Ian Anstice

Editorial

CILIP has got in trouble over the last few days due to an article it published on Dominic Cummings and his views on libraries. To be honest, I did not really take much note of it myself other than thinking it was a quite interesting piece on the viewpoint of a very important advisor. But, wow, Library Twitter took a different view, with even what I consider moderates laying in to the professional association for the piece, and several saying they will cease their membership because of it. See the links below and make up your own mind.

I do completely like the joint CILIP and Big Issue campaign to help public libraries, though, and I don’t see any one else out there who could feasibly have done it. Other than that, it’s been another good week for libraries, with Bradford reducing its proposed cuts even further by spending £200k on putting its shelves on wheels and Edinburgh getting rid of a £300k cut.

Changes by authority

• Aberdeenshire – Consultation.
• Bradford – £200k for moveable shelves.
• Camden – Kentish Town refurbished (study space, partitioning children’s library etc).
• Edinburgh – Proposed £300k cut dropped. £1million cut stays for 2022/3 expected be due to co-location, not move to staffless libraries as first planned.
• North Somerset – Consultation.
• Staffordshire – Financial support for volunteer libraries to continue. Staffless pilot at Stafford Library.

National news

• Bobby Seagull is taking a petition fighting for library funding to Number 10 – Big Issue. “The Libraries Champion is working with CILIP and The Big Issue to return library funding to 2010 levels – and the petition has already attracted more than 1,000 signatures in just two days”
• “Do People Even Go To Libraries Any More?” – The Public (Film Review) – Vulturehound. “There’s talk about “Johnny Steinbeck” being staff member Jena Malone’s “tenth grade crush” and a clueless patron querying why she can’t find a “life-size globe of the Earth” to study. Estevez’s script is at its strongest in these scenes, sketching a sort of mundane stupidity that brings the laughs in a cosy way.”
• Dominic Cummings: Libraries are “desperately needed” – CILIP. “… special adviser, Dominic Cummings, has no such conditions attached to his support for libraries. He sees them as fundamental to the survival of the country – as one of the few things that should permanently survive in institutions that manage complexity, government departments in particular. “
  • CILIP response to discussion surrounding Dominic Cummings article – CILIP. “In this instance, we considered the article, its tone and approach very critically and carefully prior to publication. Nothing in the article – including the fact of its publication – endorses Cummings or his views, or the Government’s policy on libraries.”
• End library austerity – secure revenue funding for public libraries in the Chancellor’s Budget – Libraries Deliver. “CILIP and The Big Issue call on the Secretaries of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Communities, Housing and Local Government (MCHLG) to bring an end to 10 years of library austerity and to work together to invest in the future of our towns and communities by reinstating revenue funding for libraries to its pre-austerity level in the forthcoming Budget.” 4155 signatures at time of accessing on Sunday 23 February 9.25am.
• How ebooks and libraries help bring people together – Big Issue. Pro ebook article by ebook provider Overdrive.
• Make Google work for you – Koios UK Library Webinar. “In this 45-minute webinar, Trey from Koios will explain the basics of how your library can qualify for up to £7,500 a month worth of free online advertising from Google.”. Includes 50% discount on how to apply.
• Picture books on prescription – Guardian. “Rosen’s book depicts his grief at the death of his son Eddie from meningitis at the age of 18. “These books will start conversations with children about how they’re feeling and show them that others have felt the same way,” he says. “Public libraries have long been places where people have sought answers and comfort; this scheme combines the safe space of the library with inspiring children and families to read for pleasure and wellbeing.””
• S&S strikes partnership with Library Link – BookSeller. “Library Link is a dedicated resource for public libraries and librarians, enabling them to communicate directly with Simon & Schuster’s fiction editorial team about books, authors and events. The service will include suggestions about how best to serve and engage libraries’ local communities, a monthly newsletter and dedicated Twitter feed.”

International news

• Canada – Staffless Libraries cloud “I’m Library People Day” – Newswire. “t is hypocritical of Mayor Tory to claim he is an advocate of TPL. In reality, he is working hard to get rid of “Library People,” by creating libraries with no staff, no programs, no people to guide, support, and safeguard the wonderful patrons who rely on our service,” says Brendan Haley, President of the Toronto Public Library Workers Union (TPLWU). “
• South Korea – Coronavirus shock: South Korean ‘super-spreader’ infects near 40 in church service horror – Express. Public libraries shut to stem outbreak.
• USA – Adult Film Shot At Santa Monica Public Library During Business Hours Sparks Outrage – CBS. Porn film shot in library without consent.
  • Patrons at Maine’s rural libraries still look for books the old-fashioned way – Homestead. “25 of Maine’s 265 public libraries have not automated their collections and still rely on card catalogues. “

Local news by authority

• Aberdeenshire – Consultation on future Aberdeenshire library services continues – Buchan Observer. “An online survey seeking views on future library provision runs until the end of the month and has already attracted more than 5,000 responses.”
• Bradford – Parks, libraries and lowest paid Council staff to get boost in 2020/21 budget – Telegraph and Argus. “In yesterday’s announcements it was revealed that a further £200,000 would be invested in the library service this year to purchase “flexible shelving facilities.” “
• Camden – Kentish Town Library reopens its doors after transformation – Camden Council. “The upgrades to Kentish Town Library are part of the Council’s £1.5m investment to ensure Camden’s libraries continue to thrive in the future. The refurbishment will also offer more space to enable community groups to work together following the success of the Think and Do community space for climate and eco action.”
• Cornwall – Climate Change section added to Cornwall’s Library collection -Cornish Times. “From the weighty report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the publication that in 2018 highlighted how we have ’12 years to act’ to prevent runaway climate effects) to new bestsellers such as Wilding by Isabella Tree, describing her family’s project to renew the eco-system on their farm in Sussex, there are currently 150 titles in the collection.”
• Derbyshire – Poet Laureate to visit Belper’s new library – Belper News. “Simon Armitage, 56, who is professor of poetry at Leeds University, will visit the library on Derwent Street in a ticket-only event on Monday, March 16 (2.30 pm to 4 pm). The library, which will replace the current one on Bridge Street, is set to officially open later in the year. It is part of a wider development by Derbyshire County Council that will also include a new care centre for older people, the Ada Belfield Centre, next door.”
• Edinburgh – Edinburgh council budget agreed as plans to cut library opening hours dropped – Edinburgh Evening News. “The SNP-Labour administration had proposed to close libraries on Saturday afternoons, which would have meant job losses, saving £300,000. But ahead of yesterday’s full council meeting to pass the budget, the coalition decided to use £300,000 of unallocated money to maintain the existing opening hours.”
• Essex – Basildon libraries get 700 new books with £5k fund boost – Echo. Basildon District Council give £5k for library books.
• Essex libraries’ book numbers drop by 470,000 over 10 years – BBC. “The number of books in Essex declined from 1.76 million to 1.29 million between 2007-08 and 2017-18 – a drop of 27%. Save Our Libraries Essex, which obtained the statistics, said Essex County Council was “setting the library service up to fail”. The council said the book stock was updated in response to demand.”
• Flintshire – Aura Libraries celebrate the Big Welsh Rhyme Time – Leader Live. “an annual celebration of songs and rhymes for children aged 0-5 across Wales, organised by Book Trust Cymru. “
• Hampshire – Campaign launched by Alan Mak MP and Emsworth councillors to keep Emsworth Library open – The News. “Residents are being urged by Havant MP Alan Mak and their local councillors to sign up for a campaign to stop Emsworth Library being closed under the current Hampshire County Council consultation.”
  • Chineham library may escape closure – as council face choice between elderly care and library hours – Basingstoke Gazette. “We spend £1 million per day looking after our older residents in adult social care. If you say to somebody where would you put your priority – would it be say knocking an hour off the library or getting your grandmother out of bed in the morning so she can live a normal life, where would you choose? “
• Lincolnshire – Share your memories and photographs of area at reminiscence roadshows – Grimsby Telegraph. Lottery funding includes creative writing.
  • Grantham Library team leader reveals what it’s like to be a librarian in 2020 – Grantham Journal. Behind partial paywall.
• Manchester – Crumpsall’s new state-of-the-art library and leisure centre to cost £20m – Manchester Evening News. “Abraham Moss will be the last of the city’s leisure centres to be upgraded as part of a ‘major transformation’ strategy. First built in 1973, the existing building will be knocked down to make way for the new complex after it was found to be outdated when compared to other facilities. The new site will boast a sports hall, six-lane swimming pool, learner pool, steam room and sauna, two squash courts, a gym, dance studio and changing rooms. A temporary sports hall and library will be built while work, which is expected to take 18 months, is being carried out.”
• Midlothian – Free sanitary products rolled out to all Midlothian public buildings including libraries – Edinburgh Live. “Funded by the Scottish Government, the sanitary products will now also be available in 12 council buildings.”

