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February 7, 2007
Kolly Kibber writes
from Brighton
The keen, even vocal readers in Brighton and Hove have succeeded with two recent petitions which have duly reached the Council's Culture Committee.
Before Christmas these petitions, completed at the rate of a signature a minute, urged that the book stock be increased in all libraries and that opening hours be increased - including Sundays. At this month's Committee meeting, these petition rubrics were read aloud by Councillor Sue John, and it then emerged that, whichever party takes charge after
the May Elections, the new Brighton library will begin to open on Sundays. This is a great breakthrough, and we hope that other libraries, such as Hove, will do likewise. What's more, throughout the meeting, councillors referred to the matter of the book stock - a subject which
drew the most comments and the most dissatisfaction in the recent PLUS survey. The library service is aware of this, and it will be addressed. Readers want books.
It is certainly encouraging that attention is being given to these key elements from which everything else follows - stock and opening hours. Residents, and librarians, elsewhere can take heart from the fact that well-aimed petitions can work an effect.
Meanwhile, the wide-ranging, three-year libraries plan raises curious matters not answered at the Committee meeting.
One "objective" is to "develop new sources of revenue funding to replace current time limited sources such as hire charges from audio-visual material, working in line with Divisional income review and regional research into income generation opportunities for libraries".
Evidently Council documents stint on the hyphens, but it is clear that this means looking for income from elsewhere because - a national trend - DVD loans are falling in libraries (competition from on-demand and from postal, no-fines set-ups). This knocks on the head that DVDs get people somehow to borrow books. But does "income" mean "charges"? It is very vague. Especially as, elsewhere it mentions "raise income from Rare Books and Special Collections". How exactly? By charging non-residents?
It also intends to "plan and implement annual marketing campaign to increase use by existing members and recruit new members". This is all to the good, of course, but there are no details of what form this "marketing" takes, let alone what proportion of the budget it takes. There is little evidence of past "marketing" to go by, and in fact it is the case that increased stock - of all kinds - is its marketing: word of mouth is particularly strong among library readers.
What "marketing" has gone on elsewhere in the country? What expertise do libraries have in this?
At any rate, the fact that readers' voices - opening hours and stock - are being heard is distinctly encouraging.
Readers around the country must keep at it. If Councils keep hearing about libraries - as they do in Brighton and Hove -, then things begin to happen.
Posted by Tim Coates at February 7, 2007 9:06 PM
Comments
Yes it is great news - but the library built at a cost of millions should have been open at hours to suit the public right from the start. As it is the Labour Administration has after pressure from the public and the Conservative opposition finally recognised the fact that a library can only be used if it is open !
Posted by: Garry Peltzer Dunn at February 8, 2007 8:51 AM
"Cheers for Blears"? I am surprised Kolly Kibber is not up to speed on the radical new "volunteer" plans being considered by the present 'Government' (I use that term advisedly). Under Right to Manage Plans,local authorities may have to hand "ownership"(that word beloved by the condescending paternalists) of a range of local facilities over to groups of local residents. The list includes parks, leisure centres AND libraries. Miss Blears, who is still in Government, argues that "if a community knows it owns an asset, the evidence is that it values it and looks after it. I believe that asset transfer should include some of the jewels in the crown, not just the junk that councils are happy to see the back of". Quite apart from puzzling over the word "junk"- who or what can Miss Blears mean ? - I feel it is time for Kolly and those of similar mind to march to the forefront of any massed ranks of petitioners demanding "ownership" of their undoubted jewels. Will the Culture Committee (and, presumably, Miss John and any other assets) be then transferred to another branch of a steadily dying tree?
Posted by: Brutus Wayfarer at February 8, 2007 12:21 PM
I have just looked in at a "Policy and Resources" meeting here, and notice that the Museums and Libraries budget is to be cut - savings partly made by not filling such vacancies as assistant director of heritage - and so it will be interesting to see how such things as extra hours are funded.
A great concern is the Store stock in the new Brighton library. That so much is kept out the back, rather than available for browsing, has caused much comment. Less well known is that this store stock is not tagged, and so does not show up on the much-vaunted self-issue devices - and so can be taken from the building with nobody any the wiser.
I should say that the tagging of this stock is a first priority before any "outreach" and so on. After all, what is the point of gaining readers if the stock can so easily be lost?
Posted by: Christopher Hawtree at February 8, 2007 5:50 PM