« October 2006 | Main | December 2006 »
November 30, 2006
Hampshire again
A correspondent who only calls himself Phil has picked up some of the key anxieties in Hampshire-
"I'm very concerned about what's happening to our libraries. Apparently, when the Winchester "Discovery Centre" opens we won't actually be able to telephone it directly because Hampshire Council is setting up a call centre that is costing £5 million initially, plus millions each year to run. They are also spending £40 million on tarting up the offices at the Castle for 750 employees (that's around £60,000 each!) and spending hundreds of thousands on landscaping and refurbishing the county councillors'restaurant. This is at the same time as cutting spending on books and sacking librarians"
The story is reported in both the Bookseller and Publishing News-- below
Bookseller
30 November 2006
Hampshire slashes library staff
Hampshire County Council is to cut its library staff by 30% following a review of leisure and heritage department spending. A council spokeswoman also confirmed that £250,000 of the authority's £2m book fund for the year has been earmarked to be moved, if the recreation and heritage department fails to break even by next April. One commentator called the move the most dramatic cut in library resources by any county this year. Up to 20 jobs are at risk.
Councillor Margaret Snaith, executive member for recreation and heritage, played down the impact of the review on library spending, and promised employees that the council would avoid forced redundancies if at all possible. She said: "We can reassure staff that we will use every measure we can to minimise job losses by, for example, seeking volunteers for early retirement or redundancy."
But Desmond Clarke, chairman of library charity and lobby group Libri, accused the council of diverting library funds to pay for a customer contact call centre.
He said that the council has already cut the book fund by £500,000 in the past two years and, as a result, the number of books in Hampshire's libraries has declined by 20%.
"What is shocking is that this appears to be a knee-jerk reaction to an overspend and the need for a contact centre," he said. "It isn't a properly thought-out strategy."
The review in Hampshire comes as Devon County Council decided to close four libraries and hand a further seven over to specially created community partnerships.
However, the council also said it aimed to open two new libraries in other towns and invest in technology to extend library opening times.
Publishing News
Hampshire libraries hit
Staffing to be cut by over 25%
MORE THAN A quarter of professional library staff in Hampshire are due to lose their jobs following an attempt by the local council to make up for a budget deficit.
The Conservative-run council, which has said it will not close any of its 54 branches, is seeking to save £1m from job losses and it has also removed £250,000 from its £2m book fund. It is believed that between 20 and 23 of the 80 professional staff in the region will lose their jobs, and the council is seeking voluntary redundancies in the next two weeks. A final decision is expected in January.
Librarians in the area have expressed their concern to Unison and to the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, whose Head of Policy and Governance, Guy Daines, said: “We are investigating the issue and a letter was sent to Hampshire Council last week seeking clarification on the precise nature of what is being proposed.”
Local Liberal Democrat councillor, Peter Chegwyn, told PN that the cuts will have a “devastating” effect on service and book stock. “Staff are not taking this lying down. Fewer books and fewer staff are not the way to encourage more people to use libraries. This is not the first cut to the service, as it has already lost £1m in the last five years, and a further loss of over 20 professional librarians and £250,000-worth of books is staggering.”
The Council has defended the cuts, saying that the borough has the highest proportion of professional librarians to service size of any council in the country, and that the number of library assistants will remain the same.
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:55 PM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2006
Keighley
Good to see news of the restoration of the library in Keighley-- was it really the first Carnegie library?
But what about the book collections?
Posted by Tim Coates at 5:23 PM | Comments (1)
November 28, 2006
When "Up" means "Down"
Once again this blog produces an entry that you couldn't possibly make up. For those of us who worry about the public library service, one of the main sources of concern is the constantly falling number of book issues. I, for one, believe that this indicates the decline in the quality of the book collections and that is a cause for very serious anxiety.The service produces relatively few figures and they are always unhelpfully late. Nevertheless every year book "issues" go down by about 10m. This has been the relentless and sorrowful pattern- and it is the figure to which we have tried repeatedly to draw attention.
Imagine my total astonishment when this afternoon I was sent a copy of a note from Mark Wood, the Chair of the MLA in which Mr Wood says "The recent LISU figures, for example, showed book issues up quite considerably while expenditure on books was down" . The note was sent to me to check if what was said could possibly be true!
I cannot express better than one of my other friends- who faced with the same query responded-
"What is Mark Wood on? I hope the ITN accounts get better scrutiny. How on earth can the MLA get to grips with the situation when it can't even read some simple data whose collection and analysis it itself sponsors.
You can reassure Mr Wood his money has been well-spent with LISU; their numbers do not say two different things. Refer him to P36 for book spend: down £700k (-0.8%) last year continuing the ten-year decline of 14.9%. And refer him to P68 for the UK Book Issues numbers: down 10m last year (-3.2%), continuing the long-term decline of 38% over the past ten years.
Unsurprisingly, lending stock is down 18% over ten years, even though the average cost of each book purchased is down by £1.14 (-13%)
Visits were up by a mere 3 million, a further slowing down of the increase post library computerisation, meaning we are not yet back to the visit levels of 1998/9 which itself was well down on previous years.
And while expenditure on books at current prices has declined by £21.3m (-19%) over the past ten years, expenditure on staff in the same period has increased by £73.3m (+18%).
This kind of statistical analysis doesn't require highly paid help, but it does require that people read the source material."
(Mark Wood is not only Chair of MLA, but also Chief Executive of ITN)
The MLA has just decided to close LISU down, so it can produce the figures instead! In fact these figures were first published last January- LISU present them in a form which shows the long term trends. This note of Mark Wood was a considered response to a set of points that had been made to him- so it appears that all year he has been wrongly advised as to the actual performance of the service. This is not unlike the situation in which (also at the end of January) the Minister was wrongly advised that the numbers of books had gone up when it had gone down. The common thread is that both men are advised on these figures by the same team of executives at the MLA. (Mind you if they could read figures themselves it would help)
Posted by Tim Coates at 5:53 PM | Comments (0)
Training of library professionals
Very enjoyable afternoon yesterday discussing the public library service with post graduate library students at City University. Lots of good questions arising about the future of the service.
However my question is this: these are the two recommendations made by the Culture Select Committee in their report last year. Who is dealing with them and what is happening?
" 38. We recognise and support the profession's moves to train and qualify people from within but we strongly believe the profession must not be complacent. It needs to market itself more effectively and to cast its net more widely among potential recruits
39. The library profession must recognise its shortcomings in this area of leadership and advocacy and plan both to train its staff internallymand to recruit people with appropriate experience from outside the profession. Library leaders of the future need skills, crucially including management skills beyond those that come with a professional librarianship qualification."
Posted by Tim Coates at 2:26 PM | Comments (0)
Public Library Websites
My attention has been drawn to this guide to public library websites
Posted by Tim Coates at 1:54 PM | Comments (1)
November 27, 2006
Newcastle upon Tyne
In his speech to the Love Libraries conference last week Tony Durcan of Newcastle, in his final slide, called for expenditure on books to be raised to 15% of funding.
