One way or another

Editorial

First off, my apologies. First the run up to Christmas then three weeks of a nasty attack of the Covids and then, yes, being a dame in a pantomime has kept me from updating Public Libraries News. This webpage takes time to do and that is a thing that has been of short supply recently. Of course, on the bright side, this means you get a bumper edition now of over a month’s lot of news. And it’s not all of it. I’ll check social media next time and add some more.

There’s good news from Cornwall, which has gone fines-free, and from York. which has announced millions of pounds of investment. Both services have been experimental in approach in the past, with Cornwall experimenting with devolving libraries to parish/town councils and York being a trust. Bad news, though,with the Wirral – a decade ago a byword for library cuts – being afflicted again.

But the big story is ongoing. Will users return to libraries now that Covid has become endemic and slightly less feared? Sadly, the days of hoping it will go entirely seem to have vanished. This New Year will answer that question, one way or another.

Changes by authority

• Bradford – Baildon Library likely to move into former social club.
• Cambridgeshire – Histon Library reopens after £112k seven-month refurbishment.
• Cornwall – Now fines-free.
• East Sussex – East Sussex – Peacehaven Library to close and move into colocation.
• Nottingham – £233k cut: Basford, Radford Lenton and Aspley libraries to be closed.
• Peterborough – Significant cut to libraries proposed.
• Stockport – Four more libraries to be become staffless.
• Stoke on Trent – £280k cut: reduction in paid staff and hours, more volunteers.
• Trafford – Timperley Library reopens after seven years.
• Wirral – Up to 11 of 24 libraries to close completely, with a further 5 staffless.
• York – £7.7m extra for new co-located and enlarged Clifton, Haxby/Wigginton new library, investment in Acomb.

