The Good Library Blog: September 2008 Archives

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September 29, 2008

There are 25 library authority councils who spend less than 1% of their library budget on childrens books

And, out of the 200 library authority councils in the UK, there are about 170 councils (including these 25) who spend less than 2% of the money they take from the public to provide library services, on childrens' books

This is the obvious consequence of 'diversification' - the policy which has been operating for many years where, in order to make public libraries more 'relevant', they are no longer 'just about books' . It has been a mistaken policy which has gone far too far.

Does this meet with the approval of the Society of Chief Librarians? Is it what the MLA and DCMS intended from ' Framework for The Future of Public Libraries' (which has now been the Govt policy for 7 years) ? Is this what CILIP recommends? Is it what the ACL advises is right? Willl the LGA have a sharp word with these councils? Do these figures pass the tests of the Audit Commission? Will the Select Committee on public libraries rouse itself over this? What about The Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly, have they abdicated their responsibilities for public libraries, too? Do the paid councillors of these councils who have public libraries in their portfolio even know what these figures are? What would Mrs Hodge, or Mr Burnham, the ministers, say about this? Will Ed Vaizey, the shadow minister condemn this? Is there a Lib Dem who takes an interest?

The public who pay for and love their public libraries, do not approve at all. You can be sure of that. And they have scant respect for those who have been paid fortunes to manage and oversee the service.

In the National Year of Reading let us at last admit that these figures are a National Disgrace. And whoever is in charge should take responsibility and do something about it (like, for example, spending more of the money on childrens books)

The 25 councils who are against children reading books are listed below

Camden
Islington
Kensington and Chelsea
Croydon
Haringey
Waltham Forest
Manchester
Doncaster
Newcastle upon Tyne
Bracknell Forest
Brighton and Hove
Bristol
Darlington
Poole
Reading
Slough
Stockton on Tees
Surrey
Neath Port Talbot
Aberdeen
Inverclyde
North Ayrshire
Renfrewshire
Scottish Borders
Belfast

Posted by Perkins at 11:36 AM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2008

Warwickshire County Library Service

A librarian writes:

"Things are afoot in the Warwickshire Library and Information Service. A raft of unpopular charges have recently been introduced including charging children a £1 a throw for story times! Amazing! Whatever happened to social inclusion and encouraging the young to visit our libraries. After all, they are our future customers.

This is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The Transformation Panel, an anonymous, autonomous committee of faceless management have deemed that we’re not offering the people of Warwickshire the right kind of library service. Indeed, it seems that we “need to change to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century”. How the Transformation Panel would know this is fairly perplexing as many of them haven’t set foot in a library since the late 80’s.

Unfortunately, it seems that to meet these “challenges and opportunities” there must be a cull of staffing. There are strong rumours of mass redundancy and staff having to apply for their own jobs, which is not a nice feeling for those that are potentially affected. Unsurprisingly during the last phase of transformation senior managers were conveniently “slotted in” to their roles, something which is certainly not going to happen to the rest of us.

Apparently “internal restructuring is necessary, as a first step, if we are to maximise opportunities and provide the services more people want, where and how they want them”. I’ve been a little daft then; obviously the people of Warwickshire want a dumbed-down, stripped-to-the-bone service that is top heavy with management.

That’s lucky as that’s what they’re going to get."

Posted by Perkins at 1:14 PM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2008

The Times

The Times has always regarded its letters page as one of the most important contributions to its quality. One might be justified in believing that the Letters Editor of The Times has been extremely unimpressed with those correspondents from the SCL and the MLA, in the past week, who have written to defend the 'diversification' of public libraries. To prove such a point of view tomorrow he publishes another letter, this time from a reader who lives in the area of and uses the notorious county library service in Hampshire.

Among the many flaws in the argument made by Roy Clare in his letter published this morning is the assumption that local authorities that operate public libraries in their area know how to listen to and understand the needs of their local residents. The letter from Havant this morning proves how wrong he is. (and how daft those who operate Hampshire County Library service have become)

Posted by Perkins at 9:23 PM | Comments (1)

Library Assistants are under valued

It is easy to agree with this comment below. This is the piece of the jigsaw that the public don't ever get to see... nor do many journalists-

"With the correct training a Library Assistant can help with anything. Library Assistants are extremely under valued, a lot of what they now do was once done by Librarians. I can assure others that it is more about common sense,teamwork and experience. I am a Library Assistant and the dearth of training available is a disgrace and on top of that we are then insulted. Please believe me when I say that I am more than capable. Today many Librarians have Post-graduate experience or no experience as Librarians and are being trained on the job to manage the workload of Library Assistants with more experience. Knowledge and skills this combination is unbeatable in life. Library Assistants are now the 'FACE' that the public see first, once upon a time the Librarian did everything."