“We are delighted that Simon Armitage has agreed to include Abington in his library tour this year. It is a real coup for our library to have been selected and we will be using the occasion as a ‘thank you’ event to our loyal supporters and helpers who have come along to meetings, coffee mornings and other events and encouraged us to keep going during the very uncertain period since autumn 2017 when Northamptonshire County Council first announced its major library review plans and indicated that Abington Library was at risk of closure. We are now in the process of transferring to being a volunteer-run community library in partnership with Abington Community Centre. There is a clear need for this much-loved local library to continue to serve people of all ages in Abington and the surrounding neighbourhoods and to have recognition of our library by this well known literary figure is a real boost for us.”

Northamptonshire – Jan Anderson, Chair of the Friends of Abington Library (Quote received via email)

• North Somerset – Have your say on future of sports centres, libraries and other public services – North Somerset Times. “he Your Neighbourhood consultation will look at libraries, leisure and sports centres, street cleansing, parks and open spaces and garden waste. “
• St Helens – Digital exhibition to showcase past and present St Helens – The Reporter. ACE funded local VR film.
• Sandwell – Love of library led to medal: What it’s like to be a librarian – Express and Star. “It’s about making friends and making the community stronger. We’re here for the community and we make sure we provide what the community wants and needs,” said Julie McKirdy, who has been working in libraries for more than 40 years.”
• Sheffield – Save Sheffield Libraries – Sheffield Council petitions webpage. “We the undersigned petition the council to – Abolish volunteer libraries, bring back all 28 City Libraries back under the management of Sheffield Libraries and run them with council library staff. – Immediately implement the funding allocated to central library for essential repairs. – Abolish library fines. – Study options to apply for external funding to renovate and in the cases of the last two reopen and re-staff Central, Tinsley Carnegie and Walkley Libraries.”
• Staffordshire – County Council reveal its five-year plan for libraries – Tamworth Informed. “A report on the service’s successes and development between now and 2025 says there no plans to create more Community Managed Libraries, but support will continue for the existing 27, whose five-year leases begin to come up for renewal from 2021.” … “Other plans include asking the community libraries to reclaim 80 per cent business rate relief if they are eligible to do so and the scheduled introduction of a self-service pilot outside core hours at Stafford library.”
• Suffolk – See this inspiring artwork from young Suffolk artists tackling sustainability – Ipswich Star. ACE funded. “The exhibition is being held in the Ipswich Library and is a collaboration between the college and the Suffolk Libraries arts programme Building Libraries on Creativity (BLOC).
• West Berkshire – Library ‘closed until further notice’ after Storm Dennis damages building – Newbury Today. “West Berks Libraries tweeted earlier today (Monday): “Due to the heavy rain at the weekend #Theale Library is closed for repair until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.””
• Windsor and Maidenhead – Clowning around at circus skills workshop at Maidenhead Library – Maidenhead Advertiser. Charity and Friends funded.
• Wirral – Birkenhead shopping centre throws focus on early reading – Wirral Globe. BookStart bags being given out.

Editorial

It’s no surprise when a government spokesman says how they’re big believers and funders in libraries. Any government is accomplished at massaging the truth and the person in question may even have believed it. The line about wanting libraries to “thrive” is directly out of the Ed Vaizey playbook, circa 2012, and the bias shown towards “commissioned” libraries (that is, those not directly by councils) has been part of the agenda for about the same length of time.

What is surprising is that, actually, public libraries – with obvious exceptions (Northants, Essex, Hampshire, Bradford etc) – are actually doing a lot better than they have done for a while. I mean by that simply they’re not facing massive cuts in funding but, at least, it’s something. The “changes by local authority” below is almost all good news, or at least it is at first look.

Another thing is the statement that the government has only recently got to know exactly how many libraries there are. This struck me as wrong at the time – precise figures have been quoted for as long as I can remember – but apparently the number until recently has been a bit of a con tick, with the bete noire CIPFA being their normal selves when it came to accuracy.

Changes by local authority

• Flintshire – £360k refurbishment of Flint Library.
• Hammersmith and Fulham – Shepherds Bush £150k refurbishment, repairs.
• Kirklees – £370k cut halted: more co-location and volunteers expected.
• Rotherham – Consultation: Town centre library to move to markets, 3-branch staffless library pilot.
• Sunderland – New location purchased for local studies library.

National news

• Brutal Tory library cuts slash 10 million books from shelves – Mirror. “More than 10 million books have been axed from libraries across England since the Tories came to power. Brutal Tory cuts have led to nearly a million children’s books lost.” … “Shadow Culture Minister Kevin Brennan said: “Libraries are precious community assets, but a decade of Tory austerity cuts to council budgets has taken its toll on local services.”
• Children who own books six times more likely to read above expected level, survey finds – Independent. “The findings come as hundreds of libraries across the country have been forced to close amid spending cuts. “
• Digital Inclusion and How to Address It – Lorensbergs. “orensbergs co-facilitated a workshop with Brent Libraries on Digital Literacy Skills for the Otherwise Disenfranchised. 20 library authorities were in attendance and we covered a lot of ground. Here’s some of the key areas discussed and ideas shared, with slides available for download at the end of the page.”
• Let’s create – Arts Council England. Strategy 2020-30. “We believe that England’s network of public libraries provides a vital resource for the development of creativity and the promotion of culture across the country”.
• Lord John Bird has taken the battle for library funding to the Lords – Big Issue. “The Big Issue has long been fighting the corner for libraries. Lord Alan Haworth alluded to many of the reasons why in the short debate. Libraries are “for more than just books, they are for digital skills, accessing benefits, keeping warm and finding human kindness”, according to the Labour peer.
• Public Libraries – Question – House of Lords. Lord Bird asks about public libraries following CILIP report. Baroness Baran replies government is aiming to see libraries thrive and are investing in local government and £125m into museums and libraries specifically. She goes on to say that they now know how many libraries there are, unlike “not so long ago”. 25% of libraries have seen visits grow since 2005 and that “the successful libraries are the ones that are being most innovative in responding to the needs of their communities, including in digital literacy and other services that they offer.” with “commissioned libraries” doing especially well.
• Simon Armitage: ‘I think poetry is our greatest and most democratic art form’ – I. ““I am trying to do this in a kind of A-Z way. So, this year the libraries I’ll be visiting all begin with either A or B including Aberdeen, Belfast, Bootle, the British Library and two or three others. I’m aiming to do the great and the small – the big flagship national and city libraries but also really small rural ones, and I’d love to maybe visit a mobile library in the Outer Hebrides or somewhere.””
• Steel and Butler join Reading Agency – BookSeller. “The Reading Agency has appointed former librarian Louisa Steel as head of engagement (adults) and Hayley Butler as head of marketing . The charity said the new appointments will support The Reading Agency’s mission to ensure everyone across the UK is reading their way to a better life.”

International news

• Canada – Librarians face increasing violence on the job, Toronto Public Library figures show – CBC. “In 2011, there were 103 reported cases of violent and abusive behaviour, and 262 cases of threatening behaviour or verbal threats. By 2018, that number had climbed to 249 reported cases of violent and abusive behaviour, and 623 cases of threats.”
• United Arab Emirates / Sharjah – Sharjah Public Libraries signs pact with UK body – Gulf News. With CILIP: ” will work together to promote best practices in the development of library professional standards and accreditation; exchange ideas and information on related professional conferences; and contribute to the enhancement and development of their respective professional experience and knowledge.”
• USA – Libraries hosting ‘drag-queen story hours’ for children could be fined under new bill – Independent. “Public library employees in a US state could face a fine or jail time for providing “age-inappropriate sexual material” under a bill proposed by a local politician. The bill, known as the Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act, has drawn criticism by library and freedom-of-speech groups since it was introduced last month by Missouri representative Ben Baker, a Republican.”

