An open and shut case?

Editorial

I often see estimates of the numbers of libraries closed since 2010 or some other date. They are often represented as accurate, factual or official, which causes me to have a wry smile or slight headache depending on my mood. This is because such figures are only ever estimates. Everyone with at least some awareness of the situation knows that the most official provider of statistics for public libraries, CIPFA, is riddled with problems. This is not least because that august charging-the-public-for-year-old-plus-data body relies on councils for its figures and such councils often – can’t think why – downplay the number of closures.

In addition, there is the problem of defining what a closure is. A council can pass on its library service to a town council which keeps it open or even increases hours. Is that a closure? What if it passes it on to unpaid volunteers but with a member of paid staff visiting per week? What if it’s just volunteers but the council still owns the building? What if it keeps that staff and the building but doesn’t buy new books? What if the total opening hours increases, due to library-card-recognition door sensors but has almost no staff? What if the library stays open, still run by the council but is reduced to 10% of its former size due to other services being brought in to the space? Does that represent .9 of a closure? The correct answer therefore you will get depends on the definition you have, or someone else has, or a mere guess or a hotch-potch collection from various sources. It cannot be seen as the correct answer.

The public, and therefore the media, love clear facts but there is often no such thing. I gave up trying to count such closures when I realised this. Even adding up media reports, as I did for years, depends on such things being reported and noticed. And always there is the problem of definitions. Until there is a clearly accepted definition – and I suspect there never will be – in addition to a universal information gathering source – and, again, I suspect that there never will be one of those either – then please treat any airy claims of a “x number of closures” or such like with the suspicion it deserves. A far more accurate figure is the amount of council expenditure on libraries per year. But, again, I could write a whole essay on the problems with that. The number of libraries open and closed, you see, is never an open or shut case.

Changes by local authority

• Neath Port Talbot – Now fines-free
• North Tyneside – Tynemouth Library to be demolished to be replaced by a “modern hub”.
• Sheffield – Cuts expected.
• Somerset – Wellington Library to stay open with £900k refurbishment rather than close
  Wirral – Greasby and Rock Ferry Libraries no longer under threat of closure: libraries cut of £800k reduced by £162k.

National news

• Access Lab 2022 – OpenAthens. “Access Lab is the place where you can discuss challenges and solutions around end user discovery and access to digital content and services. Our 2022 event is online and will provide the opportunity to hear about industry developments, real life case studies and topical panel discussions.”

• The Guardian view on libraries: bring back borrowers – Guardian / Editorial. “Access to the knowledge and literary art (poetry, fiction, drama) in a library is precious, priceless – and particularly valuable to young minds and people of any age with an interest in education.”

“Books can be treasured possessions, but there is also something special about a copy that arrives in your hands having passed through those of others – and that will go on being passed between strangers who share your curiosity.”

• Nominate for the Dagger in the Library – CWA. “Eligible authors have published six or more crime books over a period of 10 years or more and have never won the Diamond Dagger. The list of eligible authors who libraries can nominate is selected by the Dagger in the Library judges each year.”

International news

• Australia – Online Storytimes – Online Storytime. “Online Storytime is a way to bring storytelling to families with young children missing out on storytimes during COVID-19 lockdowns or living at a distance from their nearest library. They are a way to keep connected with library communities and to participate in these fun, educational activities in a time-flexible way. Introduced during the lockdowns in 2021, for some libraries and families, Online Storytime has become a regular programming fixture.”
• Iraq – Culture’s victory over Isis: How teams of historians are working to restore Mosul’s libraries and museums – I.
• Ireland – Don’t turn the page on lockdown reading habits, plead librarians – Sunday Times. Partial paywall. “Irish libraries have partnered with publishers, booksellers and authors in a campaign to encourage people to “squeeze in a read” this month. Librarians across the country have contributed to the list of ten recommended books, in a campaign that culminates in Ireland Reads Day on Friday.”
• USA – How non-librarians imagine a librarian’s typical workday – McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. “Wake up and put on knit cardigan, slacks, and sensible shoes. Feed my cat, Mr. Foibles. Have tea and English muffin while I read Shakespeare and listen to symphonies.” [Pretty much sums it up for me – Ed.]
  • Public Libraries Adapt to the 21st Century … and Uphold Democracy  – Seven Days Vermont. “From a largely expanded inventory of items on loan to community-minded programming and resources to librarians engaged in defending democracy’s promise of equal access to information, “The public library is now in transition …”

