions on everyday life.”
  • Parish council set to take over running of Paulton Library – MNR Journal. “Paulton’s library is to become a community run library after the lease is transferred to Paulton Parish Council next week.”
• Buckinghamshire – Bucks libraries set for partial reopening from next week – Advertiser. Returns and Select and Collect from 22 June.
• Calderdale – Halifax Central Library – Joseph Coelho. Pictures and descriptions of visit to Halifax Library. “The current site opened in 2017 (there have been four central libraries in Halifax since 1881) and is a mix of modern and old as a huge modern, light brick rectangle intersects with the remains of Square Congregational Church, a church built on the site 112 years ago.
• Ceredigion – Libraries in Ceredigion to partially reopen this month – Cambrian News. “From 22 June, people will be able to order and collect items from Aberystwyth, Aberaeron, Cardigan and Lampeter libraries”
• Denbighshire – Denbighshire libraries to offer order and collect service – Journal series. “Libraries across Denbighshire will be offering an order and collect service for books from Monday, June 15, as part of on-going efforts to re-introduce elements of the service in the county”
• Devon – Let’s get technical, technical … – Libraries Unlimited. Podcast. “oday, the FabLab managers Kerala Cotter and Marcus Brown join us to talk about the technically wonderful things that they can do in their workshops and we hear about the amazing Tovertafel table at South Molten”
• Dorset – Libraries boost wellbeing and reduce loneliness during lockdown – Lyme Online. “There has been a 48% increase in people joining Dorset’s online library service, with almost 27,000 e-books, e-audio and e-zines accessed.”
• Dundee – Dundee Libraries project recording social history of coronavirus pandemic to inform future generations – Courier. “The centre is keen to hear first-hand experiences of how the virus and subsequent lockdown is affecting people.”
• Edinburgh – ‘Let’s Get Fabulous’: Edinburgh Libraries welcomes Drag Queen Story Hour – Edinburgh News. “Drag Queen Aida H Dee will be live on Facebook reading stories to children across the city”
• Guernsey – The library is open – Guille-Alles Library. “With the start of Phase 5, the Library is now open as normal with no need for social distancing. That means there are no restrictions on how many people can visit at a time, no queuing or one-way system, and all services have recommenced including events, study space, newspapers & magazines, community libraries, and children’s activities like story times, TOTs, and Baby Bounce.”
• Hampshire – Ready Reads from Andover library – Loveandover. ““Given that library buildings are not due to reopen until July, we are pulling out the stops to bridge that gap by offering paperbacks and hardbacks for loan once again, with ‘Ready Reads’. This is a new book collection service where our staff select books according to your preferences, for you to collect from your local branch.””
• Kent – Summer reading challenge bringing happiness to Kent children – In Your Area.
• Lambeth – Lambeth Library events for the Windrush Day and Pride Month celebrations, June 2020 – Brixton Buzz.
• Lancashire – The Award-Winning ‘Silly Squad’ Joins Summer Reading Challenge – Preston Hub.
• Leeds – All libraries, museums and galleries in Leeds at risk of closure as local councils count cost of coronavirus – Independent. “Every library, museum and gallery could be closed in one of England’s biggest cities as local authorities across the country struggle to balance the books in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.”

“While councils have a legal duty to provide library services, it is widely thought this could be pared back to a skeleton, online-lending resource without breaking that obligation.”

The scariest quote ever published on Public Libraries News

It’s all so drearily predictable. Councils will signal horrendous outcomes because they’re facing a £10bn #COVID19 bill, the Govt will come up with some 11th hour fudge, we’ll have expended so much energy being appalled that the mildly less appalling option will seem preferable.

— Nicholas Poole (@NickPoole1) June 18, 2020

• Monmouthshire – Library books now available in Monmouthshire through council ‘request and collect’ service – South Wales Argus. “Customers will be able to browse the library service online and use the My Monmouthshire app to choose their preferred books and reserve a time to collect them. Collections will initially be available from the Monmouth and Chepstow Community Hubs.”
• Neath Port Talbot – Libraries will reopen with new pick-up service in Neath, Port Talbot and Pontardawe – Wales Online. “The partial reopening of the borough’s three main libraries is the “first step” towards the full restoration of all libraries in the area, according to Cllr Rees. The Call and Collect service will allow readers to borrow up to 10 items ….”. Returns box.
• Peterborough – Peterborough leisure and libraries charity Vivacity shut by lockdown – BBC. “Vivacity has been running 10 libraries, a theatre, swimming pools, gyms and a museum in Peterborough since 2010. All services ceased with the lockdown, with a loss of £8m a year, and 98% of its 500 staff were furloughed. Peterborough City Council leader John Holdich said it was committed to continuing the services.”
• Powys – Order-and-collect library books service launches across Powys – Brecon and Radnor Express. “From 22 June, residents will be able to ask for a new collection of books via the Powys County Council website”
• St Helens – Library opening hours to change in St Helens – St Helens Star. “hours reduced at some sites and increased at others, although the council says there will be no reduction in the overall service.” … “Five members of staff have also taken voluntary redundancy as a result of the review”. Unclear when new central library at Heart of Glass will reopen.
• Shropshire – Shropshire’s libraries keep up their online presence during COVID-19 – Shropshire Live. “Shropshire’s libraries have also recently launched Shropshire Summer Reads. In this new challenge for adults, contenders who submit reviews of four books over the summer will be in with the chance of winning book vouchers to spend in local independent book shops.”
• Somerset – Burnham-On-Sea Library looks set to re-open to visitors during July – Burnahm on Sea. “Social distancing measures will be in place and a ‘personal shopper’ service will be available as customers will not initially be able to browse.”
• Southend – Phased return of Southend library services – Times series. “A ‘click and collect’ service will be available at all six libraries from July 6.”
• Suffolk – Ipswich library staff record audiobook for 102-year-old – BBC. “Doris Bugg wanted to reminisce with the 1927 novel Portrait of Clare, but the out-of-print book was unavailable at her library in Ipswich, Suffolk. Touched by her memories, librarians bought a copy for her online and are reading all 873 pages, recorded on CDs.”
• Warrington – LiveWire unveils plans to allow reopening of select leisure and library sites – Warrington Worldwide. “Restrictions on the number of people accessing the library at any one time and the duration of visits will be limited.”
• Warwickshire – Warwickshire Libraries staff receive heartfelt letter of thanks for being ‘lifeline’ to people isolated by lockdown – Kenilworth Weekly. “One Rugby resident thanked the staff. They said: “Your call has come at just the right time – I’m climbing the walls without having any books to read! Thank you so much.”

• Wiltshire – Wootton Bassett book swap started up as libraries closed for lockdown – Wiltshire Times. One thousand books borrowed from makeshift little free library set up after closure.
• Worcestershire – County’s libraries and University of Worcester offering weekly webinars to help college, uni and sixth-form students – Worcester Observer. ““Study Happy has been a great success in helping both University of Worcester and local school and college students feel more confident and motivated about their studies.”
  • Worcestershire libraries set to re-open next month – Malvern Gazette. “Six of Worcestershire’s libraries are currently due to re-open on Saturday July 4 according to the county council although this is dependant on confirmation from Government.”
• Wrexham – Wrexham Library Service celebrate Pride Month – Leader. “BorrowBox have pulled together their 2020 selection of key LGBTQ+ titles”