National news

• Arts Council England launches Green Libraries programme – BookSeller. “ACE awarded £163,000 to the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP) to get the scheme off the ground. CILIP will be supported in delivering the programme by the British Library, public library membership organisation Libraries Connected and environmental charity Julie’s Bicycle. The project aims to reduce the carbon footprint of library assets including physical and digital content, buildings and vehicles, and to enable libraries to help their users engage with environmental issues, and position libraries at the heart of local environmental programmes.”
• ACE partners with Digital Schoolhouse for library learning programme – BookSeller. “ACE provided £75,000 of funding to the Digital Schoolhouse programme, which uses play-based learning to bring the computing curriculum to life in primary schools. The new funding will expand the scheme to libraries based in Birmingham, Leeds, Stoke on Trent and London, enabling local communities to benefit from its learning activities. “
• Alan Hopkinson (IFLA) Award – CILIP. “This Award enables a CILIP member in their early career (full criteria below) to experience the IFLA Congress. The Award covers the whole cost of the IFLA conference fee.”
• Authors, Booksellers and Libraries: Economic Recovery – Question – House of Lords. “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take to support the economic recovery and growth of authors, booksellers, and libraries, in England after the pandemic.” The Earl of Clancarty has also written this article: Libraries and bookshops are a vital part of the community – protecting them from closure is crucial for levelling up – Politics Home. “Writers, booksellers, libraries, and publishers are part of an important creative ecosystem that also includes local schools and colleges. Despite the growth of online reading, books are an indispensable aid in improving and maintaining literacy.”
• Axiell announces agreement to acquire Infor Library & Information Solutions business and expand global presence – Axiell. “The acquisition accelerates the availability of cloud technology to libraries and schools enabling them to, at their pace, join the community of customers, which work with Axiell’s sustainable and digital-first cloud-based library services platform”
• BookTrust Storytime crowns best new book for sharing with young children – Love Reading 4 Kids. “Through BookTrust Storytime, the charity has been working in close partnership with libraries and local authorities to pilot new ways to support families with young children – especially those who are disadvantaged – engage with their local public library, helping kick-start their reading journey, so that sharing stories become a regular and long-lasting part of family life. The winner is The Whales on the Bus written by Katrina Charman and illustrated by Nick Sharratt.”
• Duchess of Cornwall leaves copies of her favourite books inside phone box – In Entertainment. “Camilla’s widespread on-line e book membership, the Studying Room, has been planting publications by advisable authors in telephone bins across the nation to encourage folks to learn, and she or he lent a hand in Scotland.” see also Community library: a light in the darkness – Vivia Shukla, Newstead Wood – This is Local London.
• English Library Journey – Eye Books. By John Bevis, £14.99. “In a ten-year mission criss-crossing the country – from Solihull to Slough, from Cleveland to Cornwall – he enrols at libraries of all shapes and sizes: monuments to Art Deco or Brutalism; a converted corset factory; one even shaped like a pork pie.”
• Focus – CILIP. International Libraries group newsletter, with articles on attending international library conferences.
• Information Literacy Award – LILAC. “The CILIP Information Literacy Group and the Information School at the University of Sheffield are proud to offer an award for achievement in the field of information literacy (IL). IL “is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgements about any information we find and use. It empowers us as citizens to reach and express informed views and to engage fully in society”.”
• Jay Blades on learning to read aged 51: ‘I’ve gone right back to basics like at primary school’ – Independent. “Contact your local library, or go online, to find free literacy materials and support in your area.”
• Letters: Lend your vote to councillors with the humanity to save our precious libraries – Herald Scotland. “There are too many who rely on their local library as a sanctuary from the daily grind of living, and access to books will have an effect on the attainment gap. In the coming council elections, I hope we choose councillors with the humanity to save these endangered spaces from cuts and closures.”
• Libraries sector in the New Year Honours list – DCMS. OBE for Ann Cleeves, MBE for Karen Napier of the Reading Agency, David Smith of the Community Managed Libraries Network, BEMs for chief of Barking and Dagenham Zoinul Abidin, Lesley Davies of Sefton, Stewart Parson of Get It Loud In Libraries, chief of Sheffield Nick Partridge, David Rowe of Libraries Hacked, Nina Simon chief of Redbridge Schools Libraries Service, Darren Smart of Kent, Krystal Vittles of Suffolk, Fiona Williams chief of York Explore, Andrew Wright of Kirklees. Louise Smith of DCMS given OBE for work in culture.
• Library Letters – “Each letter is addressed to the Minister who had responsibility for libraries in their portfolio at the time the library mentioned in the letter closed permanently. Each letter begins ‘This is just to let you know’ and names the library, where it is located and the date it closed permanently.”
• Library projects in the north and north-east secure share of £400,000 funding – Press and Journal. “More than 30 libraries in Scotland received support to help create and deliver new projects to generate interest in reading. The aim is to get more people involved in reading and covering topics like tackling climate change and promoting sustainable development.”
• Library users facing ‘two tier system’ with growing trend for eBooks pricing readers out of latest releases – I. “The demand for borrowing digital books is growing, with an 80 per cent year-on-year increase, according to Libraries Connected, which represents public library services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. But providing them comes at a significantly higher cost for libraries compared to physical books. While eBooks make up 13 per cent of all lending, they take up a quarter of the entire budget.”
• London Libraries launch new pan-London creative reading and writing programme – SW Londoner. “The programme will take place across every London Borough and the City of London to offer 33 free online creative writing workshops and engage London’s diverse communities by telling their stories.”
• Public libraries lend digital books, as demand for e-books grow – Star. “This new enthusiasm for electronic books has been keeping the digital lending service, OverDrive particularly busy. The company found that librarians allowed readers around the world to borrow 506 million e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines in 2021. This figure is a significant increase (16%) on the previous year”
• Public Libraries Project of the Year Grant Award – National Acquisitions Group. “NAG are pleased to announce that their Public Libraries Project of the Year Grant will run again for 2022 with £5,000 available for a project from a NAG Member library.”
• Regaining Footfall: Reflections from our netloan library user groups – Lorensbergs. “We heard how there are multiple challenges to returning users to the library while local restrictions and staff shortages persist. But for those libraries finding ways to stage new initiatives and events, results have been encouraging with a good response amongst targeted demographics of users. An extensive list of these initiatives and programmes as compiled from these discussions is available to read here.”
• Support our Libraries: Libraries were never just about books – Nick Poole – Scotsman. “If you haven’t been down to your local library recently, you’d be forgiven for missing the quiet revolution that’s been going on between the stacks. Libraries have been busy, transforming themselves into bustling hives of activity, online access, meet-ups, reading, creativity and conversation (and yes, the odd quiet space for book lovers too).”
• Welsh Government announce extra cash support for indie cinemas, museums, libraries and arts groups – Business Live. £5.2m. “The purpose of this fund is to support organisations that are in genuine difficulty – at risk of closure or where jobs will be lost – unless further support is provided. “
• World Book Day invites everyone to its 25th birthday celebrations – FE News. “The charity World Book Day turns 25 on Thursday 3^rd March 2022 and is inviting everyone to its party celebrating the past, present and future of children’s reading.” … “McDonald’s is extending its existing partnership with World Book Day” … Harry Potter competition too.

