Overdue, presumed lost, despite reminders

Editorial

There are clearer and clearer signs that the new Labour government is not going to provide extra funding to, well, pretty much anyone. This is includes local government and, apparently, public libraries too. The new minister – I couldn’t remember his name as he’s not turned up in any article about the sector but apparently it’s Chris Bryant – who includes public libraries amongst his large portfolio, does not appear to be all that bothered and even his boss, Lisa Nandy, who I remember campaigning for libraries more than a decade ago, has been quiet on the subject. This is potentially disastrous for a sector that has had its funding cut by around a half since Lisa Nandy came into opposition back in 2010. Meanwhile there are more and more public statements about the lack of money and that things are going to be tight. It’s beginning to look a lot like the new government is not much different than the old one in spending terms, although it is admittedly currently far shorter on scandals, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and posh accents.

And, wow, the sector has noticed this. This week’s national news looks pretty much like a concerted campaign to Show Us The Money. The special libraries edition of the Bookseller has lots of articles about how great public libraries are. Libraries Connected have an article pointing out how short we are of money and how useful we can be for the creative sector, which just happens to be in the DCMS’s remit that Lisa Nandy is also in charge of. Then there’s a new national initiative to promote the NHS App in libraries which will show how helpful we can be and, by extension, what a shame it would be if we weren’t there any more. This is great as the response in 2010 was basically shell-shock and politeness. The sector has learnt the right lesson from the years of Conservative government. Let’s hope Labour will surprise me and show it has too.

Please send any news, corrections, comments or opinions to ianlibrarian@live.co.uk, thank you.

Changes by local authority

• North Lanarkshire – Stepps Library reopened after repair work started in 2020.

National news

• The British Book Awards launches new prize for public libraries – Bookseller. “This addition to The Bookseller-run annual awards will celebrate the best reading project or campaign delivered by a UK or Ireland-based library, and marks the return of libraries to the ceremony. The aim of the award is to recognise libraries’ innovation in reaching new readers and strengthening community ties, with regional and national winners to be announced in the run-up to the event.”
• Government urged to harness libraries’ ‘vital’ role in building Britain’s future – Bookseller. “Libraries organisations argue that they are perfectly placed to help the new government deliver on its five main missions—if they are funded properly” … “For Isobel Hunter, chief executive of Libraries Connected, the organisation’s overarching ask is for the government urgently to address the local government funding crisis. According to analysis of council data by the Guardian, library spending has halved since 2010-11 and a third of England’s libraries closed between 2009/10 and 2019/20.”.

“We will get local government back on its feet by doing the basics right, by providing councils with more stability through multi-year funding settlements, ending competitive bidding for pots of money and reforming the local audit system.”

Government spokesperson, quoted in The BookSeller.

• Invitation to Tender: Fundraising provision for Libraries Connected – Libraries Connected. “To underpin our current Strategic Plan (2022-2027), our Trustees have identified a need to diversify our funding base. We are therefore seeking external support in the form of an expert contractor to develop our fundraising strategy. “
• Libraries Team Up with NHS to Boost App Access Nationwide – Cornish Stuff. “In a significant move to enhance access to online health services, the NHS has announced a new collaboration with libraries across England to help more people use the NHS App and NHS.UK. This partnership, in conjunction with The National Health Literacy Partnership, will officially launch in October 2024, marking a major step in making digital healthcare more accessible to all.” … “Public and NHS libraries across the country are set to receive toolkits and information from NHS England in the coming weeks, enabling them to assist users in navigating the NHS App. ” see also Public libraries to encourage take-up of NHS App – UK Authority.

