Editorial

Two conflicting stories this post. One is the story of libraries facing a big cut in usage over ten years, which I’ve covered in previous posts. The other is how Waterstones has made a dramatic comeback.  Now, Waterstones and public libraries are very different to each other – even Daunt could not have coped with the cuts some libraries are being forced to take and would probably have been driven to madness by council bureaucracy – but there are things that libraries can learn from him.  This is that local control over bookstock is important. You need to have experts choosing for particular libraries to match the needs of local communities.

Driven by budget cuts, many library authorities have forgotten the need for tailored local stock and farmed out book purchasing to large library suppliers. While (very importantly) saving on staff time and cost, this necessarily means a loss of that local connection and, also, a downgrading of the librarian role, with often the loss of professionals who have spent decades learning what goes best where. Sadly, thus is lost one of the many unique selling points (USPs)  that a public library once had, and some still have, that have been lost in the drive for efficiency.  I’ll be coming back to other disappearing USPs in future posts – councils appear in some ways to have spent decades removing them – but for the moment it’s great to see Waterstones rediscovering theirs, not least because I love bookshops more than any other high street outlet. Well, except libraries of course.

Changes

• Barking and Dagenham – Barking Learning Centre includes a spa as well as a library, jobcentre, makerspace and citizen’s advice bureau.
• Cornwall – 40% drop in visitor and book issue numbers between 2009/10 and 2014/15, 44% drop in book budget.
• Sheffield – Tinsley Library reopens as volunteer.

Ideas

• Secret images on fore-edge of books

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Editorial

Library media heatmap – watch out for the red dots

I’m going to be trying out a new feature for a while – making  a note each post of those library authorities under the most media scrutiny.  This will be done making use of the map of the UK which has been on the right hand side of the website for some time now.  Made by a clever coder, this map links every “Local News By Authority” mention I make and puts them in the correct place on the United Kingdom (expect for the Isle of Man which, for some reason, ends up in Lancashire – go figure).  Because every link is attached to a dot, differently coloured due to the number of media mentions, it’s easy to spot the areas under the most scrutiny.  It’s worth pointing out that such mentions may theoretically be for positive reasons as well as for negative ones but I’ll keep an eye out for those and mention them if they occur. They haven’t done so yet.

So, for the first one, the red “danger” areas are Lancashire, with a massive 27 mentions reflecting the sheer number of branches being cut there, and Plymouth with 13.  In the still-scary orange dot category are Bath and North East Somerset, Birmingham, Darlington, Swindon, Warrington and (seemingly everpresent) North Yorkshire. I hope that by doing this I’m hoping this will give the reader an at-a-glance heatmap of the state of UK public libraries.  We’ll see how it goes.

Ideas

• iPods in nursing homes – Library provides ipods and individual playlists.

National news

• Elucidate – CILIP UKeiG. “Amy Icke, recipient of UKeiGís Early Career award, reports on the IASL (International Association of School Librarians) Conference 2016, held in Tokyo, 21st – 26th August 2016. The theme of the event was ìA school library built for the digital ageî and Amy outlines and discusses key conference themes illustrated with examples delivered by librarians working in a range of countries including Japan, Australia, Sweden and Canada. Key messages for our readers in all sectors includes..”
• Family Learning in Local Communities – Libraries Taskforce. “A new project from Common Vision sets out to study the informal activities that lay the foundations for healthy, resilient communities and contribute to intergenerational mixing and exchange. With the decline of the traditional town centre and new forms of technology facilitating social interaction, the ways in which we form and strengthen relationships are changing. This applies to relationships within families as much as other social groups” [There is a survey you can take part in.  I found it, though, quite obtrusive when I completed it, as it demands your personal contact details right at the start, with no explanation as to why.  You can put false information in the fields easily if you would prefer anonymity. Let’s hope this apparently professional company learns to do surveys correctly next time – Ed.]

• Rob Wilson Libraries Deliver 2016 – Libraries Taskforce / YouTube. “Read a transcript of the speech the Minister made in person to the event in London on 19 January 2017 at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeche…“
• Councils’ £5.8 billion funding black hole spells the end for Britain’s libraries and museums – Mirror. “The Local Government Association (LGA) says two thirds of the 375 councils in England and Wales will have to make cuts next year to plug the spending gap” see also Government funding measures leave two thirds of councils worse off in 2017/18, LGA warns – LGA.

