« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 »
October 31, 2007
Gangland
Amanda Field writes from deepest Barsetshire
Trouble in LA libraries.
I thought you might all like to hear about a major article which I read last week (October 25) in the Los Angeles Times about how their libraries are facing increasing disruption from thugs, vandals and other troublemakers. The article was triggered by a serious attack on a man in the Mark Twain library by 6 other men, who punched and stomped him to the floor. Apparently neighbourhood toughs are competing for 'control' of the library as a 'gang space'. Mobs of youths have been frequently intimidating and harrassing patrons of the library and have been driving away readers. This news story led to the LA Times doing a round-up of other local library experiences, where librarians are demanding an increase in the number of security guards. The rise in trouble is attributed to the fact that libraries have become places where people gather to use computers and this is bringing in 'a whole other faction of society'. Library visitor numbers have soared since free internet was installed, but it's getting increasingly difficult to recruit people to work in the libraries because of the problems. One local library customer, father of a young girl, said that more control is needed over the computers so that it's not just 'a MySpace festival' and that he does not allow his daughter to roam freely among the bookstacks at certain libraries because of the risks.
I know it's easy to say that 'well, that's America for you!' and I know that the Mark Twain library is not in a salubrious part of Los Angeles.... but nevertheless I think library services in the UK should heed the warnings. We are, after all, going down the same route, particularly with the Discovery Centre concept, in attempting to attract non-readers to the library (which would be OK if the library then had a proper plan to convert them into readers, but it does not). We already have a full-time security guard at Gosport Discovery Centre and several young people in the town wear, as a badge of pride, the ASBOs that ban them from the premises.....
Posted by Perkins at 4:52 PM | Comments (0)
More Cuts in Libraries
From Martin
More Cuts in Libraries
A report in The Times today claims that the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is considering the closure of more libraries as a way of resolving the growing backlog of repairs. One hundred library buildings have already been closed during the last two years.
Roy Clare, the chief executive of the MLA, told The Times: “A number of councillors have put it to me that they have got more buildings than they need . . . a better service could be provided with fewer buildings and more attention to book stocks and what libraries can do." He also applauded the addition of a cafe to the facilities at Colchester Library, but made no comment about the recent closure of the Record Office that was housed in the same Library until last year.
The full article can be read here:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article2766760.ece
Posted by Perkins at 4:48 PM | Comments (0)
October 30, 2007
The astonishing view of a real librarian ...
In a perfect world, we wouldn't need any bookstores. Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world and fortunately libraries aren't bookshops.
Regards,
Peter K
Posted by Perkins at 6:36 PM | Comments (0)
October 28, 2007
Why hide even the books that we have?
Amanda Field questions traditional practice:
It's always puzzled me quite why library authorities need to keep so many books in the store. I could understand this if library shelves were simply groaning with books, but at my local library, there's plenty of space on shelves, and precious few shelves anyway (lots of room around the walls for shelves - the obvious place to put books, you might think, rather than the low-rise free-standing units they have installed). I'm sure they'd say that 'anyone can order a book' but unless you're part of the chattering-class, review-reading minority, how can you possibly know what you might like to read? Surely it's the libraries' job to put as much variety on the shelves as possible so people can browse - and can discover things (in a 'no risk' manner) through serendipity.
Peter K responds
We tend to keep last copies and some rather tatty stock that can't go on public shelves, yet are worth keeping, in our store. All our library shelves are overflowing; lucky you've got space on the shelves in your library.
But Christopher recognises the problem, too
Why don't library authorities realise that bookshops would go out of business if they had shelves similar to those in so many libraries now?
When readers go to a library, they want books.
For a refreshing view on the lost art of the shelf, I recommend Henry Petroski's The Book on the Bookshelf. He also wrote a hefty history of The Pencil, recently reissued.
Posted by Perkins at 8:43 PM | Comments (0)
Enlightenment
James, from Brighton, writes
We are told that Gordon Brown is currently occupied with the subject of liberty and its history.
In particular, he is inspired by the work of Gertrude Himmelfarb, such as her 2004 book The Roads to Modernity: The British, French, and American Enlightenments.
Are Brighton and Hove libraries typical of the country in not having a copy of this? Indeed, the three books by her in its holdings are kept out of sight in the Store.
Mr Brown has presumably been able to buy or cadge a copy of The Roads to Modernity but many residents are, perforce, going to remain unenlightened.
Later in the afternoon James has been further exploring the interwaves:
There are also no copies of the book in all of the East and the West Sussex libraries.
What more evidence does Gordon Brown need that if the people of England are to enjoy true liberty, they need well-stocked libraries with stimulating and intelligent books?
Posted by Perkins at 3:02 PM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2007
Scrap yard
Martyn writes
The Museum Libraries and Archives Council is to scrap two key components of the Government's strategy on Libraries according to an article in today's Bookseller. The so-called "Blue-Print for Excellence" is to be scrapped because of insufficient consultation, and replaced by an MLA "action plan". The second casualty is likely to be the much publicised plan to centralise stock selection, as an external audit indicates that the savings to be made are less than originally claimed.
The magazine also carries an interview with Admiral Clare.
Philip adds
Well, what Admiral Clare says is no surprise; but the fact that he is saying it quite so boldly is unusual within the MLA we've come to know.
