Cancel culture

Editorial

Two long-running library battles have been won,, with Glasgow libraries receiving funding to reopen threatened libraries there and the near-future of the library in the book paradise of Hay on Wye also being secured. Scottish libraries have also received funding to aid with fall-out from Covid. On the debit side, Torfaen is looking at big cuts and the once large Grays Library in Thurrock is looking to be reduced to a shadow of its former self. Internationally, it’s all about censorship, with China reducing what can be read in Hong Kong while, on the other side of the Pacific, there are continuing moves to censor a ton of stuff in what those pushing the moves probably still unironically say is the Land Of The Free.

Changes by library service

• Thurrock – Grays Library to be reduced in size.
• Torfaen – Temporary opening hours and staff cuts during review

National news

• CILIP Library and Information Supplier Showcase – Autumn 2021 – CILIP. 30 November, London.
• Final reflections: Ka-Ming – #uklibchat. ” We were connecting people together, and we also inspired other groups to set up their own Twitter chats.”
• Let’s hear it for our libraries – the unsung heroes of our cultural life, says Maggie Ritchie – Herald. “Libraries are the unsung heroes of Scotland’s cultural life, and like all those going quietly about their vital business, they are easy to overlook. Libraries have been open for a while now but with restricted opening times, and with buying books only a mouse click away, I’d got out of the habit of browsing the shelves for serendipitous finds.”
• Libraries across the north and north-east awarded ‘lifeline’ funding for innovative projects – Press and Journal. “Libraries across the north and north-east [of Scotland] have been awarded more than £100,000 to combat the impact of Covid and improve their services.”
• Prime time for audio-books – Nielsen. “From July 2020 to June 2021, audiobook purchases in the UK saw their highest 12-month period on record, surpassing the previous record highs that the format had been setting basically every month since last spring.”
• Support our Libraries: ‘We need a local and national government funding model that allows them to thrive’ – Sean McNamara – Scotsman. “It has been wonderful to see Scotland on Sunday’s campaign getting such widespread backing and that it has got under the bonnet and looked at why other countries financially support their libraries sometimes more than we do in Scotland and the wider UK.”
• ‘This is a place for me, I’m welcome here’: how libraries are reaching out after Covid – I. “BookTrust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, wants to make visiting the local library a regular and long-lasting habit, especially among disadvantaged groups” … “A recent survey by the charity of 1,000 families in poverty with a child in that age group found that fewer than half (49 per cent) of these families are registered with a public library.”

International news

• Argentina – BIC Celebrates Global Education Week By Honoring 10 Educators In Second Year Of BIC Cristal Pen Awards – Cision. “Herńan is one of the founders and current president of the library Biblioteca Popular Palabras del Alma. The library began operating on a mobile basis, only on weekends and now offers art, a community garden, and workshops for reading writing, computer, language, theater and many topics for people of all ages, including high school students and children without access to kindergarten. Herńan also coordinates a project for indigenous people where a dozen new libraries in their communities have since been built. He is also the creator of a community theater group and radio station that allows poor people, women, children and adolescents, people with disabilities or who are part of indigenous peoples to express themselves.” [My wife is the UK award winner – Ed.]
• Canada – A Toronto library card will give you free access to the city’s top attractions starting tomorrow – Flipboard. “For Toronto Public Library cardholders, one pass is permitted per person every week. Each venue has its own restrictions on the number of people that can be admitted with one pass. Generally, each pass admits two adults and two children.”
• China- Hong Kong libraries removed 29 books about Tiananmen massacre: Report – Big News Network. ” Hong Kong libraries have removed 29 out of 149 books about the Tiananmen massacre over the last 12 years.”
• Singapore – Choa Chu Kang Public Library: Libraries Can Be Gardens Too – Medium. “Instead of taking up just one floor within Lot One Shoppers’ Mall, the new library now spans across two floors (Levels 4 and 5) and accommodates a more extensive literary collection than its predecessor. The overhaul is aligned to the National Library Board’s (NLB) Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025 (LAB25): a five-year road map to streamline library and archive services to support lifelong discovery and learning, build an informed citizenry, nurture a stronger appreciation of the Singapore experience, and ensure equal access and opportunities for everyone.”
  • Covid-19: Unvaccinated in Singapore barred from NLB libraries – Yahoo. ” From 1 December, the list of places and events that unvaccinated individuals cannot enter or attend will be expanded to include National Library Board libraries and selected activities in People’s Association venues. “
• USA – Texas Library Cancel Children’s Event After Transgender Misinformation Sparks Threats – Newsweek. ” the library was not, as had been falsely claimed, an event to “indoctrinate children into a transgender way of life.””
  • More Republican leaders try to ban books on race, LGBTQ issues – NPR. Lists various moves to censor books, mainly in school libraries.
  • Viral photo of near-empty library shelves sends powerful message: ‘We removed every book with content that could offend someone’ – Yahoo. “The pair of side-by-side photos, shared by Pflugerville Public Library in Texas, aims to provide a visual of what library shelves might look like if everything containing subject matter that could cause someone discomfort was to be removed. “This is a before and after shot of what a single shelving unit in the library’s Teen Space would look like if we removed every book with content that could offend someone,” the caption begins. “Out of 159 books, there are ten left on the shelves. We removed books that contained profanity, teen drinking, religious content, racism, magic, abuse, sexual content, and more. But in taking away those books, we also removed examples of friendship, love, courage, creativity, faith, forgiveness, reality, resilience, humor, and history.””

