Happy holidays everyone

Editorial

A quiet Easter week by the look of it. Happy Easter everyone.

National news

• All Stories relaunches mentorship programme for writers from underrepresented groups – BookSeller. “Year two will offer 10 mentorships to writers of middle-grade and young adult fiction across nine months, evolving from the previous format where writers for all age groups were mentored together for six months. Picture book and young fiction writers will be supported the following year, in an ongoing pattern.”
• Engaging the public with research in libraries: An introduction to the toolkit – Libraries Connected. Webinar. Tuesday 26 April, 13.
• Living with Covid 19 guidance – April 2022 – Libraries Connected. “Libraries should continue to make risk assessments in line with their local circumstances and to consider the needs of any vulnerable staff, volunteers and users.”
• Printer Near Me: Price and Value of Printing in the Local Library – Lorensbergs. Survey of public library printing charges. “As more libraries stop fining for overdue items, print revenue becomes even more significant. What libraries charge for printouts is therefore critical to get right. Too high and it disadvantages those users on lower income, too low and it disadvantages the library. “
• Strategic Insights Webinar: Recruiting in a competitive environment – Libraries Connected. Wednesday 13 April, 15:30. “At this webinar we will hear from Manchester and Kirklees Libraries on how they have bucked the trend and launched innovative recruitment processes to attract high calibre and more diverse staff.”
• Support our Libraries: Labour hits out at SNP on its funding record – Scotsman. “Scottish Labour has accused the SNP of “gutting local communities” after new analysis revealed cuts to local government have led to libraries losing out on more than £250 million in the last decade.” … “The party has cited figures from the Improvement Service’s Local Government Benchmarking Framework, which showed that by 2020/21, real-terms cumulative cuts to the net expenditure on libraries had hit £257,125,000 over the last 10 years.”
• Transition – problems, solutions, conclusions – National Acquisitions Group. Wednesday 11 May, Birmingham. “Change requires transition, such as migrating to a new library management system; working under a new management structure; adapting to a reduced staff or resources budget; moving or withdrawing large parts of our collections; or changing our collections and acquisitions policies/workflows.”

International news

• Ukraine – Meet the 1,300 librarians racing to back up Ukraine’s digital archives – Washington Post. “Using open source tools and Slack, these volunteers have backed up everything from the country’s historical records and census data to children’s poems and basket weaving techniques.”
• United Arab Emirates – Reach for the sky: Meet three on-the-up publishing initiatives emerging from UAE – BookSeller. “Alongside writers and publishers, libraries are the third pillar supporting literacy in Sharjah and the UAE. At a time of heavy cuts to public library budgets in the UK, Sharjah’s investment in its service makes a striking contrast. Sharjah’s Public Library, which moved to a huge, purpose-built building in the city’s Cultural Square in 2011 and houses more than half a million books, is the centrepiece.”
• USA – The Quiet Revolution in the San Francisco Public Library – Counterpunch. “Libraries don’t guarantee popular information and popular governments, but they help make those two things possible. It’s also up to readers and citizens to keep libraries honest, serve the needs of diverse communities, and move with the times.” … “One of the great things about San Francisco’s public libraries is that for the most part they haven’t canceled cultures, not recently. Rather they keep the literary past alive.”
  • 13 Hollywood YA and Children’s Book Authors on the Importance of Libraries – Hollywood Reporter. “Idina Menzel, John Lithgow, R.L. Stine, Becky Albertalli and more celebrity authors and writers spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the role libraries have played in their lives and why children should always have access to the books that line their shelves.”
  • Book ban attempts reach highest level in 20 years, new report finds – Independent. “There were 729 challenges to library, school and university materials and services in 2021”
  • The Library Ends Late Fees, and the Treasures Roll In – New York Times. “The decision in New York City set off a wave of returns, accompanied by bashful notes of apology and gratitude.”

Local news by authority

• Bolton – Bolton Council launches survey on pandemic’s effect on children’s library and museum services – Bolton News. “Bolton Libraries and Museums Service is now asking for parents, family members and childminders to come forward and give their view on how their children have been affected. This will help the service to shape new sessions for young children in future now that restrictions have eased.”
• Calderdale – Motion to discuss Hipperholme library closures fails to get hearing at meeting – Telegraph and Argus. “Conservative group leader Coun Steven Leigh (Con, Ryburn) asked the final full Calderdale Council meeting before May’s local elections allow a motion to be debated at short notice. But the group was criticised by opposition groups who said with no notice councillors could not properly digest and research what was being proposed, and a vote on whether the motion should be put was lost.”
• East Riding – Easter fun at East Riding Libraries – Press.
• Hampshire – Improvements made to Chineham Library ‘sing inspiration’ – Basingstoke Gazette. Group who ” campaigned to save a library in Basingstoke said improvements have turned the library into a place that ‘sings inspiration’ almost two years after they campaigned to save it from closure.”
• Leicester – Easter fun at Leicester’s libraries and museums – Leicester Council.
• North Yorkshire – Delve into Yorkshire dialect with libraries and museums – North Yorkshire Council. “Events will be held in libraries around the county as Ryedale Folk Museum and the Dales Countryside Museum theme the month around dialect and language. These events are part of a research project into the way we speak, led by the University of Leeds.”
• Oxfordshire – New library service gives extra insight and resources for Oxfordshire businesses – Oxfordshire Council. “In collaboration with the British Library, Oxfordshire County Council’s new Business and Intellectual Property (IP) Centre will be offering both a venue and professional support for starting and growing a business.”
• Rhondda Cynon Taf – 100-year-old takes computer classes at local library – BBC. “she is learning IT at Porth Plaza, library which offers wheelchair access and offers classes, six days a week.”

• Southend – ‘Death Positive’ Event at Southend Libraries – Southend Council. “The phrase ‘death positive library’ aims to reflect libraries’ contributions to the growing social and philosophical movement that encourages people to speak openly about death and dying”
• South Tyneside – The history of South Tyneside in 20,000+ images – South Shields library volunteers celebrate 16 years of work – Shields Gazette.
• Suffolk – Suffolk Libraries Day raises over £11k for Suffolk’s library service – Suffolk Libraries. “The event took place on 12 March to raise vital funds for Suffolk Libraries, the charity which runs the library service in Suffolk. Suffolk Libraries Day 2022 included an online book festival, activities in all 44 libraries and live music gigs.”
• Surrey – Anonymous but not invisible – new exhibition coming to Surrey aims to demystify AA – Surrey Live. “AA Great Britain will open its archive to share images, recordings, literature and artefacts to illustrate AA’s journey to provide free and confidential support to anyone who is worried about their drinking.”
• Tower Hamlets – Reading for victory! The wartime library that went underground – Express. “Kate Thompson had first learned about the underground library at Bethnal Green Tube station from Pat Spicer, now aged 92, while researching her debut novel in 2015.”
• Warwickshire – Family activities on offer at Warwickshire libraries during Easter holidays – Rugby Observer. “Events and activities available include the Bhangra Tots Easter Eggs-travaganza interactive music and dancing event, Kate’s Storytree sessions, creative spring crafts, and Book Bears reading sessions for under-fives.”
• West Sussex – Author events are back this April in Worthing and Crawley Library – West Sussex Council. “As part of the campaign the Library Service held three successful online author events in February 2021 with authors Elly Griffiths, Isabel Ashdown and Jane Lythell. At the end of the project the service was awarded additional funding which has been used to hold these in-person events at Worthing and Crawley Library.”
• Wrexham – Magi Ann leads Easter fun events across Wrexham libraries – Leader.