Local news by authority

• Bristol – City council leaders say they “should be thanked” for keeping libraries open – Bristol Live. “A masterplan to make Bristol’s libraries fit for the future has received a mixed reaction amid fears their long-term survival remains uncertain. City council leaders have launched a four-year strategy and say they should be thanked for their “astonishing achievement” in keeping all 27 branches open, despite planning to close all but 10 of them in 2017, an idea they abandoned following a deluge of objections. But opposition councillors say the glossy 24-page document is not really a strategy but a “series of aspirations” that does not guarantee each library’s future.”. Hopes include “wifi printing for users at every branch, longer non-staffed opening hours and extra services from partners such as health, employer support and debt advice.”
• Bromley – Eight-month strike by Bromley library workers ends after agreement reached with employers – London News. “The new agreement reached includes new staffing structures being introduced and no compulsory redundancies. An agreement has also been reached on pay progression and arrears payments.”
  • Bromley library workers end mammoth eight-month strike – News Shopper.
• Darlington – Children gearing up to launch Darlington’s BookFest – Northern Echo.
• Flintshire – Flint Library transformed after £360,000 worth of upgrades – Leader. “Aura Leisure and Libraries secured £300,000 of funding for improvement works at Flint Library through a successful capital grant application to the Welsh Government’s Museums, Archives and Libraries Division (MALD). In addition to the £300,000, both Aura and Flintshire Council contributed to the development, totalling £360,000 in new investment. ” … “… community kitchen and heritage exhibition area. The children’s library, training rooms and main library, have also been redesigned and renovated in order to create more flexible community spaces. Along with the refurbishments, Aura has implemented brand new self-service machines “
• Hammersmith and Fulham – Look inside the newly renovated Shepherds Bush Library as council promises roof won’t leak – Gotech Daily. £150k refurbishment. “an additional floor, a “warmer and more versatile” children’s library, and more study space”. Hammersmith and Fulham Council said they had “repaired multiple leaks” in the building and sealed heating grates and floor boxes that had become a “trip hazard”.
• Hampshire – Community unites in fight for libraries – Basingstoke Observer. “The Friends of Chineham Library organised a ‘Big Read In’ to demonstrate the importance of the library to the community. The event took place on February 4th to coincide with Hampshire County Council’s (HCC) public consultation drop in session.”
  • Petition launched to stop library cuts – Newbury Today. Kingsclere: “In an effort to retain the council’s support, library committee member Sarah Davis created the petition last week and it has already received more than 350 signatures.”
• Hertfordshire – Outsourcing of library service delayed as new group not set up yet – Watford Observer. “Libraries for Life – a public sector mutual set up by Hertfordshire County Council – was awarded the contract to run the county’s 46 libraries last year. And the organisation had been expected to take over the service on December 1. But now it has emerged the transfer of the service has been delayed until April, amid fears that neither organisation was ready. “
  • Library Self-Service: Kiosk integration and support – Lorensbergs. Including wifi printing.
• Kirklees – Kirklees Council budget reverses £370,000 library cuts – Chronicle. “Kirklees Council has reined back on plans to find savings of £370,000 within its libraries service. Instead it will plough the money into an ongoing revamp focusing on libraries acting as hubs for a range of services such as the voluntary and community sector, primary care and communities teams. The redesign by Kirklees Council’s chief librarian, Carol Stump, focuses on the “wider community function” including more volunteer input.”
• Lancashire – Lancashire’s mobile libraries to expand their routes – Garstang Courier. “fter deciding last year to reduce the frequency of mobile visits from fortnightly to every three weeks – a change which will commence in June – the authority has found that it will have spare capacity to extend the coverage provided across the county. The trial services will be run on two half days when a vehicle would not otherwise be in use. The new stops will be served for a period of six months and then assessed to determine whether there is enough demand to make them permanent.”
• Leicester – Library shows off its £180,000 facelift – Leicester City Council. “During a 12-week programme of works which began last autumn, the public library space was fully refurbished to provide a modern, flexible library space.  The improved layout includes a new children’s area, an improved study space and open areas to meet and read.  Accessible toilets were installed, and charging points were added for people who want to bring their own laptops into the library.”
• Norfolk – D-Tech International to install 95 kiosks in UK libraries – Kiosk Marketplace. “supply 95 self-service kiosks to 47 Norfolk County Council Libraries in Norfolk, U.K. It is the provider’s biggest ever roll-out, according to a press release. The new installations replace existing self-service units which are out of contract at the end of March 2020.”
• Northamptonshire – Desborough town council criticised for ‘mis-using’ its power over library issue – Northamptonshire Telegraph. “Desborough Town Council was widely criticised last night (February 3) by members of Kettering Council’s standards committee for its latest decision to flout the recommendation made last August by the council’s monitoring officer, that town councillors who are also library trustees should not have a say on the town council’s funding decisions to do with the library.”
  • Thrapston Town Council withdraws from library purchase – Northamptonshire Telegraph. “Thrapston Town Council has decided to withdraw from a deal to buy the town’s library building. In March 2018, the council had agreed to purchase the library building and surrounding land to secure it as a public asset for the town. It was hoped to use the premises as a community hub but the council has assured the public a library service will continue in Thrapston.”
• Perth and Kinross – Libraries and museums to open late due to Culture Perth and Kinross staff training – Daily Record.
• Sheffield – “SOS call for libraries” – Star / Letters. “Sheffield Libraries SOS argues that in light of the facts that the funding for volunteer libraries comes up for renewal this year, book loans are down dramatically since the transfer to volunteers and that whole swathes of the city do not have access to a staffed library service, that now is the right time for Sheffield Libraries to start running all libraries with council staff once again and to reintegrate all 16 co-delivered and associate libraries back into the council library service.”
  • Lowedges Library – South Sheffield. “spearheading our project to open a new branch library in Lowedges in partnership with the LBJ Forum … In these times of declining book borrowing and library closures, opening a new one is a bold step ― one that reflects our growing confidence as an organisation since taking over Greenhill Library five years ago.”
  • Sheffield library volunteers named community champions – Star. “A Sheffield library has been named The Moor Community Award champion, thanks to the dedication of its team of volunteers who refused to let reading become a dying hobby.”
• Northamptonshire – Still a chance Higham Ferrers library could re-open in former building – Northamptonshire Telegraph. “strategic libraries manager Anne Lovely says a library council could still remain in the old building. Speaking at the opening of the new community library in Rothwell last Friday she said: “I’m still hopeful and I don’t give up on a library.”
• Rotherham – Have your say on £7m Rotherham libraries shake-up – Rotherham Advertiser. “Rotherham Council will invest £7 million across the 15 centres, including moving town centre provision from Riverside to the markets. The public now has a final chance to give its opinions about the future role of libraries and the improvements being made.” … “A staffless libraries pilot project — using card entry, CCTV and self-service machines — is also planned for three centres.” … “Meanwhile, a separate consultation has been opened for Brinsworth, where the proposal is for the new £270,000 library to be run by a community trust with support from RMBC.”
• Sunderland – Delay to the opening of Sunderland’s Elephant Tea Rooms as city’s Local Studies Library – Sunderland Echo. “The Grade II-listed Elephant Tea Rooms on the corner of Fawcett Street and High Street West has been bought by Sunderland City Council who last year revealed plans to open a local studies library in the space”
• Warrington – Lucy, 82, is town’s champion book borrower – Warrington Worldwide. 310 books read in one year. “In total the number of books read by the top dozen borrowers was 2,659 – on average 221 books per person.”
• West Sussex – All libraries closed on Monday 10 February for IT implementation – District Post. New computer system.
• Worcestershire – Labour call for investment in libraries and transport ahead of budget meeting – Redditch Standard. “The Leader of the Labour group, Redditch Councillor Robin Lunn, said his party would be calling for the county to use its higher than expected rate of council tax collection to spend an extra £500,000 on boosting key library services with cash to buy new books and new e-books for online readers. County libraries have been under increasing financial pressure in recent years and the group is also calling for a £50,000 marketing campaign to promote the modern benefits they offer.”

Editorial

A few of the items this week show how dependent some public library services are on volunteers. North Yorkshire says “acknowledges that without the support of more than 2,000 volunteers and others the service as it exists today would not be possible.”, Oxfordshire open a new branch but say that they will need volunteers to actually run it, and Staffordshire report that they have 1,000 volunteers doing the work that would otherwise keep staff employed to the tune of £1.4m. When library services depend on the unpaid in their thousands to do the work it’s clear to see how things have changed since 2010 when less than ten branches nationwide relied on such generosity.

It’s therefore a suitable week to see that the Community Libraries Network have a new website instead of their blog site they had to do with previously. The site has some useful resources, including on crowdfunding and paying for leases, for volunteer libraries who are facing the hard tough world. The network itself, supported by Upper Norwood Library Trust, Libraries Connected, Locality, the Libraries Taskforce and funding from Power to Change, is looking to rely on member subscriptions, presumably from volunteers already working for free. We will see how that goes.

Changes by local authority

• Bath and North East Somerset – Mobile library changes.
• Hillingdon – Ruislip Manor Library refurbished. £3m 2-year boroughwide refurbishment programme.
• Islington – Part of Central Library to be used by theatre company, including small theatre.
• North Yorkshire – Consultation.
• Oxfordshire – Barton Library opens in neighbourhood centre, dependent on volunteers.
• Staffordshire – Service dependent on 1,000 volunteers. 41% budget since since 2013. 149 out of of 280 full time equivalent staff lost in same period.