There is an urgent need for root and branch reform of the public library profession, its training, its accreditation and its role. It would be better if the profession reformed itself rather than being told what to do by politicians, or small black cats, but if someone wants to know what they should do... they only have to ask.

Posted by Perkins at 4:14 PM | Comments (0)

September 25, 2008

Roy Clare rows in

In a letter in The Times tomorrow morning, Roy Clare demonstrates that he has still not read the recommendations of the House of Commons Culture Select Committee (Gerald Kauffman's report) of March 2005. Either that or he has decided he can ignore them ( in the same way that Chris Batt and Mark Wood did)-- even though the DCMS promised they would implement them

The Committee insisted that, while a council can decide to do more or less whatever it wants with its own library buildings, the core of the service, viz its fundamental service of books and reading, has to be improved a great deal, from the state in which it was observed to be then. The agency nominated to do that is the MLA-- and the DCMs was told to raise its game to make sure that they did.

They haven't done that at all-- and it is Roy Clare's job to make sure that they do.

It is, however, true, that, as we explained here yesterday, there are definitely two separate parties in this argument and Roy is clearly in one of the camps. He is not alone in failing to adopt the views of Gerald Kaufman's committee. Somebody has to try to find a way to reconcile these two distinct views and find a way forward.

Posted by Perkins at 8:11 PM | Comments (1)

Reviews News

While some of us know there is certain to be a New Culture Select Committee review of public libraries shortly, sparked by the Conway review of public libraries in the summer, this blog announced recently that the DCMS is holding a review of public libraries. To this news we can add this morning that the 'All Party Parliamentary Group for public libraries' (sponsored by SYRUP!) is also now to hold a review into public libraries. Of course the MLA is reviewing its progress ready for its first 6 monthly report (after 15 months) . So Perkins is happy to announce that she, too, is having a review of public libraries and will conduct it on the sofa in front of the fire with her eyes closed. If you want to give evidence, please give it to someone else.

Posted by Perkins at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)

September 24, 2008

Wars in Libraria

There are most definitely two warring factions in the world of Libraria.

The battle of words goes on again today on the letters page of The Times. The headline in the printed edition of the paper is 'Have our librarians lost the plot?'

On the one side are those people who believe that the population no longer has a need for libraries which provide books and other written information for pleasure and study as their main purpose. Books and reading material are not a sufficient attraction on their own. For libraries to be more widely used they need to diversify into other activities. Libraries must be 'more than just books'

On the other side are those who believe that the reason why people are not using libraries is because they no longer satisfy those needs properly. They don't have the books and information that people need and want and they don't even provide a quiet place one can read or study.

There is no reconciliation between these two views; there is no fence upon which one can sit to agree with both sides. If you are one on side you simply cannot be on the other.

The problem is that, like Jarndyce and Jarndyce, as this war enters its third or fourth decade there are too many people in the country who have never experienced a good public library and have lost interest.

It is time for decisive action... or it will be too late.

(Incidentally Jarndyce and Jarndyce is based on a true story that took place in Aldeburgh!)

Posted by Perkins at 9:43 PM | Comments (6)

More money than the Americans

Many thanks to Sue Hill and her colleagues for an entertaining evening at the Roxy Cinema in Borough High Street last night. That is Sue Hill the recruitment agency and not Susan Hill the author.

They have a new and useful blog.

The occasion was a showing of the film Hollywood Librarian which is about the library profession in America, built mainly around the threatened closure of the Steinbeck public libraries in Salinas County a couple of years ago.

One fact emerged of which I was not aware which is that in the UK we pay ten times more out of taxation for our public libraries than Americans do. In London alone taxpayers pay twice as much as the library funding for the whole of the USA. In America the funds for libraries come from charity and have to be sought by librarians. We are very lucky

The film mostly comprised sincere and unassuming librarians talking about the importance of their work and I was struck by the central emphasis on books, authors and reading. Of course libraries do other things- but that clearly is the heart that beats and they want you to know. There were also some salutory professional warnings about the quality of searching on Google, which are borne out by experience.

