Glasgow, local politics, and a book exchange.

Editorial

Glasgow continues to dominate this blog’s local authority news, with a truly impressive amount of text from multiple sources about the leisure trust’s decision not to reopen a few of its branches. It is being used to attack not just local politicians but also Nicola Sturgeon herself, who until now has been a bit of a shining beacon of public library support. As mentioned last week, the coverage is notably more intense than a similar story would have been south of the border, ironically showing the national differences some of the politicians attacking her may not have wish to be highlighted. After all, I don’t remember Boris Johnson facing direct criticism for what happens in Croydon or Lambeth, for example. Having said that, it’s clearly a big thing in Bristol, though, as the local mayor made the point of given libraries prominent coverage in a paid-for news article.

In perhaps lighter news, a community book exchange has received major attention due to a bigot (or a comedian) protesting about some of the stock in it and there’s also a story from the USA about a chap with an extreme addiction to Summer Reading Challenge goodies. Hmm, I do like a good fridge magnet myself. Have a good week everyone.

Changes by library service

• Hampshire – Kingsclere reopens as volunteer.

National news

• British Library Single Digital Presence Update – CILIP. 12 May, 12:30 online. £25+VAT for non-members. “Staff members from the British Library will give a presentation on the Arts Council England and Carnegie UK Trust funded ‘Single Digital Presence’ project. The project began in 2018 to explore digital transformations in public libraries and what a national online presence for the sector could look like. We have recently reached the end of the project’s research and development phase. As well as explaining its drivers, methods and findings, we will also outline the next steps for development and answer questions from attendees.”
• Coming back greener – BookSeller. Nick Poole of CILIP. “Libraries are unique multi-functional spaces, offering comfort and respite while supporting a wide range of uses. We would like to explore how these spaces can co-exist more sustainably with their local ecosystems, communities and economies, using sustainable materials and local skills”

• Intellitec – “Three former senior managers from Bibliotheca, Simon Peacock, Jim Hopwood and Phillip Sykes have now formed Intellitec. With over 50+ years’ experience in the Library Sector, Intellitec has been formed to offer advisory services to libraries. Intellitec would welcome enquires from any library service with a strategy to change or evolve or simply bring new ideas to their users.”
• Julia Donaldson: ‘I worry some children will be unable to sing’ – Guardian. “While the reopening of libraries will be welcomed across the generations, their closure was a pressing matter well before Covid: in Donaldson’s role as children’s laureate from 2011 to 2013, she campaigned passionately against library cuts, writing articles, meeting ministers and (with Malcolm) embarking on a six-week tour of UK libraries. Her newest book in the Acorn Wood series, Cat’s Cookbook, is set in a library; Cat is looking for a recipe book, but is side-tracked by the many literary tangents on offer until she finds what she is looking for under the direction of Frog, the helpful librarian.”
• The Library Campaign Zoom 24 April 2021 – Library Campaign. “The Library Campaign’s first online meeting discussed what the Campaign could /should be doing to promote and protect public libraries. Speakers include Laura Swaffield (Chair of the Campaign), Elizabeth Ash (Save Croydon Libraries) and Liz Miles (SOLE – Save Our Libraries Essex.)”

• Scots can soon visit library to do banking with new TSB ‘pop-up’ service – Daily Record. “TSB is launching more than 40 new ‘pop-up’ services, appearing in locations such as libraries, town halls and community centres across Scotland.” They “will support customers with banking services such as making payments, getting help with products, and help with bereavements.”
• This can’t be the final chapter for our libraries – Times (partial paywall).