Hi VIS Fortnight 1-14 June 2020 : celebrating the word in all its formats

“Following feedback from partners, we are changing the name of ‘Make A Noise in Libraries’ Fortnight to ‘Hi VIS’ – The emphasis of this initiative has shifted over the years, from being originally forged largely as a campaigning vehicle, to something that latterly has predominantly sought to highlight the excellent work that is going on in libraries, for visually and print impaired people. We thought that the title should change to reflect this shift, and ‘Hi VIS’ seemed to be a good fit.”

The core aim of the Fortnight is still to raise the profile of the various services and activities that exist re. accessible libraries and reading – to highlight and celebrate them; and to connect visually and print impaired people with libraries, reading and other readers.

With developments such as the BBC’s Novels That Shaped The World and the theme for this year’s Libraries Week, there is a welcome (re-)emphasis on books and reading in 2020, and we are looking to build on this. The provision and availability of alternative and accessible formats is critical to visually and print impaired people being able to access reading and literature, and the general theme of this year’s Fortnight will be celebrating the word in all its forms and formats

We would like, during Hi VIS Fortnight, for libraries across the UK to highlight and celebrate all that you do to help people access and connect to the reading services and formats that best suit them, and to engage with reading and related activities

Share the Vision are specifically hoping that Libraries will:

· Promote accessible reading formats and services (their own and other organisation’s); and related local activities;

· Organise their own events, ideally (but not necessarily) building on this year’s theme; and

· Actively post on social media about these services, activities and event

Actions and available resources

· As in previous years, Share the Vision are in the process of producing some promotional materials and will share these nearer to the time. · Resources will be available via Reading Sight ( www.readingsight.org.uk ).

· RNIB are going to be leading on the social media side of things – establishing the hashtag #HiVIS2020 on Twitter, and we would like all involved to use this to help spread the word.

· Alerts will be sent out to Six Steps Champions across the UK, and Heads of Service will be made aware through Libraries Connected.

Ideas for activities

· Promote the accessible stock that you have – spoken work/talking books, Braille, tactile, e-book/audio/magazine collections

· Highlight ‘Novels That Shaped The World’ in alternative formats

· Feature accessible libraries, such as Calibre, Clearvision, RNIB Library – making local staff and volunteers aware of the wider provision that is available

· Run or raise awareness of an accessible book group

· Invite local ‘sight loss’ or disability groups and partner organisations to visit the library to discuss and demonstrate all that you offer/could offer

· Offer accessible or sensory activity sessions – maybe poetry, or craft or singing… using/celebrating words in different ways

· Deliver an ICT/digital session introducing people to online/e-services and/or new equipment that makes reading and information more accessible

Visit www.readingsight.org.uk for more information

Join in and engage on Twitter – @readingsight / #HiVIS2020

Mark McCree, Chair, Share The Vision

National news

• 2019 sees rapid increase in libraries dropping fines – BookSeller. “The number of libraries dropping penalty fines for the late return of books has more than quadrupled in the past year, with those that have changed their policy citing an uptick in membership as a result. Only a couple of libraries had a fines-free policy in the UK before 2018 (Rutland and Shetland), according to Public Libraries News, on top of which Trafford and Portsmouth similarly updated their policy in 2018. However in the past year, eight libraries followed suit in instigating the step-change (Halton, Kirklees, Blackpool, Bridgend, Bath and North East Somerset, Oldham, eeds and Borders) Blackburn’s Darwen  Library [sic – it’s actually Blackburn With Darwen library service – Ed.] has followed suit in 2020″

“For me it was all about making sure we were a relevant, modern and inclusive service. From working with schools and various consultations we had done over the years, we knew that fines were a deterrent for people, especially families, using our libraries… There were some worries expressed that people would take advantage and not return books, but that hasn’t happened. Our rate of non-returned books has not increased in the time since we abolished fines. “In addition, we have had many instances of people telling us they are now using the libraries because we no longer charge fines.”

Sarah Curran of Trafford Libraries

• The community asset transfer of libraries: considerations in community managed libraries taking a lease – University of Sheffield / Newcastle University. “This report covers the considerations involved in community managed libraries taking a lease with their Council. This is related to the long-term sustainability of community managed libraries. “
• Community Managed Libraries National Peer Network – (Ultimately) Lottery funded website for volunteer libraries, including presentations and other resources. Presentations include establishing a volunteer library and crowdfunding.
• Top 100 Changemakers 2020: Literacy and education – Drag Queen Story Time – Big Issue. ” Being able to walk into schools, libraries and religious festivals and do what they do and hopefully impact some of the kids so that they never have to feel how they did as a child – or the British Library, where LGBTQ authors once weren’t even allowed to be on the shelf – that means a lot.”

International news

• Australia – Next Library Brisbane: Interview with Vicki McDonald – Matt Finch. “This year, the international Next Library conference holds its satellite event at the State Library of Queensland (SLQ) in Brisbane. Information professionals and librarians from around the world are invited to Australia’s ‘Sunshine State’ to explore questions of innovation, risk, and resilience”
• Canada – New Brunswick library use rose 19 per cent in last decade – CBC. “Three big changes coincided with the increase in library use, said Daigle. Overdue fines were eliminated for children aged 12 and under, limited circulation cards were introduced for people who don’t have a permanent residence in the province, such as summer visitors, and libraries started opening on weekends.”
• Ireland – Building work on multi-million euro new Portlaoise library to start next week – Leinster Express. “The project has a budget of in excess of €5 million. The cost will be covered entirely from public funds via the council’s reserves and central Government. The 16,000 sq ft facility was designed by Portlaoise architects McCarthy O’Hora. Apart from traditional library services it will have with an exhibition area, study, IT section and a community meeting room.”
• USA – Missouri bill proposes ‘parental library review boards’ that could land librarians in jail – The Hill. “A new bill proposed in Missouri aims to prevent inappropriate sexual content from getting into the hands of kids, but critics are warning it amounts to censoring and could land public librarians in jail. The bill was introduced earlier this month by Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker (R), who has argued that the measure is meant to protect children when they visit their public libraries.”
  • A library found it was missing $8 million of its rarest items. Nearly three years later, a man on the inside admitted to selling the items to a local bookstore – CNN. “Two men have pleaded guilty to theft and receiving stolen property charges after an alleged $8 million worth of rare books, plates and maps were taken from a Pittsburgh library and sold to a rare book store owner, court documents show.”
  • How One Librarian Tried to Squash Goodnight Moon – Slate. A look back on the days when librarians could make or break a book. Sometime, not for the better.
  • OverDrive’s New Owners: What It Means – American Libraries. “… the pending business transition sets the stage for the next phase of the library digital lending environment. As library investments in digital content continue to rise and spending on print stagnates or falls, the dynamics of this sector bring high-stakes ramifications for public libraries. At this point, the takeover cannot be characterized either positively or negatively.”
  • What Happened When Denver Public Library Eliminated Overdue Fines? – 5280. ” In the past year, 35 percent of people who were impacted have returned to use library services. “We want welcoming spaces for all of Denver,” says Jennifer Hoffman, DPL’s manager of books and borrowing. “Going fine free really removed those barriers.””

“The biggest thing we’ve seen is improvement in the overall atmosphere and tone”

Jennifer Hoffman, Denver Public Libraries manager of books on borrowing on impact of removal on fines one year ago.

• Workers at Cleveland Public Library cast near-unanimous vote to authorize strike action – World Socialist Web Site. “On January 8, roughly 400 librarians, assistants and custodians at the Cleveland Public Library (CPL) cast “an overwhelming, and nearly unanimous vote” to authorize a strike, according to a statement sent out by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1199. ” .. “. A central focus in SEIU’s statements is the proposed 1.5 percent raise for library workers—many of whom are still impacted by a five-year wage freeze implemented in 2009, failure to adequately increase staffing and concerns over library security.”