Local news by authority

• Bath and North East Somerset – Campaigners fearing “decimation” of Bath library offered personal assurance – Somerset Live. “A senior councillor has given her personal guarantee that Bath Central Library and council services will not merge while she has any influence. The reassurance comes after plans emerged to relocate “some information services” into the Podium in a £126,000 funding cut that campaigners warned would “decimate our wonderful library provision”.”
• Devon – Library launches flower project to help people through grief – Okehampton Today. ACE funded.
  • Devon parents can weigh babies at the library – Devon Live. “Parents and carers will be able to weigh their babies in local libraries across Devon thanks to a new partnership between Libraries Unlimited and Devon Public Health Nursing.”
• Edinburgh – Edinburgh libraries used as Covid test centres to be handed back within six weeks – Edinburgh Evening News. “Four city libraries which are being used as Covid test centres are to be returned to their normal purpose after the Scottish Government agreed to a request from the council.”
• Glasgow – Eight more Glasgow libraries to return to pre-pandemic opening times – Glasgow Live. “From February 14, a total of 13 libraries across the city will be back open on a full-time basis. It comes after months of protests over the closures by local groups.”
• Kent – Breaking the News exhibition at Kent libraries – Kent County Council. “Breaking the News is brought to Kent Libraries by the British Library Living Knowledge Network. It is inspired by an exhibition at the British Library, which houses the UK’s biggest news collection dating back to the 1500s.”
• Lancashire – Lancashire Cabinet to consider fresh vision for libraries and museums – In Your Area. “The Library and Museum Strategies 2022-25 will set out a vision for how these vital services will evolve over the coming years.” … ” For libraries, there is a focus on making the most of the deep connections which libraries have with their local communities to not only provide a point of access for cultural activity but support people with the information and skills they need throughout their life.”
• Leeds – Leeds Lit festival 2022 with famous children‘s authors coming to city – Leeds Live.
• Manchester – Manchester Libraries update report – Manclibraries Blog. “The report describes how the library service continues to have had a positive impact on people’s lives over the last couple of years – in fact more so than ever during the pandemic – and lays out how we continue to do so in the future.”
• Northamptonshire – Binned Burton Latimer prize-winning posters help spread anti-litter message – Northamptonshire Telegraph. “The designs had been so eye-catching that library supporter and Burton Town councillor Adrian Watts had them made into signs for display on lampposts around the town.” [The building is owned by the Town Council and they employ a library manager and two assistants]
  • Council searching for group to take over management of a Northampton community library as it is yet to reopen – Northampton Chronicle. “Volunteers from Friends of St James Library and Goodwill Solutions were proposed to run the library. However, the facility has not yet reopened since the pandemic forced closure in 2020. Now West Northamptonshire Council is appealing to the community to seek new expressions of interest to take over the running of the library as a ‘community managed library,’ under an agreed service level agreement.”
• North Tyneside – North Tyneside residents’ fury at library demolition plans – Chronicle Live.”This is a disgrace”.That was one outraged resident’s opinion on plans to flatten Tynemouth Library to build another in its place.The current building at Front Street has served the community for more than 70 years. Plans to rebuild the library were revealed by North Tyneside Council in February 2020 with the aim of turning it into a modern hub for the community.”
• Oldham – Budding entrepreneurs urged to book in at Oldham Library – Oldham Council. “The local authority is taking part in a new and innovative project run by libraries across Greater Manchester – and want residents to get involved and develop their business ideas. ‘Build a Business in GM Libraries’ is a new scheme part funded by the European Union”
• Rhondda Cynon Taf – Major refurbishment works at Treorchy library – Wales 247. “Major refurbishment and redesign works have been completed at Treorchy Library as part of a joint £150,000 investment by the Council and Welsh Government to improve the facilities for users and the local community.”