International news

• Australia – Public libraries about ‘more than just books’, say South Australians fearing funding cuts – ABC News. ” negotiations were underway for a new agreement and, if it went ahead as currently proposed, it would mean “less books on shelves” and “probably less content online”. The SA Government would not be drawn on the topic, but simply said it allocated “significant funding to libraries each year”.”
• Canada – Park Passes have arrived at WPL – Waterloo Public Library. “Each kit comes with a park pass, binoculars and nature guidebooks all packed in a cross-body pouch so you can take everything with you on your outdoor adventures. Kits are loaned out for 7-days. “
• Finland – JKMM Architects extends 1980s library to create “public living room” for Kirkkonummi – De Zeen. “The studio doubled the size of the previous library and wrapped it entirely in a copper facade to create a counterpoint to the town’s medieval stone church.” – Church and library are described as the “heart and brain” of the town.
• France – Building Knowledge: New French Libraries Designed for Cultural Exchange – Arch Daily. “France has built many new libraries across the country, buildings that embrace new technology, media, and collection formats. Combining mixed programs and civic amenities, contemporary libraries are rapidly evolving to meet modern demands and anticipate future trends. Libraries are one means by which architects and designers can make space for learning and foster cultural exchange, creating room for education and new ideas. The following work takes a closer look at libraries across France, building upon iconic examples like the National Library of France to ground new ideas on how shared values are discovered, reimagined and expressed.”
• Global – What do you want to share with the library field?  – Next Library. “Next Library Festival 2021 will be a free online event. It will run 24 hours on June 3 starting at 8 am (UTC+2) following the sun around the planet to the next morning 8 am (UTC+2). There will be keynotes, inspiration talks, participatory sessions, ignites, online happenings, The Next Room (drop-in-talkshows), singing, announcement of the winner of the Joy of Reading Award, surprises and much more. “
• Pakistan – Roshan the camel brings books to Pakistan’s homeschooled children – Al Jazeera. “Raheema Jalal, a high-school principal who founded the Camel Library project with her sister, a federal minister, says she started the library last August because she wanted children around her remote hometown to continue learning despite schools being closed.”
• USA – Aaron Yang: Voracious Reader Or Giant Pain To Librarians? – NPR. “There are more than 9,000 public libraries in the U.S., and Aaron Yang has been trying to win summer reading prizes from as many as he can. Not all librarians are happy about it.” … “By his count, he’s now contacted around a thousand libraries and acquired untold numbers of pencils, stickers and awards.”. Aaron is 20. “Thanks to one of his librarian fans, you can now buy a T-shirt online that reads, We Are All Aaron Yang.”
  • If you haven’t been to the library lately you may not even recognize some of the new features some of them offer – Flipboard. Fox 6 TV News “Brian is in Menomonee Falls checking out their public library where guests can create, invent and learn in their new Makerspace.”

