« £575,000 -- for another teenage library project | Main | Chris Batt has resigned »
April 18, 2007
Unhappy times in Hampshire
Almost every hour there are news stories about the library service in Hampshire
- A demonstration by residents
- A bitter complaint by an outgoing senior manager about how the service is being destroyed
- The council has decided to drop the word "librarian" from its description of those who work in the libraries
- The council has delayed a long overdue and agreed review of the service
- Councillor Mrs Snaith, who is supposed to be in charge has complained about journalists reporting the situation
- The ridiculously expensive new library building in Winchester has been further delayed and questions are being asked about cost overruns
- The council has cut the book fund again by another £500k
- Threats of more strikes
- Yinnon Ezra the chief officer in Hampshire has begged staff not to support demonstrations, but has himself been put on the board of--- wait for it---- the MLA!! He's the one who says that books in libraries are a thing of the past !
- Another councillor has told everyone that "books these days can be downloaded from the internet anyhow" (Which is not true, in case anyone believes her)
I am sent some of the correspondence that passes between the residents in Hampshire who are very well informed about all these events. Their information appears to come both from councillors and librarians working in Hampshire library service.
They are astonished at the extent to which councillors are not informed of the activities of the senior officers and the factual information of the performance figures; and they certainly believe that the 15 month delay in the library scrutiny review by councillors has been caused by Ward and Ezra who wished to see through their ridiculous changes in the libraries before the council could stop them. Of course councillors would deny that-- but then they aren't actually aware of what is going on.
Whatever else is true, the published figures show that Hampshire has spent huge amounts of money but it has been so misspent that the book collections are decimated and book lending slashed; and there has been no increase in the use of the county library service over the five years all this has gone on. No increase at all-- when the so called strategy was to get people to use the libraries for other things than books. It doesn't work - it never will. It never will.
The public in Hampshire aren't stupid. They know that libraries are for books. No silly council officer is going to persuade them otherwise; and if it is broadcast, as it it is, that libraries no longer have useful up to date collections then the public won't bother to use them. Why would they? The whole thing is obvious.
Oh dear, oh dear.
Posted by Tim Coates at April 18, 2007 7:50 PM
Comments
For once (or is it twice ;) ) we agree. This doesn't look good.
However, it is not the case that people *only* want books from their libraries; witness successful libraries which have a mix of services. Where things go wrong it is when an imbalanced approach to new services is taken, and simply wrong services are forced inbto libraries.
Posted by: Pete Smith at April 19, 2007 10:59 AM