Gloucestershire to appeal against public library closures

After my previous post, I noted that library users are toLegally challenge GCC cuts. Good on them. If legal redress is the only means of stopping closures then thats what we'll have to do.
Also, in my previous post I said the work FOGL had done and achieved would be 'cold comfort'. But as Gary Green said :-

Cold comfort, yes, but I think it will have inspired others to get out and fight for their libraries.

I totally agree. What I meant was I had hope the work the FOGL had done deserved a better outcome. But then they have been pretty inspirational in there campaign, so thats success.

The decline of the British public library.........

Its pretty sad to see that our elected representative rarely listening to their constituency (but hardly surprising). Therefore, it was sad to read that the good work that Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries. Seems that the 42% cut in the Library budget is been steamrollered through. The response to these closures by some (tory) councillors beggers belief when they were confronted by the effect they would have on a rural community to a :-

“I have read with interest. I do not intend to reply in detail”

Hopefully there maybe some way around this, but it seems not.

By the way, I would like to add to Gary Green's post, when he says the following:-

I’m.....upset about Gloucestershire – I have seen the campaign grow since the first day Johanna Anderson (Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries) highlighted the plans that had been announced on the This Is Gloucestershire site (August 2010, I think) and I have seen the many of the ups and downs. In fact, seeing what was going on in Gloucestershire played an important part in my joining Voices For The Library.

I know this is no consolation for Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries campaigners and all involved, but I have great admiration for all they have tried to do. They deserved so much better than this result.

Jo and the rest have done a fantastic job in attempting to stop the closures. Its cold comfort none the less.

IWR piece on UK public library closures

Information World Review's blog has an article entitled Local governments will play safe with library closures, but will close them anyway. Most of its been said before, but I do like the following point the article makes:-

Government will find ways to work around the Act through other initiatives such as the Big Society project under which local residents will be encouraged and assisted to run library service.

But what about the library professionals who provide specialised services, recommendations and are well aware of the users' needs?

Libraries and library professionals contribute in making users more skilled, and informed as well as help them improve their digital skills.

Tim Wu speaking at the RSA

Timothy Wu, author of The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires will be talking at the RSA in a talk called The Rise and Fall of Information Empires. Its free and the date and time is 16th Mar 2011; 13:00. I got a ticket, now lets get the time off.

Reading for pleasure......

In the last few months I've been reading way too many social media books. These include The Dumbest Generation, The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember, Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age and Born Digital. All very, very interesting. But all a bit dry.
Therefore, i'm reading books on one other love. Cinema. Just finished Pretty in Pink, awaiting the arrival of You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation. I'm also reading Best of British: Cinema and Society from 1930 to the Present. Its actually quite nice to read something a bit different from the usual stuff. Expecially seeing I've started re-watching some old classic movies like The Sure Thing, Say Anything... and Whisky Galore. ohhhh, to reminesce.......

Gary Green to have keynote speech at Pancakes and Mash

Gary Green is the Keynote speech Lincoln's Pancakes and Mash. The speech, entitled Loud Library Voices: Campaigning, The Web, Journalists & The Offline World, will look at the his work at Voices for the library. The rest of the event will look practical mashing session about using Web 2.0 tools to help save libraries.

Ed Milliband criticises David Cameron's big society

Labour leader Ed Milliband has criticised the David Cameron's big society in an article entitled Ed Miliband: The Big Society: a cloak for the small state. Milliband says of libraries in the article:-

But no one can volunteer at a library or a Sure Start centre if it's being closed down. And nor can this Conservative-led government build a Big Society while simultaneously undermining its foundations with billions of pounds worth of cuts to the voluntary sector. Those are not merely numbers on a piece of paper; they affect real people.........Mr Cameron should visit the local libraries in my constituency. These are not some monolithic institutions of crude Conservative caricature. They have classes for new mums and babies, after-school activities for young people, clubs for the elderly. They are owned by government but they nurture community. And now many of them are threatened with closure.

Good to see labour putting pressure on the Con-dem policies.

Manic Streets preachers speak out against Library closures

Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers has an article in todays Guardian entitled 'If you tolerate this ...': Nicky Wire on library closures. In the article he says:-

As an utterly self-made band, in our formative stages we vociferously consumed high and low culture – magazines, literature and TV. Without money, libraries became something of a lifeline, offering a clear window on to a wider world. In the summer of 2009, the band were honoured to be asked to open the new Cardiff Central Library.