Local news by authority

• Bath and North East Somerset – Mobile library route review – what it will mean for you – Journal. “The route review has been designed to encourage greater use of the mobile library by focusing on areas with no community library provision and removing dangerous stops. Every fortnight, one day will be set aside for the mobile library to take part in outreach events, such as visiting schools to promote the Summer Reading Challenge or delivering a pop-up service at themed events. As a result of the new timetable, all stops will be a minimum of thirty minutes…”
  • Mobile library routes across B&NES set to change in bid to extend reach – Bath Echo.
• Bradford – Rhyme time as challenge is launched at Keighley Library – Keighley News. “… parents and their children are invited to learn five rhymes together. Those completing the challenge, which is open to under-fives, will receive a certificate from Bookstart Bear. “
  • £700,000 of public health cash to reduce pain of library cuts – Keighley News. “the authority revealed it would be moving £700,000 from its public health budget to the library service. Officers argued that libraries provided vital public health services such as preventing loneliness. “
• Cheshire West and Chester – Huge activity list to enjoy at Northwich libraries during Health and Wellbeing Week – Northwich Guardian.
• Cumbria – Libraries address food poverty in school holidays with ‘Feed and Read’ sessions – Times and Star. “When schools close for a week from February 17-21, nine Allerdale libraries are taking up Feed and Read sessions. This offers a free healthy lunch to children in libraries, whilst also giving them access to books. The scheme proved a roaring success in summer with over 900 packed lunches reaching children in Workington and Maryport. “
• Essex – Campaigners blast council for falling library book stock – Epping Forest Guardian. “Between 2007/08 and 2017/18 nearly half a million books were cut in Essex, around a third of the overall total – 1,292,431 books last year, down from 1,765,358 ten years prior. “
• Hampshire – Test Valley councillor hits out at plans to axe North Baddesley Community library – Southern Daily Echo. “Cllr Alan Dowden, who represents Valley Park on the borough council, branded the plans to chop the number of libraries across the county from 48 to 38 a “kick in the teeth”, as Hampshire County Council (HCC) aims to save £1.76m by 2021. Now the councillor has revealed he plans to put a motion forward to the county council in a bid to save North Baddesley Community Library, Willis Avenue, from being run entirely by volunteers, with no support from HCC.”
  • Authors slam ‘shameful’ Hampshire library closures – BBC.
  • Coraline author Neil Gaiman joins fellow authors in calls against library closures – Romsey Advertiser. ““Now that one in eight schools does not have a library at all, public libraries are all the more vital. And libraries are about far more than books and literacy. They are havens, refuges and gateways, the vibrant hearts of the towns and villages they serve,” the letter reads. “
  • Community library joins list of branches at risk of the axe – Advertiser and Times. Milford Library is “currently operated on limited hours by volunteers, with running costs paid by local people, aided by HCC providing books, broadband and public computers. Villagers stepped forward in 2014 after HCC ended funding for staff there.”
  • Hampshire Authors launch campaign to save libraries – Hampshire Chronicle.
• Hillingdon – Ruislip Manor library transformed in £3m borough programme – This is Local London. “The library was transformed in 12 weeks as part of a £3m two-year programme for the borough’s libraries. The new-look interior, predominantly open plan, now has distinct zones, highlighting that each area has a different use. “
• Islington – Tall Stories Theatre Company Will Open A Rehearsal and Performance Space In Central Library, Islington – Broadway World. “Tall Stories, the internationally recognised storytelling theatre company, is partnering with Islington Council to transform a currently unused section of Central Library into a storytelling hub for the company. The project will create an administrative base for the company, alongside a large studio space suitable for rehearsals and performances for an audience of up to 80. “
• Norfolk – Revealed: Why people were banned from Norfolk libraries last year – Eastern Daily Press. “In 2019, 16 people were banned from entering libraries across the county after breaking the rules … Norfolk’s list of reasons for library bans includes one person being kicked out for viewing inappropriate images and four for antisocial behaviour. Other reasons include incorrect details being provided and breaching the acceptable use agreement.”
  • UK’s only public war memorial library based in Norwich set for exciting redevelopment – Norfolk County Council. “The library, which first opened in 1963, is set to close on Monday 10 February, reopening on Monday 30 March under a new name: American Library. The transformation will bring stories of the servicemen alive for a new generation through engaging new graphics and digital displays that cover both life on the ground and in the air.”
• Northern Ireland – Shhhhhh: Fujitsu bags another £12m from Libraries NI as bosses fail to bookmark replacement – Register. “Libraries Northern Ireland – the public sector organ which, erm, runs libraries in Northern Ireland – has renewed an IT services contract with Fujitsu worth £12m after running out of time to run a tender process.”
  • Libraries Northern Ireland extends Fujitsu deal – UK Authority. “Its extension reflects the need to keep services running as LNI works out how to handle the transition of these services, and reflects the complexity of an existing arrangement that includes all the software licensing and ICT infrastructure that was developed by Fujitsu, based on the original contract agreed in 2013 and so far worth £33.6 million.”
• Northumberland – Library consultation needs you – Rambler. “A 12 week consultation to shape the future of Northumberland Library Service is underway until 16^th March 2020. Do you want your library to join the 600+ throughout the country which have been affected  variously by reduced opening hours, staff losses, farmed out to other services or volunteers, or closed down.”
• North Yorkshire – Have your say on future direction of county’s libraries – Craven Herald and Pioneer. “Since 2012, there has been a shift to partnerships with communities and volunteers in delivering library services and an expansion of the activities and facilities libraries offer, says the county council. ” … “Now, residents are being urged to take part in a consultation to agree a strategy, ‘Your library, your place’, to guide libraries into the future. “. Council says it cannot deliver its library services without current 2,000 unpaid workers.
  • Have your say on future direction of county’s libraries – North Yorkshire County Council.
  • Out-of-this-world success for reading challenge at Filey library – North Yorkshire County Council. “More than 200 children signed up to the Space Chase challenge at the library, inspired by the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. Around 85 per cent completed the challenge and received certificates and medals. Filey library was one of several to receive an award from the County Council’s library service for its hard work to ensure the challenge was a success.”
• Oxfordshire – New Oxford library finally opens at Barton – Oxford Mail. “The new Barton Community Library has been opened as part of a project between the county and city councils as well as Barton Community Association – which will run the hub and put on activities. The library, at Underhill Circus, is now part of a network of 44 libraries and home libraries in Oxfordshire. “

“We will need volunteers to help run the library and the Community Association is very supportive in this.”

Library manager Stephanie Tee on new Barton Library

• Powys – More library cuts in Powys ‘cannot be ruled out’ – Powys County Times. “Cllr Rachel Powell (Independent – Beguildy)  blamed “austerity” and “politics,” for the issues. ” … “Last year a proposal to cut £200,000 from the services in the 2019/20 budget was postponed for a year so that ideas and views from residents about future options could be collected. “
• Richmond – Richmond most prolific borough for reading after topping London library survey – Sutton and Croydon Guardian. ““Despite huge cuts in Government funding and with libraries across the country being closed to help save the public purse, we are investing in our local library network, ensuring our libraries provide a wide range of relevant services and that they remain a vital part of each local community’ “
• Staffordshire – 1,000 volunteers at 27 Staffordshire libraries are now doing £1.4 million of work for free – Stoke on Trent Live. “At Werrington community library and well-being centre, volunteers are even planning to install log cabins for ‘garden therapy’ sessions” … ” Staff numbers have also been reduced from 280 to 131 full-time equivalent posts over a decade.”

Editorial

The turn of the year is a good time to review what has been going on, not least because I get a few days off. The following does not pretend to be comprehensive and will doubtless miss out on many important trends – if I included everything, it would be too long and no-one would read it – and of course represents a personal view.

The big news is undoubtedly the re-election of the Conservatives for another five years. Despite a small amount extra being promised to library services before the election – basically a bribe – the deep cuts to services since the party started it’s current run in power in 2010 more than make up for it. Although austerity has calmed down (although never gone away) in the last couple of years, the prospect of Prime Minister Johnson until 2025 and the impending disaster of Brexit, means libraries can only expect a continuation of the bad times. These cuts are the primary factor for a deep reduction in library usages over the past decade – they probably would have declined anyway a bit but the example of other countries suggest the hit would have been nowhere near as bad if budgets had not been cut by 30% without even taking inflation into account.

That’s the major bad news but the good news is the expansion in the number of library services going fines-free in the UK. Eight more services decided to stop punishung users for returning books late in 2019, with a notable concentration in the North West, more than doubling the number in the country. There are few librarians who still see charging everyone regardless of their ability to pay as a progressive step and, as more go fines free, more pressure and more evidence to follow suit. Fingers crossed.

CILIP have upped their game by launching major political campaigns with school libraries and the US-inspired Libraries Deliver. It’s work on ethics has been notably prominent. This is a good thing as ethics have tended to come last in local library services in practical terms. Few cash-strapped services, when push comes to shove, say no to commercial funding even from such dubious concerns as Amazon and Google. This extends to the very highest levels, with a senior delegation of library chiefs and others choosing this year to visit China – an unethical place for all sorts of well-known reasons – to boost links. China, by the way, is also a leader in pollution and, although environmental issues have hit the global headlines like never before in 2019, public library services have conspicuously failed to market themselves to benefit from being one of the greenest services out there. Mind you, being public library services have failed to market themselves in any way whatsover, for the 170th year running, this is not surprising.

