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March 30, 2008
How much of 193 million pounds should be spent on books ?
Birmingham is to spend a large fortune on the most expensive architects in the world to replace the library that they built not long ago.
Two questions at this stage:
-how much will be the architect's fee?
-how much will be spent on the book collections?
The third and fourth questions will come later: such an enormous capital expenditure has to be paid for through the council's capital charge for libraries. How much will the capital charge be ? and how much will the book fund be in the years that follow the contruction?.. I have never seen a council that has thought of the answers to these 2 questions before they begin the project.
Every single large library project in the past decade had failed to support the capital programme with adequate book funds. Like a new restaurant with no food for supper.
Posted by Perkins at March 30, 2008 9:23 PM
Comments
What a ludicrous comment...........could you define again what is a 'book collection'? it's a term you're always using but I think you don't understand
Posted by: Richard Mitchell at March 31, 2008 9:30 PM
For most people 'a collection of books' is a library. Richard-- you give yourself away- only a librarian would not know that.
Posted by: perkins at April 1, 2008 10:19 AM
Tim why are you so rude and snide? You use the term 'book collections' when referring to libraries (ie contents within a library building)- for example you once said that Ealing library contained 'valuable book collections' or words to that effect - what DID you mean? - libraries in a library?. It just does not make sense, but then that is par for the course with you.
How are the Hillingdon statistics going? doubling by the month?
Posted by: Richard Mitchell at April 1, 2008 7:08 PM
A collection of fiction; a collection of art books; a collection of childrens books; a local history collection-- many collections-- normal English
This blog does not have and has not had for many months access to up to date performance figures for Hillingdon. I am sure the council is perfectly able to release them when they wish-- or you can ask them if you want
I am sure the people of Birmingham will expect that when 193m has been spent the collections in their public library will be rather better than they are now. Indeed I am pretty sure they will assume that a substantial portion of the money will have been spent improving them.
Neither rude nor snide.
Where do you work- or did you work, Richard?
Posted by: perkins at April 1, 2008 8:59 PM
Re book collections, and identifying myself as a Chartered Librarian (not something I'm proud of any more), I'm with Perkins on the definition of book collections. This is normal English and this kind of condescending and pernickety sniping has ruined my profession. More and more, I fear lots of library committees made up of strange bearded people in badly-knitted jumpers have buried the core values of our once noble trade beneath a barrage of useless initiatives, meaningless long words and other self-important drivel.
Posted by: James Christie at April 2, 2008 2:24 PM