Editorial 

There is some discontent in Birmingham as the board of trustees for the big new city Library appears packed with businessmen.  This has raised the ire of those who think it needs to be more diverse.  It comes down to different views of who is best to run a public library:  someone well-connected with money and a knowledge of business / how things work? Who can perhaps raise some money for it in these tough times? Or someone closer to the ground who understands local communities and ensures the library stays relevant to those people who need it the most?  It’s clear which way the council has voted.

The big cuts in Lincolnshire continue to make the news, with the ire now being directed against the council for choosing to hold the consultations sometimes ten miles or more from the libraries that may actually close.  The council argues this is to provide more space and that more meetings will be held if necessary.  Local users suspect darker motives.

Changes

• Enfield – Ordnance Road Library demolished: will be rebuilt as combined library/dentist/doctor/community centre.
• North Somerset – Free wifi in all libraries from August 2013.

Idea

• Use maker space in return for offering help once per month – Washington DC (USA).

More >

Editorial

Good to see that the award-winning Edinburgh library service, well-known for its initiatives has had a 15% increase in visitors last year compared to 2010.  Doubtless the two new libraries helped but the embracing of new technology has also been a factor.  Helpful too has been the successful public protest that meant that cuts proposed in 2011/12 did not come to pass.  South of the border, such cuts largely do come to pass and so it’s far harder for library services to be as successful as their northern brethren.  The suspicion here is that library usage mirrors library funding – so cuts to the budget means less usage, which of course makes cuts to budget more likely. Just look at Lincolnshire where the cuts are being pushed through with the somewhat self-contradictory argument that libraries are (a) not strongly needed and (b) it’s expected that people will work for free to keep them open. One ticket to Edinburgh please.

Changes

• Edinburgh – Visitor figures up 15% over 2010 to 3.1 million 2012/13. No late charges for e-books.
• Luton – Wigmore, Sundon Park and the mobile library will close. Marsh Farm Library (currently a joint school/public use building at Lea Manor School, will be staffed by Luton Culture staff 2pm-6pm Monday to Friday, and Saturdays. To offset the closure of Wigmore, the opening hours at Stopsley library will be increase.
• Swansea – Dismountable trailer in Waunarlwydd has 500 books after £5,000 lottery grant won by local resident’s association, 40 users so far.
• West Lothian – Visitors increase from 695,753 in 2008-9 to 800,852 in 2012/13

More >

Changes

• Essex – Self-service for two days per week (via parish council) full service three days per week (via county council),
• Herefordshire – Opening hours cut throughout county (Ross on Wye by 17%). Temporary staff no longer taken on.

Ideas

• IT suite at front of supermarket – Colorado (USA).
• Tango in the library to promote tango themed book – Philadelphia (USA).

More >

Editorial 

There’s a very interesting piece in the Independent on public libraries in Spain that report on a big rise in library usage there since the austerity measures came into force a few years ago.  It’s also interesting to read about a library there that seems to be a doppelganger for Friern Barnet, with locals taken it over after the council closed it.  What I find interesting about this is that Spain, like the USA, is seeing a rise in library usage to a level that is reported as historically high while at the same time facing cuts to the service itself.  This is not the case in the UK, where Austerity appears to have cut service provision but not provided a related boost in usage.  It is not clear why this is is, although if I had to put money on it, it would be the (still) higher comparative levels of welfare provision in this country and the relatively higher access rates to the internet (still lower then the rich of course) amongst the poor.  I’m not sure we can be happy about this but with tough cuts to benefits in the UK starting to take effect this year and the next, it may be that usage will start shooting up.  We are already starting to see this to some extent with the introduction of the online-only Universal Jobmatch.  Certainly, it would strengthen the position of public libraries in the UK if they were used rather more … the fact that we’d be doing more with less would also doubtless please the politicians too.

Cuts to Doncaster libraries have been controversial for several years but it hasn’t gone to court until now.  The Royal Court of Justices will be hearing the case at the end of this month, based on questionable legality of the mayor of the time (now no longer) pushing through cuts to libraries against the opposition of the majority of councillors.

Ideas

• Beach library – Tel Aviv (Israel) 500 books on a cart on the seafront.
• Cake pan loans – Calcasieu, USA.
• E-reader/E-book workshops for new users – Surrey.

Changes

• Merton – Wimbledon Library could be sold off to developers, with new library built elsewhere.  Campaign Group: Save Wimbledon Library.

More >

News

I’ve seen for the last couple of years loads of people complaining about how ineffective Mr Ed Vaizey is.  There’s even a rather good song about it. People are especially annoyed that his pro-library comments (like this 2011 and this whole list ) compare so badly to his actions (or inactions).  It’s no surprise then that the recent BMA vote of no confidence in Jeremy Hunt has got people thinking. I’ve had three separate groups of people mention to me the possibility of a vote of no confidence in him, and this appears to be finally getting off the ground with an email sent to me today,  If you are a member of CILIP, therefore, have a read of this below:

“Motion of no confidence in Ed Vaizey to go to CILIP AGM

We are calling on CILIP’s Annual General Meeting in September to support a motion of no confidence in Ed Vaizey, following the example of the British Medical Association, who passed a similar motion of no confidence in the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt. The motion, in draft form reads as follows:

“In view of his failures to enforce the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act, this Annual General Meeting of CILIP has no confidence in Ed Vaizey, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, and instructs Council to work with all other interested parties to protect library, information and knowledge services”

CILIP members interested in supporting the motion are invited to contact noconfidenceinvaizey@gmail.com for more information.

In other news, the very same Mr Vaizey has confirmed that, pending a consultation, Public Lending Right will be extended to library e-book loans but only those “borrowed on site”.  Quite apart from seeming to miss the whole point about e-books, this will represent a tiny proportion of e-book lending and is likely to be seen as a crumb at best.  More welcome to the Society of Authors is the news that the overall amount their members will get next year will not be cut.  Such is what passes for good news these days.

Finally, I have received confirmation from Herefordshire that their decision to stop all interlending requests was cancelled after advice received from Arts Council England.  This was, presumably, that the new ban contravened the 1964 Act but this is not explicitly stated, Whatever the reason, the  breakdown of the councils’ estimate of £46 per interlending request makes scary reading. The Council inform me that they are reviewing the interlending charge, along with all of their services.

More >