The question that needs to be answered is "by whom?". Local government officers like Tony Durcan insist that they must not be interfered with by central government and the DCMS insists that they cannot do so.
In the case of Newcastle City Council, the decision on how to spend the money that they allocate for public libraries is totally in the hands of the city council. Presumably they seek they guidance of Mr Durcan who is the senior officer responsible. Nobody else decides.
But I am looking at the CIPFA data for Newcastle upon Tyne and I pose the questions to anyone: what precentage of gross expenditure on libraries do Newcastle spend on books? and how are they going to raise it to 15% if they insist on doing it on their own? These seem to me to be the central questions facing the whole library service.
Newcastle is, I believe, in the process of building a new central library: so how much of the funding is being spent on new book stock?
Mr Durcan is quoted as saying we should raise the expenditure to 15% to show we are serious about books and reading. So how serious is he?
Somebody told me that Tony Durcan is to be next president of the Society of Chief Librarians. He will have a chance to show what he can do.
Posted by Tim Coates at 10:02 AM | Comments (2)
November 25, 2006
Concert in Haverhill
Sunday evening at 7.30: Saint Saens concerto, lovely if you don't know it.
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:35 PM | Comments (0)
November 24, 2006
Hereford using lottery money to build a new library in Ledbury
Here is good news in a report in the local paper
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:17 PM | Comments (2)
Qui est aux commandes?
My good friend Claudine Lieber from the Direction du Livre, the literature department of the French Ministry of Culture, has completed a translation of "Who's in Charge?" into French. It is now available in French, Moldovan and English.
I am very grateful to her. In the days when I was much preoccupied with Czech literature I learned to understand the value of translators. Without them the world would be a poorer place.
Moreover it is instructive to notice that the French Government has a department which genuinely and seriously concerns itself with literature, publishing, bookselling and public libraries. Claudine is an inspector of libraries - which is a very useful role for an experienced librarian; she just travels her part of the country helping libraries and authorities to do their work.
Posted by Tim Coates at 5:54 PM | Comments (0)
Love Libraries Seminar
The speeches and discussions (including Stephen Page's as promised) at the Love Libraries seminar are all available on the Reading Agency Website.
The Bookseller summarised the drift of the day at which appeared that most people talked about the need for more books in libraries, and to spend more to get them but not too much about where the money should come from
However the lady from the MLA (apparently) suggested that they should pinch money from the Olympics fund.
The market research is useful. I'll discuss it in another entry.
One thing that genuinely puzzles me is why everyone has started talking about libraries as a "Reading service"-- I can't see why you would say that (except perhaps for children). It sets up the opportunity to employ people as "givers of reading service" rather like people in a launderette do "service washes" - but libraries are strapped for money for books, so why would you do that? I'm sure nobody on the street would call their library a reading service. Why can't they just be called libraries? It is a word that everybody understands; none of the market research suggests it has poor implications of any kind. Why change it?
Posted by Tim Coates at 2:11 PM | Comments (1)
Trying to save the libraries in Burnley
This is a long running struggle with Lancashire County Council reported again in the local paper
Posted by Tim Coates at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)
November 23, 2006
Thanks to Richard Charkin again
Tomorrow I hope I will be able to publish a copy of the speech that Stephen Page made to the conference of librarians this week- but for tonight, many thanks again to Richard for an interesting entry on his blog today. I suspect if England had bowled Australia out for 32, libraries would not have got a mention -- so I am grateful for the quixotic abilities of the English cricket team- for one day only.
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:25 PM | Comments (3)
MLA closes down the Library Statistics publisher
Almost every day someone says you couldn't make up the things that appear on this site: well for today here is the news that in response to the latest figures and analysis from LISU the famous publisher of Library performance data, the MLA has decided (without having made any clear plan for an alternative) to close the whole thing down and to stop them telling the truth.
Instead of that Chris Batt wants to find a better way to celebrate the satisfaction that libraries bring. Move over Josef!
Posted by Tim Coates at 8:53 PM | Comments (1)
Letter in the Portsmouth Evening News
This was published yesterday, written by a resident of Gosport in Hampshire:
So short-sighted
I read with horror that library chiefs in Hampshire have decided to withhold £250,000 from the book budget, which means there will be no new books in any Hampshire library for months (News November 17). Do they think the public have forgotten that they’ve already cut £500,000 from the book fund over the last two years? The book selection is now dire, particularly in the much-vaunted Gosport Discovery Centre, so it’s no surprise that the number of books being borrowed has slumped. Further cut-backs will drive even more users away and doubtless the
library chiefs will then conclude that it’s not worth stocking books at all.
If they think that books are ‘old hat’ and irrelevant given the expansion of online information, then I suggest they come out of their ivory tower and take a look at Portsmouth library, a model of excellence. But then, Portsmouth -- along with Southampton - opted out of Hampshire’s administration some years ago. How right they were to do so.
Posted by Tim Coates at 8:38 AM | Comments (1)
November 22, 2006
A blog about children's books
Having depressed myself under the table with the horrors of Hampshire library service, I found solace in a blog about children's books that is really fascinating.
Posted by Tim Coates at 8:33 PM | Comments (1)
One third of library professionals to be made redundant
This is the headline from Hampshire county council.
Not a stirring from SYRUP- their professional body (that I've seen anyhow- that's why I gave an alert a few days ago).
However, what is more calculated is the Hampshire strategy which goes:
Book lending is falling dramatically; no one wants books in libraries; libraries have to re-invent themselves without books; information comes from the internet; we don't need librarians; we don't need book suppliers; supply chain questions don't matter, nor does the fall in spending on books; PLR is paid irrespective of loans or book buying- so authors won't notice; libraries that aren't used can eventually be closed; we can confine out former library operation to a small number of so-called "discovery centres" in large towns and save the council a lot of money and fuss.
I'm not kidding you- read the Hampshire Chronicle this week- or the Portsmouth Evening news last week. the Archbishop of all this is Yinnon Ezra who is the director of "culture" in Hampshire-- and has just been appointed to the board of the MLA- because they, too support this policy for (what used to be called) the public library service.
The trouble with all this is that it is so daft that nobody believes me. They think I'm obsessed and paranoid - like a man in a James Bond movie who says that a rich man who lives in a mountain is going to blow up the world-- it is so crazy that it cannot possibly be true. Ask the professional librarians in Hampshire. I wish we had all worked together 5 years ago - I did keep offering-- but "Never say die"
The article from the Portsmouth paper is summarised below
Headline: Library staff face axe in cutbacks
by Neil Evans and Sion Donovan
A third of librarians could be axed in Hampshire as library chiefs
battle against a huge overspend.
Hampshire County Council will ask for voluntary redundancies in the
next two weeks to help save costs.
And it is holidng back £250,000 from its £2m book fund - meaning
there
will be no new books at libraries across the county until at least
February.
Councillors have been told about 20 posts will be axed from the 60
professional librarians in Hampshire.
The move is being blamed on a drop in income from libraries' CD and DVD
rentals, which has halved from £2m five years ago to about £1m this
year. This has led to an overspend of £500,000.