“To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public libraries have closed since February 2016. ” Tim Farron MP

“The Department for Culture, Media and Sport monitors proposed changes to library service provision throughout England, however the Department does not hold complete figures on total public library closures since February 2016.” Rob WIlson MP – Public Libraries: Closures: Written Questions – Parliament UK. [My working theory is that the only reason the Government is not keeping these figures is because they do not want to know / do not want to have to answer this sort of question because they’d find it embarrassing – Ed.]

• Study of Early Education and Development (SEED): The cost and funding of early education – Government Social Research. Worries about lack of access to books in homes but does not mention public libraries once.

Common sense and caring by a member of our staff today has hopefully stopped a horrible scam of a vulnerable person in its tracks #Libraries

— Krystal Vittles (@KrystalVittles) January 27, 2017

International news

• Canada – Arnprior’s librarian named Public Librarian of the Year by the Ontario Library Association – Inside Ottawa Valley. “One of her major achievements has been the launch of the iPod Project, where the library partnered with the Grove Nursing home to provide its residents with iPods and personalized playlists. ” … “The library raised nearly $4,000 to purchase 60 iPods and the music for the individual playlists”
• Global – 10 most extraordinary mobile libraries – Ebook Friendly. “From donkey-drawn trolleys to huge ships, you’ll see here outstanding vehicles that are designed to carry the most important cargo in the world – wisdom.”
• USA – Library Cats Leave Some Sneezing, Others Feline Fine – American Libraries. “Though everything turned out all right for the lucky kitty, the incident illustrated just how contentious having a cat in a library can be, even when the cat is popular with patrons. Perhaps that’s why the number of library cats in the United States has declined drastically in recent decades.” … “In an attempt to minimize the allergens present on library materials, staff members swipe each book with a Clorox wipe. Still, Sharp knows patron allergies are an ever-present concern.” … “Before adopting Stacks in 2009, Zumwalt consulted local veterinarians about allergies. “They said that as long as we kept the hair vacuumed, we really shouldn’t have any problems,” ” … “Frannie Shue, Centre County library director, is a big fan of “Saturday Caturday,” saying, “It’s a nice alternative for libraries that do not have cats—but love cats as much as books.””
• USA – Mirrors and Windows: Diversity in Children’s Picture Books – Public LIbraries Online. “Working for an inner-city library, I am very conscious about choosing books that reflect what my storytime children look like and the culture to which they can relate. When searching for non-white main characters in picture books, I find it is much more dif­ficult than it ought to be.” … “Books are windows, but also mirrors. We often can relate to most any story in some way, however, if we cannot connect to the illustrations that do not mirror us, we will become apathetic to stories.”

Local news by authority

• Barnet – Job Opportunity: Library Manager based in Barnet – Inclusion Barnet. “We are a voluntary organisation in Barnet, North London and we are about to take over the running of two branch libraries as community-based ‘partnership libraries’, working with the London Borough of Barnet.” … “we can offer an attractive salary, a positive and inclusive working environment and a warm and supportive team around you, including a CEO with a background in library management”
• Bradford – Volunteers urgently needed to help run Thornbury library – Telegraph and Argus. “Unless more volunteers respond to an appeal soon to help keep Thornbury Library open, it will close on April 1. Bradford Council announced in February last year that the branch based in the Thornbury Centre in Leeds Old Road would be one of fourteen libraries across the district to shut unless local communities could find enough helpers to staff them. But the take-up at Thornbury Library has been “a bit slow so far” according to parish priest and chairman of the Thornbury Centre, Father Nicholas Clews.”
• Darlington – Crucial vote delayed again as Tory councillors force deferral in the battle to save Darlington’s Crown Street Library – Northern Echo. “The proposals would see the town’s mobile library service axed, Cockerton Library given over to volunteers and the historic Crown Street library closed, with the majority of its resources to be transferred to the Dolphin Centre” … “In an unexpected move, opposition councillors have provided the much-loved library with a last minute stay of execution by demanding further scrutiny of Darlington Borough Council’s long-opposed proposals. Responding to concerns repeatedly raised by campaigners, Conservative councillors have ‘called in’ the agenda item concerning library services ahead of Thursday’s final vote on the issue.” see Library Call-In – Darlington Council and Forward Plan – Darlington Council.
• Hounslow – Library to re-open partially after two month closure following ceiling collapse – Get West London. “Part of Brentford library will reopen this weekend more than two months after the ceiling collapsed. The Grade II listed building on Boston Manor Road has been closed since November 10, last year, after the plaster from one of the ceilings in the children’s section fell overnight.” … “However the children’s section will remain closed until works are completed with the aim of fully re-opening on March 11”
• Leeds – Chief Librarian – Leeds Council. “Leeds City Council is delivering an ambitious programme of more locally determined and integrated services which help ensure that all who live, visit and work in the city have access to quality public services. As part of this development, an exciting opportunity has arisen to lead and develop the Library and Information service across the city, an integral part of our proposition to deliver more integrated and accessible services.  ”
  
