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October 19, 2006
More libraries to close
In January 2002 the Audit Commission, which is the body which looks after the public interest in the dealings of Local Government, was in the process of preparing a report on the public library service. They had about a dozen advisers who were all professional librarians or civil servants who had previously been professional librarians and they kindly asked me to express a view.
The advice they were receiving said that the public library was in a healthy state-- it just needed more funding and to be placed higher up the political ladder of priorities. I looked at the figures of declining book use and said "there is no need for more funding, but if you continue to allow book purchasing to decline as it is as a proportion of the total fund, book lending will fall to nil in about 15 years and libraries will have no use and be closed. There were two brave researchers at the Audit commission who wrote the report- Ingrid Koehle and Michael Carpenter. They agreed with my analysis and printed it. In four and a half years since, those advisers from the profession have neither changed their view nor taken any of the actions recommended by the Audit Commission ,or any other of the several reports which have advised what needs to be done.
As a result we are now hearing predictions from all over the country of widescale library closures. Here is the article in tomorrow's Bookseller
19 October 2006
Library closures to accelerate in 2007
Katherine Rushton
Senior library officials across the UK have predicted a further round of public library closures next year in the face of deepening budget cuts.
"National government is tightening its belt," said Jo Hand, assistant head of libraries for Gloucestershire. "Most authorities are beginning to face some very serious situations--which are likely to get worse over the next three to four years."
Library consultant Tim Coates predicted that up to 10% of libraries could be identified for closure next year. "A simple process of arithmetic puts 300 to 400 at risk," he said.
The warning follows claims by Minister for Culture David Lammy, at the Public Library Authorities conference in Southampton last week, that only 27 of the 100 libraries earmarked for closure were likely to close by the end of the year.
But Tudfil Adams, county librarian for Powys--which is looking at closing five out of 17 libraries next year--added that closures were "a theme rather than a one-off discussion": "Budgets are getting significantly worse and libraries are unfortunately not at the top of the list for funding," she said.
"The fixed costs absorb a growing proportion of your budget, so you end up salami-slicing your opening hours and your book fund," added another senior library official. "Eventually you have to cut service points."
Philip Kerridge, area strategic manager for libraries in Cornwall, said: "The council's overall budget shortfall is at least twice if not thrice last year's when we cut about £250,000 from a £7m libraries budget . . . we are agonising."
Marguerite Gracey, head of libraries in Northumberland-- whose council has been asked to make £26m worth of savings over the next three years--said: "They're not easy numbers to live with. If other councils are in a similar situation, it's highly likely we will see more cuts next year."
Meanwhile, Dorset libraries have been ordered to make £847,000 in savings over the next three years, and Devon County Council--which placed 12 libraries under review last year--will strip a further £55m from its overall budget.
A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media & Sport said: "All the indications are that the funding profile for all public bodies is likely to be very tough in the years to come. That's why we attach such importance to things such as the PKF recommendations [on stock procurement] and other value-for-money initiatives."
Posted by Tim Coates at October 19, 2006 7:11 PM