Just before the second wave

Editorial

Sorry to see that Hay on Wye, a place synonymous with books, will now have a library run by volunteers. Wales is notably less reliant on the unpaid than English libraries and so this represents a worrying development. Otherwise, the news continues to show a return to normal, although with one service amusingly reintroducing click and collect not because their libraries aren’t open – they are – but because the public liked the service. How the increasingly obvious and long-feared second wave will affect the national picture remains to be seen.

Changes by authority

• Bromley – Chislehurst Library to be redeveloped.
• Powys – £200k cut. Llanfair Caereinion, Llanwrtyd Wells, Talgarth and Hay-on-Wye to be volunteer run.

National news

• BookTrust’s Time to Read campaign supports transition to primary school for 740,000 children – Charity Today. ““We love to encourage parents to read with their children. Sadly, this year we can’t do it in person so our lovely library staff will be connecting with our parents and children virtually, helping parents and children see that’s there’s no right way to read a book. Using a variety of voices, styles and experience our library teams will read this years’ Time to Read book and share tips on reading aloud, beamed straight into homes via the schools. A familiar book, an enthusiastic parent and a friendly librarian what better combination to encourage reading this autumn.””
• CILIP Conference 2020 – Reimagined – CILIP. October 13, 2020 – November 19, 2020. ” Reimagined will be a series of satellite events throughout Autumn, culminating in an incredible one-day event on 19 November with all of the elements that you would expect if you were to come to a live venue “
• The history of book burning – New Statesman.” In 2018-19, there were 3,583 public libraries in the UK compared with 4,356 in 2009-10: 773 have closed.”
• ‘Libraries and Rural Touring Arts’ – maximising the potential of our nation’s libraries – Rural Touring. “… the NRTF Libraries Project, funded by the Arts Council England will support the delivery of rural touring arts in libraries by recognising and promoting the high-quality creative activities already happening in rural libraries across the UK, strengthening and boosting ambition by sharing resources, contacts, expertise and knowledge, funding opportunities to map, review, learn, expand and develop the touring potential of libraries and bring organisations and professionals together to network, support, educate and collaborate on a national scale.” NRFT Conference – free digital conference includes one day, 13 October, on libraries.

Are you interested in standing as a candidate in the CILIP BAME Network’s Inaugural Elections? Do you want to find out more and ask questions? Then join us for a Zoom meeting on 24th September between 5.15pm-6pm. This is an opportunity for you to ask members of the CILIP BAME Network Steering Committee about what each role within the Committee will involve as well as about the work we have been involved with to date. If you are interested in joining this meeting please email info.bame@cilip.org.uk.

Mobeena Khan

• National Poetry Day follows lockdown poetry passion with bumper plans for October – BookSeller. “…  thousands of schools and libraries across the UK, including The British Library, are putting on poetry readings and performances on National Poetry Day’s chosen theme of Vision.”
• Webinars – Living Knowledge Network. Free to watch recordings of relevant webinars for public libraries from the British Library.

International news

• Australia – Talk to Errol the Frog – Public Libraries Connect. “with voice-activated content available on Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, libraries can now bring Errol to life! Families attending First 5 Forever sessions will find it a real treat to hear Errol’s voice as he shares the Hello Song, a book suggestion or an early literacy tip.”
• Belgium – “The first, the fast, and the least reluctant to change will succeed”: Interview with Saskia Van Uffelen, Digital Champion for Belgium, Part 2 – Mechanical Dolphin. “The value add of libraries stops being about access to the collection. It becomes a social space in the neighbourhood, providing people with contact and perhaps a place of learning. The value add of yesterday is no longer valid. Just as in any other organisation, libraries must now ask, what could our value add be, not today, not at the end of the quarter, but in 2030?”
• EU – How can libraries play a positive roles in a crisis – Eurolis. Wednesdays 14, 21 and 28 October 2020, from 4 to 6pm. “The seminar will seek to explore the ways libraries can play a vital role in the times of crisis through online presentations from speakers in Europe and through highly interactive sessions involving the audience.”
• USA – Exclusive: Douglas Co. chair wanted to cut library funding over Black Lives Matter support – News 4. Library director’s public support for BLM causes the situation where “The Douglas County library board voted earlier this month to spend $30,000 investigating library director Amy Dodson after the Black Lives Matter controversy. It’s unclear what the investigation is looking at or when it will be finished.”
  • 158 Birmingham Library Workers Placed on Furlough. What they were told – Birmingham Times. Letter to staff says “You will receive your final paycheck on October 9, 2020.”. The cutbacks were a response to city budget cuts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic”

Local news by authority

• Aberdeenshire – Public PC access now available at selected Aberdeenshire libraries – Buchan Observer. “In addition to “Click and Collect” and doorstep delivery services, public PC access is now available at a number of Aberdeenshire libraries.”
• Argyll – Helensburgh Library begins ‘click and collect’ service – Helensburgh Advertiser. “Restricted physical re-opening arrangements will be in place and a return to full service arrangements across all libraries is provisionally pencilled in for the week commencing November 2.”
• Brent – Carl Gabriel’s Art Work – Preston Community Library:19 Sep to 13 Dec – Preston Community Library. “a series of these sculptures are displayed as static works, alongside a new off-site commission that has been developed in conversation with library staff.”. Nice photos.
  • Brent 2020: First ever Brent Biennial launches with art projects borough-wide for people to enjoy – Brent and Kilburn Times. “The public can enjoy 23 new artist commissions across Brent in public spaces, libraries, streets and online from September 19 to December 13 as part of the Brent 2020 London Borough of Culture.”
• Cumbria – Workington Library launches competition – Times and Star. 500 words.
• Darlington – Community appeal to help stock libraries for Kenyans – Northern Echo. Rotary “are collecting as many children’s books as possible to fill a ‘container library’ and learning centre in Kenya.”