• Leeds – Mannequin Challenge – YouTube. [I’ve seen a few of these now and this is pretty good – Ed.]
•  Plymouth – Anthologia: Library Closure Special  – Tall Tales. “In response to the local library cuts suggested in Plymouth this week, several local writers have banded together to form ‘The Library Party’. This group has the aim of raising awareness of the proposed cuts and helping the public voice their concern and objections to the closures. This special Anthologia has poetry and micro-fiction from local Plymouth writers. Each piece focuses on the issue, libraries or the essential service provided by this ancient institution. There are also images explaining what is proposed and links to the petition within this page. “
• Plymouth – Council told libraries are ‘community hubs’ at first public meeting over closures – Herald. “Jennifer Pointer, a mother of two, who attended the meeting with her family, felt that the closure of the school’s library would be wrong as for her libraries are “a life-line”. “I had quite bad post natal depression,” said Mrs Pointer, “The library was a good way to meet other mums and talk about it – they are a bit of a life-line.”. Many responses ask for investment in libraries to improve them rather than closing them.
• Swindon – Libraries minister comes to Swindon as community deadline looms – Swindon Advertiser. “Last month Coun Mary Martin met with MP Rob Wilson, whose ministerial portfolio includes libraries, and on Thursday he came to Swindon to take a closer look at the plans” … “As part of the visit, he was shown the central library as well as Covingham library, which is well-advanced in its set up as a community run facility.” Covingham is one of the few community libraries where a clear path to a secure future has emerged. A trust model, devised by ward councillors and recently registered with the charities commission, has received the backing of local library supporters and the borough council” … “”It was a productive meeting to give the minister an update on the work that is going on towards protecting our vital libraries and to discuss further options for where the government can provide assistance. “I’m greatly encouraged, we seem to be making good progress.”

Editorial

I’ve heard rumours about the new libraries minister, Rob Wilson, for a while now.  Some suggest his ardent pro-volunteer bodes ill for libraries and others earnestly hoped that he would be an interventionist. Rumours that reached my ears about his speeches at the Ambition sessions held by the Task Force included suggestions he wanted large-scale closures. It turns out he’s not as extreme as all this suggests: well, not for a Conservative minister anyway.

Unlike his predecessor, the ever-optimistic (and sometimes possibly wilfully blind) Ed Vaizey, he’s openly acknowledging that there are problems. He repeats (like Ed Vaizey) that he will look into library closures but (unlike Ed, in office anyway) has actually taken an active interest in visiting an authority where deep closures are taking place. Don’t get too excited, though – Lancashire are still happily transferring libraries even after his visit so they must strongly suspect he’s not actually going to do anything.

He’s also keen on initiatives and ways to lessen the impact of the cuts, even suggesting (as so many do) that somehow, given the right management and genius thinking, libraries will be fine. Someone should show him the deal in the Isle of Man where an online  gambling company is financially supporting the mobile library service, taking over from another one. Taking advantage of low-taxed gambling companies to keep libraries open? Now that’s innovative.  So, having seen the last few months and read the speech by  Rob Wilson, my verdict he is not Satan but he’s no St George either. Libraries remain as wonderful and as under threat as ever and need to find our own solutions, without the strong shield of government.  Well, no-one can say we’re not used to that.

