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June 26, 2008
The Thought Controller
Today a U3A (University of the Third Age) group held its regular 'library group' meeting in Gosport Discovery Centre. Each week they discuss books or poetry, read plays out loud or read out original works the members have written. Because the room where they usually hold their meetings was booked out to another (fee-paying) organisation, they were forced to conduct their book-group in the open area of the library, thus doubtless disturbing other customers and in turn being disrupted by customers bellowing into their mobile phones. Before the group left, a librarian stopped one of them and said that there had been a complaint from another customer about the 'racist language' that the group had been overheard to use. The group explained that a discussion about race was hardly surprising: the book they had been discussing was 'The Bookseller of Kabul'.....
Posted by Perkins at 4:26 PM | Comments (0)
June 25, 2008
The problem lies not with librarians but with Chief Librarians
From Frank Daniels
Dear Perkins,
I think you look at this problem through the wrong end of a telescope: local councillors/the public cannot trust professional librarians to advocate/defend the role of books in libraries!???!!
On the contrary history shows that chief librarians from the mid 1970's onwards lost the respect of councillors and have allowed those local politicians to set their own agendas for libraries, running libraries to reflect their own political "isms". A right wing council thus outsources or privatises the professional work and deletes posts; a left wing council tends to push for political correctness a la Blair's vision for the UK these last ten years and more.
A true and strong profession does not allow political infiltration of its work, and it regulates itself with a code of ethics and conduct, like the other professions. Take a good look around and you'll see that nothing of the sort is happening. Chief librarians abdicated their responsibilities to the profession and rolled over for their political masters. I have seen this at very close quarters; to make matters worse, CILIP acquiesces in all this and then expects its members to "revalidate" their qualifications when local authorities are now talking about doing away with the need for professionally qualified library staff.
So, Perkins, do not blame honest, hard working professional librarians for the mess libraries are now in; blame those who really are responsible, chief librarians who are complicit and a professional body that is complacent...
Frank Daniels
Ex-librarian
Posted by Perkins at 2:47 PM | Comments (2)
"We are above democracy"
No, this is not a comment about politics in Zimbabwe, but rather about the dear old MLA.
In recent weeks two very different political bodies- the Conservative shadow office and the all party parliamentary committee on libraries have both politely, but firmly, questioned whether the Museums Libraries and Archives Council is doing a good job for public libraries. Both have called for a major change.
MP Lyn Brown, who is the chair of the former body said in a prpeared speech:
"I have become convinced that the basis of a thriving library service is a service that evolves organically via local involvement and ownership . . . However, that does not obviate the need for strategic leadership of the sector, but how is this best provided? . . . I would [say] that the MLA has not to date been configured to best provide the library leadership role. Indeed it has arguably shown the signs of an organisation formed by a shotgun marriage," she said.
Brown questioned whether the MLA, launched by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in April 2000, gave adequate responsibility to libraries at a local management level, and expressed doubt about whether museums and libraries were sufficiently similar in purpose to be represented successfully by one body.
"I have always believed that although the grouping of functions has a superficial attraction, museums and libraries in particular have different professional cultures and delivery mechanisms. To its credit MLA has expended much energy and investment in promoting joint working and minimizing the differences between sectors, we have them to thank for the fabulous people's network and to time to budget, but the added value experienced by the service user and service provider, I think is questionable," she said.
The Bookseller then reported:
"The MLA refused to respond to Brown's criticisms, however, dismissing her remarks as one of many references made to the MLA by politicians in the normal course of the organisation's work. "As a rule, we don't respond to everything that politicians say about the MLA. We are aware of the speech, at which members of the MLA were present. It would be difficult to put out a statement every single time the MLA is mentioned, because it happens frequently. Because we're a publicly funded body, politicians talk about us," said a spokesman for the MLA. "
This blog has always questioned the capability of all the national bodies connected with the public library service (and there are many including the MLA) . None have produced the leadership and sense of direction that would help local councils improve their service. Of course one of the problems they all have is their lack of accountability to the public - as the spokesman in the above piece expresses by his, or her, disdain so eloquently. If the MLA wishes to have any public and council support, it has to learn to be a lot more polite to public representatives and show an ability to listen to concerns, rather than to deny them. For the time being there seems little hope of improvement.
Posted by Perkins at 10:58 AM | Comments (1)
June 23, 2008
Oxfordshire County Library Service
Helen Farrell calls for Christopher Hawtree to move up country-
Mr Hawtree might like to consider moving to Oxfordshire. We have two copies of "Swing Hammer Swing" and a copy of "The Mirror and the Lamp".I hope this debate continues - I have found it most interesting
(Helen - sorry to have been slow to post this, Perkins has been at the seaside)
Posted by Perkins at 9:35 PM | Comments (1)
June 17, 2008
Where on Earth are the book publishers?