I have been convinced all along that MLA was acting far beyond its remit by seeking to skew the stock supply and LMS markets in the ways proposed. Equally, we were all aware that the PwC costing exercise (which created the myth about massive savings) was an appalling piece of research which bore no relation to the realities of library supply. At long last these self-evident facts have been acknowledged.
The real scandal here is the cost to the taxpayer of the poor quality research and entirely misguided work which have been expended on this project to date. Just think what those millions could have done for the library service in this country if they had been fed into some proper centralised funding for F4F national offers.
It makes one wonder how long it can be before some senior MLA mandarins are notified of their tranfer to somewhere suitably punitive to see what they can 'skew up' in their new environment.
Posted by Perkins at 2:15 PM | Comments (0)
October 23, 2007
Never on a Sunday
Christopher Hawtree posts:
BRIGHTON LIBRARY NEVER ON A SUNDAY?
Shortly before the local Elections in May, both the Conservative and Labour parties vied with each other to announce that, whichever of them took charge of Brighton and Hove Council, the Jubilee Library in Brighton would be opened on a Sunday.
In the event, this time the Conservatives gained control of another hung Council.
Readers were eager to discover when the Sunday opening would begin. However, at both a recent Culture Committee meeting and then one of the Full Council, questions about this were deflected by Councillor David Smith with the less than specific reply that matters were in hand.
News is awaited - and perhaps a delay is explained by the innate problem of the library being funded by the private firms behind the eareas PFI deal (how this fits in with the overall funding of the authority's fourteen libraries is a puzzle).
Meanwhile, readers are also eager for the architect Nick Lomax being allowed to fulfil his original intention of creating fine ground-floor shelving for whose overhead lighting there are dozens of electrical sockets in the floor.
Such shelves would let readers know that they have arrived in a library.
Posted by Perkins at 10:22 PM | Comments (0)
Dudley and Dorset
Martyn writes
More Cuts in Library Services
The closure of public libraries continues, with proposals to axe five libraries recently rubber-stamped by Dudley Council, which claims that the cash saved will be used to update library services elsewhere. Campaigners against the closures have already collected over 700 names on a petition protesting against the closures, which will leave many families having to travel up to 8 miles to use a library.
full details in the expressandstar.com
Meanwhile the Dorset Echo reports that six parish councils are offering to top up opening hours in their local libraries. Opening hours have been reduced in all 34 Dorset libraries including the main libraires in Dorchester and Weymouth as an alternative to closing up to 13 libraries. The six parishes will be asked to find over £1,000 for one extra hour per week fora year.
www.thisisdorset.net/display.var.1751885.0.councils_help_out_libraries.php
Posted by Perkins at 12:23 PM | Comments (0)
October 20, 2007
Newington Reference Library
Julie writes:
Meet at Newington Reference Library, Walworth Rd SE17 (few minutes walk from Elephant and Castle or Kennington tube) Sunday 21st October around 1pm. The library will finally close its doors at 2pm. Count the books and reference items, admire the high ceilings, good natural light and ventilation, large staff desk area etc so you can compare it to the new 'IT suite/Study Room' opening on the ground floor on 1st November.
Julie again on Sunday 21 October
"I was greeted at the doors to Newington Library this morning by 5 big burly Southwark Community Wardens. Living on East Street market, a local crime hotspot where I rarely see even one Community Warden, this just makes me really wonder about Southwark Council.
If you're free to pop down to the Thomas A. Gilbert Reference Library on Walworth Road today before it finally closes at 2pm please do and record for posterity what they don't want us to have. Peace, quiet, books, staffing levels, natural light and ventilation, a good traditional Reference Library.
I'm so reminded of the programme about China where petitioners were labelled 'troublemakers', and a report from Burma where a demonstrator said libraries were being closed and bars and clubs opened."
Adrian Olsen- former head of libraries in Southwark writes:
I certainly hope that Newington Library will close at some point in the future - when a proposed new library is built just up the road as part of the huge Elephant and Castle redevelopment. I'm sure then some people will say they like the old building - b***s I say.
In the profession there are views for and against the merging of lending and reference services but it has happened in many libraries over the years, and tends to be the norm now with large, new libraries. The earliest I can recall is Bradford back in the 1970s and notable examples are two of the busiest (perhaps the two busiest) libraries in London, Croydon and Sutton Central Libraries - all without any noticeable collapse of civilization as we know it.
Maxine writes
Very sad to read this news -- in the same week as my stepdaughter is refused a library card in Croydon for petty bureaucratic reasons. You have done wonderful work, and I hope you will have the energy to continue and make a difference, so that everyone can have access to culture in our society.
Posted by Perkins at 5:50 PM | Comments (0)
Public Library Notice Board
From now on this website is a public library notice board. All are welcome to post messages of any kind (named or anonymous). If you make a (truthful and respectable) comment it will appear on the main blog. As he wrote yesterday Tim will no longer post entries, views or comments. Please feel free:
Posted by Perkins at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)
October 18, 2007
How to be a public servant
This blog is ending tonight. It will stay open for comments, but I shall do no more than keep an eye on them
My thanks to Karen, Rachel and Trevor at Berkshire who had the idea for the blog, made it look good and kept it running (respectively).. Also many thanks to all of you have commented -- please feel free to carry on. And thanks to all those who visit the site. We do get about 4,000 hits a day, but I confess that a few of those are from people who hit every site selling strange goods.