Local news by authority

• Bath and North East Somerset – Seasonal Gift a Book campaign calls for donations – Journal and Gazette. “Libraries in Bath and North East Somerset are inviting book donations, to be gifted to people in the community who may not otherwise receive a Christmas present. The Gift a Book campaign ran for the first time in 2019 when more than 2,000 books were donated by residents and charities across B&NES.”
• Darlington – Plans for Darlington library’s restoration and how long it will take – Northern Echo. “The Grade II listed building will be brought back to its former glory with a 15-month restoration programme that will include the roof covering and key heritage features such as decorative plasterwork. There will also be improvements to the library’s digital infrastructure and a general refresh of the internal area.”
• East Dunbartonshire – Here is why East Dunbartonshire Council buildings will light up in orange – Glasgow Times. “East Dunbartonshire libraries, community hubs and libraries will take part on the first and last day of the United Nations’ 16 Days of Action against Gender Based Violence Campaign.”
• East Riding – Business and IP Centres will launch in three East Riding Libraries next month – Bridlington Free Press. “The new centres are launching following last year’s pledge of £13 million in Treasury funding for The British Library Business and IP Centre Major Expansion of its highly successful network of library based BIPCs from 14 to over 100 regional and local libraries across England.”
• Falkirk – £40k cash boost for Falkirk libraries to help staff support users’ mental health – Daily Record. Scottish Government covid funding. “The £39,992 funding will enable the libraries to work with Falkirk’s Mental Health Association (FDAMH), training all their staff so they can better support library users with their mental health.”
• Fife – Library book returned more than seven decades late – Shropshire Star. This story has had international coverage. ““For a bit of fun we worked out how much could have been due in fees and it comes to a whopping £2,847. “It arrived with a lovely letter from the borrower’s daughter who was able to give us a bit of detail.” OnFife Libraries have had an amnesty on late fees throughout the pandemic to encourage members to return books.”
• Glasgow – Protests at Maryhill and Whiteinch libraries to continue in fight for future of Glasgow venues – Glasgow Times. “In their calls for long-term funding, campaigners will continue to hold read-in protests outside libraries in Maryhill and in Whiteinch.”
  • Glasgow Life announce extended library opening hours – Glasgow Times.
  • Five Glasgow libraries to reopen after funding lifeline – BBC. “Five libraries in Glasgow that closed during the Covid pandemic are set to reopen after securing £450,000 in Scottish government funding. The money will help reopen libraries in Maryhill, Whiteinch, Barmulloch, the Gallery of Modern Art and the Couper Institute. It is part of a Scotland-wide £1.25m public library Covid relief fund. However, Glasgow Labour councillor Malcolm Cunning said it “falls well short” of what is needed.”
• Gloucestershire – Free intellectual property information service launched by Gloucestershire Libraries – Punchline. “The new information service launched by Gloucestershire Libraries is called Ask Us Business and Patent Library Centre (PatLib) and is based at Gloucester Library.”
• Highland – Book Week Scotland celebrated as High Life Highland libraries organise activities for literary lovers of all ages – Inverness Courier. “Literary lovers can join in Book Week Scotland at libraries across the Highlands. With the annual celebration of books and reading taking place across the country between now and November 21, High Life Highland (HLH) libraries are running a huge range of activities”
• Inverclyde – Partner press release: Library service honoured – Inverclyde Council. “The award recognised the talent, innovation, and achievement of library teams throughout Scotland during the pandemic. It welcomed entries from all SLIC members, including university and specialist libraries, and presented an opportunity for services to showcase staff-driven initiatives which have greatly enhanced user experience. The East Lothian service won the award for its sustained, imaginative, and ambitious response to the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic.”
• Manchester – Give the Gift of Reading this Christmas – Just Giving / Manchester Central Library Development Trust. “Thanks to your amazing generosity last year, we raised £4,000 to buy new books for children and young people in Manchester as part of our Book Gifting Campaign. Despite our libraries and schools being fully open again, the impact of Covid on children’s learning means that access to books at home has never been more important.” … “We work with over 100 local organisations including foodbanks, community groups, SureStart Centres, refugees and youth groups.  Working together we can ensure that we are reaching the children and families where free books can really make a difference.”