Cllr Peter Chegwyn, Lib Dem spokesman for recreation and heritage,
said: 'This is just the tip of the iceberg. They are talking about
tough decisions having to be made, but it's still 20 jobs going and no
new books for months. How can you have libraries without new books? I
think this is just staggering how they've got themselves into this
position. I am gong to fight them tooth and nail on this."
The cuts won't be made before Christmas and shouldn't affect the 750 or
so library assistants who work in Hampshire's 54 libraries. HCC
wouldn't confirm the number of posts to be axed.
The council's dir. of recreation and heritage, Yinnon Ezra, said:
'we're not going to do anyting ebfore Xmas but when we make a decison
it will happen quickly but sensitively. My hope is we can do this
through volunteers who want to move on somewhere else to work. We are
approaching this from a customer's viewpint. People lthese days want
longer hours and want to do their own research on the internet. You
don't ned librarians to help people with that. We will hope customer
find no difference in the service and we might even be able to release
some resources to improve opening hours in some places.'
ends
Hampshire spends less than 6% of its library funding on books. Book loans have fallen by 41% since Yinnon Ezra and Richard Ward took over management of the service. In that time the council has spent £181m on the libraries. Visitor numbers have fallen by 11%. The Councillor responsible is Margaret Snaithe and the leader of Hampshire County Council (which is Conservative) is Ken Thornber OBE Tim
Posted by Tim Coates at 7:35 PM | Comments (8)
Review of Devon libraries
I have quickly read the review of Devon library services published yesterday. It seems that the decision to retain some libraries and not others is based on how much fuss was made by local residents - there has been a very intense analysis of fuss-measurement.
As someone else has already pointed out, the report doesn't contain a financial figure of almost any kind.
It is not what I was expecting at all. So does one assume that Devon county council has loads of money for its library service and that action is all taken in response to fuss-alerts. I suggest therefore that someone makes a long painful cry about book stocks - which also are hardly mentioned.
Of course if management of the library service is not about accounting for how money is spent, then I suppose this is what we can expect.
Posted by Tim Coates at 10:21 AM | Comments (2)
Read all about a life of leisure in Liverpool
As depicted in this article about the European City of Culture
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:54 AM | Comments (4)
November 21, 2006
What do we mean by the management of libraries?
Tom Roper says
"Tim, I think it rather depends what you mean by management. When I look at what you describe, it seems more like accountancy, and the excessive influence of accountants is what brought our public libraries to this pass.
I also think we understand different things by profession; you seem to mean management, and the cult of mangerialism seems to me to be holding back libraries and librarians. I think that there is a theoretical basis for librarianship, articulated since at least the days of Demetrius of Phaleron. If you were to ask me to define it, I would say it is the organisation of recorded knowledge to enrich human life, in every aspect. And it seems to me axiomatic that every citizen should be entitled to call on a practitioner of that profession in their home town. Anything less is as bad a deprivation as the lack of clean pure water, or light, or heat, or shelter"
Tom, Doesn't management also mean that when people pay for something the managers are responsible for making sure they get what they pay for? Tim
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:56 PM | Comments (3)
Review closes 5 libraries in Devon and 7 more remain threatened
This is the first BBC report of the review for which we have been waiting
And here, thanks to our correspondent in the West Country, is the report on the council website
Posted by Tim Coates at 4:35 PM | Comments (0)
"What will it take to shut you up?"
I was asked that this morning.
Over the years there have been several attempts to silence me:
- Some time ago the DCMS phoned two councils and told them not to listen to my advice- even though the councils had paid to engage me. I was paid off.
- Library managers in one council have recently phoned those in others and told them to advise their councillors not to listen to my advice, citing references that it turned out, upon enquiry, had never been written or even asked for
- Suppliers have asked my advice and then begged (and even contracted) me not to tell anyone, especially the MLA, that they had spoken to me
- The MLA and the LLDA passed a message round all the councils in London telling them not to deal with my call for one library card and one catalogue for London
- Memos passed between the MLA and DCMS advised that I should not be talked to or trusted as I am a trouble maker
- And worst of all have been 4 people of whom I know who have lost their jobs because the library professionals in their councils have taken exception to them discussing possible strategies for their library service.
And this is Great Britain! It's hardly stuff for James Bond or even Jeffrey Archer but it is irritating.
You can see from this blog the kind of change I advocate and advice I offer, it is always the same: libraries need more books and computers, clean dignified private study space longer hours and smart clean buildings, with less overhead cost. And I have also worked out in detail how these things can practically and simply be brought about- that's what I talk about. I am persistent but, I hope, consistent.
Posted by Tim Coates at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
Andrew Miller by Bill Bell
The Mitchell library in Glasgow is a very special place, as this article tells
Posted by Tim Coates at 8:45 AM | Comments (1)
November 20, 2006
Good News from Devon
tonight we hear of an extended library at Budleigh Salterton and a history talk at Tiverton.
Posted by Tim Coates at 7:01 PM | Comments (0)
Management Training for public libraries
Somebody tell me I am wrong. What has emerged on the blog today, for the first time, to my knowledge, is that there is no management trainng specifically for managers of the public library service.
That means no accountancy practice, no financial planning, no cost analysis, no marketing, no market research; no budgeting; no HR, no public relations; no negotiation practice, no presentational skills, no report writing skills, no decision making skills; no discussion of local and national government; no legal affairs; no management structures, no investment appraisal; no strategic planning; no training of trainers, no buying skills; no systems skills; no discussion of how publishing works; how children learn; English and world literature; how archives work etc etc etc.
Can this be right? If it is true, we need to put this right --and quickly.
This is a £1.2bn pa revenue cost public service industry and a national asset worth about £5bn (Twice the price today of the London Stock Exchange!) and nobody is trained to operate and care for it?
Posted by Tim Coates at 6:27 PM | Comments (0)
Bailer
Tom Roper in a comment under the heading "No Syrup" - below, suggested I should contact Bailer, which, he says, is an umbrella organisation for those who train librarians.
I looked on their website but couldn't find any email addresses for the contacts. Please could someone pass on this blog address to them. The debate about management training on that entry is, to me, completely fascinating. I hadn't realised that we don't train people specifically to manage public libraries- we only train "professional librarians" - who, it seems can then go to any kind of library (business, academic, medical etc)
No wonder my chiding about the lack of management skills just makes people upset. "How do you prepare the annual budget and address questions of productivity etc?" is, it seems, something that no one discusses in training. It explains so much.
Oh boy, do we have problems. And this is a public service larger than all book retailers and publishers combined. Gosh.
Posted by Tim Coates at 5:55 PM | Comments (0)
Refit for Swaffham library
Opens on December 1. Here is the story in the local paper
Well done Norfolk County Council!
Posted by Tim Coates at 2:35 PM | Comments (0)
Please write to the Minister
This morning, wise men from the East have pointed out that the people of Hampshire must now write personal letters to David Lammy MP, Minister of State for the Arts, Department of Culture Media and Sport, Cockspur street, London W1. Their letter should refer specifically to the failure of Hampshire County Council to provide a public library service as required of them under the Act of 1964. The letter should call upon Mr Lammy to obtain such information as is neccessary to perform his duty of supervision of the library service and act accordingly.