This is all in stark contrast to the campaign for Happy Clappy Libraries which is being waged here by The Society of Chief Librarians. Presumably the PR they are using is being paid for by the public. Here is today's onslaught in The Times.

This stuff is being put out by Tony Durcan, Sue Mackenzie and the rest of this group as an attempt to justify what they have already done. As we wrote yesterday on here in London just 1% of (the huge) library funding is spent on childrens' books. In Newcastle upon Tyne, where Mr Durcan is in charge, less than 0.7% of their funding is spent on books for children to read each year.

Whatever is said about changing society and the need to attract people, those figures are simply not satisfactory and, as Tom Roper said here yesterday, they are a scandal.

As in America we would hope that senior librarians, which is what these people are, would be advocating the importance of books and reading-- where in fact they are well down the path of destroying the role of public libraries in the process of helping children to read in this country. We know that they cannot see it themselves, but unfortunately too many figures bear witness to the damage they have already done.

Posted by Perkins at 8:32 AM | Comments (2)

September 23, 2008

Unbelievably shocking

We talk about charities in which the money donated never gets to the intended recipients.

Here are 25 public library authorities in the UK in which, in 2006/7, less than 1% of the funds they used were spent on books for children. Doubtless they will argue that they do many other things-- but this is the reason why they should stop doing other things and refocus. If public libraries do not have books for children to read we might as well shut them all down tomorrow-- and if the managers have no more sense of priority than is exhibited here, they should not be employed .

Posted by Perkins at 10:01 AM | Comments (3)

September 22, 2008

Which councils spend less than 1% of their whole library budget on childrens' books?

Can you believe that there are councils that spend less than 1% of the money they take from council taxpayers on books for children to read?

Start now. For example within the list of Inner London Boroughs there some who spend slightly more than one percent but several who spend less. Shall I name them?

And how about Newcastle upon Tyne? What percentage of their gross library funding was spent on childrens books in 2006/7? Is this council the example which others should be following

And Brighton and Hove, the great model of a PFI?

Posted by Perkins at 6:58 PM | Comments (1)

September 21, 2008

Book Lending in UK public libraries

In 1996/97 we loaned 486m books of which 379m were to adults and 107m were to children

In 2006/07 we loaned 315m books of which 214m were to adults and 91m were to children

The decline in adult loans during the period was 43.5%; the decline in childrens' loans was 15.0%. The overall decline was 35.2%

These were the years during which childrens books flourished in this country more than at any time in our history with the publication of the Harry Potter books.

Funding of the service consistently increased by more than the rate of inflation

In the 385 public libraries in London just 1.2% of the £214m funds for the service in 2006/07 was spent on books for children to read.

These figures are shocking. Does it need to be said?

Posted by Perkins at 7:20 PM | Comments (0)

A new Act of Parliament for Public Libraries

The jungle drums are beating over the weekend to say that the purpose of the DCMS review is to create a new Act of Parliament for public libraries

What a waste of time that will be.

The last Act, which was written in 1964, is perfectly ok. The problem is that highly paid local government officials and civil servants simply take no notice of what it says. Instead of following the common sense guidance it offers, they argue like eight year olds about the meaning of the words.

Unless that attitude changes there is no point in a new act and no point in wasting time talking about what it might say.

We went through all that on the occasion of the last Select Committee Hearings.

More talk and no action -- is just bad government. We don't want Acts of Parliament in place of decent public sector management. Parliament has more important things to worry about.

Posted by Perkins at 5:57 PM | Comments (2)

September 19, 2008

Wildlife and Wild Women are both endangered species

That is the opening line from which book?

You can see the quote on the wallpaper at Ruislip Manor library in Hillingdon.

Fun today because the Society of Chief Librarians have launched their PR offensive which is something to do with fish and chips in libraries, but the main beneficiary has been Councillor Henry Higgins in Hillingdon.

So hear it, also, for R&D&co, the graphic design company who designed the wallpaper and the branding and for McKenzie Wheeler who deisgned the shop fit for these lovely libraries.

You can have all these lovely things in your libraries, too and the good publicity for your Councillor (believe me they like it). You just have to ask.