The world must be grateful to Bill and Melinda Gates for their determination to make sure that library users have access to the internet. But why do no book publishers do the same? What about access to literature? Half a million pounds among all of you?
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Access to Learning Award (ATLA) 2009
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is inviting applications from libraries and organisations with a mandate to provide public access to information to apply for the Access to Learning Award (ATLA) 2009.
The award recognizes excellence and innovation in public libraries and similar institutions in providing access to information through the use of computers and the Internet, at no cost to the user. The recipient will receive a prize of US$1 million.
The 2009 brochures (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish), application form and further information are now available from
www.gatesfoundation.org/GlobalDevelopment/GlobalLibraries/AccessLearningAward/
Please note: the closing date for the 2008 award is 31 October 2008.
If you, or any of your contacts, have any questions please contact ATLA at
ATLA Administrator
email: atla@gatesfoundation.org
Posted by Perkins at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2008
The eyes of the past itself
From Vincent in Buckinghamshire (taken from his own blog)
Later in the morning... I went out on an errand. On my return, I passed the Public Library, which has just reopened at its grand new premises. After striding through its three floors of offerings, with more staff visible than visitors, I left incoherent with rage. It was hard to formulate what I found so offensive. I’m glad I resisted the urge to accost one of the librarians, for I would have put myself in the wrong and upset them pointlessly. I don't want to rant about the details, only enough to give you the gist. The computer terminals seemed more important than the books. The music CDs and DVDs were displayed as proudly as the meagre selection of books. I couldn't see anything of interest: only political correctness in every set of shelves. The gay and lesbian magazines were prominent, and the books in Urdu and Chinese. The proportion of “ethnic minorities” who cross the threshold, along with the other “minority groups” (if they could be identified as such) must have been major tick-boxes on their mission-statement-conformance audit forms. Most of all they seemed to feel that empty space was more important than lots of books, having got rid of all the old ones over the years. Now you can see only what they allow you to see. Classics? Oh yes, we have those---in new editions with instructive notes; as long as they are fully on-message. Joseph Conrad? Oh yes, we have Heart of Darkness: that’s what the kids read in school, so as to write essays on whether it is racist or anti-racist.
“So what would you do, Vincent?” To me, a library is a citadel of learning and literature, an open door to the past. Nothing would be thrown away. The stock would simply increase forever, so that you could discover not just the past through the politically-correct lens of 2008, but through the eyes of the past itself. So there would be books from the 1930s about the Victorian age (and not just Lytton Strachey’s 1918 Eminent Victorians, included “because it is a classic”).
End of rant. Trying to pick up the threads of where I left off before that, about emotions as friendly messengers, I wanted to study what “appropriate action” my unquenched fury was demanding. Should I go, like blind Samson in Gaza, to the temple that the Philistines had built to their god Dagon? Should I grasp its pillars and use my renewed strength---not residing in my hair, but in my words---to pull the whole abomination down around their ears?
No, not directly. I shall not protest to the librarians or the County Council. I shall not organize a candle-light protest march of outraged citizens, if any. My anger just made me realize how important learning and literature are to me: where “learning” includes in particular how people thought yesterday, and the day before that. For I don’t see today as any better. I worry that we are losing something, and I worry that I am not doing enough myself, being lazy about fulfilling my own destiny: a foolish worry of course, but I’m working on becoming wise.
My anger, if it’s a “friendly messenger” as I believe, isn’t to warn me that my life is in danger, but something equivalent: what I hold dear is being trampled upon. Till now, I never knew I held it so dear.
I shall endeavour to get my local library to ban my next book, by including a little rant like the above. They already have several copies of my last: it meets their criteria par excellence, being about a black immigrant who became the town's mayor. The last time I checked, no one had borrowed it.
Nature too is a great library. In the leaves of trees we can read the past. These trees, these nasturtium flowers outside my window, the different kinds of bees and wasps: they are like books preserved from long ago, the companions of our distant ancestors. If the librarians are guilty of wanton destruction, then so is civilization itself, for jeopardizing what Nature has taken so long to create. Most of today’s species were here before my own; just as most of the extinct ones were wiped out before man came along.
Posted by Perkins at 6:06 PM | Comments (3)
June 12, 2008
Hertfordshire
From Andy
I can't believe that libraries are actually closing down - it's such a shame.
It sort of goes with the assumption that everyone wants to use the NET - is the NET really that thrustworthy?
Posted by Perkins at 8:31 AM | Comments (1)
June 10, 2008
Nobody wants to believe it
Unpleasant though it must seem, the constructive point that is being made is that the public and local councillors cannot trust the library profession to defend or advocate for the role of books in public libraries.
Nobody likes to see it or to believe it, but until we face this fact the public library service is not in safe hands.
That, unfortunately is what the record plainly shows. Those people who want to accredit themselves and others with the name 'professional public librarian' have got to change what it means, quickly.