He needs over a hundred letters. You are welcome to use my figures as shown in the entry below "Hampshire libraries: the choice" The source of the data is "CIPFA: the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounts"
Posted by Tim Coates at 10:47 AM | Comments (1)
Concert in Bath 21 Nov
Blogreaders welcome! From the series of concerts
21 November 2006, 8pm
Harriet Mackenzie, violin
Christina Lawrie, piano
Oliver Coates, cello
Bach - Two-part Inventions arranged for violin and cello
Bach - Sarabande from Suite No.3 for solo cello
Beethoven - Piano Trio Op.1, No.1
Piazzolla - arrangements of Oblivion and La Primavera
Celebrating 300 years of the Pump Room,
Abbey Churchyard, Bath
Posted by Tim Coates at 8:51 AM | Comments (0)
Love Libraries
There is a champagne reception in London today to celebrate the achievements of the Love Libraries campaign.
People asked why I criticised a programme which clearly improved 3 libraries and here is the answer: this was an opportunity to address the structural financial problems of three councils and no such attempt was made.
You can see that because, for example, in Richmond one of the most valuable buildings in England, the cottage on Richmond Green next to the library, is still being used as a warehouse for unpacking boxes of books and cataloguing stock that has already been catalogued by suppliers. A large portion of the money in each individual library service is wasted in this way. If those problems were solved there would be sufficient money to renovate 3,000 buildings rather than the three that were part of the Love Libraries programme.
The project brought together exactly the people who are in a position to understand and tackle these matters: The Minister, the DCMS, theMLA, the Reading Agency, The SCL, and senior members of three councils, together with a group of the largest publishers - and they decided deliberately and consciously not to put the heart of the matter on ther agenda. That's why I criticised the Love Libraries campaign. It was, I said, like taking a small child from the slums and bathing him and putting him in a suit in front of the TV cameras and claiming you had solved resolved the problems of child poverty.
Around the country there are many senior librarians scratching their heads wondering how to make sense of this year's very difficult budget conundrum-- made worse incidentally by the decline in dependable revenue from DVD rental-- who would have preferred answers to these questions to yet another day trip to London to listen to the Minister talk about the excitement of his first encounter with a photocopying machine, again.
PS - It won't surprise anyone that I haven't been invited to this thing, but I am curious to know what gets said, so if anyone would care to leak a report of the proceedings I shall print them here. tim.coates@yahoo.com
Posted by Tim Coates at 8:37 AM | Comments (4)
November 19, 2006
Hampshire libraries: the choice
About 5 years ago Hampshire County Council reviewed their public library service. They found falling visits, falling book issues and falling interest in the service and wanted to take action to redress the decline.
They decided that their libraries were out of date; what was needed was to reduce the emphasis on the old fashioned book-centric library service, smarten up the buildings, introduce other services and place particular emphasis on technology and other "media". Libraries were to be renamed, restyled and re-marketed as "Discovery Centres" Their plans were much praised by their peers and by the Government and the County Council instituted a large investment programme which meant adding to the council tax bill.
This investment and modernisation would, they predicted, bring substantial increase in use of the service and that, in its turn, would increase the use of books, improve literacy and add to the cultural life of the county. That, they said, was what everybody wanted them to do.
At the same time, by coincidence, I was invited to write a report about a council library service in detail. Hampshire offered to show me their figures. Controversially I told them I disagreed with their analysis. I said that the reason for the decline was that the public wanted more books, not less and that investment also needed to be in opening hours. The buildings needed to be cleaned up, but they didn't need so much money spent as was planned. I also said that they were wasting a huge amount of money on old fashioned librarianship practices out of sight of the public, and that if these were sorted out there was no need to take any more money from the people of Hampshire for the investment. It could be done for free. I didn't make up what I said. I was using 25 years experience in Waterstone's and WH Smith, where I had seen how the British people respond to book collections and I had used that understanding very successfully.
To Hampshire's surprise, and that of the library profession and the Ministry, my report received a lot of press attention. There were other people who knew that my observations rang true. It was called "Who's in Charge; Responsibilty for the public library service?" In it I criticised the way that the library service accounted for its expenditure and said that lines of responsibilty were not sufficiently clear. In some detail I explained how the operation should work and how the public need had to be more clearly understood before such sums should be spent. If they were, I said, a different route would be obvious.
Nevertheless, my suggestions were ignored, not just by Hampshire County Council but by the entire profession of librarians, who called them "flawed" and used all kinds of other abusive descriptions, which they continue, wrongly, to use. It's a shame.
The councillors in Hampshire were right to want the results that they did, but they have taken a long time to realise that the method proposed to them by their professional advisers is completely the wrong way to achieve their ambition.
Next week Hampshire County Council, at the request of elected councillors, are to hold a review of the operation of their policy. So I just looked up the figures since 1997:
In that time £13m has been spent on capital projects (up to March 2006)
Annual Revenue costs have risen by 43%
Annual visits have fallen by 12%
Annual Book Issues have fallen by 41%
Book expenditure last year was less than 5% of taxpayers' funds
A third of the professional staff are to be made redundant
The council has just cut a further £250,000 from next year's book fund.
Hampshire County Council since 1997 has spent £181m of taxpayers' money on the public libraries.
The Discovery Centre programme has proved not only a waste of money, but also extremely unpopular with the residents of the county who have become quite vocal in their objections. Several councillors have lost their seats. They chose the wrong path and it would help them if they were now to recognise that.
Posted by Tim Coates at 3:39 PM | Comments (2)
Libraries
I am reading "From the Holy Mountain" by William Dalrymple. I just found it in a pile of books in my son's room. It's my kind of thing; I like the old OUP travel books from the nineteenth century and those by Alexander Burnes and his contemporaries.
There is no doubt in the minds of the people of Southern Turkey and Iraq about the importance of libraries. Why do Buckinghamshire County Council have such a problem? and Hampshire, Westminster etc. What's wrong with them all?
Posted by Tim Coates at 12:08 PM | Comments (0)
Daisy Waugh in search of mysteriously good looking men
Manages to mention at length a completely bone headed speech made by Alex Aiken the so-called head of Communications of Westminster City Council who may be a mysterious good looking man. I can't tell. He certainly isn't very shrewd about public libraries- as she says
I have reported Alex Aiken's speech before and I believe it was mentioned in the London newspapers last week.
Posted by Tim Coates at 11:16 AM | Comments (3)
November 18, 2006
No Syrup
Has anyone heard recently from SYRUP, the professional body of librarians?
They seem to have closed down. Yet I see they are still hoaxing students into taking courses on public libraries which they "Accredit" That means money changes hands and valuable student years are wasted on qualifications which are of no use to the public.