International news

• Australia – Imaginations run wild at library pop-up for kids – Mirage News. “The library will feature 1200 brand new books and interactive kits, and will host a range of family-friendly activities in the coming months designed to engage and excite young bookworms. The pop-up is the third in the series, joining a food-themed library in the Queen Victoria Market precinct and an Express Book Bar for city workers at 240 Little Collins Street.”
• USA – Why your local library might be hiring a social worker – NPR. “Instead, McGraw answers queries about the workings of the Department of Child Services. Or she helps connect patrons with mental health resources. Sometimes she helps someone find a warm place to stay for the night. McGraw is the library’s first full-time social worker — one of about a dozen employed by libraries across the Midwest.”
  • Christian mayor ‘is refusing to hand over $110K in city-approved funds to Mississippi county libraries until they remove all books featuring ‘homosexual materials’ because they ‘go against his beliefs’ – Daily Mail. More petty censorship from the Land of the Free.
  • Parent-friendly workspace in public library goes viral on Twitter: ‘This is a game-changer … – Independent. Need to register to read article. Photo shows computer with small cubicle for child next to it.
  • Public libraries aren’t essential services – Book Riot. “Libraries provide something unavailable in too many areas across America: a safe place to be, a warm place to be, and a place that serves as one of the few in the country where you aren’t asked to partake in capitalism to simply be within them. This is a tremendous privilege and responsibility to undertake in non-emergency times, but in times of catastrophe, it’s amplified. That amplification shines a light into not just the cracks in the library’s foundation, but the complete holes in the larger structure of government and social safety nets.”