Posted by Perkins at 8:10 PM | Comments (0)

Chicken SYRUP

I asked if the CILIP Public Libraries Association conference would like to host a discussion about the work that was done in Hillingdon, the supply chain issues, the design issues, the questions about training and the role of the professional librarian and the library managers. It would be an opportunity to clear the air, for example, on the questions about outreach or diversification or even making coffee.

But 'No' was the answer. We don't want to find time to talk about those things. Go away.

Posted by Perkins at 1:42 PM | Comments (2)

Camden council looks foolish

There is a whole set of articles about public libraries in The Times today.

In the first is Michael Clarke making Camden Council look foolish

In the second a resident of Camden gives him a dose of common sense

And in the third the great judge of all things, The Times Leader Writer, lays down the law.

In these articles one senses two quite hostile views neither of which can tolerate the other. Of course there is a sensible middle line, a route of common sense. But there is no sign of that from the library managers.

The success in Hillingdon is not 'because they installed Starbucks'; it is because they have improved the book collections, the environment and the opening hours -- and that includes a facility for having a cup of coffee-- all those things. And it will fail if they let the book collections decline in quality again.

Posted by Perkins at 12:23 PM | Comments (1)

Buckinghamshire to close even more libraries

It is only a year since Margaret Dewar, the hatchet wielding councillor responsible for public libraries in Buckinghamshire closed 8 of the smaller libraries in the county. This was done in the face if huge protest which was entirely justified.

Now this article reveals that even more are under threat. There were only about 30 to start with.

This news is the kind of thing that normally slips under the radar. It was the previous closures in Buckinghamshire that caused the Conservative Party to suggest that councils that propose to close libraries should at least notify the Minister of their intention, so that there was an opportunity for the facts of the matter to be discussed.. Unfortunately that plan came to nothing.

Of course one cries out feebly for The Minister, DCMS or MLA to raise a hand in protest, but Mrs Dewar is a tough old stick and one can be sure she will take no nonsense from that direction, for nonsense, sadly, it will be.

Poor old Buckinghamshire, again.

The sad stories of the Buckinghamshire library service are revealed if you put the name in our Search Box.

Posted by Perkins at 8:36 AM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2008

A reader writes

'What can we feel but continuing cynicism at one more review and one more modernisation exercise when the Government failed to implement the very moderate recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee in, was it, 2005?

What we expect of a Library Service primarily is that it should support the priceless heritage of culture, literacy, and provide free access to literacy and information by all income groups, by supplying a quality book lending and information service.

It is not doing that; many genuine readers, (including those on a low income such as myself ) exited the Library service years ago because of its declining book provision and we are now serviced instead by internet providers such as Amazon (which provides info and discussion about books) and the 2nd hand market. That is doing what the library service has failed to do, low income high reading taxpayers no longer get value from the library service our Council taxes pay for. In so far as we have built up our own libraries, that is frequently not merely for pleasure in ownership but in response to declining cultural provision in the Libraries.'

Why, oh why won't the people responsible for public libraries listen to and understand these simple messages that are addressed to them by members of the public?

For what it is worth, this lady lives within walking distance of one of the new Discovery Centres in Hampshire. This is a library authority which has spent millions and millions of pounds on its library service. Money is not the answer-- the answer is an understanding of what people use public libraries for and expect of them-- and those things could not be more clearly put than in this quotation, which has crossed my desk this morning.

Posted by Perkins at 9:57 AM | Comments (0)

September 16, 2008

The Secret Ministry

News that the DCMS has been conducting its review of the public library service in secret since July reminds me of the opening lines of my favourite poem

'The Frost performs its secret ministry,
Unhelped by any wind. The owlet's cry
Came loud--and hark, again ! loud as before.
The inmates of my cottage, all at rest,
Have left me to that solitude, which suits
Abstruser musings : save that at my side
My cradled infant slumbers peacefully......'

and so on, Frost at Midnight by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Listen to the old recording of it being read by Richard Burton

By the way, Perkins has a birthday next Monday. She will be 3. It is many years since I said that the public library service could be run better by a small black cat than by those who run it now. She has proudly proved me right.

Posted by Perkins at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)

Completely hopeless CIPFA stats for public libraries

This is the beginning of the annual complaint about CIPFA statistics about public libraries. It will go on until next February.

Here we go

- They are incomprehensibly badly presented-- how is a councillor supposed to read them?
- They don't even contain a comparison with previous years
- They take far too long to produce in the days of computers and websites, so by the time they emerge they are irrelevant.
- The spreadsheets are not free to the public and they should be
- The press release that comes with them is always a joke of misinformation.