Posted by Tim Coates at 2:49 PM | Comments (9)
Council budgets
Here is a rule of thumb (as they say). A council/ quango/ departmental "review" - caused by the annual budget or any other funding problem- means preserving and increasing the salaries and pensions of people who get paid more than £40,000 per annum and reducing service to the public, or salaries and wages of people who get paid less than £40,000.
It's the opposite of what Robin Hood did.
Posted by Tim Coates at 1:16 PM | Comments (2)
Brighton Library
The new public library Brighton is one of those library and architectural projects about which the Government boasts whenever it is asked what it is doing about the library service. They believe that spending huge amounts of our money is the same thing as managing a public service. They are wrong.
The library in Brighton cost us all £14m which money was mostly given to a large firm of property developers. Almost none of the £14m was spent on books and very little of it was spent on book shelves. Everybody said that when it opened two years ago. Moreover, many many books from the famous collections were thrown away or sold for pence
The people of Brighton and their librarians, however, are not as stupid as the council officers who were fooled into all this nonsense and their persistence is a tribute to common sense as this article in the Brighton Argus shows
'Lovely library but where are the books?'
By Claire Truscott
Librarians say there are not enough books at a £14 million
award-winning
library.
Councillors have also received complaints about the collection at
Brighton's landmark Jubilee Library, while staff at other libraries in
the city said they too wanted better collections.
A survey of city library staff revealed their number one priority was
to
"improve collections". Staff are also demanding more books on the
shelves and longer opening hours.
The questionnaire was discussed at the city council's culture and
tourism sub-committee last night.
Councillor Kevin Allen said: "People feel the Jubilee Library is a
lovely building but say where are the books?'.
"The stock is inadequate and radical steps need to be taken to upgrade
it and we need to have a proper discussion about it."
The complaints echo those made when the library was first opened in
early 2005.
Visitors were dismayed at the lack of books and the fact opening hours
were shorter than they were 70 years ago.
Coun Bill Randall said he was regularly approached by residents of
Hanover ward complaining about the lack of access to the library in the
evenings and on Sundays.
He said: "Everything else is open on Sundays so why not the library?
Some also want to use it at the beginning of the weekend on Friday
evenings."
He said he believed longer hours would mean having to pay the PFI
company more money, which could not be found.
About 350 questionnaires were given to staff and others, including
councillors, council directors, university librarians and community
groups.
While staff were concerned about the number of books, others believed
"wider participation in learning" was most important. Community groups
wanted the library to be a "centre for community activity" and "access
point for other services", whereas library staff wanted to maintain its
traditional role.
Coun Randall said he believed it was possible to keep library
traditions
and move with the times. He said: "We're learning now that the great
trick is getting more than one use out of a building."
A new libraries plan will be available from January and will be debated
at the next committee meeting on February 7.
Newsquest
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy © Copyright 2001-2006
Newsquest Media Group
A Gannett Company
This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network
Posted by Tim Coates at 8:57 AM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2006
Welcome Tuvalu
The list of people reading the blog is fascinating (many from the US Military etc). But for the second time tonight we have someone from a country of which I had not heard. Welcome to visitors from Tuvalu
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:55 PM | Comments (1)
Government announces "Significant slump in use of libraries in Northern Ireland"
Here is the story in the Belfast Telegraph
Only 2 years ago the book funds for libraries in Northern Ireland were cut dramatically. The pattern is the same everywhere: total funds rise; central staff wages are protected by rising at an even higher rate; front line staff and book funds are cut; libraries become useless; usage falls; libraries are closed.
Northern Ireland do have a good plan for pulling the service round, but one has to wonder about all the libraries in the UK if the resurresction plans will be far too little too late.
Susan Hill is anxious that we have too been too hard on the library management. I'm afraid the problem is, as we will now see unfold, we have been far far too soft. Too much time has been spent worrying about the sensibilities of the professional staff and not nearly enough has been spent on concerns about the public need for a library service.
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:30 PM | Comments (0)
Hampshire
Only 8 years ago Hampshire County Library Service was one the best in the country.
Here is yet another piece of sad news:
"Hampshire Tories cut another £250,000 from the Book Fund yesterday (Thursday) to help meet a £500,000 overspend in this year's Recreation & Heritage budget. They're also planning to make a third of Hampshire's professional librarians redundant next year in a bid to save a further £1 million.
Liberal Democrats opposed both the cut in the Book Fund and the staffing cuts which will do nothing to help the Library service as the £1m will not be used on improving library buildings, extending opening hours or improving the book stock.
At least the Scrutiny Review of Libraries is, at last, about to start. Only a year late!"
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:25 PM | Comments (1)
Our man on the south coast writes
"Lively stuff at the Council Culture Committee yesterday.
My e-mails wafted from the lips of councillors... who added more, and
the lady portfolio holder wilted, did not expect the subject to be discussed.
Librarians want longer hours and more books. Bit in the Bugle today.
Perhaps this could go on the blog as an encouraging sign. Good to have some cheer - or the prospect of it - with everything else.
The lady councillor has taken to wearing a black leather jacket as if she is
piloting a Lancaster bomber over Berlin. In a sense, of course, she is."
Posted by Tim Coates at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)
November 15, 2006
Susan Hill
Many thanks, yet again, to Susan for a long piece she has written on her blog about libraries and their qualities.
Posted by Tim Coates at 8:28 PM | Comments (0)
Brilliant news from Devon
Just look at this. Fantastic and clever stuff
Did anyone go to Olly's recital in Bideford?
Posted by Tim Coates at 12:37 PM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2006
An open and public letter to the Chair and the Chief executive of the MLA
I sent this, this evening, to Mark Wood, the Chair, and Chris Batt, the chief executive of the MLA
"I attach a sheet of figures which shows the book related data for English public libraries.
I know you hate more than anything to see these things made public, but I hope you are all truly deeply ashamed by what these figures portray. My belief is that so long as the MLA exists with its current board and management, the public library service in England is destined for imminent collapse.
I am told repeatedly that I am not to be talked to because I cannot be trusted to keep your confidences and prevent people from seeing what has happened. That is a correct appraisal. People need to know and you need to be shamed out of your roles. Until this happens the grave problems of the service will continue to place it in peril. Time is running out.
I am also told that I scaremonger. Look at this table and tell me that I am scaremongering- and tell it to the newspapers, too.
Tim Coates"
Book lending
1995/6 ---420m
1996/7 ---411m
1997/8 ---400m
1998/9 ---389m
1999/0 ---362m
2000/1 ---343m
2001/2 ---318m
2002/3 ---305m
2003/4 ---289m
2004/5 ---280m
2005/6 figures not yet published
Expenditure on the public library service in England
1995/6 ---£603m
1996/7 ---£707m
1997/8 ---£719m
1998/9 ---£748m
1999/0 ---£777m
2000/1 ---£835m
2001/2 ---£890m
2002/3 ---£965m
2003/4 ---£980m
2004/5 ---£1,021m
2005/6 ---£1,111m
2006/7 ---£1,145m
Percentage of Library expenditure spent on books
1995/6 ---11.6%
1996/7 ---11.5%
1997/8 ---10.2%
1998/9 ---9.2%
1999/0 ---9.0%
2000/1 ---8.2%
2001/2 ---8.0%
2002/3 ---8.1%
2003/4 ---7.4%
2004/5 ---6.7%
2006/7 ---6.5%
Source: Govt: CIPFA and LISU
Posted by Tim Coates at 6:39 PM | Comments (6)
Close the MLA down
I call upon UK book publishers, authors, responsible Councillors and Members of Parliament and all honest citizens to request the Government to close the public library operation of the MLA, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Its operation has been and continues to be a complete disaster for public libraries in England.
