Ian Anstice

Editorial

Main news this post is the formation of the “Read On. Get On” coalition of several agencies (including the Reading Agency but sadly no other public library related groups) to help boost literacy in England. Being the country apparently is second only to Romania (ouch) in the EU in terms of unequal reading levels and that such problems may cost us £32 billion by 2025, this sounds important.  Public libraries are mentioned a couple of times in the report and it is hoped that the importance of the sector (dudes, literacy is what we do) will become better recognised.   Things like the Six Book Challenge, which has just announced that it is aiming for 50,000 users next year, should be a key component in all of this.

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Editorial

The report “Rural library services in England: exploring recent changes and possible futures” has just become publicly available.  Commissioned by Defra and Arts Council England.  It’s a major bit of research that will be of use not just for those library authorities with countryside but also for others looking at direction for travel, what’s happening elsewhere and best practice, which I guess is what most of you read Public Libraries News for.  The report is especially useful in looking at volunteers and sharing buildings with other services.  There is also a new phrase that I suspect will become common parlance soon: co-locating with other service provide “economies of scope” rather than “economies of scale.”.  That’s a useful way of looking at things. Have  a read of the report if you’re interested in what is happening elsewhere and for ideas.  It’s not going to be easy reading for you if you hate the idea of volunteers or love the old traditional idea of libraries (whatever that was) though … but then I guess not much is at the moment.

Speaking of reports, I’d not seen the Arts Council England report Automatic library membership before: I’ve not read it yet but, to me, it’s a no-brainer.  I always groan inwardly when a parent says “oh, I didn’t realise young Johnny could join the library: he’s only five” or, even worse, those who never join who I don’t meet.  That’s the worst.  And that library card will be a positive reinforcement of libraries, of literacy and the love of reading each time they see it. Get it done.

Finally, thanks again to Jo Norris for some good ideas that many us may find familiar but others won’t.  Ladies and gentleman, it’s Summer Reading Challenge award ceremony season! My authority has been inviting parents and children in to special certificate giving evenings for years and it works well.  Another option is to present them in school assemblies.  Make a big thing of it.  Make those children proud of going to the library.  Make their parents proud of them going to the library.  And get them all library cards.

Changes

•  Peterborough – Dogsthorpe Library under threat.

Ideas from Jo Norris, runner up to the Library Champion of the Year

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Editorial

Some majorly bad news has come in from Havering where it has been announced that over a third of the library budget will be cut.  This looks set to be achieved via cuts to services (such as the ending of the reader development scheme and children’s programmes), job losses and a deep cut into opening hours at six branches.

Moving away from this sad news, the 1st September is the first day for applications to the Carnegie UK LibraryLab project. This looks to be a very good partnering/funding/training programme for the successful candidates who must put forward an innovative idea (not necessarily digital) for public libraries.  It’s the sort of thing that a national libraries development agency should be providing but, being we don’t have one of those, let’s make sure to make full use of this instead.

Finally, I’m pleased to say that Gareth Hatton, the Public Library Champion of the Year, has agreed to let the readers of Public Libraries News have an insight into the wonderful work he does, the benefits that public libraries can bring to businesses and the tools that he uses. There’s some good hints and tips in there.

Changes

• East Lothian – £20k cut in opening hours (17 hours per week spread over seven libraries).
• Havering – £1,138k cut announced. This represents a cut of over a third of the budget. Six libraries to have opening hours reduced to three and a half days per week.

Ideas

• Storybrite App – post writing in 100 word chapters.

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I was unable to get to the satellite IFLA conference in Birmingham but I heard many good things about it. I was therefore delighted when Dr Jenny Peachey, Policy Officer at the Carnegie UK Trust agree to write something for Public Libraries News on the main points she took away from it.  Have a read of it below, it’s worth it.

Fit for the Future: five things to take away from IFLA Birmingham

Dr Jenny Peachey, Policy Officer, Carnegie UK Trust

Written by Jenny Peachey, Policy Officer, Carnegie UK Trust

The IFLA 2014 satellite conference sparkled: from high-tech mobile libraries that serve as spaces where senior citizens reminisce and teens receive sex ed, to displays and book clubs that bridge the physical and digital divide, to the first all-digital library. It bubbled with examples of how to engage communities, fizzed with ideas of how to support learning, literacy, social relationships and access to information – but most of all, it effervesced with a passion for public libraries and with positivity. Here are five things I took away from the conference.

1. Innovation is only fresh for a moment 

Providing a contrast to an overarching concern with digital and high-tech, Corinne Hill from Chattanooga Public Library informed us that 3D printers have been moved from the ‘test zone’ to the ‘regular’ section of Chattanooga library. Meanwhile, gigantic hand operated weaving looms have been brought in. When asked how she made innovative ideas come to fruition, Corinne’s (paraphrased) response was: ‘be proactive, build a network, be comfortable with losing control, and keep moving – innovation has a shelf-life!’

2. How to integrate digital and physical 

A presentation on ZLB Topic rooms in Berlin revealed how to blend librarianship with ‘creative civic engagement.’ These rooms combine elaborate book displays with films and online resources (twitter and the news) displayed on screen. These curated displays bring together in-depth and up-to-speed information around themes – Israel after the election, poor and rich, the Eurozone. Meanwhile, book clubs can bring people together physically and, via skype, across a country or an international border. These online book clubs can help the socially excluded and rurally isolated feel part of a community.

3. People and a sense of ownership are key to successful change

Time and time again, presenters emphasised the value of ‘their amazing staff’. Staff define the culture of the library, transform a service into an experience and imbue a building with spirit and heart. The message to individuals having to change the nature of their library service was to engage their staff in this journey as far as possible and not forget ‘the hearts and minds’. Equally, conference attendees were reminded not to relegate their communities to mere guests, but treat them as key stakeholders with whom libraries should work with rather than for. Ownership, we were reminded, is a process.

4. Skills

Some presentations and conversations touched upon the skills and qualities required to deliver the public library of the future. Skills identified included working in partnership, business management, and digital knowledge and literacy. The opposing abilities of collaborating versus competing, and controlling versus creating, were also lauded as important capacities to be identified and nurtured in (different!) members of staff.

5. General trends but specific solutions

An Independent Senior Adviser and Consultant from Denmark observed that though it is possible to identify general trends in how public libraries are developing, the solution for each library must always be specific: there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Just as assets, needs, wants and communities differ, so too must the specificities or form of libraries’ offers.

Changes

• Brighton and Hove – New library (co-location with academy) opened at Mile Oak.
• Oxfordshire – Parish councils pay one-third salary of Milton Under Wychwood Library, with volunteer support.
• Sandwell – £700k cut (2015/17), five libraries under threat (Hill Top in West Bromwich, Oakham in Tividale and Langley, and Brandhall and Rounds Green) with all options (volunteers/co-location/moves etc) considered.
• Sheffield – Stannington Library to be volunteer run from September.
• Southend – Westcliff and Southchurch libraries will continue to have at least one paid member of staff, rather than being purely volunteer as previously planned.

Ideas

• “Paws to Read”: Guide dogs as reading dogs – ask visually impaired library users if library can have their guide dog for children to read to (safe animal, improve literacy, improve understanding of disability).
• Selling “library boxes” – Somewhere for library users to keep their books at home so as they don’t lose them.
• Use Little Free Libraries to promote pubic libraries – Wandsworth.

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Changes

• Wolverhampton – Libraries forced to close due to low staffing levels during holidays.

Ideas

• Little Libraries Van – for early years.

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