Local news by authority

• Aberdeen – Aberdeen City Libraries launches new health information service to support wellbeing – Aberdeen City Council. “Based within the Information Centre of Central Library but working across the city’s network of community libraries, Health Information Plus will direct customers to advice on everything from nutrition to exercise.”
• Aberdeenshire – ‘I’ve read the same books twice during the pandemic’: Calls for Aberdeenshire Council to reinstate mobile libraries – Press and Journal. “Alison Forbes was an avid user of the council’s mobile library, which toured the region and stopped in her village of Torphins on Wednesdays. When it last visited in 2020, she picked up two books including Alistair Urquhart’s The Forgotten Highlander. But as the pandemic took hold, the service was put on hold – with the vans eventually taken over by the NHS for track and trace clinics.”
• Bolton – Bolton Library and Museum shut for one day for transformation of Le Mans Crescent – Bolton News.
• Borders – Covid restrictions now apply to gyms, libraries and museums – Border Telegraph. “a one-metre physical distancing requirement until 16 January.”
• Bradford – Baildon’s library service is likely to move into former social club building – Telegraph and Argus. “There has been uncertainty about the library’s future ever since the Council announced that Ian Clough Hall, the building that hosts the vital local service, would be sold on.”
  • Little Free Libraries will be popping up across Bradford – Telegraph and Argus.
• Cambridgeshire – Revamped Histon library opens its doors – Cambridge Independent. “The building, which closed in May 2020, was reopened on Thursday, January 20, after being enhanced by the county council to provide a more modern library experience. The council has invested £112,000 into furniture and facilities to complement the new School Hill development”
• Cornwall – Make visiting your library a New Year’s resolution as late return charges scrapped – Cornish Times. “While still encouraging you to renew online or return books on time, most of Cornwall Library Service’s libraries will now no longer charge fees if you have to return items late. It is the first time the move has come in and is aimed at attracting more library users. Cornwall Council portfolio holder for neighbourhoods Carol Mould, said: “Overdue charges disproportionately affect those who can least afford them.”
• Coventry – The Lounge Society to perform live at the Central Library – Coventry City Council. Get It Loud In Libraries.
  • City cartoonist donates books to schools and libraries – Coventry Council.
• Cumbria – Cumbrian libraries announce 64 Million Artists January challenge – The Mail. “The January Challenge is 31 days long activity of quick and free creative challenges to kickstart the year, ran by 64 Million Artists.”
• Derbyshire – Revealed: The winner of Derbyshire poetry competition – Quest Media. “The competition was launched by the libraries service to celebrate National Poetry Day in October. “
  • Applying to run a community managed library – Derbyshire County Council.
  • Council still looking for community groups to take over libraries – Quest Media. “In other areas of Derbyshire, one library has been transferred over and work is ongoing to transfer a further five, but groups are still needed to come forward for the rest – including the four in the High Peak. “
• Dorset – Have your say on the future of Dorset libraries – Dorset Echo. Consultation.
• Dorset libraries to benefit from faster internet speeds – Dorset Echo. “Fourteen libraries all have full fibre installed right into the premises, giving staff and users speeds up to 1,000 megabits per second, or one gigabit thanks to £200,000 of government funding.”
• East Lothian – Phased reopening of libraries and community centres confirmed – East Lothian Courier. “East Lothian Council will begin a phased opening of community facilities from January 31 following the easing of some coronavirus restrictions.”
• SLIC Award 2021 – SLIC. “East Lothian Council Library Services has won the inaugural SLIC Award for a sustained, imaginative, and ambitious response to the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic.”
• East Riding – Harry Potter Book night returns to East Riding Libraries for a magical 25th Anniversary extravaganza – East Riding Council.
• North Bridlington Library will host East Riding Libraries Poetry Competition awards ceremony tomorrow – Scraborough News.
• East Sussex – ‘Temporary’ relocation of Peacehaven Library granted permission – Sussex Express. “On Wednesday (December 15), East Sussex County Council’s planning committee approved proposals which would allow the facility to move out of its current home in the Meridian Centre and into The Joff, a nearby youth centre. The committee heard the proposals (which would see the library move into a significantly smaller space) came as the result of plans to redevelop the Meridian Centre, which would require the library to move elsewhere. The proposals had proven to be contentious among local residents, who argued the relocation would harm both the library and the youth centre”

“We suffered some heavy cuts in East Sussex in 2018, losing 7 libraries and a mobile. Peacehaven and Telscombe is one of the parts of the county with a growing population, lots of new housing, yet no longer deserves a full library service.”