Posted by Tim Coates at 2:32 PM | Comments (2)
Get your drugs in the Library
No books, never open, leaky roofs, but you can see a pitcure of a doctor on a plasma screen- in your local library
I hope nobody still believes I am making this all up.
Posted by Tim Coates at 1:40 PM | Comments (1)
November 13, 2006
Books in many languages
Thanks very much to Rebecca Passick who has picked up my plea for books in the Somali language.
Here is what she wrote:
Hello,
Milet Publishing publishes dual language books for children in 25 different language including Somali.Milet’s bilingual children’s books celebrate multiculturalism and multilingualism. They feature colorful artwork, clear and easy-to-read text in both languages and a wide range of engaging formats and themes. With our bilingual books, bilingual and monolingual children alike get to enjoy art, story, and language!
We currently publish 10 different titles in Somali-English including picture dictionary, flashcards, and board books.
Our titles are available from
Turnaround Publisher Services
Unit 3, Olympia Trading Estate
Coburg Road, London N22 6TZ.
Tel 020 8829 3000
Fax 020 8881 5088
Email orders@turnaround-uk.com
Posted by Tim Coates at 5:33 PM | Comments (1)
International Institute for Asian Studies
Have placed a lovely big pink advert down on the left tramline. Many thanks to them; please visit their site by clicking on the ad.
Still looking for ads from major petrol companies, British Aerospace, arms dealers of all kinds, reputable large consultancy firms, or disreputable ones trying to make amends, political parties and even English publishers. Also personal ads welcome. And donations - press the button in the right hand tramline.
Posted by Tim Coates at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)
November 12, 2006
Somali publishers
I met Mr Jibril at the meeting to save the Newington reference library. I received this email last night:
"dear tim,
i am very happy the last meeting concerning on the survivalof newtion library of wolwarth libraray,especially iam a chair of somali support group based on rockingham communty center,and iam cery worriedon students of age 8 up to 18 years students who havent got any books in the libraray, and also the books of black and minrity groups espically on somali language who havent got any libraraies or all southwark school and lost language ,if you have any help for lost languages like somali langauge.
please mr.tim help us for the lost lanaguage on somali script and getting help for funding on Somali language books.or revitlasing somali language.
thsnks
yours sincerly
mr/ A. jibril."
This is a generation of children who need books in their own language and about their own country. Are there any publishers, distributors, librarians, booksellers, authors, politicians who can help? I have asked Abdul Jibril to keep in contact. Tim
Posted by Tim Coates at 10:35 AM | Comments (4)
Newington reference library
This is from Isobel Durrant (thank you, Isobel, I thought what you said at the meeting was incredibly powerful, it was good to meet you-- you are not alone!) From this note we now learn that there is a "Staff only" area on the ground floor. Surely that cannot be of higher priority than the space for readers.
"Hi, This isn't exactly a comment, I'm just sending you a copy of an email I've sent to the campaign group. Does it make sense, or am I barking up the wrong tree entirely?
Best,
Isobel
Hello,
I attended Monday's meeting at St Matthew's and went on the library tour with Pam Usher on Thursday.
Ms Usher said that a stairlift could not be installed as it would not meet health and safety or fire regulations. This seemed like the trump card to put an end to all argument. Then she said all the information came from within the council, from their own experts, and that no second opinion had been sought. This seemed to me to offer a window of opportunity, or at least possibility.
The crunch is obviously the access for the disabled. Ms Usher also talked about the need to improve study space, and pointed out that it's always full to capacity in the Reference Library. The plan is to move those items most often consulted to the ground floor and 'reconfigure' (her word) the collections, giving access to material in the same way as at Guildhall Library. I pointed out that that is q time consuming, so people could end up spending longer in the library waiting for books to to be brought to them, thus occupying spaces and making it more crowded. However, she said that many of the people studying there do not consult any of the books and other resources available. So it occurred to me that there is no need to close upstairs at all and a compromise that may suit all parties is within reach. By increasing study space downstairs - possibly by using the existing staff only area rather than taking over space from the lending library - and moving the most requested items, plus newspapers etc downstairs, more room woulod be created upstairs which would make it easier for people in the ref library to access the books etc. At the same time, the system that is being proposed to all users should the reference library close, could be made available to disabled users, that is to request books etc to be brought to them. That way, we keep our library and collections, disabled users have access to the collection as it stands, not a severely curtailed one that is proposed, and the lending library space is not further eroded. This seems to me a viable solution that meets the needs of all interested parties. Or have I forgotten something?
Your comments please.
Are there any further meetings proposed?
Best wishes
Isobel Durrant"
Posted by Tim Coates at 10:30 AM | Comments (3)
November 11, 2006
Closing libraries in Coventry
This article in the Coventry paper has a familiar ring: the library officers of the council are closing a library and are unable to explain in clear language the reasons why
It seems to me that if you are genuinely going to improve the service by opening a new library (as would be the case with a new hospital), you have to open the new library first and then persuade local people that you have in truth provided a better service. That sets the challenge.
As was said at the meeting about Elephant and Castle the other evening, when a council promises that even though it is closing a facility down it intends to open a new better one in three years time, then absolutely nobody believes them. Councils have no credibility, especially over the matter of public libraries where there is very little visible evidence that the people who run the service know what a good library is
Councillors should not be surprised when the public gets cross with them over public libraries. The reports and documents that are produced by chief librarians are so incomprehensible that there is no trust and there is absolutely no need for this.
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:23 AM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2006
Delivery vehicles
..are not what you think they are. The Duchess of Malfi is one of the regular commenters on the site - and in the past she has confessed that she has tried to find fault with some of the things I say, which is absolutely reasonable.
However today she has sent this, and I think she knows that not only I, but all other thinking earthlings, are going to agree with her sentiment....
"Don't worry, Tim - PWC (Price Waterhouse Cooper, consultants) have just produced a new report that will solve all the woes of the country's libraries. It is called "Developing the local government services market to support a long-term strategy for local government" - you can find it on the DCLG (The Government Department of Local Government) website. It really is very poorly written, but don't let that put you off - inside it has such gems as this:
"Public Library Service – where an alternative perspective focused on the optimum way of commissioning lifelong learning outcomes for local communities, rather than on traditional “bricks and mortar” library services, creates opportunities for radical new thinking on delivery vehicles within this sector."
Splendid. Bricks and mortar are clearly old hat, and books don't even get a mention. Instead we can commission lifelong learning outcomes!
