One of the most influential and famous Conservative websites, called Conservative Home, has produced an article based on the Public Libraries News lists of closed libraries to argue that “Library closures are overwhelmingly taking place under Labour councils“.  It suggests that the headline figure of closures used by Dan Jarvis uses – which includes those libraries now run by unpaid local users – is misleading because “Often when the community takes over a library from the council it not just saves money but does a better job. There is more innovation and the number of users rises.”  The article points out the that Public Libraries News tally shows that more closures are occurring in Labour areas than Conservative ones.

So what should we make of this? Well, on one level it shows the joy of political football and how statistics can be used to show anything one wants to if one tries hard enough.  On another it serves a useful purpose, not least in its comments section, in showing the arguments used in favour and against volunteer-run libraries.  In fact, the (as I type) 33 comments after this piece so neatly show the political views and arguments on both sides that I feel the need to list them here:

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The Save Kensal Rise group have launched a fundraising appeal to help them buy “their” library.  It’s for £70,000, which sounds a lot, but an estate agents (kudos to Daniel’s Real Estate Agents) have already offered £10,000.  The money is returnable if the bid fails.  Let’s hope it doesn’t.

Elsewhere, Sheffield has launched a consultation on how it is going to meet (unspecified) cuts to its libraries budget.  Job losses and closures are not ruled out.

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‘Without any changes to the 1964 Act we could find the principle of free access to public library services becoming a thing of the past’. Ebook Acquisition and Lending Briefing: Public, Academic and Research Libraries – CILIP

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The Society of Chief Librarians is, as described on their website, ” a local government association made up of the chief librarian of each library authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland”. As such, they represent the decision makers and prime movers of public libraries in these areas.  It has therefore proved disconcerting to some (as seen by a comment today in the librarian bulletin board, lis-pub-libs) that their new policy on volunteering in libraries does not appear to oppose direct substitution of library staff with volunteers. This goes directly against the recent policy change by CILIP, the professional association for library staff, that is now explicitly against substitution.

The summary of the new policy is very short which means we can analyse it line by line:

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Interesting to see in today’s stories see that Oxfordshire libraries are being advised to apply for a share of the £6m Arts Council England fund for libraries.  Being there are 151 authorities in England, that means £39,735 for the authority.  Not to be sniffed at, although the 16 branches who will soon be half-staffed with volunteers or closed may wonder at the priority given to Arts-related events.  It is only natural that authorities facing cuts of 20% plus in total budget may wish to focus on positive matters, and the money is to be welcomed, but the politicians – most especially Mr Vaizey whose constituency is in Oxfordshire – should not pretend that funding worth .6% (point six) of total UK library expenditure is going to somehow make things OK.

In other news, it’s interesting to see that Louise Mensch, known to library campaigners for her questioning of witnesses during the DCMS Select Committee Inquiry into Library Closures, is quitting as an MP in order to go to the USA with her husband.

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