Show me a conference or a discussion in which public librarians are concentrating seriously and purposefully on the improvement of their book collections- and I'll show you the future. Without this, there will be no public libraries. It is now four years since I first said this and there is not enough improvement to prevent the inevitable.
Posted by Perkins at 1:28 PM | Comments (6)
June 9, 2008
Book knowledge is not a necessary quality
James writes
In Southwark many staff (not all professional librarians) opted for voluntary redundancy in 2007, because they were unhappy about the way in which senior managers were managing the sevice, dissent is strongly discouraged.
Senior managers do not consider 'book knowledge' to be a necessary quality, and many staff do not read. Councillors and Senior Managers are driven by issue figures, they consider the best way to improve these is to appeal to the lowest common denominator ie buy multiple copies of best sellers at the expense of more literary works. There is also a policy of withdrawing ALL books which fail to issue within a given time frame.
Posted by Perkins at 10:47 AM | Comments (3)
June 8, 2008
Passionate about books
From Bruno
As one of the ex-librarians removed from Kent, can I say that the removal of 53 professional posts essentially removed the very people who were advocating for more book stock and were passionate about books, and now, with almost total supplier selection, will be unable to respond to local community needs or provide an expert on the ground.
- Bruno, were the professional librarians the only people advocating for books and passionate about them? Were the non-professionals not advocating for books? Didn't the councillors want books? Didn't the people of Kent seem to want books in their libraries, too? Whomever was advocating for books in Kent, the amount of books being bought fell to an extremely low level... even lower than Hampshire! We are wary on this site of professional librarians claiming to be holy. Nor are we convinced that the training that allows them to call themselves professional concentrates on books to the extent that they can call themselves expert.
Whatever else has happened in the past 20 years, the passion for books displayed by professional public librarians in this country has not had the effect of improving the quality of book collections in our public libraries. Has it?
Most of the advocacy one sees from professional public librarians is about 'diversification', about Wi-fi, about TV's about Web 2.0--- you only have to follow Lis-pub-libs, to observe how rarely the discussions are about books and how to get more of them.
And finally, if the management of Kent library service have arranged supplier selection so that there is no room for meeting local community needs, then they are dumb. Supplier selection should only be about the pre-selection of new titles to avoid each library service going through the same process-- it should be about improving local selections, not impoverishing them. If they need help, I am happy to give it.
Posted by Perkins at 10:13 AM | Comments (11)
June 7, 2008
A sensible plan for the public library service
From Martyn Everett:
As a contrast to vague aspirations of the MLA document I thought it might be useful to suggest a few practical ways in which an improvement in the public library service might be achieved. I am sure other people can suggest equally valid measures.
Establishment of a new Central London Research Library (to take strain off British Library).
Single London Library ticket.
Improve book-stocks - introduction of standard author lists, increase subject range of purchases.
Improved supply times for new books - within 3 weeks of publication. Streamlining of supply chains.
Bring all libraries up to minimum H & S standards within 3 years
Increased opening hours for all libraries - and provision of public toilets in libraries wherever possible.
All libraries to be provided with quiet study space, and provision of ‘dedicated’ sound-proof areas for noisey activities, daytime meetings etc.
All libraries to have book magazines and display material promoting books.
Re-introduction of book-stacks and “long tail” supply.
Free publication of CIPFA figures in full. CIPFA figures available online..and linked from library websites. Publication of local performance statistics in local libraries. (These are already collected)
Roll out programme of additional quality online services (eg JSTOR) or establishment of a similar co-operative project for public libraries. Systematic archiving of journals and magazines.
Reintroduction of binding and conservation programmes.
Re-introduction of Local Studies Collections with libraries acting as local “deposit’ libraries for local publications.
Introduction of blogs listing new books added to stock, with links through to catalogue.
Production of reading lists on particular subjects/ authors (paper and online with link through to catalogue)
Involvement in key book promotion events at local level eg World Book Day - Local Literature festivals. Support for local bookshops.
Limiting the use of mobile phones, and eating & drinking to designated areas.
Provision of drinking water for the public.
Establishment of a national on-line virtual library along the lines of BUBL for public libraries with websites organised by dewey number and indexed by keyword or similar along lines of Intute/ bubl.
Abolition of existing managerial structure and its replacement by a co-operative staff structure to increase motivation involvement etc. More book related training for staff. Streamlining of bureacratic and administrative processes, and ensure that centralised staff are providing support for local services, and not the other way round.
Introduction of a UK spelling requirement in children’s books
Increased purchase of children’s book prize-winners
Annual readers meetings for all libraries, attended by Councillors.
Posted by Perkins at 7:56 PM | Comments (2)
June 3, 2008
MLA spins itself into oblivion
It is quite funny to compare the MLA press release today with the account of the same events in The Bookseller.
Posted by Perkins at 5:17 PM | Comments (3)