The whole thing has been a lesson in how to be a good public servant. There are at least 5 million people in the UK who make their living in that way or as servants of public servants-- and if any reputable publisher wanted to turn the material here into a book for them, I'd be delighted to help.
I started out by observing that just as we have come to expect that very little of the money we pay to charities arrives with the recipient we intend we have now to realise that the public services in our country work in much the same way. They are more about employing people than being any help; and they are about seeking ways of obtaining even more money from the public while giving little in return. Those things are not right.
I am not stopping my attempt to revive the UK public library service-- I'm just going to climb the mountain again from a different side. (or bomb it from a different direction)
Posted by Perkins at 10:03 PM | Comments (8)
Throw it away
One of the items about to be thrown away when the London Borough of Southwark closes Newington Reference Library is a complete set of Whitaker's Almanac. The library holds a copy of every edition of that wondrous work since it was first published.
These absolutely fascinating pieces of British history are not, of course, the kind of things that are frequently asked for and therefore will be certain to be lobbed into a passing skip very quickly.
What do the current owners of The Bookseller say about this? The Bookseller, of course was owned and run by the Whitaker family for most of its life.
What indeed will David Whitaker himself, say? David is, as we all know, the greatest man in British publishing, bar none-- and has been around long enough to have been present at The Last Supper.
The bonfire starts on Sunday -- hurry hurry
Posted by Perkins at 9:19 AM | Comments (1)
October 17, 2007
Polish and Spit
The Bookseller today reports that the Government is about to finish off the public library service.
The good news is that the ministry appointed to do this is the DCMS (The Department of Common Sense) - who, as we all well know, couldn't finish off their lunch .
Persistent readers of the article will discover that even today, in the midst of the crisis, there was a high level meeting with the two ministers Mrs Mansion Polish and the disappearing James Purnell at which Admiral Clare KGB pleaded for extra time - not for public libraries of course, but for that renowned body of sailors, the MLA (formerly known as DLA- Delay, the Department of Libraries and Archives)
It is as if the whale had needlessly sunk the great sailing ship-- but the cabin boy in the rowing boat was pleading for mercy-- to use a maritime metaphor.
Posted by Perkins at 7:49 PM | Comments (0)
Best practice
One of the cliches of the MLA, ACL, DCMS, CILIP etc etc is that they take best practice and show it to others
I wonder how they know what best practice is?
I looked at the names of the policy makers and all the people on all the executives, committees and boards - and of those who have or have had anything to do with libraries- and found that almost all of them have authorities which lie in the bottom 25% of performance..
These are people who think that closing libraries, reducing opening hours and book funds or spending 100's of millions on daft landmark buildings is the way to run a library service. What a bunch !! shall I list their names? (mind you there's quite a few OBE's, MBE's etc !)
And just to prove the point news arrives that the poor taxpayers of the City of Birmingham are to spend 193million pounds on a new library - my goodness this is the council that has regularly stopped buying books in recent years etc etc -- see many back numbers of Private Eye
That's the cost of 1,930 new community libraries across the country including lots of books! It makes you wonder whether to believe any of the stories about the struggle to fund local government -- doesn't it.?
Posted by Perkins at 3:34 PM | Comments (0)
October 16, 2007
London Borough of Southwark Executive
Southwark council cabinet appear to have gone mad and are closing Newington Reference Library, next to Elephant and Castle for no reason that they or anyone else can understand.
Here are their photographs-- for goodness sake never vote for any of them ever again.
Their names, for electronic posterity are
Nick Stanton
Kim Humphreys
Caroline Pidgeon
Columba Blango
Jeff Hook
Lorraine Zuletta
Lisa Rajan
Paul Noblet
Denise Capstick
Richard Thomas
Toby Eckersley
Councillors Zuletta and Stanton are most culpable- the former holds the portfolio for libraries and the latter is the leader. But the rest are all responsible: that is the system
The Chief Librarian who appears to have been responsible is Adrian Whittle- but I don't know more officers names in this case.
Afficionados of this site will recognise that Southwark came 27th out of 32 in my recent league table of the libraries in London
Posted by Perkins at 2:05 PM | Comments (9)
October 14, 2007
Success!
I called into the Ruislip Manor new library, the first in the Hillingdon programme, yesterday. This was the first full day open to the public. When I was there around 1pm it was very busy-- to be told it had been packed for most of the morning, with long queues at the book lending counter.
This is not sufficient on its own to report a triumph - but let's hope! Glimpses of kids clutching their books on the steps of the library are enough to warm a heart or two (especially mine-- this has been a long hard struggle)
The library is in a new building close to the Tube Station. It was planned in April; it is large, for the area (which is just part of Ruislip which has 2 other libraries), about 3,000 sq ft. It cost less than 100k pounds to do and one third of the money was spent on new books. Hillingdon hope to complete the remaining sixteen within two years. It looks fabulous. And I'm sure the coffee is good, though I haven't tried it yet. (Yesterday,Alec Kennedy, the head of cultural service was serving at the coffee counter-- after a week without sleep to get ready in time)
I shall report proper figures as and when I see them--- but I contrast this with Love Libraries, which started with the inevitable champagne party and a minister talking piffle, cost several time more and took a lot longer-- and then stopped! In Hillingdon we have not just done the very important job about appearance and response to customer need, we have also tackled the whole question of how the library service is managed within the council : the residents don't only get good service, but they also get good value.