Email received

• Stop ESCC from moving Peacehaven and Telscombe Library into a cupboard – Change. ” The planned move is budgeted to cost £165,000 – a third of the annual libraries budget for the whole of East Sussex – money which would be much better spent on identifying and constructing a new library elsewhere in the local area. The redevelopment of the Meridian Centre where the library is located has yet to be agreed – so why the speed of decision?”
• Edinburgh – Mystery book sculptures to be auctioned in Edinburgh – BBC. “In the book Gifted, published in 2012, the sculptor wrote that at the heart of the project was “a woman, who had been a girl, whose life would have been less rich had she been unable to wander freely into libraries, art galleries and museums. A woman who, now all grown, still wants access to these places and yes, wants them for her children…”.”
• Essex – Libraries webinar consultations being held online today – Saffron Walden Reporter. “The county council’s Draft Library Plan, which was launched in November, now commits to keeping all 74 libraries open, with investment in training and development for library staff.”
  • Library campaigners call for extension to consultation – Times New Express. “Campaigners are demanding an extension to a public consultation about plans to overhaul library services because they say people have not had enough time.” … “He said councils like Dorset are undergoing library changes and have provided the public with “months to respond”. The survey is available online and paper copies are in libraries but cannot be taken out on loan”
  • Thousands respond to Draft Library Plan Survey – Essex Council. “The data in the surveys will now be analysed by an external organisation and feedback received will help develop the final plan. It is expected that the final plan will be adopted in the Spring.”
• Fife – Fife authors rule as kingdom’s libraries reveal their 5 most borrowed books of 2021 – Courier.
  • Appeal for donations as Fife launches new music lending library – Fife Today. “The cultural trust is looking to launch the lending library this spring, and has issued an appeal for donations of any unused or unwanted instruments – everything from recorders to guitars”
• Glasgow- Covid staffing issues have led to the prolonged closure of five Glasgow libraries – Glasgow World. “The city’s Maryhill, Whiteinch, Couper Institute and Gallery of Modern Art libraries are still closed, and Barmulloch Library is being used as a vaccination centre.”
  • Knightswood Library in Glasgow will be closed this weekend due to staff shortages – Glasgow Evening Times.
  • Three Glasgow libraries to receive government funding – Glasgow Evening Times. “Promoting sustainability is integral to our Net Zero ambitions to tackle climate change and our public libraries are an important focal point for conversations and taking action. “And as part of our wider approach to creating anti-racist environments in school, it is great to see school libraries engaging our young people on the importance of belonging, inclusion and social justice.””
• Gloucestershire – Stroud Library set to get a digital innovation ‘lab’ – Stroud News and Journal. “Equipment available includes virtual reality headsets, 3D modelling and printing, as well as a digital design studio, with experienced lab technicians on hand to advise, train and inspire”
• Greenwich – Greenwich Council under fire after library sale to church group with controversial LGBTQ+ views – My London. “The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) bought the library for £1.8m in 2019. Reports from earlier this week revealed more details behind the sale, which has also been met with criticism as not being good value for money. But there has also been concern about the Christian church’s LGBT+ views, with reports that Nigeria-based pastor and General Overseer of RCCG Enoch Adeboye has previously called homosexuality “evil”.”
• Gwynedd – Gwynedd Council libraries to help offer youngsters a ‘Winter of Wellbeing’ – North Wales Chronicle. “The Welsh Government’s ‘Winter of Wellbeing’ scheme is offering children and young people help to feel better heading in to 2022. As part of the scheme, Gwynedd Library Service, in conjunction with The Reading Agency and Welsh Public Libraries, aims to raise awareness of what reading can do to lift the mood of young people, while connecting families, friends and communities across Wales.”
• Harrow – Harrow libraries will be shut amid staff Covid outbreak – Harrow Times. “Several libraries around the Harrow area will be closed between Christmas and New Year after a number of staff tested positive for Covid-19. Harrow Council confirmed Kenton, Roxeth and Stanmore libraries will not open as planned on Wednesday (December 27) due to staff shortages. “
• Lancashire – Lancashire’s libraries: How Covid has impacted the way they are used and how they operate – Lancashire Post. ” bouncing back after being dramatically affected by Covid restrictions, and is evolving to meet the demands of the 21st century, providing services you might not be aware of.”
  • Lancashire library reopens after three-month project to make it greener – Gazette. “set to cut the library’s Co2 emissions by eight tonnes per year, and include new solar panels, an air source heat pump and replacement of traditional lighting with LEDs. The library’s layout has also been refreshed.”
