The Good Library Blog

Could anyone provide more details regarding 'the end of enforced silence' mentioned in this article?

I take it that there are still areas of the library where users can work in relative quiet, unmolested by the disturbance of idle (to those being disturbed by it) chatter?

As a retired bookseller, I still meet with retired librarians, my former customers, where we fully exercise the rights of all grumpy old men to grump.

We all agree that public libraries have gone to the bow-wows. Today’s librarians are not a patch on what they used to be – where are the buns and cardigans of yesteryear?
The name of Tim Coates is frequently mentioned, either as St Tim of the Bibliomanes or Coates, the Spawn of the Devil…

It ‘s the spawn bit I have trouble with, because from what I read, you seem dedicated to better libraries, better bookstock, better services for users, etc, etc. Fine – end of hagiography. To this end you are prepared to see the demise of many backroom jobs in libraries – all those cataloguers re-inventing the wheel while chanting their Dewey mantras, all those managers writing reports and reviews while licking the boots of elected members.

But the execration was explained to me by a retired head of Bib Services – who firmly pointed out that your improvements could not only sweep away these backroom jobs, they could also relieve their occupants of the delights of flexi-time, work-free Saturdays and above all, lives free from the dreaded public, with their relentless queries, demands for yet more books and complaints about the quality of the coffee (whatever did happen to those delightful bottles of Camp?).

Fight on, St Tim! Today, Hillingdon! Tomorrow, the world!

For me, being a public library librarian is all about the buzz of meeting customers and sending them on their way with a new author to try; connecting with someone who has enjoyed a book as much as you, or getting a recommendation from them that you'd never thought of reading. Without an enthusiasm and passion for books, which often seems to be lacking amongst bookshop staff, I would see no point in doing my job.

Those who know me, know that I am not quiet and that none of the libraries I work in are either! Those who think that libraries are silent obviously have never visited on an average day and certainly not when I'm running my reading group or storytime is happening.

"To this end you are prepared to see the demise of many backroom jobs in libraries – all those cataloguers re-inventing the wheel while chanting their Dewey mantras, all those managers writing reports and reviews while licking the boots of elected members."

In my enthusiasm, I forgot to reply to Charlie's comments (above). I take it, Charlie, that in your bookshop you never organised the stock so that customers could find things and never did any backroom jobs to prepare it for sale.

Running a bookshop is very different to managing a large library system. I would not expect someone who had not worked in a library to fully understand this. Just be thankful that you haven't worked in an environment where your job depended on the whims of local councillors who have probably never visited your establishment.

Just to be clear, I work alternate Saturdays (including bank holiday weekends) and that flexi-time is not an option for any of the staff in our service. I would also like to point out that I'm very attached to my wardrobe of cardigans, but that a bun doesn't suit me.

Jenny-- your enthusiasm is infectious and most welcome. And buns do not come into it.

Charlie-- You will have heard the story of the council whose library managers who boast around the country to their friends that they wanted to take me to court. The charge, I suppose, would have been that I helped the public find out how hopelessly inefficient and wasteful of public money they are. Luckily for the ratepayers of their borough, the council solicitor spotted that if they had proceeded, they could have been about to repay my long lost pension. Their accusation was both wrong and malicious and it still is. It is a shame the matter didn't come before a judge in the open court, it would have been an opportunity to tell the whole sorry story-- perhaps you would have liked to be my barrister. I couldn't afford a real one- until we won the case and the council had to pay up! That was my dream

I had just better clarify my bookshop comment as a friend has challenged me. I was not talking about staff in independent bookshops, but the big chains where you may or may not find someone who knows about books.

Tim, my problem with the whole library / local council debate is that the truth is hard to discern. It is not a clear-cut debate with 'goodies' (you and the public) and 'baddies' (councils). It feels as though the long-suffering library staff are lumped in with the baddies as we work for them, but in reality we are on the side of the public. It concerns me that bad press, such as that in Hillingdon, is undermining the good work done by libraries in an attempt to prove that everything that came before was bad.

Jenny

I agree with you about this, too.

This trend- of apocalyptic rhetoric- is an increasing one. There is a desire for radical change, and for people to get credit for such change, so everything that is now must be painted as utterly awful- everywhere, all the time. That it is done with assumed good intentions makes it no less destructive.
It is a way of arguing that I see on all sides of the library discussion.