• The Library Focus: In the Spotlight – Bookseller. “Our annual Library Focus looks at the services across the UK that are tirelessly promoting reading for pleasure and using new technology to reach tomorrow’s readers.” (1) Nottingham Education Library Service fully funded by schools, children’s book awards, new Nottingham Central Library [No mention of the massive cuts in other parts of the library service – Ed.], (2) HMP Northumberland, (3) Southwark Libraries: 2 new libraries, lends out ukeleles and footballs, Library of Things, (4) Guille-Alles Library, Jersey [presumably chosen as the Libraries Connected President is based there – Ed.]: LGBTQ+ book club, (5) Leeds Libraries: reduced bestseller buying in order to increase local author/publisher book-stock, (6) Kirklees Libraries: TEFL sessions, (7) Cornwall Libraries: publicity to parents of new-borns to get library card, (8) Inverness Libraries: increased events and activities, outreach. (9) West Sussex Libraries: virtual/augmented reality library project, services for SEND.

“Our “usual channels” have failed (so far) to fix a meeting with new libraries minister Chris Bryant. We will keep pressing. The initial response refers to “very significant pressures on ministerial diaries at present”. We trust that part of the pressure is understanding his brief… The letter also says: “Public libraries are a vital public resource, helping to inspire, educate, support and entertain people of all ages and backgrounds. The range of outcomes they help to achieve is substantial and varied, and the government is therefore committed to ensuring that library provision remains strong.” Let’s all hold him to that concept. “

Libraries Campaign newsletter

• New CILIP chief wants to give libraries ‘a seat at more senior tables’ – Bookseller. ” the idea that I would come in within the first few weeks and have a really strong vision is a bit arrogant.” … “I think we slightly punch below our weight, and that’s partly to do with it being quite a modest profession. We are often in the background, we’re often helping others, we’re not out front, shouting. ” … “you can bet the people who did discover the [Covid] vaccine were relying on librarians and information professionals to support that effort.”
• Public libraries and the creative industries – Libraries Connected. “The public library network strengthens the whole creative economy by brokering local cultural partnerships, supporting artists and creative businesses, and providing free access to industry-standard software and technology”. Examples include Wakefield, Merton, Gloucestershire, Barnsley, Leeds, Coventry, British Library.
• Public libraries: Canaries in the coal mine? – Libraries Connected. “To a degree, libraries have innovated their way through successive waves of funding reviews.  The introduction of self-service units, the growth in volunteer supported services and the increasing number of authorities using Open Plus technology to extend unstaffed opening hours have all helped libraries navigate funding pressures.” … “Our members report previous solid partnerships and initiatives collapsing because the means to deliver them has gone.” … “library staff find they are dealing with increasingly frustrated customers, who feel their taxes have risen while service are taken away. “

“what business would for fourteen consecutive years cut the funding that supports its products, its staff and its opening hours and still expect to grow and flourish?

Un-named head of service, quoted by Libraries Connected

• Overdue appreciation: let’s hear it for the UK library sector – Bookseller. “Despite the ongoing significant presence libraries have in our lives—there remain more than 3,500 public libraries in the UK, for example—and their outsized impact both on literacy and our reading culture, there was barely a comment about them during the recent general election”
• Taxpayers pay millions to ‘eradicate’ racism in Wales – while NHS waiting lists soar – Telegraph. £134k Funding for anti-racism training for library staff is “larger than the combined starting salaries of four nurses in Wales, and that CILIP is a registered charity which enjoys tax exemptions accompanying that status, let’s take a look at what Welsh taxpayers are paying for instead.” … ” the recommended reading list to rid the Welsh librarians’ mind of racism is comprised almost entirely of books by American authors,”.