Incidentally the outreach from this library to its local community will be far greater and of higher quality than was previously possible. It will be run by local staff from the branch with local people.
And there was a wonderful performance of the Dvorak cello concerto in Tewkesbury abbey-- to which I had never been before and adored on sight. A good day for the diary.
My friend in Alison's book shop in Tewkesbury said that they need people to visit the town now the flood damage is all cleared.. they want their shoppers back quickly.. do go-- it's really lovely. And please do go to Ruislip Manor new library and tell me what you think.
Posted by Perkins at 11:05 AM | Comments (12)
October 13, 2007
Glug glug
The more we watch the utter incompetence and ineptitude of highly paid officials in both MLA and DMCS unfold, the more it has to be obvious that those people who are on the board of the MLA and the ACL and senior civil servants in the DCMS have not had the faintest idea of the state of the public library service for a long time.
They have no information, no evidence, have made no attempt to gain evidence and not even the sense to ask for a half decent guess (nor even the interest, perhaps to visit a few libraries in London - to have a look)
The Titanic isn't sinking-- it has already sunk and reached the bottom and as if to mark the occasion in proper fashion, The Reading Agency has issued invitation to a champagne party in the most exclusive venue on London's South Bank in order to celebrate 5 years of what? Large salaries, I suppose. Glug glug
Posted by Perkins at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)
October 12, 2007
Councils should increase their book funds for public libraries
You keep hoping, as it is budget time in local councils, that someone in Government or MLA or somewhere would say this openly, emphatically and clearly
But they don't
And I bet if you asked them if they agreed they would still make some mealy mouthed gurgle like - 'oh but, society is changing-- libraries are about more than books, you know!'
Fine- but that doesn't change my headline-- does it? So I'll say it -- Councils, all of them, should increase the book fund for their public libraries by a lot this year in the budget which they are in the process of preparing. The Select Committee two years ago suggested 100% increase-- so let's try that
Because if you don't, and book funds go down again, the public library service is stuffed for ever. You could add that by way of an explanation that everyone understands.
Posted by Perkins at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)
October 11, 2007
"Sensational"
The first new library in Hillingdon, at Ruislip Manor, opens tomorrow. I haven't been able to see inside for a couple of weeks, so I have no idea how it's coming on -- until tonight when the call comes to say
- "It's sensational" which is such a relief ! and very good news
I'm also minded to observe, having spent so much of the week worrying about libraries in Hampshire, that this new library in Ruislip Manor which will probably have as many new books in it as the new library in Winchester, has cost just one percent of that the new so-called Discovery Centre. Can you believe that?
Posted by Perkins at 8:41 PM | Comments (0)
A Size Zero Model
In New Zealand at their annual library conference much press attention was drawn to a discussion about what librarians should wear, hosted by a leading fashion designer.
It is appropriate therefore that a Size Zero Model for libraries should be unveiled at the same time as the UK annual library conference in Glasgow.
It is a method of processing library books, audio visual items and so forth in such a way that they can even be delivered direct to the library shelf from the printer with one transportation and one handling. Most items, to be fair, will still require a bit more than that, but in every case the supply chain handling and cost is a tiny fraction of that which libraries currently use. Hence the use of the expression 'The Size Zero Model'
Hoots Mon
Posted by Perkins at 8:40 AM | Comments (6)
October 10, 2007
Court Circular
I see from The Court Circular that Craig Westwood of the DCMS is on tour in Scotland.
If anyone sees him they should ask what happened to
- Framework for the Future 1?
- Framework for the Future 2 ?
- Public Library Service Standards, the son of ?
- Impact Measures ?
- The Great Marketing Intiative for Public Libraries ?
- Love Libraries?
- Peer Reviews?
- Management Training?
- Implementation of the PKF report ?
- Implementation of the Recommendations of the Select Committee Report ?
- Book Lending ?
- The Culture Block?
- All the money given to the MLA by the DCMS ?
- Blueprint for the farmyard?
- The library buildings?
- The library book collections?
- BSBL ?
- Regional MLA's in the matter of public libraries?
- The ACL ?
- Mark Wood?
- Fiction in Public Libraries?
- The six regional processing centres?
- SYRUP ?
- The MLA board minutes ?
- Chris Batt?
- The truth as told to Ministers ?
- The tin of mansion polish ?
- The past 10 years ?
Etc - after all, you pay his wages --
Posted by Perkins at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
October 9, 2007
Supply Chain to Public Libraries
Readers of this site and other places which follow Government activity on public libraries will know of the immense attention that has been devoted to what is called 'the supply chain' . This means all the various activities which go on obtaining books, dvd's, journals and other forms of information and making them available to people who use public libraries.
It is a big subject, not least because it can be a huge cause of wasted effort and money and because lots of time had been devoted to streamlining the whole thing and even more time has been devoted to resisting change.
Most famous of all has been the million pounds or so that the DCMS and MLA have so far expended on consultants employed to work out the answers to the variety of questions and indeed the horrible fear (even expressed at length on this blog - under the heading 'Price Waterhouse Cooper') that the whole thing has been a load of hot air which has disappeared into the firmament.