Changes

• Isle of Man – Microgaming, a private company, supports mobile library for next three years. Mobile Library previously supported by PokerStars.
• Lancashire – Penwortham Library passed to town council / volunteers.
• Milton Keynes – Various cuts including introduction of supplier selection, increased co-location and room hire, more Open+ equivalent, bookfung cut, ceasing of interlending.

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Editorial

Two big announcements of library cuts today.  Bury will be closing/transferring at least 10 out of 14 of its libraries in a £1.4m cut.  The last deep cut I am aware of from there was 2013/14 (£570k) which was scary enough but the £1.4m cut announced there now is, by my calculations, a full halving of their total libraries budget.  By coincidence,, another library authority beginning with a B – Bristol – has also confirmed a £1.4 million cut to its libraries. While they have not officially announced what this means in terms of library closures, one unofficial source tells me that this could mean up to 19 of 28 libraries closing or being passed to volunteers/community groups. Their last deep cut was in 2015 where £1.1 million was taken from roughly £5.7m budget (this figure extrapolated from media reports) which led to big protests and thus the closing of only one library. It may well be that this further cut means such hollowing out is not an option this time and we can expect far more in terms of closures (hence the alleged scary figure of 19) but we shall see.  If all this is right, by the way, then that’s 39 libraries under threat in three days. Gosh, I hope this year does not continue in that vein.

Changes

• Bristol – Confirmed £1.4m cut.. Unofficial reports (not linked) suggest over half of libraries under threat but unconfirmed.
• Bury – 10 or 11 out of 14 under threat (only Bury, Ramsbottom and Prestwich safe). £1.4m cut.
• Southend – Westcliff Library to be refurbished.
• Wigan – Atherton Library may close and move to co-location with other services in former town hall.

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Editorial

The libraries minister has visited Lancashire to have a look at the library closures by that council. It’s a Labour controlled council and I understand the closures were all in Conservative-controlled areas so that may have been a factor as well as the anger of public who felt that the consultation was one in name only.  Reports of his visit are widely differing, with some thinking that he’ll step in while the council itself has apparently used it as an opportunity to show off how “comprehensive and efficient” they still are.  They’re also still happily selling the already-closed library buildings.  Soft or hard, his visit is the first real test in terms of how interventionist or not this minister will be.  We’ll know soon enough.

One of the most botched proposed cuts to library services by leisure/library trust LiveWire, coupled with one of the angriest and loudest responses by library users, has been in Warrington over the last few months.  I know from colleagues that it is being used almost as a case study in how not to do it.  I’m therefore delighted to see that these cuts looks like they’re going to be reversed, with Warrington Central Library staying open (the original plans was for the magnificent Victorian building to be closed and the library service moved into – yes – an ex shoe shop) and several branches which had been slated as being replaced with book collection lockers (yes, lockers) staying open.  The devil is the detail, though, and nothing is confirmed as yet. Possibly ironically, last week, the protests started hitting the fan in Bath where the council released a similarly deceptive consultation about “modernising” its library (mainly by closing the big central library in the busiest part of town).  One hopes councils (and trusts) learn one day to be honest with the public about what they’re doing but there’s little sign so far.

Finally, one of the most amazing things to watch has been the difficult and acrimonious passage that Open+ and similar technologies have had in the Republic of Ireland.  Introduced with barely a whisper of complaint in the UK, all hell has apparently broken loose in Eire about it, with the latest being an ex-minster publicly calling the system “daft”. Meanwhile, in Wales, the Vale of Glamorgan announced last week they’re be introducing the technology, to a positive response so far in the press.

Changes

• Brighton and Hove – Late fees reintroduced for children’s books.
• Vale of Glamorgan – Open+ in Barry Central as pilot and then extended if successful.
• Warrington – All libraries to remain open in some form (possibly some as volunteer), with none being entirely replaced by lockers as originally proposed.

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