• Leicester – Knighton library gets £75,000 facelift – Leicester City Council. “New flooring, energy-efficient LED lights, a new reception area and free-standing shelving units are among the changes made to the library, in Clarendon Park Road, as part of the council’s Transforming Neighbourhood Services programme. There are also new public computer work stations, plus desk space for customers to plug in their own devices.”
• Liverpool – Retirement and sickness holding back Liverpool libraries – Liverpool Echo. “Retirement, reduced hours requests and sickness has impacted Liverpool Council’s ability to provide a full library service.”
• Manchester – 1921 Census is now available for free at Manchester Central Library – Manchester City Council. “Manchester Central Library is one of only two places in the country where people can receive this service for free.  Elsewhere it costs £2.50 for every record transcript and £3.50 for every original record image. “
• Norfolk – The top 10 most borrowed books from Norfolk’s libraries revealed – EDP 24. “Novels featuring Elly Griffiths’s character Ruth Galloway – The Lantern Men and The Stone Circle – were the most borrowed books from Norfolk County Council’s library service in 2021.”
• Northamptonshire – Another Northants library at risk of closure – NN Journal. “Raunds library in East Northamptonshire could face closure as early as March if the town council doesn’t step in to save it. The loss would be felt hard by the people of Raunds who would need to travel to other towns for a library service, and the groups and local organisations who use the building would need to find new venues. ” … “If the town council doesn’t agree to take on the lease to the building from NNC, the volunteers who have put so much time and effort into keeping the community facility open fear they could close their doors for the final time.”
  • Closure deadline looms for Raunds Community Library as town councillors look at finances – Northamptonshire Telegraph. “Before the meeting even got to the apologies, a member of the public shouted at councillors that they needed to save the library resulting in the chairman, mayor of Raunds Sylvia Hughes, to temporarily suspend proceedings.” … “”We all recognise the value of the library. It is the residents who would have to pay for it. All we want to do is to work out whether the people of Raunds should pay for the library.””
  • Wellingborough and Rushden Read Easy volunteers ready to help – for free – Northamptonshire Telegraph. “Lessons are free, friendly, at a readers’ own pace, with no group pressure for two half hours each week, usually in Wellingborough or Rushden library but we do use other suitable places.”
• North Ayrshire – Library uncertainty continues – six weeks on from doors suddenly closing – Largs and Millport Weekly News. “Services in Fairlie and Skelmorlie have been closed altogether while West Kilbride’s has only been able to provide a click and collect service. Libraries in Largs and Millport are due to re-open on January 6 – with no date yet fixed for the reopening of the others.”
• North East Lincolnshire – Grimsby Central Library to reopen in January – North East Lincolnshire Council. “Grimsby Central Library temporarily closed in November as a precaution following a routine asbestos management inspection.”
• North Lanarkshire – North Lanarkshire libraries launch 2022 Read Well NL Challenge – Daily Record. “encouraging locals to read for just six minutes per day to help improve their wellbeing.”
• North Lincolnshire – Literacy packs boost children’s reading and writing skills – North Lincs Council. “Through the much-loved Imagination Library scheme, which is funded by North Lincolnshire Council, a phenomenal 740,000 free books have been delivered to the area’s 0-5-year-olds.”
• North Yorkshire – Call to Recycle Old Laptops and Computers in North Yorkshire – This is the Coast. “Reboot North Yorkshire is a collaborative project led by the County Council, involving a wide range of partners across the county – including libraries, schools, businesses, charities and volunteers.”
• Nottingham – 3 libraries proposed to close as wait continues for central library to open in Nottingham – Nottingham Post. “Nottingham City Council is proposing to close three public libraries as part of plans to save £233,000. The authority is proposing to close Basford Library in Vernon Road, the Radford Lenton Library in Lenton Boulevard and Aspley Library in Nuthall Road. Under the plan, Aspley Library would close to the public and become what is described as a “distribution point” providing services such as a home library and mobile/outreach services. The plans have been drawn up at a time when the city’s main central library remains closed, because its multi-million-pound replacement, part of the new Broadmarsh Car Park and bus station complex, is unfinished.”
  • ‘It’s wrong’: Regulars blast Nottingham City Council plan to close library – Nottingham Post.
  • Sherwood mixed-use development gets underway – East Midlands Business Link. “The scheme will bring in a flagship Sainsburys, and a new Sherwood library (50% larger than the previous library) as well as a mixture of housing from one to four beds.”