Well, after all this, I have been present at a presentation this afternoon wherein perfectly simple solutions were proposed for the whole matter. Any council adopting the methods described will literally save millions of pounds and improve and speed up the service to their users. It has taken a few months but has hardly cost more than a few pence to construct and is available to anyone. All you have to do is ask me!
Well done and thanks to all concerned- they know who they are.
No need for BSBL now; no need even to join the CBC; - it's all done! And it's open to Welsh, Irish, Scots, English and the navy!
Posted by Perkins at 7:03 PM | Comments (9)
Prizes and problems
One of the differences between borrowing a book and buying one is that when you are borrowing you are much more likely to read the book- or at least try to
So the councils which in 2005-6 were the best at persuading people to borrow and read their books were
1. Shetland 8.8
2. Orkney 8.7
3. Southend 8.1
4. Norfolk 7.8
5. Cheshire 7.7
6. West Sussex 7.7
7. Harrow 7.6
8. Dorset 7.6
9. Eilean Siar 7.4
10. Stirling 7.4
11. Wolverhampton 7.4
12. Wandsworth 7.4
And the nul points society (whose motto must be 'libraries are about a lot more than books and reading- and we're here to prove it') are
1. Lambeth 2.7
2. Inverclyde 3.0
3. Camden 3.0
4. Stoke on Trent 3.0
5. North East Lincolnshire 3.2
6. Greenwich 3.4
7. Belfast 3.4
8. Western Board, Northern Ireland 3.4
9. Barnsley 3.4
10. Bradford 3.4
11. Birmingham 3.4
12. Southern Board, Northern Ireland 3.5
CIPFA will eventually produce figures for 2006-7 - so then we can have a new set of tables.
I apologise for any errors - and will happily correct any mistakes
Posted by Perkins at 7:31 AM | Comments (2)
League tables: English Counties
These are the English counties, the largest category in the UK. As before the figure alongside the name is the average number of books loaned to each resident in the last set of recorded figure, ie those for the year 2005-6
English Counties; League Division 1
1. Norfolk 7.8
2. Cheshire 7.7
3. West Sussex 7.7
4. Dorset 7.6
5. Buckinghamshire 7.1
6. Somerset 6.5
7. Essex 6.5
8. Durham 6.4
9. Cornwall 6.3
10. Oxfordshire 6.3
11. Lancashire 6.2
12. Hertfordshire 6.1
English Counties League Division 2
13. Devon 6.1
14. Suffolk 6.1
15. Northumberland 6.0
16. Hampshire 5.9
17. Bedfordshire 5.9
18. Wiltshire 5.9
19. Worcestershire 5.8
20. Staffordshire 5.8
21. Nottinghamshire 5.7
22. Lincolnshire 5.7
23. Northamptonshire 5.7
24. Leicestershire 5.7
English Counties: League division 3
25. Surrey 5.7
26. East Sussex 5.6
27. Cambridgeshire 5.6
28. Derbyshire 5.6
29. Shropshire 5.4
30. Gloucestershire 5.4
31. Cumbria 5.3
32. Warwickshire 5.1
33. North Yorkshire 5.0
34. Kent 4.7
Posted by Perkins at 12:13 AM | Comments (0)
October 8, 2007
Library Funding
Several people have said when looking at the league tables that one possible reason that a library authority is higher up the table is that the council spends more money on the libraries than the councils for the libraries lower down.
Indeed there is a general assumption that giving library authorities more money will make them better- more able to respond the needs of their community. In fact many would say it's so obvious that it must be true
But it isn't! In the league table for London the bottom ten library authorities have an average cost per resident of 26 pounds. The top ten authorities have an average cost per resident of 22 pounds
In other words if you took away 20% of the budget you would get a better library service. Or-- library authorities with too much money don't know how to spend it effectively
How often have I said it?
Shocking isn't it. Answers on a post card to Mr G Brown, 10 Downing St etc
Posted by Perkins at 10:28 PM | Comments (0)
League tables for London
The figure alongside each name is the number of book loans per resident as reported in the annual figures for 2005-6. Some councils have an adjustment because of their 'enhanced' daytime population (see note at the bottom)
London League Division 1
1. Harrow 7.7
2. Wandsworth 7.4
3. Bromley 6.5
4. Hounslow 6.1
5. Richmond upon Thames 6.1
6. Sutton 6.1
7. Redbridge 6.0
8. Barnet 6.0
9. Barking and Dagenham 5.9
10. Enfield 5.9
11. Havering 5.8
12. Bexley 5.7
London: League Division 2
13. Hillingdon 5.6
14. Westminster 5.1
15. Newham 5.0
16. Haringey 4.5
17. Kingston upon Thames 4.5
18. Croydon 4.3
19. Lewisham 4.3
20. Brent 4.1
21. Kensington and Chelsea 4.1
22. Hammersmith and Fulham 4.0
23. Islington 4.0
24. Ealing 3.9
London League Division 3
25. Tower Hamlets 3.9
26. Waltham Forest 3.8
27. Southwark 3.8
28. Hackney 3.8
29. Merton 3.6
30. Camden 3.0
31. Greenwich 2.8
32. Lambeth 2.8
Note -some London Boroughs receive extra govt funding because their daytime population is much greater than their normal one. I have added 60% to Westminster and 20% to Camden, which are recollected figures- if anyone can correct me, please do. I shall change the score and position accordingly.