• St Helens – Man tears down library shelves after being asked to ‘turn down music’ – Liverpool Echo. ““A person was approached by staff to turn down the volume of their music. The person took exception to this and decided to practically wreck the library by tipping over lots of book racks. “Luckily nobody was injured but I hope the staff that had to deal with such a horrendous situation are not too shaken. We were informed that the police were already involved and let’s hope this mindless act is brought to justice.””
• Sheffield – Libraries will be reviewed as Sheffield Council struggles with budget cuts – The Star. “The authority will need to use reserves to cover a £14m budget shortfall and is increasing council tax by the maximum three per cent. But finance chiefs say that will only balance the books for this year and services, including libraries, will need to be reviewed.” … “Libraries is an example of something we did in the past, where we moved some libraries to be volunteer-led. “There’s still an investment from the council in doing that but it’s a lower investment and is a way of continuing to provide those services to communities that are at a lower cost to the council tax payer”
• Somerset – Temporary closure of Burnham-On-Sea library extended for ongoing upgrade work – Burnham on Sea.com. “Work to upgrade Burnham-On-Sea library is set to take longer than originally expected and its temporary closure has been extended, Somerset County Council has announced this week. The libray will remain closed for an extra week to allow the decarbonisation work to be completed.”
  • Somerset library to be saved and refurbished – BBC. “One of Somerset’s libraries will be saved with £900,000 of investment over the next 18 months. Somerset County Council had looked at relocating Wellington Library, but has now decided to refurbish the existing site on Fore Street.”
• Stoke – Stoke on Trent Libraries host ‘Same, Same…But Different’ theatre performances – Stoke on Trent Council. “The last 2 years have been such an incredibly difficult time for children, so it seems extremely poignant to be bringing this high-class performance to the doorsteps of communities in England at this time”
• Suffolk – Storm Eunice: Live updates on all Suffolk closures – East Anglian Daily Times. “All library services in the county have been closed due to the effects of Storm Eunice. The mobile libraries will also not be running, and there will be no home library service deliveries due to the red weather warning issued this morning”
• Warwickshire – Help Warwickshire Libraries in celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – Warwickshire County Council. If you have a connection/ever met royalty then “Warwickshire Library Service would love to hear from you. Forms are available at your local library for you to share your memories and photographs can be taken of you with your medal or other memorabilia. “
  • Warwickshire Libraries are open this half-term with plenty of great children’s activities including Adventures in Storytelling – Warwickshire County Council. “The fun activities range from interactive ‘Adventures in Storytelling’ and getting hands on in Lego Club, to enjoying reading through the Book Bears scheme and taking part in Stories and Dragons sessions”
• Westminster – Statement on libraries from Cllr Timothy Barnes, Cabinet Member for Young People and Learning – Westminster Council. “The suggestion that any decision has been taken to close any library to save money is simply wrong. Whilst an internal report for officers has made comments on library buildings in relation to accessibility, carbon emissions and our ambition to work smarter, no recommendations or suggestions have been put to councillors for any decisions. The Council invests more money in its libraries per resident than any other council in the country and we understand they are highly valued by residents. That’s why we are building two new library facilities in the north of Westminster, at Seymour and Church Street, and have planned a refurbishment of Paddington Library, too.”
• Wirral – Five crucial things we learnt from Wirral Council’s big cuts meeting – Liverpool Echo. “Cllr Tom Anderson, leader of the Conservative group, had his plan to keep Greasby Library open accepted. … Labour’s Yvonne Nolan added a plan to keep Rock Ferry Library open to Cllr Anderson’s amendment, something the committee agreed to. This will see Wirral Council save £162,000 less than the original £800,000 it had expected to save year-on-year from cutting the library service.”