And you wonder why Chief Librarians seem to have lost the will to live?
Another one:
"Such a shift in mindset will create opportunities to challenge the current pattern of service delivery, by encouraging a range of alternative providers, expertise, and new ways of working for different parts of the service, maximising resources on frontline delivery, and making the services much more responsive to existing users, and bringing in new users."
Nonsense. Thousands of hours will be spent by managers inventing new ways to run a service that will result in no net benefits to readers.
Bah."
Posted by Tim Coates at 6:04 PM | Comments (0)
November 9, 2006
Lancashire again
The long running saga of Lancashire County council's review and closure of its public library services is in the papers again today.
If you enter "Lancashire" into the search box on the right you will see the whole sorry story so far.
Posted by Tim Coates at 7:39 AM | Comments (1)
November 8, 2006
Library hunting
I went library hunting this evening in London and found two I haven't seen before. The first was shut by 4.30. Goodness knows why.
The second was a large old Carnegie library which was reasonably clean and dismally stocked. It was very full of people doing homework looking very purposeful. But what surprised me at 6 o'clock was that of the nine staff I counted at various inquiry points, 6 were reading the Evening Standard.
It is hard to believe the moaning about how opening hours cannot be extended when the planning of staff rotas is so poor. You wouldn't see the same in John Lewis and you wouldn't see the same in the post office.
Don't the people who manage the service see these things? It wasn't as if there was even anything particularly interesting in the paper. "Britney Spears to divorce again" Is that information?
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:04 PM | Comments (0)
November 7, 2006
Newington Reference Library in Southwark
The people of Walworth Road and Elephant and Castle are arguing powerfully to save their famous reference library.
If we talk of our heritage and the buildings which have been so important to us, there can hardly be a more evocative cause. It was an honour to listen to the articulate voices of South London as they made their case.
I felt so sorry for the councillors who took the platform to listen to them. To have to stand in front of a highly intelligent but angry group of honest and original local people and try and assure them that reducing the range of available reference books by 80% represents an improvement was sad to listen to. The people who have made the case for this and set the councillors up for this ridiculous proposition weren't there. If I were the leader of the council, Nick Stanton, who nobly tried to defend his corner, I would have gone into the office and turned the senior officers responsible for culture and libraries into garden gnomes for putting him and his colleague into that position.
Simon Hughes, who is the MP for the area was also there so I tried to float the suggestion that it is time the Lib Dems formulated a policy on libaries in the same way that the Tories and the Brownites are doing. Their local councillors need more support in the face of library management and MLA nonsense.
There is a wonderful novel called 'Elephant and Castle' by R C Hutchinson.
Posted by Tim Coates at 1:40 PM | Comments (2)
November 6, 2006
Possible library closures in Worcester
This is the first time we have heard of possible library closures in Worcester.
Posted by Tim Coates at 11:37 AM | Comments (1)
November 5, 2006
Book publishers and public libraries
In response to a question from a senior publisher on Friday I reviewed the expenditure on public libraries of England since 1996.
In 1995-6 total expenditure on the public library service in England was £603m. 11.3% of that money was spent on the purchase of books.
In 2004-5, which is the last year for which audited figures are available, the total expenditure was £1,021m and of that 7.4% was spent on books. The cost has risen quite sharply above the rate of inflation, but the percentage of the money spent on books has fallen in every year, except one.
The estimated figure, at present, for 2005-6 is that it will have fallen to 6.2% and that in the current year, 2006-7 it will fall again to 5.8%. By then total expenditure on the English public library service will be £1,145m.
It does not surprise us when we read that Bill Gates urges the use of computers in schools and libraries, we think of him as a far sighted philanthropist. For a long time I have urged book publishers to approach the problem of public libraries in the same spirit. Books are important and no one is better equipped to say so than the noble fratenity and sorority of book publishers.
Yet their endeavours, from these figures, leave some room for further energy. The problem is that those people who guide the budgets of the public library service and who have watched these miserable figures be published each year, clearly do not feel the same way about books in libraries. Therefore when publishers deal with officials from the library world they would do well to treat their warm words with caution.
I hope and have reason to believe, this relationship will be put onto a more positive and productive footing- -as it would be seen from the public point of view. Readers of this blog know that what the public want from libraries are More books; Longer opening hours; and Clean buildings. Those are the essentials. It is to those three objects only that warm partnership and any available funds should be devoted. Libraries desperately need their book collections put back in order and book expenditure raised to the point that a high quality can be maintained.
Why would a publisher disagree with that point of view? I must here record my thanks to Richard Charkin and Hugh Andrew who are the two leading publishers who have followed and advocated my cause. I am grateful to them and to Desmond Clarke who also understands these matters as well as anyone and is a pillar of strength.
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:04 AM | Comments (0)
November 4, 2006
A real cry of despair
Patrick Conway is one of the most senior and respected library managers in the country. His letter in yesterday's Bookseller (below) reads like a sincere cry of despair. No one could or should doubt that Patrick has given his life's work to the public library service in the North East of England; his mention of the Northern Echo will warm many a heart.
After reading Patrick's letter there will be few who any longer believe the Ministerial cries that "all is well with the public library service"
But what he says is that all the expensive advice and guidance and all the reviews and action plans and programmes and all the substantial funding and investment in public libraries of the past ten years has produced a dead end. The service has run out of money and waves of library closures and more cuts in book funds are inevitable. And his answer is "Lobby to save libraries".
If his generation of managers had heeded the advice of all the people who offered it, including PWC and PKF whose work he dismisses as "simplistic"- advice of all kinds which has been offered over 7 years to my knowledge from sources as authoritative as the Audit Commision and the Culture Select committee and all of which is still being ignored, then most of the near terminal problems would be solved by now. If only one council in the country had implemented fully and energetically even the recommendations of the PKF report last year, then that council would be a model- but there is not one.
Lobby for what, Patrick? For your colleagues to be given even more taxpayers' money to have more conferences so you can ignore more advice? There is a need for urgent action, but it is not lobbying for money or sympathy- it is for hard work to put the service back on track.
02 November 2006
Let's lobby to save libraries
The Northern Echo last Thursday said that 300 police officers could be lost in County Durham because of £10m budget problems. This supports the DCMS statement (The Bookseller, 20th October) that "funding for all public bodies is likely to be tough in the years to come".
But to suggest the challenge facing library authorities can be met by implementing recommendations on stock procurement proposed by PwC--not PKF, as reported--and other value-for-money initiatives is rather simplistic. As regards procurement, the recent MLA briefing sheet suggests a full business case will not be developed until July 2007, with first phase implementation 12 months later. Even if significant savings were made, and the jury is still very much out on that score, it is unlikely that these would kick in before 2009/10.
As the Powys county librarian Tudfil Adams said, "closures are a theme rather than a one-off discussion"--a point recognised implicitly by the DCMS spokesperson. So what is to be done, given library closures are likely to be a regular news item for the next three years?
Collective lobbying, certainly, by all engaged in promoting knowledge, ideas and opportunity, with less sniping between public and private sector interests. Libraries are the cornerstone of community life, and innovative partnerships with other neighbourhood services must become the rule, not the exception.