Good on them.

Updated Wiki page for Voices for the Libraries

U have just updated the wikipage for Voices for the Library. I'm not sure how good it is, but I have updated it.

What the papers say about save our libraries campaign

Well, after the save our libraries campaign there seems to have been pretty well covered in the observer, with two articles on the event. One called Writers' anger over plans for libraries and another looking at Phhil Bradley's posters against closures Your library needs YOU!. The Telegraph had a few articles to (but not on sunday). These were Philip Pullman leads day of protests at planned closure of libraries, Top writers join National Library Action Day and Authors lead protests against library closures.
The Independent had an article called The day the bookworms turned.
The Daily Mail said nothing. The Sun had nothing (what a surprise?) The Mirror had an article entitled Authors to stage library read-ins.
So pretty good coverage really.

700th entry and off to support Marcus Garvey to support

This is my 700th entry and today is Save Our Libraries day. The following link is a live blog on the Guardian site. I'm going to Marcus Garvey later, as its the first library I worked at and there supporting them for the day. Listened to radio five have been following it to.
Therefore, a big shout to all the team from voices for the library who have helped make this a great idea.

A great article from LSE on public Library resistance to UK closures

There is a great article on British Politics and Policy at LSE entitled The threats to public libraries look overwhelming. Yet both defensive mobilizations to resist cutbacks and pressures for innovations offer hope for radical improvements.
The article looks at the grassroots activism that some counties have taken up, to stop the mass culling of public libraries.

Job interview that I didn't get

Had another interview at an academic library. Unfortunately I didn't get it. Wasn't really my best interview, so only disappointed in self. Oh well. Give me time to get on with the Wiki I started then.

Two articles dealing with the impact of UK library closures

The IWR has an article entitled Evolution Yes, Closures No. The article though is rather shallow when it says:-

Technology has enabled the whole search and acquisition process to become more hassle-free and less time-consuming for customers and what’s more, the migration of content to e-book format means that libraries can now produce substantial revenues without having to stock physical books.

I think the author would find libraries have e-content and have had e-content for quite a while.

The second article is from the False Economy blog entitled “Too precious to destroy” – Philip Pullman stands up for public libraries [found via Neil Ford on twitter]. In this more emotive. Pullman says in the article:-

Aside from denigrating the professionalism of librarians, Philip wonders where the volunteers will come from.

“The fact is that if there’s anyone who has the time and the energy to work for nothing in a good cause, they are already working for one....This is the Big Society, you see. It must be big, to contain so many volunteers.”

And will richer and poorer communities be equal in the race for funds? Of course not. The cuts to public libraries reflect the growing power of the “greedy ghost of market fundamentalism”:

“The greedy ghost understands profit all right. But that’s all he understands... He doesn’t understand libraries at all, for instance. That branch – how much money did it make last year? Why aren’t you charging higher fines? Why don’t you charge for library cards?”

Both worth a read if you have time.

Good article on progress in UK and specifically Yorkshire and library closures

Simon Barron has a great post over on his blog entitled North Yorkshire library campaign progress. Although for many people that may read this (and Simon's blog), will know what has been going on with library campaigns in the UK and Yorkshire, its a good source for the past week who haven't been able to keep up with it.

Thanks also to Simon and Dave Pattern for there assistance on the Wiki page. I'm trying to do more but have been busy at work and as yet not completed (or fully started) the page.

Nesta Event......another I can't go to.......

Nesta has an event next Tuesday, February 01, 2011 from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM entitled The Livingstone-Hope Skills Review of Video Games and Visual Effects, with free registration.

Nesta says of the event:-

You are invited to the launch of a major new report into the UK's video games and visual effect industries.

Based on original evidence across schools, universities and industry, the Livingstone-Hope Review explores how the UK can best encourage and develop UK talent and sets out a compelling plan for how the UK can transform into a world leader in games production and visual effects.

Speakers will include Ed Vaizey MP, Minister for Culture, Communication and the Creative Industries; Ian Livingstone, Life President of Eidos and Alex Hope, Managing Director of Double Negative.

Be interesting to go just because Ed Vaisey is there.