International news

• Canada – Library workers in Halifax go on strike – Global News. “After months of negotiations between Halifax Public library and Local 14, no agreement has been made and 340 library workers in Halifax will be on strike Monday morning. Emma Convey reports.”
• China – China had 3,246 public libraries by end of 2023: ministry – State Council of China. This “represented an increase of 5.6 percent year-on-year”.
• India – Lost Libraries: The Forgotten Story of Public Libraries – News9 Plus Show. “The death of three IAS aspirants in a flooded basement library in Delhi has revealed the menace of illegal coaching centres and libraries in India. The July tragedy is not the first incident related to an illegal coaching centre. Yet students and parents continue to choose these cramped centres over pocket-friendly public libraries that offer a safe space to study. Why are there so few takers for India’s public libraries?”
• South Korea – The Marketing Strategy of the Seoul Library to Attract Users despite a Continuous Decline in Patrons: Seoul Outdoor Library (SOL) – IFLA. “during the COVID-19 pandemic period from 2020 to 2021, the national average decrease in the number of visitors per public library reached 69%, and as of 2022, the number of visitors had not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, showing a 43.9% decrease compared to 2018. And according to the National Reading Survey, the reading rate has sharply declined over the past 10 years.”
• USA – Public Libraries are Critical Agencies in Multi-Sector Climate Action Plans, Policies, and Actions – Building Resilient Communities. “The report argues that libraries are the special ingredient, found in every community across the country, that climate action plans need to actualize the buy-in, collaboration, and energy that will bring them to life.”

• Moms for Liberty goes to war with New York school over five library books – Independent. “The books in question include People Kill People, a YA novel by bestselling author Ellen Hopkins about the deleterious effects of gun violence; It Ends With Us, a romance novel by Colleen Hoover that was made into a Hollywood film starring Blake Lively; All Boys Aren’t Blue, a “memoir-manifesto” by journalist and LGBTQ activist George M. Johnson about his struggles growing up as a gay Black man; Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood centered on female empowerment; and Julia Scheeres’ Jesus Land: A Memoir, a New York Times bestseller about the author’s unpleasant childhood experience at a fundamentalist church camp.”
  • Publishers and authors sue over Florida book ban law – BBC. “The lawsuit, filed on Thursday by publishers including Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, argues that Florida’s law violates First Amendment rights to free speech.”