• Northern Ireland – Enniskillen library burglary condemned as ‘disgraceful’ with building closed due to damage – Belfast Telegraph. “I was disgusted to hear about the burglary at the library on Halls Lane and the significant damage caused. This is an important community hub, a place where people young and old gather to read or just to socialise.”
• South Gloucestershire – South Gloucestershire sports facilities and libraries to benefit from £550k investment – Gazette series. ” £96,000 is also set to be used to enhance facilities at libraries in Emersons Green and Downend to improve library facilities across South Gloucestershire.” … “The funding comes in the form of developer contributions”
• Oldham – Libraries have been with Mary through every chapter of her life – Oldham Council. “ailsworth-born Centenarian marked the occasion with a special visit to her local library, where she was presented with a birthday cake. The library staff also put together a special display of books about the area and presented Mary with a birthday present – ‘Mary’s Memories Scrapbook’, which included a collection of photos of Failsworth supplied by the Local Studies and Archives team and articles from a newspaper dated from the week she was born.”
• Oxfordshire – Libraries could help to tackle above-average levels of loneliness and social isolation for residents of Banbury and Oxfordshire – Banbury Guardian. Council says ““One of the areas we are particularly interested in is looking at the role of libraries as safe places that people feel comfortable attending and how their role can potentially be expanded, not just as physical spaces but the role they have in book delivery to people who cannot get to a library,” she said.”
• Powys – Five-year fight to save library ends in success – Brecon and Radnor Express. “The announcement comes as a result of extensive negotiations between Powys County Council and HayPublicLibrary.org, the Community Interest Company (CIC), set up by Hay-on-Wye Library Supporters (HOWLS) in 2019. The company worked with Cllr Rachel Powell, Powys Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People, Culture and Leisure, to draw up a five-year commercially binding contract. This guarantees Hay Library will retain the same opening hours and staffing levels”
  • Covid tests available at libraries – My Welshpool.
• Renfrewshire – £40k cash boost will help launch Renfrewshire libraries project to tackle social isolation – Daily Record. “The Scottish Government has handed Renfrewshire Leisure the grant from the £1.25milliion Public Library Covid Relief Fund”
• Suffolk – Library cancels Insulate Britain event after claiming it was ‘misled’ – East Anglian Daily Times. “Woodbridge Library’s meeting room was privately booked for an event tonight (November 23). We were aware that it was an event to discuss climate change, but we weren’t previously made aware it was being promoted as an Insulate Britain event.“We have now decided to cancel the booking as we were misled over the nature of the event. “We have concerns that literature being used to promote it to local people could make it appear as if it is a library event and we have concerns that the controversy surrounding Insulate Britain may result in negativity towards our staff.”
• Thurrock – Campaigners cautiously welcome chance to save a much-loved Thameside Theatre – Thurrock Gazette. “They want to move the library and the registry office but they aren’t giving them much room. The library will have room for eight bookshelves and two computers but at the moment they have about 30 computers and two floors of books. “They are talking about putting us in an empty shop in the High Street but there won’t be enough space as we have so many artefacts. We want to stay where we are and we want to be together with the library.””
• Torfaen – Cwmbran, Blaenavon, Pontypool library opening hours cut – Free Press. “There are currently four vacant library assistant roles within the borough’s service, which is leading to staff shortages as more people return to using libraries following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. Torfaen council is currently carrying out a review of library services, and it says filling the four vacancies while this is ongoing would ‘prejudice’ its outcome.”
• Warwickshire – New eco merchandise promotes Warwickshire Libraries and green-living – Leamington Observer.
• Wigan – Community libraries reopen after Covid-enforced closures – Leigh Journal. “A majority of facilities opened their doors on Monday, November 15 and will initially operate on reduced opening hours, so that staff can carry out additional work in relation to operating in a Covid-safe environment.”
• Wirral – More Wirral libraries reopening from today – Wirral Globe. “The new items were designed with book lovers and environmentalists in mind with each one promoting the library service. Products include cotton tote bags, coffee cups and water bottles with designs ranging from the Hungry Caterpillar and Harry Potter to Shakespeare. Available to purchase in county council managed libraries, it is also hoped the new range will encourage less frequent library-goers to return to their local library.”