Haggis and Mash today and tomorrow

Haggis and Mash is being held today in Edinburgh. I have a colleague who has gone (have a good one Andrew). I unfortunately could not make it, and doubt i'll catch much on Twitter either, as presently am postboy this week at work. oh, the delights.
For all those there, have a good one.

I have started a wikipedia page for Voices of the Library

Whilst on a couple days leave I noted that Voices of the Library had no Wikipedia page. So I have started one here. Its merely the bear bones and a work in progress, but anyone want to add or take anything off please do (its a wiki after all!).

The reason I put it up is wikipedia is always a resource used to promote films etc, so why not Voices of the Library? I hope this doesn't annoy any of the sterling team that is working on Voices of the Library. If it does. Sorry.

BBC in Epicfail on public library closures in Morning news

Waking to the BBC breakfast news, I was interested in the piece on the public library closures. After watching it i'm more disheartened by the ineptitude of the BBC's reporting (iplayer piece here, thanks to wikiman). I thought the BBC was about balanced and fair reporting? Well I was wrong.
The report looked at the possible 375 closures countrywide. Mentioned the 250,000 drop in users. The second statement is total wrong. As Ned Potter wrote:-

For example, in the last year use of the library by black and
ethnic minority groups has increased; use of the library
by non-Christian religious people has increased; and the
number of 5 to 10 year olds who claim to have visited
their library ‘in the last week’ has increased (by more than
20%!). In other words, even during a down-turn in overall
visitation, kids and some minority groups are finding more
reasons to visit than before – I think that’s good news…
Incidentally, the report says more than once, ‘The decrease
in library visits is consistent across all socio-demographic
groups.’ Maybe I’m missing something, but that seems
quite a sweeping statement in light of the statistics above.
If the report itself glosses over any positives, what hope is
there of the headlines picking up on anything other than
the negatives?
In May, three months before the DCMS released their
report, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and
Accountancy released their own survey (CIPFA, 2010)
on exactly the same subject, amid far less fanfare. Their
findings cover the same five year period, but make much
better reading. Both surveys find physical attendance to be
down by around 4%; the difference is, CIPFA took the time
to investigate online activity as well. This, they discovered,
was up by a massive 49% across the country in the last year
alone.

The BBC then BRIEFLY mentioned the closures in Gloucester (even though it had spoken to friends of gloucestershire libraries about this segment of news). It then proceeded to mention the Buckinghamshire experiment in which 14 of the libraries are now volunteer run. A few questions were asked if user liked it and they said it was fine (thanks BBC, a free party political broadcast for big society there). They then asked the person in charge of the volunteers if it worked. He said yes, but that it took 60 volunteers, free time and pre-requisite skillset. A brief mention was then made of Stony Stratford patrons withdrawing all library books to stop the library closing.

That was it.

No mentions of people trying to stop these closures. Like Voices of the library, Save Doncaster Libraries, Barnet Libraries, Save Somerset's Libraries amongst others. No mention was made of the use of Twitter support for libraries snowballs worldwide. The whole social web and everything that librarians and patrons have done, totally ignored even though they contacted some of these people.

Funny really, that when the BBC had to close Radio 6 the BBC loved pointing out people trying to stop the closure, using the voice of Jarvis Cocker to do so. No mention of the open letter by authors such as Philip Pullman, Kate Mosse & Michael Holroyd against closures.

Anyhow, for those who wish to complain about this dire reporting the link is here.

Bookseller has launched a website against public library closures

Bookseller the British magazine reporting news on the publishing industry, has started a facebook page against closures entitled Fight For Libraries, campaign from The Bookseller. They also have a twitter address to.
The article says:-

The Facebook site hosts a manifesto and a set of demands, with The Bookseller supporting the calls for a national public enquiry into the library service, demanding a halt to the unfair and disproportionate targeting of libraries for cuts, and calling for the 1964 Libraries Act to be observed in letter and spirit. It also has a poll asking people to commit to supporting libraries.

"Libraries are under threat right now. A library lost today will not be re-opened tomorrow - the book trade has to take a stand," added Denny. "Please use the site to see what is going on and update it with developments in your own area. We'd like you to engage with our Facebook page, let us know who you are, give us your views and post useful links. Our campaign can offer a focal point for all interested parties and thereby form a stronger voice together."

Good to see the publishing industry getting behind librarians against library closures.