These are pretty awful figures, which confirm my relentless observation that the library service in London is a mess. I even saw Love Libraries nominating Lambeth for a prize-- which roughly sums up my view of that scheme as well.
Posted by Perkins at 4:15 PM | Comments (0)
The people of Hampshire
Much is said about how library authorities should respond to the needs of their communities. Nowhere in England have there been more voices raised for such a long time about the destruction of their public libraries than in Hampshire. The wanton composting of the book collections to a mere slurry has infuriated thousands of people. And the arrogant, pompous refusal of the three men and one woman in charge of the service, cited repeatedly in the local papers, to listen and respond to what was said, with any other than patronising insensitivity has truly enraged and outraged them.
Even now they find that the new library in Winchester for which they have paid ridiculous millions and millions of pounds will only have a fraction of the numbers of books the old library used to have just 5 years ago.
The politicians, Thornber and Snaith, they will surely deal with at the next election; but it has been the uncovering of the powers of non elected highly paid unaccountable officers that has really angered them.
Richard Ward has announced that he will go-- but the emails are drumming louder and louder. Yinnon Ezra, say the local people, must not be allowed the comfort of choosing his own moment and his pension plan. They want him sacked now. They want worse than that- but they will make concessions to the semi civilised society we live in and will not stoop to street violence -- but he must go quickly.
For those who have not followed the gory detail here is a summary:
The number of books held in stock has declined by 24% over the last eight years.
Spending on books has fallen by 35% before taking into account anything for inflation.
Total library spending has increased by 43%.
Spending on books as a percentage of total spend has fallen from 13.6% to 6.23%.
The cost per visit to to libraries has increased from £2.03 to £3.28.
and as a result visits to libraries in Hampshire have fallen since 2000 by 12% and book lending has fallen by more than 40%. What a waste of 140 million pounds.
Posted by Perkins at 8:13 AM | Comments (7)
October 7, 2007
League tables for England : Metropolitan Councils
These are, of course, all the metropolitan library authorities except those in London
The figure given is the number of book loans per resident in the last year of published figures, 2006-6
Metropolitan Councils: League Division 1
1. Wolverhampton 7.4
2. St Helens 6.9
3. Gateshead 6.8
4. Stockport 6.3
5. Sefton 6.0
6. Wirral 5.8
7. Walsall 5.6
8. Calderdale 5.5
9. Bury 5.5
10. North Tyneside 5.5
11. South Tyneside 5.3
12. Dudley 5.2
Metropolitan Councils : League Division 2
13. Rochdale 5.1
14. Sunderland 4.9
15. Solihull 4.9
16. Bolton 4.9
17. Sheffield 4.8
18. Tameside 4.8
19. Kirklees 4.7
20. Newcastle upon Tyne 4.7
21. Doncaster 4.6
22. Coventry 4.5
23. Manchester 4.5
24. Sandwell 4.5
Metropolitan Councils : League Division 3
25. Wigan 4.4
26. Trafford 4.4
27. Oldham 4.4
28. Leeds 4.1
29. Rotherham 4.0
30. Liverpool 3.9
31. Knowsley 3.9
32. Salford 3.7
33. Wakefield 3.6
34. Birmingham 3.5
35. Bradford 3.4
36. Barnsley 3.4
Excuses by pigeon post to Joseph Chamberlain and other city fathers.
Posted by Perkins at 8:22 PM | Comments (0)
League tables for England: "Unitary" library authorities
In order to make the presentation practical I shall divide the 149 authorities in England in the same groups that CIPFA use -- London, Metropolitan, Unitary and County; with league tables of 12 for each.
In each case the figure alongside each name is the number of book loans per resident per annum in the last set of published figures (20005-6)
English Unitary Authorities: League Division 1
1. Southend 8.1
2. Bournemouth 6.8
3. Warrington 6.8
4. Southampton 6.7
5. Blackburn 6.3
6. Poole 6.3
7. Milton Keynes 6.2
8. Isle of Wight 6.1
9. Torbay 6.0
10. Redcar and Cleveland 6.0
11. South Gloucestershire 6.0
12. Windsor and Maidenhead 6.0
English Unitaries ; League Divsion 2
13. Swindon 6.0
14. Blackpool 5.9
15. Reading 5.9
16. Hartlepool 5.7
17. Rutland 5.7
18. North Somerset 5.7
19. Luton 5.7
20. Wokingham 5.7
21. Bracknell Forest 5.6
22. West Berkshire 5.4
23. York 5.4
24. Darlington 5.3
English Unitaries League Division 3:
25. Halton 5.2
26. Slough 5.2
27. Plymouth 5.1
28. Herefordshire 5.1
29. Stockton on Tees 5.1
30. Peterborough 5.1
31. Brighton and Hove 4.9
32. Leicester 4.9
33. Nottingham 4.9
34. Thurrock 4.6
35. Portsmouth 4.6
36. Derby 4.6
English Unitaries League Division 4.