ACE have been moving away from menacing libraries with far too many subsidised theatre shows and have instead become increasingly keen to promote, gosh, books and the other services that libraries provide. Recent pronouncements suggest that this trend will improve in the next few years and that is to be welcomed.

Libraries Connected, the revamped Society of Chief Librarians, is starting to make its presence felt. This has not been fast enough for me – I want national promotional campaigns and a prospect of a realistic single digital presence (a national libraries website is not asking much) before 2030, neither of which appear likely – but slow progress is being made and there is reason, like with CILIP and ACE, to hope.

The same cannot be said for CIPFA, which continues to provide lacklustre and late information on the sector at sky-high prices, even though it gets its data for free. The organisation – which has come out clearly against any open data or co-operative approach because, well, it can’t make any money out of it – is in clear need of a good kicking. However, until local or national library services come up with a viable alternative – not a certainty in a sector which often comes across as unified as a bag of screaming cats – then they will continue doing the job terribly and charging through the nose for doing so.

Locally, there’s a few library services doing particularly badly. The most spectacular have been the proposed library cuts in Essex. There as been a very strong grass-roots campaign against the reductions and some quite impressive gaffes by the council handling it. The council appears to have been caught wrong-footed by the strength of feeling and many of the councillors seem out of touch with libraries. It’s recent moderation of cuts is already being closely analysed.

There have been two notable library strikes. One, in Bromley, against GLL is over a number of different things, mainly boiling down to the union being entirely against the library service being run by a non-council service and unhappiness with how GLL is doing things. In Bradford, the reason for the unhappiness is more clear-cut, being simply over huge cuts to the library service while the council hypocritically and simultaneously is bidding to become a capital of culture.

There are many more examples of cuts to library services and bad management but the one that sticks in my mind the most is Derbyshire which has banned telephone renewals despite despite having staff, computers and, well, telephones. This “digital by default” strategy is the exact opposite of putting the customer first and hopefully will not be the start of a trend.

Changes by local authority

• Blackburn With Darwen – Goes fines-free, including amnesty for existing fines.
• Milton Keynes – £100k refurbishment for Newport Pagnell Library inc. staffless opening hours.
• Northamptonshire – Higham Ferrers Library closes.
• Warrington – Culcheth Library extends opening hours on Friday afternoon with help from volunteers.

National news

• Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin creator MC Beaton dies aged 83 – BBC. “MC Beaton sold more than 21 million copies of her books around the world and was regularly named as the most-borrowed adult author from UK libraries.”
• Libraries sector in the New Years Honours list – DCMS Libraries. A list of the 14 people working with public libraries in England who received honours, including a brief description of each.
• Libraries will be given more money after years of decline because they are ‘safe places’, promises Arts Council chief – Telegraph. “Libraries will be given more money after years of decline because they are “places people feel safe in”, the Arts Council chief has promised. Sir Nicholas Serota, the body’s chairman, said libraries are set to get more help to play a “larger role” in the communities they serve as “sustaining” them is vital. “There is big scope when you talk about what is happening in high streets and communities for libraries to play a much larger role,” Sir Serota said in an interview with the Guardian.”
• Thank you to … the librarian who saved my life before I knew it needed saving – Guardian. “In this series writers celebrate a person who changed their lives. Kerry Hudson remembers the librarian who was always a kind, constant, gentle presence”

“You were always there; a constant. A kind, supportive adult in times when I had few of those, who, if I asked you a question, would do your best to answer with kindness, patience and honesty. And when I was overwhelmed and confused because life seemed harsher than I’d imagined it could be, I would go to you and our brief interaction – one person being gentle to another, sharing a love of books that felt bigger than that small village with its big problems – would keep me going a bit longer.”

Kerry Hudson

International news

• Australia – First library in Victoria to open 24 hours a day, seven days a week has town buzzing – ABC News. “People were asking for more opening hours, but we found almost 50 per cent of the community work more than 35 hours a week, so just increasing the opening hours wasn’t going to work,” she said. She said staff hours were not being cut and the library would continue to be staffed from Thursday to Tuesday, and closed on Sunday and Wednesday. The move to 24/7 access required a $92,000 upgrade, which has been funded by the State Government, with $20,000 from West Gippsland Libraries, and $3,000 from the Friends of the Foster Library.”
• Canada – ‘Something special about libraries’: Hopes high for OPL fundraising campaign – CBC. “The Ottawa Public Library hopes to raise $10 to 15 million over the coming years as part of a major fundraising campaign for the new central library — not to pay for the bricks and mortar, but to ensure interesting things take place inside once it’s open.”
• Ghana – 2020 Is ‘Year Of Learning’ — Ghana Library Authority Declares – Modern Ghana. “The Ghana Library Authority has declared 2020 as the ‘Year of Learning,’ under the theme “70 years of Transforming Minds through Libraries,” in commemoration of its 70 years of existence. Ghana Library Authority is the second oldest incorporated institution by an act of Parliament of Ghana and has the mandate to establish, equip, maintain and manage public libraries in Ghana. “
• USA – A year after Denver Public Library ended late fees, patrons — and their books — are returning – Denver Post. “Thirty-five percent of patrons with overdue fines who had stopped using Denver Public Library services have re-engaged with the library since the fee cancellation … Denver librarians have seen a 10% increase in lost materials being returned from 2018 to 2019 … The change has not resulted in a free-for-all.”

Changes by local authority

• Bath and North East Somerset – ‘No questions asked’ book amnesty being held in Bath & North East Somerset – Bath Echo. “The council removed fines for the late return of books in April 2019, but is now inviting anyone who still has books borrowed before that date to return them from 6th January as part of a book amnesty. Books can be returned to the main libraries in Bath, Keynsham and Midsomer Norton or at one of the community-run libraries, and old fines will be deleted. People who think they have lost a very overdue book should talk to library staff who can remove it, and any fines, from their account and people will then be able to use the libraries as normal.”
• Blackburn With Darwen – Library fines to be scrapped in Blackburn with Darwen – Citizen. Amnesty for outstanding charges too. “Councillors have been told that the projected fines income for 2019-20, based on current usage, is £7,750. This annual rate is said to have dipped by 25 per cent from 2016-17 – and is expected to decrease further in future. Cllr Talbot said: “There is some evidence to say that having outstanding library fines or overdue books is an obstacle which makes people fearful of going into our libraries. ” … “Several other north-west councils, including Blackpool, Halton, Leeds, Oldham and Salford, have already opted to scrap fines. “
• Blackpool – New Year honour for Blackpool couple who have transformed children’s lives – Gazette. “Also in line for an award is Blackpool Council’s head of libraries Mark McCree who has been given a BEM (British Empire Medal) for services to public libraries. He said: “I am overjoyed to receive such an honour. I am passionate about the positive impact libraries and library services have on our communities.”
• Bridgend – Trust announces changes to mobile library service in Bridgend area – Glamorgan Gem. “The mobile library service across the county borough of Bridgend is to be overhauled so that more vulnerable, isolated and housebound people can benefit from books brought directly to their door. From December 16, the existing mobile and Booklink vehicles will come off the road to prepare the routes. A new Books on Wheels service, with additional stops to people confined to their homes, will be launched from Monday, January 6.”
• Devon – Fundraising campaign to fix library rocking horse – Radio Exe. “Libraries Unlimited, the charity which runs libraries in Devon, has launched a fundraising campaign to pay for repairs to a rocking horse.  Jubilee Beauty, has been at the library since 1977. But they say she’s now had one ride too many and is lame (broken!) She’ll now have to be fixed by a specialist rocking horse restorer. “
• Essex – Manningtree Library campaigners to receive town council award – Yellow Advertiser. “The Save Manningtree Library campaign is to receive Manningtree Town Council’s Community Engagement Award. The campaign organised a number of events during 2019, with 500 marching through the town in April and hundreds more joining a ‘love our library’ street party in September. “
  • Call for scrutiny over new library IT system – Epping Forest Guardian. Councillor asks questions over system: ” “What is the platform the library management system is currently running on? Are we looking for something that is off the shelf or are we building it to specification? Who is going to develop it? Are we looking for packages that need to fit together? “
  • The council’s offer to community-run libraries – Essex Council. Lists what limited funding is available to those willing to work for free to run Essex libraries.

“I noticed that your update on PLN about Essex Council quotes a somewhat one-sided Bookseller article (the Bookseller then redressed the balance with a more recent article).  Your quoted article  emphasises ECC’s claim not to be closing libraries and the investment they are putting into a small handful of larger libraries (tho they won’t be libraries anymore) and computer systems. It does not cover their strategy to put the majority of Essex’s 75 libraries into the hands of volunteers by encouraging individual or group takeovers. The volunteers will have to pay for their own buildings, computers etc. They will have one ticket and will use it to go and drive and collect any ordered books from the Essex Libraries catalogue. There will be no professional staff. Essex Council offer is £18000 over three years, then nothing. ”

Liz Miles, library campaigner, via emial.