Local news by authority

• Barnet – Back to school with Barnet Libraries – Barnet Post. “Libraries have a ‘Back to School’ booklist, available to help children for the new term.”
  • Council secures £85,000 to create library reading garden – Barnet Council. “by Arts Council England to improve a previously unusable area outside the building and create a sensory reading garden. The project will provide step-free access from the rear of the library and spaces for quiet reading with outdoor seating and shading.”
• Bath and North East Somerset – Bath Central library restart monthly pop-up with energy advice experts – Bath and North East Somerset Council. “Starting from September 5, staff from the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) will be manning a stall outside Bath Central Library on the first Thursday of every month”
• Birmingham – When key decisions on future of Birmingham service could be made amid divisive proposals – Birmingham Mail. Details of proposed cuts and campaigns against them.
  • Birmingham campaigners slam ‘huge setback’ as major library proposals confirmed – Birmingham Live. ” campaigner Rukhsana Malik argued a recent council consultation on the future of Birmingham’s library service was more focused on ‘ticking boxes’ than engaging with the community’s concerns. “We protested, we spoke up, and we made it clear that libraries are vital to our communities,” she said. “This is a huge setback for our city and a betrayal of trust. But rest assured, the fight to save our libraries continues – we will not give up.””
  • Birmingham writers team up to save local libraries as budget cuts threaten closure – Bookseller. “Author and British Book Award-winner Catherine O’Flynn and poet Liz Berry, whose work collections include Black Country (Chatto) and The Republic of Motherhood (Chatto), met on the playground at their childrens’ school, and began discussing the decline of the libraries in June this year.”
• Buckinghamshire – Petition launched to save Amersham Library’s opening hours – Bucks Free Press. “In June this year, the unitary authority confirmed they plan to deduct the amount of time libraries across the county are open to try and save approximately £500,000 per year. The move, which has been dubbed as the ‘library flex’ will impact eight venues in the county.” … “The plan has been widely criticised by residents in each of the areas with many campaigning to try and stop the notion from going ahead.” 512 signatures.
• Cumberland / Westmorland and Furness – Baby weighing facilities available in libraries across Cumbria – NHS. ““We specifically chose the library as we believe all children benefit from early access to books and we want to encourage a lifelong love of reading. We believe libraries have the ability to develop and promote early literacy and language skills for our children and are a great way to encourage community connections. “Following positive feedback from families accessing the self-weigh at Maryport Library, a decision was made to roll out the offer more extensively throughout Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness libraries.””
• Devon – New initiative targets literacy gap in East Devon’s most deprived area – Devon Live. “With funding from Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, Libraries Unlimited will be able to provide the school with a variety of specially designed sessions inspired by the charity’s unique reading challenge: The Secret Book Quest. Libraries Unlimited has met with school staff to ensure these sessions will be planned in tandem with them, identifying key curriculum areas and engagement methods. The sessions will be designed to encourage 5 to 12-year-olds to join the library and take part in the Quest.”
• Dudley – Dudley Library – The Whitechapel Women – Dudley CI. “Two talks being given by author Damian Carter at Dudley Library on Thursday 12 September at 6.30pm and Saturday 14 September at 11am will delve into the Ripper’s murky world and examine the evidence.”
• Gateshead – Gateshead murder probe live: Two charged after body found near Central Library – Northern Echo. “The entire park opposite the Gateshead Central library has been cordoned off with several officer guarding the outside of the cordoned.”
• Haringey – Help decide your library opening hours: give your views on the best option for the library service – Haringey Council. “The council is looking at ways for them to not just survive but continue to thrive for many more years to come.” … “We have invested heavily in our library buildings to make them even more accessible and attractive spaces in recent years and we’ll continue to spend £3.5m on these settings each year.”
• Havering – Save our libraries: Bring a book to rally for libraries on September 4 – Havering Daily. “Green Party activists organised the rally following the Havering Residents Association’s proposals to close four of the borough’s five branch libraries. Many across the political spectrum have come up with ideas for new revenue sources, for covering the cost of building works, and to make these libraries fit for the future. At next Wednesday’s council meeting, at least four petitions and a motion against the closure proposals will be presented.”
• Hertfordshire – Arts Council funding secured to celebrate 100 years of libraries in Hertfordshire – Hertfordshire Council. £100,000.
• Inverclyde – Inverclyde Libraries given £2,500 grant to create herbarium – Greenock Telegraph. Green Libraries Scotland Grant.
• Kirklees – Kirklees libraries: Cabinet set to meet to discuss next steps of plans to move eight facilities in the borough to ‘community-managed models’ – Dewsbury Reporter. “The fate of Kirklees’ libraries is closer to being determined, with the matter to be discussed by cabinet once again in September.”
• Lambeth – New chapter for Brixton Library – Lambeth Council. “Lambeth Council’s work to overhaul and improve the much loved Brixton Library in Windrush Square is now complete with the library now offering better study areas, private meeting booths and extra toilets.”

