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February 15, 2007
Good things don't happen in the night
I laughed when I read this in the Bookseller today. Readers who might have missed the early chapters of this remarkable fairy tale should enter "Price Waterhouse Cooper" in the search box in the right hand column. There have been many entries.
There is, of course, no connection between this story and the actitivities of "Delay" (DLA: the department of libraries and archives) . In contrast they would have handled this whole matter with a Dead Bat (which is a cricketing expression)
Read on
"Public library plans delayed
15.02.07 Katherine Rushton
Plans for a radical overhaul of the public library supply chain have been delayed by four years, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has revealed.
The original PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report published last August targeted £20m savings by 2008, but a recent "progress update" sent to chief librarians by the MLA said the plans were part of a "2012 vision".
The MLA said the original target was never firmly fixed. Sarah Wilkie, head of Framework for the Future, the national public library strategy, said: "It was accepted that it was a very ambitious target, and it was always intended that the feasibility of that target would need to be examined. It’s going to be a gradual migration rather than a big bang approach." The MLA has also backed away from the establishment of a series of regional servicing "hubs", saying they "might or might not be a physical thing".
A number of library authorities have signed up to explore such consortia arrangements over the next 12 months, but major groups including the Central Buying Consortium—which represents around a quarter of all English authorities—have refused to join the regional hubs plan.
Wilkie denied that proposals had been hit by a lack of support from library authorities. "The truth of the matter is that radical change doesn’t happen overnight," she said.
Posted by Tim Coates at February 15, 2007 4:33 PM
Comments
Ah, VIRTUAL hubs. I seeeee
Posted by: SUSAN HILL at February 15, 2007 6:25 PM
The Little Chalfont Library plans to open thanks to the donations and hard work of local residents after Buckinghamshire County Council withdrew all money from many of its own public libraries.
The organiser, Pippa Greensmith, invites all library supporters to join her at the grand re-opening on 17th February.
See her page on the BBC Action Network for details and please leave a message of support.
This is a success story to shame the many local councils who have helped to create the type of disgraceful environment evident from the recent UNICEF statistics by acts which are tantamount to cultural vandalism.
Ealing Council, are you listening?
Books make the difference not minimalist architecture or coffee bars or digital formats that become obsolete in a space of 5 years. Look at the UN statistics about the homes which have less than 10 books and the effect that this has had on our childrens' lives.
Wake up!
This campaign is already international and the whole world is watching.
Posted by: RuthV at February 15, 2007 10:44 PM