• Hampshire – Hampshire libraries under threat: watchdogs warning over the future – Hampshire Chronicle. “CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, is calling on Hampshire County Council to work with librarians across the county in a bid to ensure libraries continue to meet local needs. It comes as the local authority is to launch a public consultation over the future of the 52 libraries across the country. The news follows claims, now denied by civic chiefs, that 37 libraries in the country would face axe as the authority looks to save £1.75m by 2021.” … “The consultation will be launched on January 9, 2020. “
  • Have your say over future of Hampshire’s libraries – Eagle Radio.
• Lancashire – Council asks people to name new mobile library vehicles – Lancashire Telegraph. “The county council’s six-strong mobile library fleet is being totally replaced, with the first three vehicles expected to go into action in late February 2020. Now the library service is asking people to vote for their favourite names from a specially compiled shortlist. ” … “Amongst those in the running are The Borrowers, Chitty Chitty Book Book, Great Transportations and Hardbacks of Notre Van. “
• Milton Keynes – Library open since the first moon landing receives space age revamp in Milton Keynes – MK Citizen. £100k refurbishment. “The 50 year old building has been modernised with a new layout and extensive re-decoration, new furniture and fittings – and thousands of new books. ” … “The refurbishment was financed by contributions from developers which go towards community and social infrastructure. More than £15,000 has been invested in 2,500 new titles for the library which offers a wide selection of the latest paperback, audio and digital books.”
• Northamptonshire – Higham Ferrers Library reaches end of the final chapter – Northamptonshire Telegraph. “The library in Midland Road will have its doors permanently closed this afternoon at 4pm after having served the community, in the old parish rooms, since 1968. The Rev Paul Needle, chairman of the Higham Ferrers Community Library Group, said: “I feel really sad. It’s an extremely sad day for all of the community and we’ve been let down by those in charge. It’s a great shame that Higham Ferrers Library is the first to close down but it’s probably not the last.”
• Northern Ireland – Northern Ireland library users rack up fines of £329k in just three years for overdue books – Belfast Telegraph. “Libraries in Northern Ireland have fined people more than £300,000 for failing to return overdue books and other items in the past three years. “. There are no fines in the Republic of Ireland to the south.
• North Yorkshire – South Craven Community Library gets stamp of approval for reading challenge support – Keighley News. “The library, at Cross Hills, was among ten in North Yorkshire recognised for their role in the summer reading challenge. ” … 14% overall increase in SRC involvement in the borough.
• Nottinghamshire – Retford library closes ahead of major refurbishment works – Lincolnshire Live. “Retford library has now closed ahead of refurbishment works carried out by the council. Pictures from inside the library show the shelves emptied and the books boxed up ready for the work to start. The aim is to make the site more visible and accessible, helping to get more people through the door and enjoying the facilities.”
• Swindon – Park Library pilots 64 Million Artists January Challenge – Swindon Advertiser. “The 64 Million Artists initiative supports collaboration between cultural organisations and local communities. It runs UK wide programmes to support and encourage people’s creativity. “
• Warrington – Culcheth Library to open on Fridays with new extended hours – Warrington Guardian. With help from local volunteers “Friends of Culcheth Library”.
• West Berkshire – Cuts to libraries in West Berkshire budget a ‘tragedy’ – Reading Chronicle. “Figures obtained from a freedom of information request show West Berkshire Council spent £1,879,000 on libraries in the financial year 2010-11, while only budgeting £1,432,000 this year.  This is a budget cut of 39.6 per cent, taking into account inflation. “
  • Anger after libraries face deeper budget cuts than average in West Berkshire – Berkshire Live. “West Berkshire Council spent £1,879,000 on libraries in the financial year 2010-11, while only budgeting £1,432,000 this year, according to new figures obtained from a freedom of information request. This is a budget cut of 39.6 per cent, taking into account inflation.”

Editorial

So, Mr Johnson and the Conservatives have won a fourth term in office and will likely, gosh, be the government until May 2024. Putting aside Boris’s unlikely promise of investing in libraries even if his two conditions for it are met – the economy is booming and Brexit has happened – what does the electoral result mean for libraries?

Well, it means that there won’t be much extra money for a start. Say goodbye to whatever promises Corbyn made. After the dark days of cuts in the early 2010s followed by a still dark (but I fancy slightly less doom-laden) atmosphere in the last couple of years, we can expect things not to turn around any time soon. Best case scenario is the current low budgets for libraries remain stable. Worst case is, well, 2010/11 all over again. I’d probably go for the more optimistic (still quite grim) side of the scale on this one but being Boris is still an unknown quantity – who really knows what he believes? – so this is very much a guess. Terrifyingly, if Brexit proves a disaster, which it likely will, another wave of austerity is quite possible.

I suspect I am on far surer ground suggesting that councls cutting library services will be strongly encouraged to become trusts or other quasi-non council organisations. In addition, many councils are running out of money and so there may be quite an increase in trusts. This will at the least create a lot of extra work for the services being transformed and may or may not be good long-term, although it will certainly mean more entrepreneurship with all the good and bad that entails. We can also be fairly sure that volunteer libraries will continue to be lauded, although I know that many of them are now seeing the gloss come off because the first set of enthusiastic volunteers are leaving.

It is absolutely certain that there will not be any meaningful supervision of the sector and that such things as standards will remain a thing of the past. Also, sadly, and unless local councils get their act together with open data – doubtful – we can expect the ridiculously slow and income-driven Cipfa to remain the greedy guardians of performance data on the sector and fight any attempts to, well, do what their job should actually be (the quick and easy dissemination of data) because they are a monopoly and are determined to stay that way.

Finally, we can all stop pretending that public services, let alone libraries, are, in the final analysis, a deciding factor when it comes to general elections. If they had been, result would have been very different. We need to be prepared to leave or to work within the system that, over the last decade, has become increasingly tougher … and work in the service we still love and do such good work in until the bright promised future of post-Brexit UK(although who knows if Scotland will still be on board) in 2024 arrives. Ten years down, only another five to go.

Local news by authority

• Inverclyde – Cuts expected inc. to opening hours and staff.
• West Lothian – £50k cut to opening hours/staff.

National news

• Branching out – Wellston Journal. “In the last seven years one in six of all Wales‘ libraries have closed. A further 62 have changed hands and are now run either by outside organisations or with support from volunteers.” … “Llanelli library‘s building was completely renovated in 2012 and reinvented as “more of a coffee shop” than an austere library …”
• Community and volunteer-run libraries – John Bevis. “There is no national strategy for the implementation of community or volunteer libraries. Councils may provide some professional librarian time, or none at all. Neither are there standards for range and depth of books, for IT provision, for a gateway to standard online reference works, national newspaper archives, links to the British Library… for any of the resources essential to meeting the obligation of library authorities to provide “a comprehensive and efficient library service”, as has been law since 1964. Community libraries may be run by the nicest folk you could hope to meet, but what they have to offer is pot luck.”
• Held to account – turning activism into political support for libraries in 2020 – Libraries Deliver. “For the first time in living memory, four of the ‘main’ political parties in England – the Labour Party, the Conservatives, the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats – all included references to libraries in their Manifesto commitments. ” [Strictly true but the Lib Dems only mentioned libraries as a place to collect sanitary products – Ed.]
• Jamelia: I needed kids clubs and libraries growing up, so now I’m voting Labour so everyone else gets them too – I. “My mother ensured we participated in experiences that enriched our minds. Though money was tight, we were able to use public facilities such as kids clubs, libraries, nature parks, leisure centres and a school with a thriving arts programme. “
• Truth, lies, fake news, futures, Brexit – Matt Finch / Mechanical Dolphin. “Rather than chasing untruths in the media like a dog chasing a passing car, could information professionals be seeking to tend and moderate deeply local conversations about where communities choose to go next? Libraries are an obvious place to host such discussions – that’s why earlier this year I proposed the public library as the setting for community-centred foresight work, putting sophisticated strategic tools in the hands of local people.”
• World Book Night Goes Digital for 2020 – World Book Night. “This year’s list features both paperbacks and audiobooks, with North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, Double Crossed by Brian Wood and Bedtime Stories for Stressed Out Adults edited by Lucy Mangan available for individuals to receive via an exclusive download code. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (which is celebrating a significant 42nd birthday in 2020) will be donated as both a paperback to organisations and an audiobook to individuals”