• Liverpool – Lord Mayor’s thanks after £250k raised for fire-hit library – BBC. “A woman who led a fundraising campaign to help rebuild a Liverpool library that was torched during rioting has been formally thanked by the city’s Lord Mayor. Alex McCormick set up the online fundraiser, which has brought in more than £250,000, after Spellow Library was set on fire during disorder that broke out on 3 August. Councillor Richard Kemp welcomed her to Liverpool Town Hall on Thursday to thank her on behalf of the city.” … ” the fundraiser had seen donations from around the world including USA, Canada and Dubai.” … book donations would be “spread out to other libraries and community centres.”
• Norfolk – Historic King’s Lynn library to be declared ‘surplus’ – EDP24. “The Gothic-style Carnegie Building in King’s Lynn, home to the town’s central library, faces an uncertain future because of Norfolk County Council proposals to create a new £14.2m ‘community hub’ in the heart of the town. That hub, in the former Argos store, which is part of the town’s Vancouver Quarter shopping centre, would include a community centre and a new library to replace the current one.”
• Series of sessions taking place across West Norfolk libraries as part of Know Your Neighbourhood project – Lynn News. “As part of a project aiming to get more people volunteering and to tackle loneliness, West Norfolk libraries are offering sessions in the community. Know Your Neighbourhood (KYN) Project is a £29 million package of funding designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England.”
  • Terrington St Clement student Adele Tolhurst creates petition to help protect mobile libraries in Norfolk – Lynn News. “St Clement’s High School student Adele Tolhurst has started a petition, saying the library vans are vital. She says there is a “desperate need” for better advertising of mobile libraries so that residents know when they are coming to an area near them.”
• North Lanarkshire – Stepps Community Library reopened – North Lanarkshire Council. “The new library, located next to Stepps Primary School, provides visitors with a warm, welcoming space to enjoy. It includes a multi-purpose room, children’s area, IT facilities, free Wi-Fi, a scanner and printing facilities – and, of course, a wide range of books to read.”
• North Yorkshire – Fall hook, line & sinker for this Harrogate Library children’s show – Harrogate Advertiser.
• Peterborough – Blue Peterborough – Libraries Campaign newsletter. “Woodston library in Peterborough is under threat of closure. Sharp-eyed locals spotted it in an obscure online list of council properties up for disposal. They rang us for advice, then to get sample constitutions to help write their own. Now a new and active Friends group is getting press and radio cover, and has a Facebook group (listed on our national website, of course).”
• Portsmouth – Council leader hails growth in culture and leisure in face of national cuts – Portsmouth Council. “Since 2015/16, reductions in government funding have meant the council has had to make significant overall savings, 5% of which has been made to culture, leisure and sport services. Despite this it has still maintained its nine libraries” … ” libraries which have recently secured nearly £200,000 funding from Arts Council England to deliver a range of schemes including volunteering initiatives and buying tuk-tuk”
• Shropshire – Libraries unveil sound-proof pods thanks to grant – Shropshire Star. “for online or in-person meetings”. £237k ACE grant.
• Somerset – Library to close for weeks under £900k revamp – BBC. Wellington. “The upgrade is designed to improve accessibility for staff and visitors across all floors and deliver increased thermal efficiency of the building, in line with the council’s ongoing commitment to decarbonisation.”
• Staffordshire – Local authority supports Staffordshire families facing crisis as back-to-school costs soar – Rayo. “The Pre-Loved Uniform Market (PLUM) is run by Staffordshire County Council’s libraries service and The Salvation Army.”
• Stoke on Trent – Stoke-on-Trent Libraries launch brand new app – Stoke on Trent Council. Via £20k LibraryOn grant. “The Stoke-on-Trent Libraries app will offer people the opportunity to join the library, discover new books, reserve books, find out more about events plus discover if titles are available in libraries via a barcode scanning function.”
• Wiltshire – Early years work with The Last Baguette – Crowdfunder. “We want to continue our early years work in Wiltshire, bringing Playtime & A Winter’s Tail to community venues & libraries this autumn”
• Warwickshire – Local History Education Displays at Warwickshire libraries – Warwickshire Council. “All displays will be different to reflect the library’s local area and residents are welcome to share their own memories of going to school in Warwickshire via reminiscence forms.”
• Worcestershire – Libraries Unlocked ‘will help safeguard future of Malvern Library’ – Malvern Gazette. Staff-less libraries extended but “Residents in St John’s, Worcester, were particularly worried and even signed a petition against the initiative because they feared a library without staff meant children could not go there alone and it could create issues for elderly people unable to use technology.”
  • Relief in Redditch – Library Campaign newsletter. “We have covered extensively the bizarre story of this extremely busy library that brings up to 1,000 people daily to a town centre due for revival. The council was determined to demolish it in favour of an empty piazza to er… increase footfall. We sent detailed evidence explaining how daft and costly this would be.” … “The Labour party made saving the library a major plank in its local election campaign in May. It very comfortably won control from the Tories”