Editorial

As we all know, the United Kingdom once led the world in inventions and, perhaps not coincidentally, in manufacturing and some feel that public libraries can help see those days come back.  A big statement? Not according to Charles Vulliamy who emailed me from the USA. about something that, probably because of lack of investment is largely being ignored in the UK but appears to be taking the US library world by storm.  This something is Maker Spaces. Or Fab Labs or Hack Spaces or even Maker Faires: they’re all basically the same thing, with the difference in terminology showing how new and exciting it all is. It all boils down to a public  space (not necessarily a big one) being aside for computer design, programming, 3D printers and other such small things. The White House has just announced its own Maker Faire and library after library in the US (notably Chattanooga and now Toronto and Chicago) are getting on board.

“It’s certainly the case that the UK needs better tech education.. A makerspace in every other town would create a kind of mini Menlo Park in each community, which would create a good number of people with the kind of hacker mentality that gives great benefit to technology and industry at large.  I recently read that the main reason why the industrial revolution started in the UK was because there were so many hacker-types who each engineered incremental improvements to the machines that, collectively, enabled the scale of production that occurred. ” Charles Vulliamy

The idea is that future inventors, programmers, engineers and anyone interested can come along, learn more about the technology and work together.  The hope is that such a thing will provide the new skills vital to win the global competitive race.  The fear is that the UK is going to be left behind.  To see how far behind we are, have a look at these pages on the current UK position compared to that abroad. I noted the other day that the plans for the refurbished Exeter Library will include a Fab Lab and just yesterday that Northamptonshire have coding clubs but there could be so much more. This depends on political will and the push of professionals to make it so.  Perhaps it can be a national offer like books or information or online access.  I think it should. I for one am tired of tired libraries.  I’m tired of a tired country with declining industry and declining skills.  Perhaps it’s time to think big … by thinking small.

Changes

• North Yorkshire – Library review including possibility of some closures or more volunteer-run branches.
• Nottinghamshire – CDs to be completely withdrawn due to decline in use.

Ideas

• Coding for girls – San Jose (USA), Open Source.
• Fireplaces in libraries – Buckeye (USA).
• Kaonix job seeking – Cheshire West and Chester.

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Editorial 

The “Changes” section shows a few different trends.  The first and most positive is a bit of a “no brainer” but has a corollary that politicians do not seem to understand.  That is, that if you build a new library, or upgrade an older one, then usage goes up (see South Lanarkshire and Stapleford for this).  Pretty obvious.  However, the corollary is that if you do not upgrade libraries then usage falls.  So, failing to invest in libraries and then blaming decline in usage for further reductions in investment stands the danger of becoming a self-fulfilling and vicious circle.  The question is whether in the current financial climate whether libraries will be given a decent chance to break the circle.

Then we have outsourcing with two stories today suggesting that (some at least) private companies may not be an entirely good thing for a library service.  Carillion’s very first action when it bought the library services of four London authorities (without any apparent link to democracy by the way) last year was to announce job losses.  Those are now starting with eight in Croydon.  Elsewhere, Birmingham’s contract with Capita somehow allowed it to spend more than one million pounds on the website for the new central library.  The council is now reported as reviewing how to get out of the contract but they may not be able to.  The question here is whether outsourcing delivers the benefits that the glossy brochures suggest it will.

Then we have the most seemingly constant of all recent library news: volunteers.  Windsor and Maidenhead appear to be approaching things a different way than most, by using them to increase opening hours rather than replacing paid staff.  This is unlike Lincolnshire where it appears thirty libraries will be taken over by volunteers who prefer that as an alternative to seeing their buildings closed.  The questions with this one are so many that I’ll stop it here.

Changes

• Croydon (Carillion) – Up to eight posts to be lost (4 in Central Library).
• Nottinghamshire – £800k refurbished Stapleford library reopens with 36% more book issues, 50% more computer use, 250% more new members.
• Shropshire – £1.3m cut in budget: options include closures, co-locations, more mobiles.
• South Lanarkshire – 7% increase in visits since 2011/12. 30% increase in Larkhall, Stonehouse and Biggar since refurbishment/relocations.
• Windsor and Maidenhead – Opening hours extended to Sundays and other hours due to use of volunteers.

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Editorial

More children’s libraries stuff is coming in, all of it good.  Not so good is the difference of opinion in Swindon between two letter writers, one in favour of paid library staff and one in charge of library volunteers.  The claim by the latter that “To claim that paid staff can in any way give a better service is ridiculous. The job is neither difficult nor too demanding and the one thing they do bring along that paid staff cannot is local people talking to local people.” may make some of you reading this choke a little.  If so, you may want to read a new piece about the dangers of mixing volunteers and personal data and breathe a little better. Breathe, damn it!

An interesting Arts-Council funded initiative has been announced by Locality, which is researching ways public libraries are making (and can make) money from non-traditional library services/ideas.  They are asking for the completion of a short online questionnaire by 11th February.