37. Telford and Wrekin 4.5
38. Middlesborough 4.3
39. East Riding of Yorkshire 4.3
40. Medway 4.1
41. Bristol 4.1
42. Bath and North East Somerset 4.1
43. Kingston upon Hull 4.0
44. North Lincolnshire 3.8
45. North East Lincolnshire 3.3
46. Stoke on Trent 3.2
There are some famous names, those who claim to be 'operators of best practice', low down on these lists--- time to alert the councillors I think .
Posted by Perkins at 10:59 AM | Comments (3)
October 6, 2007
League Table for Northern Ireland
1. North Eastern Board 4.1
2. South Eastern Board 3.7
3. Southern Board 3.5
4. Western Board 3.4
5. Belfast 3.4
These figures would place all the libraries in Northern Ireland very low down the other leagues but the authorities are piling books into the libraries to try and improve these figures. Next year's will be better- you watch.
These figures are for 2005-6. In 1995-6, 10 years ago, before all the action plans, frameworks, standards and the other initiatives, the average figures for the four countries were
Northern Ireland 6.4
Scotland 9.1
Wales 9.2
England 8.8
Now they are
Northern Ireland 3.7
Scotland 5.3
Wales 5.0
England 5.5
Are we sure we have been doing the right things?
Excuses in writing to Princess Diana and The Queen Mother, both in Heaven.
Posted by Perkins at 4:14 PM | Comments (0)
Is there any SYRUP in the bottle?
We all know how difficult it is to get the last dregs of SYRUP out of the empty bottle. Well here is a working party to have a look.
What about the public, councillors etc? - Might they get a say in all this? Or is it once again, none of their business?
Posted by Perkins at 2:17 PM | Comments (1)
October 5, 2007
Who is Craig Westwood?
What does Craig Westwood do? To whom does he report? If the MLA has been wasting money who has let it happen? What is the role of the DCMS in public libraries? Who drafted the letter that Margaret Hodge sent to the Observer? Who is in charge?
Why is Mark Wood still Chairman of the MLA board?
The public library service is not some private tea party to be enjoyed by dormice who move seats and fall asleep. It may be a place for mad hatters; and it is certainly a wonderland-- but while all this goes on the public are paying and paying and paying for a service they do not receive.
There will be a pool of tears-- and soon
Posted by Perkins at 12:41 PM | Comments (0)
MLA and its 'board'
There are some harsh critics of the MLA among correspondents to this blog.
They might be interested in this extract from an article in the Bookseller on future Government spending on 'arts' related matters
"The library sector also stands to suffer, and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council is preparing for the worst. New c.e.o. Roy Clare said: "I'm not averse to challenging government about funding [but] if I were the DCMS, I would be deeply sceptical about MLA coming to ask for more money. Has MLA been spending what it gets in the best possible way? Some things we do that we don't need to do." He sounded a note of optimism ahead of the next CSR in three years' time: "MLA's bid in the next CSR round will be materially stronger if the MLA board and I deliver what we want to do."
My question is about the MLA board. Why is there just one elected councillor on the board? Councillors are the people who have responsbility for operating public libraries? Surely it is a body of them who should be guiding and demanding of the MLA? Otherwise who are these other people to decide "what we want to do"? I just don't get it. What accountability do they have?
I am sure they are all cheerful people and some of them have experienced and interesting views but the public looks to local councils to restore a failing service when ministers have delegated the role to them- and if those councils have a need for a body to help them- which I suppose is what the MLA is there for, then it should be for councillors and ministers to define the role on behalf of the people.
How often the failings of the public library service come back to the question "Who's in Charge?"
Without councillors this board has no weight. It is a pile of autumn leaves, easily brushed away.
Posted by Perkins at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)
October 4, 2007
Scottish League Tables
Scotland : League Division 1
1. Shetland 8.8
2. Orkney 8.7
3. Eilean Siar 7.4
4. Stirling 7.4
5. Moray 7.0
6. Falkirk 6.6
7. Highland 6.2
8. Dumfries and Galloway 6.1
9. East Renfrewshire 6.1
10. East Dunbartonshire 6.0
11. East Lothian 6.0
12. Angus 5.8
Scotland: League Division 2
1. Edinburgh 5.7
2. North Ayrshire 5.7
3. Fife 5.5
4. Aberdeenshire 5.4
5. West Lothian 5.3
6. South Lanarkshire 5.1
7. Perth and Kinross 5.0
8. Renfrewshire 5.0
9. Dundee 4.9
10. North Lanarkshire 4.9
11. South Ayrshire 4.7
12. Argyll and Bute 4.7
Scotland: League Division 3
1. East Ayrshire 4.7
2. Clackmannanshire 4.5
3. Aberdeen 4.5
4. Midlothian 4.4
5. Glasgow 4.3
6. Scottish Borders 4.2
7. West Dunbartonshire 4.2
8. Inverclyde 3.0
The figure is the number of book loans per resident in the last set of published figures
Explanations on a tin of shortbread to Elaine Mcdoodle, McSyrup, McDuff, Glasgow Central.
Posted by Perkins at 7:21 PM | Comments (5)
More Welsh News
Here is another daftness from the Welsh. Isn't it strange how people will do everything in the world except the one obvious thing to make libraries more useful?-- put some books in them.