Local news by authority

• Barnet – Makerspaces and Make Believe: more on the Hendon Hub and the threat to Hendon’s Listed Library – Broken Barnet. “the case of the proposed new library, which is supposedly meant to replace the Grade II listed building, built in 1929, and which was, before Tory cuts slashed it to pieces, the central library for the Borough – until their meddling, it was the busiest branch in the service. This magnificent building they propose to demolish, other than the facade: the back of the building is not listed, so they intend to knock that out in order to cannibalise the library carcass, and integrate what is left into a brand new development for Middlesex University. “
• Bradford – New online story sessions for under 5s in Bradford – Telegraph and Argus. “Bradford Libraries have teamed up with theatre groups and yoga specialists to share the fun on the Happy Active Stories programme with interactive, engaging stories online involving drama, games, songs and role play.”
  • Three more Bradford libraries to reopen on Monday – Telegraph and Argus. “Bingley, Eccleshill and Laisterdyke Libraries join City Library, Keighley and Shipley in opening for essential IT use, bookable study space, browsing and self-service issue and return, as well as continuing Order & Collect service throughout the day.”
• Bristol – Mayor Marvin Rees answers your questions – Bristol Live. Paid-for article. “Why have you consistently gone back on election promises, like for example with libraries? I haven’t. We made a promise in 2016 to keep all of our libraries and children’s centres going and that is exactly what we’ve done. That’s at a time when national cuts have meant that thousands of these services have been cut by local authorities since 2010. Across the UK, about 850 libraries have closed since austerity started and a many as 1,000 Sure Start children’s centres have closed – that’s one in six. So I think we’ve got a really strong record in this city. We’re extending opening hours and investing to make sure our libraries are fit for the 21st century.”
• Calderdale – Angry villagers fume ‘take that filth to Hebden Bridge’ after erotic novel left in library – Mirror. “… things got hot when one un-named joker placed erotic material in the little green box, which is sat upon a wooden pole next to the village noticeboard. The prank, however, didn’t go down with one resident who pinned a note onto the green box saying: “Whoever is placing the copys [sic] of pornographic literature in here, stop! Cornholme is a God fearing Christian village.””
  • ‘God-fearing Christian village’ hunts for saboteur who fills their free roadside book kiosk with X-rated literature – Daily Mail.
  • ‘Take that filth to Hebden Bridge’: Anger over erotic novel left in shared library – Metro.
• Cheshire West and Chester – Chester and Ellesmere Port: Two new centres offering free covid-19 test kits to open – Chester Standard. At Ellesmere Port Library. “Dozens of people in Glasgow have taken part in a socially distanced ‘read-in’ protest against the closure” … “Save Whiteinch Library campaign group say there was no formal announcement or active community consultation, and that “the fact of the matter had to be winkled out by concerned citizens”.
  • Libraries in Chester Ellesmere Port and Helsby set to reopen next month – Standard. More libraries opening. ” 8,293 visitors during the first week alone”
• Croydon – South Norwood library battle goes on: “We don’t want to be fighting to save the library, but we are” – East London Lines. “the battle to save South Norwood library continued on Tuesday when protesters and Croydon residents put council candidates on the spot during an online meeting demanding answers about what the future held. The group campaigning to save the library, Friends of South Norwood Library (FOSNL), organised a Zoom Q&A on 27 April for local constituents and for FOSNL to pose questions. ” … “The lack of transparency from the council was a focal point “
• Dundee – Better Read than Dead: Memories of Tayside libraries throughout the decades – Courier. “Dundee Central Library, based in the Wellgate, was never just for books.” … “Libraries have often been an incredibly important part of local communities and they were even more at the forefront in previous decades. “. Closure threats in 1981.
• East Riding of Yorkshire – East Riding residents asked to give views on library service – Planet Radio. “The survey has been designed to find out what customers’ views are on the various services offered by East Riding Libraries, and see what has changed over the course of the pandemic. “
• Edinburgh – Call for Edinburgh to set reopening timetable for libraries amid fears vulnerable could be left behind – Edinburgh News. “the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland (CILIP) has written to council chiefs raising concerns about the lack of a reopening timetable. It says as the country looks to a recovery programme, libraries have “never been more needed”.”
• Glasgow –  Library read-in protests in Glasgow continue as more than 3,000 people sign petition – Glasgow Live.
  • Campaigners accuse council leader of ‘breaking promises’ to keep Whiteinch Library open – Glasgow Live. “Councillor Susan Aitken tweeted in November saying that there were ‘no plans’ to close libraries and that Glasgow Life ‘were working on a reopening for the older, Victorian buildings’. It has since been announced that the charity will be closing Whiteinch and Maryhill libraries due to the financial impact of coronavirus.”
  • Campaigners call for more Glasgow libraries to reopen – BBC News. “Glasgow Life, the charity that operates the libraries, said many places needed to be modified to ensure they complied with Covid regulations.”
  • Mike Dailly: Come clean about our libraries and don’t use Covid as an excuse – Glasgow Times. Behind paywall.