Dear Tim

This is a copy of a response to Pete Smith's letter in the Observer Review last Sunday, which I have emailed to the Review. I feel very strongly that the many changes needed in the library service have to be seen in a positive light. It would be good to hear some constructive suggestions from Mr Smith.

1. ‘No indication that this plan will work’ – nothing in this life is certain except death and taxes: all else is probability. At least Hillingdon has long term plans for the future of its libraries and the political will to carry them out – that alone increases the likelihood of success.
2. No, there’s no sign Hillingdon is a ‘basket case’ – but there is every sign that radical changes are needed to prevent the quality of its services declining – elected members there are simply showing good foresight. Would that their colleagues responsible for other library authorities were as constructive.
3. ‘No mention of job cuts’ – perhaps there’s been no mention of job losses because there won’t be any. But if Mr Smith’s pessimism IS justified, any such losses would at least be part of a constructive, long term strategy for future growth and improvement, rather than the desperate, ad hoc, belt-tightening exercises that have led to job losses in the libraries of Hampshire and Kent, to name but two.
4. Mr Smith is concerned about the ‘apocalyptic language’ used in this debate: I would agree. The latest CIPFA figures (2005-6 Actuals) show that active borrowing from public libraries in the UK has fallen by more than 20% in the past 5 years. With statistics like that, there is no need for apocalyptic language!

To Pete Smith,

I would like to point out the obvious, which you may not have noticed - the decline in Public Libraries did not start last week. It has been going on for over a decade: Tim Coates has been banging on about it for some time. Our professional body appears not to have noticed until recently.

Regarding your point about `credit` - is this a reference to Coates?

Speaking for myself I don't care who claims the credit: as long as the result is a commitment to the development of Public Libraries and to stopping their current decline. Pete, I would lead the cheering for anyone who made a positive contribution to this noble aim, especially you!

Charlie Maine

For those folk worried about Hillingdon – there is an alternative: I have just been told that the MLA has at last taken positive action, designed no doubt to improve libraries, by inviting library suppliers to become Strategic Partners providing bibliographical services within library authorities comprising --
selection and ordering of stock, financial management
cataloguing and classification, physical servicing of the stock,
stock use and quality analysis, management of inter library loans etc.

They mention it is initially for 10 authorities, probably growing to 50 over 5 years.

This is cutting edge thinking - the savings on, let’s say, 500/1000 staff, will please the elected officers…

Perhaps it not too late for CILIP to do something to preserve what remains of our profession.

Yours tearfully

Verity,

whilst accepting your points I stand by what I said. Being positive is a valuable thing, as I will point out later. But we disagree on some points here. I am concerned and wished to raise those concerns. You feel supportive of Hillingdon's plans and express that. A healthy debate ensues.

Where nothing is certain, there should be no premature celebration. To use another old saw, don't count your chickens. That a plan is carried to its end is not synoymous with success; success has to be for all people. And it has to happen.

What are these 'signs' that Hillingdon is somehow going to become so very bad? Planning is one thing; planning on dubious assumptions is quite another.

I feel sure that there will eventually be job cuts although this will most likely be via people leaving jobs they've been 'redeployed' to. This won't be despearte and belt tightening, no, but long term calculation. These losses do not seem to be constructive at all, rather a simplistic way of saving money. My concern is that all this will lead to pooer service; but I am willing to wait and see if it is the case that staff are lost.

In terms of of credit, Charlie, this refers to people on all sides of the library debate. Librarians who are technophiles and see the current library as old hat and only a radical change can make it better- and they are its saviours! They want credit. CILIP wants credit. I don't know about Tim. I wouldn't be fussed for credit,being very modest ;)

As for the decline of public libraries, I often wonder if it is as widespread, nay universal, as painted. I've lived in a few library authorities and they have all served me well. That there are problems I have no doubt; that there is good work done I am also certain. What is neeeded is less the asusmption that everything is awful, and more of a balanced approach. Just as hard cases make bad laws, so taking the worst- and indeed the best- for the whole leads to bad planning.

I have dotted my constructive suggestions all over my blog, this blog and others. In my letter to the Review I am merely pointing out some issues lost in the ra-ra nature of the original piece. Accountability and all that. As I said, I wish Hillingdon well- of course I do. But let us award no laurels yet.