• Oxfordshire – Improving libraries – Henley Standard. Consultation.
  • Have your say on Oxfordshire library and heritage services – Banbury Guardian. “The consultation, which goes live on Monday 24 January, is seeking to gauge public opinion of the new strategy, which sets out how services will be delivered in the years up to 2027.””
  • Using libraries and heritage services to help people in Oxfordshire connect, create, learn and grow – Banbury Guardian.
• Perth and Kinross – Book borrowing plummets amid Covid – but how have libraries remained a vital part of communities? – Courier. 461k issues in 2019/20, 66k in 20/21 but rise in digital.
• Peterborough – Budget Phase two: Cuts to libraries, rise in council tax – and no Christmas lights? – Peterborough Matters. “Remodelling the library service to reduce the running costs, including investment in a mobile library service, and a reduction in budget for the museum and Flag Fen which will see the operating models for both venues change. They forecast to make a saving of £1.1m. “
• Sefton – Sefton librarian Lesley named among New Years Honours – My Sefton. “Lesley Davies, a hugely popular staff member at Crosby Library and community champion of the public library service, has rightly been recognised in the honours for her years of dedication and commitment to her role.”
• Somerset – Burnham-On-Sea Library to temporarily close for six weeks for major upgrade work – Burnham on Sea .com. ““Somerset Libraries have been fortunate to receive government funding to undertake some decarbonisation work at Burnham Library.” “This will mean that unfortunately Burnham library is closed for six weeks. There could be wider building works being undertaken outside of this time period but customers should not be unduly effected by this.””
  • Fines and charges amnesty at libraries across Somerset – County Gazette. “To encourage more people to reconnect with library services and support communities as they start to recover from the impact of the pandemic, Somerset Libraries is going fines and charges free from January 21 until March 31.”
• Southend – Popular reading challenge returns to Southend libraries – Southend on Sea Council. “Participants are invited to choose six reads and to share their thoughts via their own personal reading diary, earning a certificate upon completion.”
• St Helens – Join the St Helens Library Service reading challenge – Reporter. “All you have to do is visit your nearest library and pick a reading challenge card, then each month find a book that fits in to that category. January 2022 will have a theme of ‘new beginnings’ – with reading challenge participants asked to read a book from a debut author.”
• Stockport – Stockport library plan hits snag amid political wrangling – Place North West. “Following a tense meeting last night, a decision on whether to go ahead with the relocation of the town’s library services will be made by full council next week after a handful of opposition councillors intervened. Under plans signed off by Stockport Council’s Labour-run cabinet in December, the town’s library services would be moved from Central Library on Wellington Road to the proposed £14.5m Stockroom development at Merseyway. “
  • Central Library to host workshops for Stockport’s budding entrepreneurs – Marketing Stockport. “The town centre library will host the workshops as part of the Build a Business in GM Libraries scheme, which will see libraries across Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs provide targeted support for local residents to set up new businesses. The scheme is funded by a £1.3 million grant from the European Regional Development Fund.”
  • Heritage group joins fight against plans to relocate Stockport Central Library from Grade II listed building – Manchester Evening News. “In a letter to the leader and deputy leader of the council, SAVE conservation officer, Ben Oakley, said: “Stockport’s library is not just another old building, but a grade II listed building and cornerstone of its civic heritage which has administered library and other key services to the people of Stockport for over a century. “Central Library is a grade II listed building of national significance, built of the finest materials and boasting craftsmanship reflecting the city’s civic pride.”
  • Open+ to be installed in four more Stockport libraries – Stockport Council. “Library opening hours are extended without the need for staff. The new Open+ libraries join the nine existing libraries with facilities available, meaning the majority of Stockport’s libraries will now be open for longer.”
• Stoke on Trent – Have your say on £280k cuts to Stoke-on-Trent’s libraries – Stoke Sentinel. “reduce the number of paid library staff, increase the ‘opportunities’ for volunteers and change opening hours under a new library strategy.”
  • Labour councillors hit out at ‘misleading’ claims on library opening hours – Stoke Sentinel. “Councillors have hit out at ‘misleading’ claims that library opening hours will increase – when they will still be below pre-pandemic levels.”
  • Libraries and museums stay shut as more staff trained to help collect bins – Stoke Sentinel.