  • Dismayed Glasgow residents protest against library closures – Glasgow Times. ““While politicians have been saying that libraries won’t close and that they will instead move, there are still major concerns about the future of these services and how we can access them.””
  • Letters: It will be the poor who suffer most if the SNP wins next week – Glasgow Herald / Letters. “The SNP administration in Glasgow is planning a programme of closures to libraries” … includes letter from councillor defending Glasgow Life’s record on libraries, arguing closures affect technological and societal change.
  • Martha Wardrop: Why you should support for our library buildings across Glasgow – Glasgow Times. “Local library buildings are valued as places for people of all ages to gather for hours on end, as well as giving easy access to resources and technology to learn. The recent pandemic has highlighted their importance by providing access to reliable internet. “
  • Spat breaks out between Nicola Sturgeon and Anas Sarwar amid fears of Glasgow library closures – Glasgow Times. Scottish Labour attacks SNP saying “”Nicola Sturgeon is a self-confessed bookworm yet the SNP is not reopening libraries across the city.” … “The First Minister hit back at Mr Sarwar, adding that the South Side has four libraries. Replying on Twitter, Ms Sturgeon said that she hopes to bring the reopening of Pollokshields Library forward.”
• Hampshire – Kingsclere Community Library reopens for the first time as an independent – Newbury Today. “April 13 was a momentous day for Kingsclere Community Library as it reopened for the first time as an independent. The library, in George Street, has been forced to go it alone after Hampshire County Council cut its support of the service last year.”
• Lambeth – Lambeth Libraries: Readers and Writers Festival and other events for May 2021 – Brixton Buzz. “At the moment only West Norwood and Carnegie offer browsing, but this is being extended to all our libraries during May and June”
• Manchester – Check out rapid Covid tests from Manchester’s local libraries – Manchester Libraries Blog. “The free at-home Covid-19 testing kits are now available to collect from ten of Manchester’s local libraries”
  • Shout out for books – time-limited amnesty for overdue library books – Manchester Libraries Blog. “Fines for overdue items were suspended during Covid-19 but all these books and other library materials need to be returned.  There is a time-limited fines amnesty until 31 May.  From June people will start to be charged fines again.”
• North Lanarkshire – Visitors welcomed back to museums and libraries – Daily Record. “Libraries in Airdrie, Coatbridge, Chryston, Cumbernauld, Motherwell and Wishaw have also reopened today, while the home deliver services for readers has also resumed.”
• Northumberland – Structural damage closes Northumberland library – News Post Leader. “Bedlington Station Library is closed following structural damage to the building.”. Water leak.
• North Yorkshire – Return of library services is welcomed – Keighley News. “in the first week of reopening, from April 12, libraries welcomed 5,125 people – who borrowed almost 21,000 books.”
  • Explore community history at your local library during May – Harrogate News. “Inspired by this year’s theme The High Street, libraries will be sharing resources such as maps and newspapers from their collections on social media. A series of pre-recorded talks will be aired …”
• Perth and Kinross – Perth and Kinross libraries to reopen from May 11 – Daily Record. “From May 11 the AK Bell Library in Perth, Breadalbane Community Library in Aberfeldy, Auchterarder Library, Blairgowrie Library and Scone Library will reopen for visitors to borrow and return books. Strathearn Community Library in Crieff and Loch Leven Community Library in Kinross will reopen from Friday, May 14. Also from May 11, the popular mobile library service, now in its 100th year, will once again be hitting the road and visiting local communities”
• Powys – Could you be a storyteller? – My Newtown. “Volunteers are wanted to help with recording and editing stories for the county-wide Powys Libraries projects.”
• Reading – Libraries reopening – Reading Council. Summary. Open for booked appointments.
• Rochdale – Last chance to complete your Census 2021 – Rochdale Online. At  Alkrington Library, Balderstone Library, Castleton Library, Darnhill Library and Spotland Library.
• Solihull – Vacancy: Libraries Resourcing Manager – WM Jobs. £37890.00 – £43857.00 full-time permanent. “you will lead a team of specialists responsible for developing stock strategy and provide branches with a range of initiatives and resources that will engage the public””
• Suffolk – Suffolk Libraries launch new digital story-sharing service – EADT. “Anybody with a Suffolk Libraries account can log into the Featherbed Tales website and read and record one of the six short stories and then share a link to anyone by email.”
  • Home testing kits now available from Suffolk libraries and pharmacies – Ipswich Star.
• Swindon – Spark fly over threat to libraries – Library Campaign. “A local library campaigner has decided to make the row an election issue. Author Sean Wilson has become a Labour candidate for Covingham & Dorcan ward – to fight library closures. One library has already closed. A second is about to go the same way, according to Sean. And it all dates back to the council’s decision in 2017 to “outsource” most of its library service. What happened? It’s a mystery story involving ‘seed money’, a charity trust, two parish councils, a Friends group and the council itself.”
• Warwickshire – The Stratford librarian who doubles as William Shakespeare – Stratford Herald.
• Worcestershire – Redditch Library will soon offer rapid Covid-19 testing for residents – Redditch Standard. ” “Libraries offer a convenient location for local people to get free rapid flow tests. We are delighted that Redditch Library will be a test site to further support our local community.””