Editorial

There are two articles this week – one from Sheffield and one from Waltham Forest – that remind me it has been over fourteen years when the first local people started having to volunteer to keep their libraries open due to council cuts. The strong suspicion at the time was that such libraries were not going to last long, due to people losing their enthusiasm or being unable to meet funding requirements. However, come now and there are at least 621 volunteer libraries in the UK with only a handful having had to close. The others are still surviving, some still staffed by the original volunteers (many now in their 70s and some in their 80s) who are new presumably experts in gaining grants and local fundraising. Now, being biased (I’ve been a paid librarian, somehow, for 30 years), I see a lot of problems with this model – atomisation, local biases, better performance in areas with lots of retired professionals, etc, etc – but one has to admit that they’re still standing. And that’s amazing and needs credit, whether you like them or not.

It’s been a quiet week, especially in comparison to the weeks before following the BBC report, but there’s still sadly some cuts to report – Hampshire will be buying fewer books, Haringey’s libraries will be open for fewer hours, Kirklees will see reduced staffing and Perth and Kinross are warning about potential closures. A few of these are basically new bargaining positions due to public protest, especially in Kirklees. And then we have the standard news article of whichever party not locally in power complaining about library cuts. This can of course mean Conservative councillors reacting in shock to budgetary cuts, which naturally causes the odd jaded raised eyebrow, as in Enfield. Or gritted teeth.

Please email ianlibrarian@live.co.uk with any news, views or corrections, thank you.

Changes by local authority

National news

  • CILIP Members’ Fest 2024 Programme – CILIP. 14-18 October. Most events online. “All events are open-access, so whether you are a CILIP member or not, you can attend free of charge, take advantage of our thought leadership and training sessions and meet fellow community members. The whole programme is designed to introduce you to what we and our amazing communities do …”
  • Create ‘universal library card’ to democratise the arts, says UK thinktank – Guardian. Fabian Society suggests “Everyone in Britain should be issued with a “universal library card”
  • Now it’s Labour pushing councils into crisis – Socialist Worker. “Britain’s libraries are set to be even more hollowed out in the coming years. They have already taken a beating during the years of Tory austerity.”
  • Over £1.2 million investment in local museums and libraries – Wired Gov. Wales. “£300,000 for the refurbishment and modernisation of Cwmbran Library”, “£130,000 for the Betws Library Modernisation Project; Ceredigion County Council will benefit from £210,000 for the development of the new Aberaeron Library”

International news

Local news by authority

Nottinghamshire – Exciting refurbishment planned for Hucknall Library in late 2024 – Dispatch. “Funded by the Libraries Improvement Fund in collaboration with Nottinghamshire Council, the renovations will include providing access to a customer toilet and upgraded spaces and facilities to allow for improved flexibility and use of the building.”

Perth and Kinross – ‘Save Birnam Library’ protest shines light on Perth and Kinross closure fears – Courier. “Campaigners staged a protest outside Birnam Library on Friday amid fresh fears it’s facing closure. It comes as culture bosses consult communities across Perth and Kinross on what “possible future models of service delivery” might look like. Library users in Aberfeldy, Alyth, Auchterarder, Blairgowrie, Birnam, Comrie, Crieff, Kinross, Perth, Pitlochry and Scone are all being asked about their habits.” Councils says ““We know that library services are highly valued. However the current model of service provision is no longer sustainable.”

  • Peterborough – Woodston Library recycles shark spied in monster exhibition – BBC. “The Friends of Woodston Library, a group campaigning to keep the site open, said the shark had given children who were unable to get to the cathedral a taste of what had been on display.”
  • Sheffield – Volunteer libraries go from strength to strength in Sheffield – Star. “Since 2014, when volunteer management began in most of Sheffield’s suburban libraries, and despite dire predictions from the scheme’s detractors, none of the libraries that passed into volunteer hands has foundered.” … “Many of the shelves in the volunteer libraries are now filled with libraries’ own book stocks, reducing their reliance on council stocks and on the council’s libraries management systems, and ensuring that stock acquisition policies are managed from a place much closer to actual library users.” Many original volunteers now in their 70s or even 80s and so new volunteers wanted.
  • South Gloucestershire – Thousands of South Gloucestershire children celebrate reading challenge success – South Gloucestershire Council. “More than 5,500 children have taken part”, councillors “attended a special event at Bradley Stoke Library to meet a group of local children and present them with medals and certificates.”
  • Southwark – Southwark Recognised for Supporting Refugees and Named Borough of Sanctuary – Public Sector Executive. “This recognition as a Borough of Sanctuary follows the Libraries and Heritage Service becoming the first London-based services to be awarded Libraries of Sanctuary status.”
  • Staffordshire – Family open day aims to show off local heritage – BBC. Perton Library. “part of the Staffordshire History Festival celebrations.”
  • St Helens – Libraries that were cut by St Helens remain closed – St Helens Star. “None  of the libraries closed by St Helens Council in the past year have reopened as community-managed venues” … “The council says it has no plans to close any further libraries and is in fact looking to invest in Haydock Library this year and move St Helens Library back to the Gamble Building from the World of Glass once interior work starts and is completed there.”
  • Stoke on Trent – Volunteers to be recruited to help extend opening hours at Stoke-on-Trent libraries – Stoke Nub News. “Volunteers are set to be recruited to help extend opening hours at Stoke-on-Trent’s libraries. Stoke-on-Trent City Council has drawn up plans to increase the number of volunteers in its library service to boost the existing workforce. Council chiefs say this could allow them to reverse the cuts to library opening hours brought in this year”
  • Suffolk – Suffolk Libraries launches silent auction for artwork by elusive Suffolk artist, The Hat – Suffolk Libraries. “Titled Day’s Eye, the painting was anonymously left on the steps of Framlingham Library, wrapped in The Hat’s signature brown paper with false postage details. It has been contributed to support the Suffolk Libraries’ Make a Difference With a Daisy campaign.”
    • Wild Reads – Suffolk Libraries. ” in partnership with Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Take part in a series of events throughout the autumn months, for both adults and children.”
  • Wakefield – Ossett Library to welcome back visitors after refurbishment – Wakefield Express. “The new library is on the first floor of Ossett Town Hall which has benefited from a refurbishment programme to the Grade II listed town hall building. ”
  • Waltham Forest – The independent Essex library fighting to stay open against funding struggle – Essex Live. “South Chingford Community Library houses over 10,000 books and hosts weekly events for locals. They pride themselves on providing a safe, welcoming space for the community to connect. Run entirely by volunteers, the library first opened in 2012 after the original South Chingford Branch library closed due to budget cuts. It operates in the former Waltham Forest Direct Shop.” … “usly, London Borough of Waltham Forest covered the library’s rent under a lease. However, this support ended in September 2023. A spokesperson for the local authority stated that they had given “immense support” to the library over the past eleven years, including £500,000 in direct aid over the last five years, but were unable to continue funding.” … “the library needs to raise £65,000 annually to stay open after that.”

“We consider ourselves the hub of this area. We welcome everyone and encourage organisations to use our services. Many come here to escape loneliness, especially in the winter, and appreciate our warm, social environment. If we were to close, there would be no other place for people to go.”

Richard Ashen, chair of South Chingford Community Library’s Board of Trustees