  • Stoke-on-Trent to become home to Nintendo-backed ‘digital schoolhouse’ – Stoke Sentinel. “A Stoke-on-Trent library is to become home to a ‘digital schoolhouse’ for children as part of a £75,000 national pilot. The location, which has yet to be revealed, will host creative, play-based activities to get primary pupils interested in the computing curriculum. The scheme’s organisers have been working with Nintendo and the UK games industry to bring some of the digital concepts and resources to life.”
• Surrey – Surrey library’s first floor unused for year as parts for broken lift ‘stuck in Europe’ – Get Surrey. “Guildford Library’s collection is set over three floors but its lift has been broken for some time, the children, families, lifelong learning and culture select committee heard today (December 13).”
• Tameside – Tameside’s libraries and cultural buildings to fully reopen – Quest Media Network. “The Click and Collect only service for the borough’s libraries ends on Tuesday (11 January), while Portland Basin Museum in Ashton and Astley Cheetham Art Gallery in Stalybridge reopen on Wednesday (12 January) at 10am and 1pm respectively. Open+ operating hours will also resume in libraries, with the exception of Droylsden which will be available soon.”
• Trafford – Timperley’s new library finally set to reopen after seven years – Manchester Evening News. “Trafford Housing Trust and Trafford Council jointly built a new home for the town’s library on Stockport Road in Timperley, but much like the new homes it built next door, the grand opening had been pushed back. Home owners were waiting over a year to move into the flats they purchased from the housing association in 2020. It was understood fire safety sign off delays were to blame. More recently, Timperley’s new library’s opening date was delayed due to a lack of fire extinguishers in the building, on top of ‘considerable’ build delays the project also suffered.”
• Warrington – 11 free things you can get with your Warrington library card – Warrington Guardian. Online resources listed.
• Warwickshire – Warwickshire County Council highlights support for those experiencing loneliness this Christmas – Warwickshire County Council.
  • Warwickshire Libraries share their most popular book titles from 2021 and how residents can enjoy reading locally for free – Warwickshire County Council. “Warwickshire Libraries staff also reviewed many great library books to share their personal favourites from 2021, and to provide residents with plenty of inspiration to achieve new reading goals for this year. A full list of these favourite reads can be viewed on the Warwickshire Libraries blog”
• West Lothian – New West Lothian library app to make borrowing easier and safer – Falkirk Herald. CloudLibrary.
• West Sussex – West Sussex Libraries reading challenge comes to the Chichester District – West Sussex County Council. “The theme of each month differs to include genres that readers may have never experienced before, including books that celebrate diversity, a children’s classic, and a book with a local connection.”
• Wirral – Libraries under threat as Wirral Council looks to make cuts – Wirral Globe. “The local authority has put forward three ways it could save money from closing libraries, but ‘Option 3’ is the one being recommended to councillors. This involves closing 11 of Wirral’s 24 libraries, while keeping five of the remaining 13 open but unstaffed, in a so-called ‘self service’ model.”
  • Big idea that could save much loved libraries, leisure centres and more – Liverpool Echo. “there is one way these services could be saved which seems to be gaining a hearing among councillors, a way of keeping things open and having groups of local residents run them. In a show of the strength of feeling on the cuts plan, a petition to save Hoylake Library has gained 1,009 signatures on the website change.org at the time of writing.”
  • Michael Gove called ‘minister for closing down’ over Wirral Council cuts plan – Liverpool Echo. “In a show of the strength of feeling about the proposals, a petition to save Hoylake Library has gained 1,095 signatures on the website change.org at the time of writing. One of the petitioners, Helen van Marle, said: “This library is vital for the residents of Hoylake. It has been a huge part of this community for as long as I can remember and it still is.”
  • More than 700 back campaign to save Hoylake Library – Wirral Globe. “Clare O’Grady’s petition to save Hoylake Library, one of the 11 under threat, read: “Hoylake library is a lifeline for everyone – young and old. “It’s used by the elderly to tackle isolation, and first-time parents who want to meet other families. “It also offers people free education, internet and is one of the only free spaces where people can spend time.””
• Worcestershire – The joy of reading celebrated at Redditch library and across all of Worcestershire – Redditch Standard. “The library building may be under threat of demolition with a move to the Town Hall planned but that hasn’t stopped the borough’s avid book readers making tracks for the much-loved Mercian Square building.”
  • Val McDermid novel tops the list of most borrowed books of 2021 – Evesham Journal.
• York – Council set to invest £7.7 million in York’s Libraries – City of York Council. “a new £5 million library learning centre for Clifton, a new permanent library for Haxby and Wigginton, capital investment in the Acomb Library learning centre”. Clifton will be co-located and greatly enlarged.