Finally, a story has surfaced from the United States that means that those interested in UK public libraries may want to keep an eye on the salaries of the leaders of any new libraries trusts.  It turns out that the boss of the Queen’s library trust in New York has a salary of $390k (£235k – more than the mayor) plus gets a nice car free every three years and (get this) apparently also a 250 square foot area of desking, built with teak tile, as a “private smoking area” by his office.  I may have to move there.  Except, sadly I wouldn’t get a job as the same trust has lost 130 posts too, which must make for some interesting staff meetings.

Please continue to send your children’s library pictures and thoughts to ianlibrarian@live.co.uk.  I also welcome any news public library related stories, thoughts or comments on the same email address.

Changes

• Hull – Mobile library to be lost, opening hours to be cut.

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Editorial

I am really disappointed in the state of children’s libraries in this country but, then, my imagination has high standards.  To me, the children’s section should be a place of wonder and of entertainment.  The basics are weekly rhymetimes, story times, colouring in sheets and loads of books in colourful displays.  Extra points for play cookers, teddy bears, cushions and toys.  Ideally, I’d also be going for big animal shaped kinderboxes, reading caves, frequent class visits and a primary school reading group too, with full marks only really gained for aquaria and petting zoos. Children’s libraries are for a clientele with a radically different taste than our other customers and so they should be demonstrably different in looks and feel to the rest of the library: they should be friendly, exciting and also a place of safety. In this, the world has some truly amazing examples like this mountain of books in Mexico and, noted today, the co-located children’s library and hands-on museum in New York.

So, it was with some disappointment that I visited the two biggest new libraries (Liverpool and Birmingham) recently. Both of their children’s libraries were pretty boring places, with the biscuit taken by Liverpool where, apparently, a dedicated space can’t even be found and the place serves as an auditorium as well.  Birmingham – which has had truly mind-boggling sums of money thrown at it (which is noticeable everywhere apart from the somewhat non-awe inspiring room stuffed with old books at the top) – has a tedious children’s section, notable only for a stepped section which was being used by no-one when I visited.  So, if you’re lucky enough to be in a position to be in charge of, building or refurbishing a children’s library, come on and make it exciting and different. Children, as the Summer Reading Challenge has shown, are an ever more important part of the public library mix and they deserve, generally, better than many UK libraries are currently giving.

Send me pictures and information to prove me wrong (or right) via ianlibrarian@live.co.uk.

Changes

• Barnsley – Central Library to move temporarily to Wellington Street while plans are made for new town centre co-located building.
• Dumfries and Galloway – Wigtown Library may have hours cut from 40 hours per week to 17.5.
• Hampshire – 3 under threat (Kingsclere, Grayshott and Milford-On-Sea) 12% budget cut by 2015.  Volunteers looked for to replace paid staff.

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Editorial

A checklist for councils on digital inclusion has been launched by the Government. It’s up for consultation until the end of the month so consider commenting on it, not least because it does not mention public libraries.

In other news, I was saddened to see that the newly refurbished, no doubt wondrous and full of panache, Manchester Central Library will not be open on Sundays.  This is unlike its spiritual brothers, the new Liverpool and Birmingham central libraries, and seems such a waste being the refurbishment alone cost £48 million.  Cuts sometimes rarely make best use of resources I guess.

Sue Charteris, elsewhere on Public Libraries News, gives us her observations on Japanese public libraries.  Did you know 10% of them are run by private companies?  I didn’t.  Also, in “they do things differently abroad” category, there is news of 135,000 free e-books for lending in Norway and 5,000 in the Netherlands.  These are both central projects and show how far behind the UK is falling in this field: I hope the current e-lending studies in this country report back soon (and to be fair I have been assured that they will) and then something may actually, at long last, get done.

Finally, great news from Westminster that they have the go ahead for a £12 million new library in Marylebone with nearly twice as much space as the original library plus with all the mod cons. The reason they can afford it, of course, is that they’re selling some of the space for accommodation, which I understand can be slightly expensive in Central London. No-one said postcode lotteries were fair.

Changes

• Birmingham – 2 libraries threatened. Erdington District: £70k cut (explore volunteers, reduce space and bookfund); Ladywood District: Springhill Library to close; Bloomsbury library closed due to theft of lead from roof may not reopen; £54k cut 2014/15 £243k cut 2015/16; Hall Green District: Hall Green District: no cuts; Perry Barr District: Handsworth and Kingstanding Libraries to have reduced hours, £35k cut to staff: Library of Birmingham/Housebound/Mobile: Trust may need to fund rest of £1.35m cut.
• Manchester – Refurbished Central Library to reopen on 22 March: will not be open on Sundays.
• Middlesbrough – £474k cut: merging community hubs and libraries, more self-service.
• Redbridge – Woodford Green Library may co-locate with a gym.
• Westminster – New £12m Marylebone Library confirmed: 75% larger usable area than original library it replaces. Includes cafe, meeting room, display area (source: council email 22 Jan 2014).

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