But, equally, the true cost of delivering a free service to well over half the population has to be appreciated. Libraries are critical to skills development, social inclusion, personal and creative opportunity and, yes, pleasure and recreation. Hopefully, we can all agree, and argue accordingly.
Patrick Conway
Director of Culture & Leisure
Durham City Council
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:54 AM | Comments (2)
November 2, 2006
Mark Field writes to The Times
Mark Field, the shadow minister for culture, wrote a letter that is printed in The Times today.
This is a clear signal not only to the Labour Government but to the quangoes and leech-like bodies which surround it: DCMS, MLA, ACL, SCL, TRA, IdeA, LLUK, CILIP, SLIC,CYMAL, IIP and the regional MLA offices.
It is also a clear message of policy and leadership to the Conservative Councils around the country who, sadly, have been in the forefront of the movement to diminish the core role of maintaining high quality book collections in public libraries.
We are not alone.
Posted by Tim Coates at 9:42 AM | Comments (1)
November 1, 2006
Another definition of a library by "Life Long Learning UK"
I have laboured long and hard over my definition of a good public library in the following entries using the sole criterion that the statement should be one which the public would readily recognise and agree with.
A library spy in the West Country has just sent me another definition which is used as the starting point for training people to be good librarians (and archivists):
"KEY PURPOSE STATEMENT: a library is....
To enable access to information and documents of archival significance in print or digital formats, to literature, sound and pictures so that these resources may be effectively used as records of human achievement to foster literacy and creativity, enterprise and lifelong learning and as a resource for decision making by individuals, organisations and the wider community."
What is "decision making by the wider community"?
This is all written by a quango called "Lifelong learning UK" for the MLA. No mention of opening hours!!
Posted by Tim Coates at 8:51 PM | Comments (0)
More volunteer libraries in Dorset
This is a rash- but I do rather agree with Tim Harries.
Jolly good fun for the volunteers but what about the three things that actually matter: more book stock, longer hours and well kept buildings. Who is to provide and fund these?
Posted by Tim Coates at 8:16 PM | Comments (0)
Libraries managed by local people
See from this article how quickly the idea is catching on that libraries might be managed by local people.
It isn't clear who pays or how much. In Buckinghamshire the residents of the villages who are now to run their own library services are paying council tax for a library service and then paying again to operate their own local library. It's hard to imagine a council reducing its council tax when the whole object of these reviews is generally to save council money.
This is all fascinating but it is a distraction from the most important point that- whoever runs them and whatever the national arrangement - what people need in their libraries are: better book collections; longer opening hours and appropriate and clean buildings.
Posted by Tim Coates at 3:51 PM | Comments (1)
Public Library Service Standards
The entry I made previously describes a view of what public libraries do. I have formed it from market research and from views of as many people as possible including readers of this blog.
From this statement it is easy to define what the public library service standards need to seek:
Firstly they should be applied to individual libraries, not councils. The local people should be able to say these things of their own library. The council then, in its turn, has a responsibility to ensure that libraries of high standards are available to all those who live, work or visit their area, but the library standards should be questions asked of each library:.
- Does it have an abundant and comprehensive collection of books:
- New publications
- fiction and non fiction
- Previouly published work
- Old books and old collections
- For study
- Of the neighbourhood
- for formal and informal reference
- and newspapers and magazines for all the local communities
- and sources of information in all media ?
-Does it provide suitable places for private study that are clean, dignified, comfortable and practical. Are there adequate numbers of free access computers for readers to use without difficulty?
- Is the library itself welcoming, tidy, well presented, bright clean modern safe and welcoming?
- Does the library go out of its way to look after and encourage the reading needs of children of all ages?
- Does the library readily and clearly offer to help and understand disabilities of any kind?
- Is the library open as long as the streets are safe outside?
- Does the library carry material and provide access to information about all aspects of local history and the local area. Is it a genuine local resource
- Are the reading amd information services free and easy to use ?
- Are the staff helpful, knowledgable, friendly and enthusiastic ?
And what should the standard of all these aspects be? Ten out of ten- without exception. Judged by whom? The people who live near the library.
All these entries are copyright of Tim Coates and may be reproduced but only with my permission and under my licence. I don't want to see them stolen by DCMS, MLA, Price Waterhouse Cooper or the Audit Commission - or anybody else
Posted by Tim Coates at 3:04 PM | Comments (0)
Looking for like minded people
I know that my views are controversial and I hear all kinds of stories about my motives. I can make clear her that my purpose in all this work is improve the public library service for the public: I draw attention to problems so that they can be solved. I worry that the service is not as good as it should be- because if that is true libraries will fall out of use and be closed. Then they may never re-open. I am not alone in seeing problems-- for example the Culture Select Committee of the House of Commons last year, by simple ovservation described the public library service as one in distress. I agreed completely with their report.
As I describe problems I then explain how they can be solved and I offer councils my advice and my experience.
Now I am looking for some colleagues to join me. Specifically at this time I need some councillors, some heads of service or some experienced chief librarians, possibly even those who have retired, to form a small team. If anyone is interested please contact me, in confidence, at tim.coates@yahoo.com
Posted by Tim Coates at 2:54 PM | Comments (0)
The purpose of the public library service
Is to provide libraries of which these things are recognisably true to a high standard:
"The public library is an abundant collection of books and other material for reading, for seeking information, for pleasure and entertainment and for study. It is a place which provides space and quiet for reading and work. The library should be attractive, welcoming, clean, modern, bright, safe, comfortable and helpful. It should reflect by its presentation all that is being published and the best of what was published in the past: fiction, non-fiction, new and old, reference and research, local and international, obvious and obscure. By providing a sense of the locality, its people and its history, it should play a role in the community. It should be open as long as it is safe to be so. The staff should be knowledgeable, approachable, friendly and interested.
Readers in the library should be able to find what they seek either by asking staff or by researching catalogues and other databases on line. Personal computers should be available both for research and for people engaged in their own work
The library should go out of its way to cater for children, both in the selection of material but in the help and encouragement in finding books and stories of which younger readers may not know.
All libraries should also, of course, provide active help for anyone with disability. They should seek out those who may in any way feel or be excluded from the service and they should play an active role in their own local community by responding to all the various library needs of local people. Each library is individual and particular to its neighbourhood. The services of offering, lending and obtaining books is free to all who wish to use them. So is the information service
Libraries are better if the funds they have are used efficiently. they should have access to national collections, to book suppliers, to experienced property management, to databases and national libraries and systems for information retrieval which are the best that are available. In these and similar matters there is no value in individual libraries inventing or researching their own individual solutions and economies.
The most important staff in the service are those available in a library to keep it open and provide help to readers who need it. "
Posted by Tim Coates at 2:46 PM | Comments (0)
54,400 hits in October
Another record month- many thanks to everyone.
We still need more adverts to make the tramlines lively and colourful. Our audience is people who read and people who publish, all over the world.
Posted by Tim Coates at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)