• East Riding – East Riding’s Festival of Words goes on line – guests include local author Louise Beech, historical crime writer Abir Mukherjee, fantasy novelist Natasha Pulley – Scarborough News.
• East Sussex – Uckfield Library to reopen next month – Uckfield News. “It will open from October 19 after a positive customer response to measures in place at five libraries which reopened in July.”
• Edinburgh – Council announces Central Library will open a week earlier than planned – Edinburgh Reporter. “Following some pointed discussion at the Culture and Communities committee earlier this week, it has been announced that six of the city’s libraries will open more quickly than first thought.”
  • Councillors demand quicker reopening of libraries – Edinburgh Reporter. “Cllr Susan Webber said that the list of libraries to be reopened is not fair and inclusive. She also said that a direction for residents in Ratho to go to the library in Kirkliston has been made by someone who does not know anything about travel between the two villages. Cllr Webber said: “We are behind every other local authority in the UK. We need to try harder.””
• Falkirk – More Falkirk district libraries open for Click and Collect – Falkirk Herald. “Four more libraries across the district are opening their doors for a Click and Collect service from today”
• Fife – Fife libraries to offer ‘lucky dip’ book bags again – Fife Today. “In just three weeks in July nearly 3700 bags of up to ten books were collected. When branches started to open their doors again last month, the service came to an end. However, it’s coming back by popular demand after customers have said they are still keen to use a Connect & Collect service.”

“So many library users loved the surprise element of discovering what books had been chosen for them but just as importantly it also allows us to stay in touch with customers who are limiting their contacts and don’t want to browse the shelves just yet.”

June Souter, libraries service development manager

• Gloucestershire – Stroud Library on Lansdown set to reopen this week – Stroud News.
• Hackney – Hackney libraries celebrate World Afro Day for the first time – Hackney Citizen. “The books, including Hair Love by Matthew Cherry, Daddy Do My Hair by Tola Okogwu, My Hair by Hannah Lee, Happy to be Nappy by bell hooks, I Love My Hair by Natasha Tarpley and Hair Like Mine by Latashia M. Perry, are part of a drive to empower people with Afro hair and raise awareness in wider society.”

• Monmouthshire – Abergavenny community hub to improve access to vital services – South Wales Argus. “A ‘request and collect’ library service will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am-4pm”
• North Yorkshire – Libraries are now offering visitors more services – Gazette and Herald. “Customers can visit, browse for and borrow books in many libraries, including Pickering Library on a bookable basis.”

• Powys – Powys libraries get five-year deal to keep running – BBC. £200k cut. Llanfair Caereinion, Llanwrtyd Wells, Talgarth and Hay-on-Wye will be volunteer-run.
• Somerset – Book lovers back browsing at Bridgwater Library – Bridgwater Mercury. “Bridgwater Library is now allowing the public in to browse their shelves – all done with strict social distancing and infection control measures in place.”
  • Burnham-On-Sea Library restores Customer Request Service for users – Burnham on Sea. “A Somerset Libraries spokesman says: “We are delighted that from Monday 14th September you will be able to reserve items from the library catalogue and the LibrariesWest App, for pick up from libraries in Somerset.” “There is an initial temporary limit of ten reservations per library member to help manage demand. “
• St Helens – Watch our tour inside the new St Helens library which opened today – St Helens Star. “St Helens town centre has been without a library since the closure of Central Library, based in the Gamble Building, in March 2017. The council unveiled plans to open a new venue within the World of Glass in April 2019, but its creation was delayed due to factors such as work on the site and the coronavirus pandemic. Today Monday, September 14, the new library site has been officially opened by war veteran and triple amputee Andy Reid MBE.”
• Swindon – Vacancy: Library Development & Innovation Manager – Swindon Council. £32k pro rate 22 hours p.w.
• West Berkshire – West Berkshire libraries to reopen next week – Newbury Today. “Customers will be able to choose and borrow books in person during limited opening hours at all West Berkshire libraries from Monday, September 21. “
• West Dunbartonshire – West Dunbartonshire Libraries marked Youth Mental Health Awareness Day – Clydebank Post. “Libraries marked Youth Mental Health Awareness Day by reminding pupils of their school library facilities.”
• Wirral – Arts Council funds free creative writing course for Wirral – Wirral Globe. “Starting in October 2020, author Charlie Lea will run six ‘Read Now Write Now’ writing courses, each lasting eight weeks, in partnership with Sefton and Wirral Library Services.”
• Wrexham – Wrexham Library Service: Learning to drive? Access Theory Test support – Leader Live.