Posted by Perkins at 6:16 PM | Comments (0)
League Tables
Yesterday a commenter suggested league tables, so I have decided to have leagues of 12. Here are the tables for Wales. They are ranked simply by the number of book issues per resident
Wales : League Division 1
1.Monmouthshire 6.7
2.Pembrokeshire 6.2
3.Powys 6.1
4.Carmarthenshire 6.0
5.Ceredigion 6.0
6.Neath Port Talbot 5.7
7.Anglesey 5.3
8.Gwynedd 5.3
9.Swansea 5.1
10.Conwy 5.0
11. Bridgend 4.9
12. Newport 4.9
Wales League Division 2
1. Merthyr Tydfil 4.8
2. Cardiff 4.8
3. Torfaen4.3
4. Flintshire 4.3
5. Rhondda Cynon Taff 4.2
6. Caerphilly 3.9
7. Blaenau Gwent 3.6
8,9,10. Denbighshire, Vale of Glamorgan and Wrexham failed to fill in their CIPFA forms
(Apologies, particularly to Pembrokeshire, the first edition of this table had the wrong figures)
Excuses on a postcard to D Lloyd George, Upa mountain, CYMAL, Camel, WRUFC, Millenium Arms Park, Wales. in welsh
Posted by Perkins at 9:45 AM | Comments (6)
October 3, 2007
Hampshire County Library Service
News tonight that the Head of Library and Information service in Hampshire is to leave shortly means that it is time to rebuild the service. The decimation of the book collections can now stop and they can be reassembled. There is a need for a Marshall Plan- and no more talk of Discovery Centres. Let us pray.
Posted by Perkins at 6:31 PM | Comments (3)
Death spiral in Wales
This is a glum story.. I wonder where this authority comes on Charlie Mains league table (see entry below DCMS comments). That is such a good idea-- we might try it on here.. Who is top? and who is bottom?
Only in Wales could you interview a phletobomist from Rhiwbina about her visit to the closed library. Please what is a phlebotomist? (Pete - don't answer)
Posted by Perkins at 1:11 PM | Comments (0)
DCMS
- Why was Margaret Hodge wrongly briefed about the state of the library service?
- Who in the DCMS briefed her?
- Who in the DCMS is responsible for public libraries?
- Who is Craig Westwood; was he responsible for briefing her?
- What does he do?
- Who is in charge at the DCMS of what the MLA do?
- Why do the DCMS feel it is satisfactory not to respond to publicly funded reports on library matters like the recent LISU ones?
- Within thecontext of the 1964 Act, who is responsible for obtaining proper information about the state of the public library service and advising the minister as the act requires?
Posted by Perkins at 8:41 AM | Comments (4)
October 2, 2007
The land of blog
One lesson we have all learned throughout this long saga is that politicians and government officers are not really bothered about what the public think at all - but they are extremely motivated by their name appearing in the paper- or on a blog. The new electrical information age means that a name, once mentioned stays on search engines for ever!!
So if I say Yinnon Ezra, Richard Ward, Margaret Snaith and Ken Thornber have presided over a very sharp decline in book use in Hampshire County Council; or that Margaret Hodge said there were more books- when there were 20m less, or that Tony Durcan of Newcastle City Council said he spends 12% of his funds on books- when in fact he spends less than 5%--- all those references stay on Google and whenever they search for their names (as politicians and journalists often do)- these are the stories that come up. It's painful, but a good campaign tool
My sources say that at present there are quite a few senior library managers about to follow Chris Batt and David Lammy and walk the plank into the great depths of the shark infested swamp of Blog. Bad publicity is to blame.
Posted by Perkins at 10:37 PM | Comments (4)
Two hundred and fifity million pounds to spend
I still believe that between councils in the UK the amount of money which is spent on activities in the public library service which the public would not miss, if they were not done, is about two hundred and fifty million pounds per annum.
That money, if redirected properly, could provide all the funds needed to restore the book collections and the buildings and to increase opening hours to a satisfactory level.
The only way to do this is tackle the matter council by council -- the problems are similar but the patients are very different .
I cannot see, as they currently are composed, any useful role for the MLA , the MLA regions or the DCMS. They are not just a waste of money, which they are, but they actually prevent by distraction, the work that needs to be done. In seven years, not one of the fundamental problems has been addressed and resolved.
So what is the forthcoming libraries conference about? None of these things. McDoodle
Posted by Perkins at 8:32 AM | Comments (2)
October 1, 2007
About Perkins
Perkins has been the library cat at Bloggington on Sea Carnegie Library on the dockside of Bloggington harbour for many years. When Perkins was small, the librarian, Mrss Sideloader, made a space for her to sleep by removing volumes 12-14 of Elgar Atkins’s Naval Manoeuvres in Bloggington Bay During the Reign of Queen Anne, which were shelved directly above the old steam radiator. Today, Perkins occupies the space of four more volumes - a tribute to Mrs. Sideloader’s generosity and to the many hours Perkins spends at Mrs. Hill's whelk stall on the sea front.
Perkins has been awarded many letters: OBE, MBE, KGB, and MGB. This summer she became a "Cat of the British Empire" (CBE). She is a life member of SYRUP, a mysterious organisation whose activities only she understands. She also has relatives in many countries including Wales.
We are honoured that she has agreed to host this public library blog. In gracious recognition of this work, we have awarded her honorary American citizenship.
Posted by Trevor Young at 2:37 PM | Comments (1)