International news

• Australia – State Library Victoria proves libraries aren’t just about books: they’re about community – The Conversation. “State Library Victoria already holds a prominent place in Melbourne’s cultural and urban fabric. It is now ready for the future.”
• Is reading an effective therapy strategy? Many experts think so – Sydney Morning Herald. “The concept is far from new, with Tsakalakis saying it can be traced back to ancient Greece. At that time, libraries were constructed next to hospitals. “And above the library there would be a banner or placard which read, ‘Places for healing of the soul.’ “So you’d go to the hospital for physical healing, and there was this understanding that libraries were places to seek solace and healing, and to nurture ourselves through stories.””
• China – China’s library officials are burning books that diverge from Communist Party ideology – Washington Post. “Library officials in northwest China recently hoped to demonstrate their ideological fervor and loyalty to the Communist Party by purging politically incorrect books and religious materials in emphatic fashion: They burned them. Then they uploaded a report — and a photo — to showcase their work.”
  • China to punish library officials for burning books – but only because they did it in public – Independent. “In October, the Ministry of Education called on school libraries across China to dispose of books “that damage the unity of the country, sovereignty or its territory; books that upset society’s order and damage societal stability; books that violate the Party’s guidelines and policies, smear or defame the party, the country’s leaders and heroes”.”
• EU – Eblida and NewsGuard Announce Partnership to Bring Media Literacy Tool to European Public Libraries – Eblida / Newsguard. “The News Literacy Program, launched in the U.S. in late 2018, is now used by more than 600 libraries globally. While select library systems in the U.K., Germany, and Italy have joined the program since NewsGuard expanded to Europe in mid-2019, the partnership with EBLIDA will enable more libraries across the continent to use the anti-misinformation tool”
• New Zealand – New Zealand: Man Builds ‘stick Library’ For Dogs At Park, Lauded By Locals – Republic. It’s not a public library but it’s stil wonderful.
• Norway – Oslo’s new main library – Designing Libraries. “Basement: cinema, 200-seat auditorium, freely accessible book depots. First floor: square, restaurant, café, newspapers, magazines, books for short-term borrowing. Second floor: fiction, history of literature, children’s section. Third floor: music, movies, comics, games, speculative fiction, workshops, recording studios, mini cinema, gaming rooms, movie screening stations, stage. Fourth floor: class rooms, reading rooms, books on art, architecture, health, technology, and science. Fifth floor: social sciences, history, psychology, philosophy, religion, literature about Oslo, the original Deichman collection, study desks, reading rooms, the art project Future Library.”
  • In Praise of Norwegian Libraries – Norway, One Year / Medium. “The library/culture house is a hub for community and a destination instead of an errand to run or a spot to grab books and pass through. Even towns like Hamar and Sandefjord have libraries/culture houses that seem rather ostentatious for smaller Norwegian municipalities.”
• USA – L.A. libraries will stop collecting late fees for overdue books and other materials – Los Angeles Times. “Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Friday that the city will stop collecting fines for past-due books and other materials this spring, part of a larger effort to make the 73-branch library system more welcoming to the city’s neediest residents.”
  • No Holds Barred: Policing and Security in the Public Library – In the Library with the Lead Pipe. “For too long, the negative effects of police and security presence in libraries have been ignored or, at the very least, neglected. Police officers and security guards should be used judiciously just as one would use any other security tool available to library workers.”
  • U.S. libraries checking out book theft / ‘Most-stolen’ list will help curb crime – SF Gate. “The theft of books, CDs, videotapes and pamphlets from public libraries is a national problem, one that probably costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year. No one knows the size of the problem, but the American Library Association has taken a first step, e-mailing hundreds of libraries around the country and asking them to list their most-stolen items. “

Local news by authority

• Aberdeenshire – North-east bookworms invited to take part in reading challenge – Evening Express. “Readers can take part in the Winter World Challenge individually, together as a family or as a group of friends. It starts on Saturday and will run through the winter months, ending on the extra day of 2020, which is Saturday February 29. To start the challenge, bookworms should head down to their local library and pick up a challenge card.”
• Borders – No more fines for late Borders library books – Border Telegraph. “The scrapping of fees is in a bid to entice new members to join a local library and to encourage previous members to return and use a library service again. Members with outstanding charges have also had their fees removed, but are instead asked to make a small donation to Live Borders who will use it to purchase food for a local foodbank before Christmas.”

“Removing fines will be a permanent change and our aim is to ensure that our libraries are there for everyone. By removing this barrier it will help more people to discover their local library and achieve our charitable aims of keeping everyone healthier, happier and stronger in the Scottish Borders.”

Lisa Denham, Connected and Creative Communities Manager, Live Borders

• Calderdale – Rastrick Library to temporarily close for final stages of work – Halifax Courier. “Construction work has been taking place to deliver disabled access to the building, including the installation of a new ramp and the creation of a disabled parking space.”
• Cornwall – New library, local studies and archive centre in Cornwall – Designing Libraries. “A derelict brewery in Redruth Cornwall has been transformed into a modern archive and library space, with £11.7m funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. “
• Cornwall’s libraries let people pay fines with food – Pirate FM. “All food donated over participating library counters during December will then be passed on to local foodbank charities.” For fines up to £5.
• Essex – Essex County Council denies ‘secret’ meetings with library takeover bidders – This is Local London. “Essex County Council has disputed claims that it held “secret” meetings with people and groups bidding to take over libraries. The authority held meetings for community groups interested in taking over the running of libraries … Campaign group Save Our Libraries Essex (SOLE) handed out leaflets outside the Greenstead and Ongar meetings to dissuade groups and individuals from continuing with takeover bids, which it describes as a ‘closure plan by stealth’.
• Inverclyde – All food donated over participating library counters during December will then be passed on to local foodbank charities – Greenock Telegraph. “The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals [CILIP] sees such a move in the latest budget round as a ‘short-term solution that will create long-term problems’. In an open letter to council leader Stephen McCabe, CILIP Scotland has called on the cash-strapped local authority to leave the ‘vital’ library service alone as it wrestles with more enforced cuts. “
• Leicester – Libraries staff choose their favourite Christmas reads – Leicester City Council. “Overall favourite amongst the city council’s libraries staff was timeless ghost story A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Also singled out for recommendation were The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs, Kipper’s Christmas Eve, by Mick Inkpen, and How The Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr Seuss.”
• Merton — Sensory project transforms children’s libraries – Designing Libraries. “Visit one of Merton’s award-winning libraries and you could find yourself in the heart of the forest, under the sea or at the South Pole being chased by racing penguins.” … “Each of the borough’s seven children’s libraries has been transformed into an immersive space as part of a ground-breaking project to make them an exciting place for all children, whatever their sensory needs. Project Sense, as it’s known, is the result of a successful £95k bid by Merton’s libraries for Arts Council funding.”
• Norfolk – Whoops! Library accidentally reveals a secret – EDP 24. “Norfolk’s biggest library has accidentally revealed the latest chapter in its success story – it is the best in Britain. ” … “The post has since been removed.”
• Northamptonshire – £184k loan to parish council agreed to help save Moulton library – Northamptonshire Chronicle. “It will see DDC [Daventry District Council] provide the parish council with £184,000 to purchase the surrender of the lease, on the condition that the parish council then provides a community library for a ‘sensible minimum period’ suggested as 15 years.”
• Torfaen – Volunteer encourages others to take part in Torfaen Libraries ‘Read To Me’ service – South Wales Argus. “The service is intended for people who are unable to take part in a shared reading group because they are prevented from doing so by ill health or disability. It sees reading companions visit them weekly, reading aloud to the person on a one to one basis. “
• Warrington – The best read library books in Warrington – Warrington Worldwide. “Topping the fiction list for adults is The Second Child by Caroline Bond, which was a designated “Book of the Month” – showing how popular the initiative is in encouraging library users to try new books. Big name thriller authors like Lee Child, James Patterson, Michael Connelly and David Baldacci were other popular choices.
• West Lothian – Campaigners lodge petition to stop local library closing in the mornings – Daily Record. “Library users in Craigshill have lodged a petition with West Lothian Council to plead for the saving of morning opening in Almondbank library. The petition was lodged as the council unveiled proposals to change opening hours across its library branches in a bid to save money.”
• Wiltshire – Community Library Manager – Wiltshire County Council. Salisbury, temporary for 2 years part time 30.5 hours per week £26,999 – £28, 785 pro rata.
• Worcestershire – Celebrating library volunteers’ role in supporting communities – Tewkesbury Admag. “From leading a Lego club or Health Walk, being a digital champion or volunteering to deliver the Library Service at Home, these are just some of the ways volunteers are supporting their communities. Each week dozens of volunteers gift their valuable time supporting our county’s libraries. This Thursday to recognise their efforts, Worcestershire’s libraries are marking International Volunteer Day 2019 by celebrating their contribution. “