Why doesn't someone else provide a decent reputable service instead of them ?

As they are the only basic source of fundamental information about expenditure and performance in this £1.3bn public service, it is no wonder the public libraries in the UK don't know what their problems are nor how to address them.

This item should have been number one on Roy Clare's list of matters to be addressed last year and so far he has done nothing. Zilch. Next year's figures will be the same dross as those of every year of the the last twenty.

In past years we had the benefit if the LISU analysis of actual perfrmance which told a story. The MLA scrapped those and now we have nothing.

Posted by Perkins at 10:57 AM | Comments (1)

Hoots Mon- children want public libraries to have books

At last someone has asked the public what they think libraries should be like, instead of patronising them and asssuming that books are a thing of the past ... this is what they say (as reported by The Bookseller this morning)

Elaine Fulton can hardly claim credit as it is she and her chums in the Scottish councils who have allowed the expenditure on books in Scottish libraries to fall to perilous low levels for so many years. It affirms the exact opposite of the policies they have followed for years.

If choosing books is the main reason for using a public library (as MORI polls of adults and children all over the country always show and have shown for the past ten years and longer), then the easiest and best way to get more people to use libraries is to widen and improve the range of books that is on offer. That is what this blog has always consistently said-- and others have fervently denied... to the point of making us feel we must be mad

And when we put more books in libraries (a la Hillingdon, Westminster, Richmond, Oxford, Northern Ireland etc where through varying intensities of gritted teeth the councils have tried this approach) the use of the libraries has immediately and dramatically increased.

What more need is there for debate?

Posted by Perkins at 9:48 AM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2008

Oh dear Camden

As if to prove the points of the last few days the now notorious Michael Clarke and the Lib Dem councillor Flick Rae (both of whom have recently been officials of the failed LLDA) have hit the headlines in defiance of a few famous authors in Hampstead. Here is the latest chapter from the Camden New Journal.

Incidentally afficionadoes of this site will notice the well-tempered wisdom of Alan Templeton in this piece. Alan is one of the chief voice of the Camden Public Library Users' Group and previous saviour of a number of libraries in the borough. He is also one of the main spokespersons of LLL, the cross London group of library users. They are as well informed as any campaign group in the country and they should be listened to.

Posted by Perkins at 5:49 PM | Comments (2)

September 14, 2008

Headlines for Hornchurch

From a commenter:

Hornchurch Library in Havering is open till 10pm Mon-Fri, and till 8 on Sat, is completely refurbished, and has a dedicated Information Reference Librarian, a role I believe has been dispensed with in most branches in Hillingdon. :)

I don't think it would hurt to be open and straightforward about your role in the Hillingdon changes. As I understand it, you were a reasonably well-paid consultant on the Hillingdon project, which I think you neglected to mention in this entry.

Posted by Perkins at 7:54 PM | Comments (2)

What will Andrew Motion say about libraries?

The poet laureate has recently admitted he finds his job very difficult and that writing verses for the Queen is hard to do.

It is interesting then that he has been given the job of Chairman of the MLA. Will he find this a difficult job, too? It is better paid and although the company is not quite so elevated, he might find it a challenge, too.

His views about public libraries are on the record-- he doesn't use them because the stock of books is poor-- as he reported to the Camden New Journal earlier this year in an article in which both he and Andrew Wilson made their views known. This is interesting territory because Councillor Flick Rae of Camden along with Michael Clarke, the chief librarian have recently confirmed their view that the policy of downgrading books in the libraries of Camden is one they intend to continue to follow vigorously.

The disregard for the opinion of local authors shown by Mrs Rae and Mr Clarke is bewildering to see. Rude, even. You would have thought as guardians and promoters of the use of libraries, they would take the opposite view.

Will the Government now intervene to stop Camden ruining its libraries as The 1964 Public Libraries Act requires them to do? They should; and now it is Andrew Motion's job to decide whether to make such a recommendation to the Minister. Will he?

Flick Rae and Michael Clarke don't seem to understand the simple difference between obtaining information and reading a book. They talk as if one was the equivalent of the other. It is as if they have never read anything interesting in their lives. They are not the people to be running a large public library service (actually the best funded one in the country). They appear to say that nothing written more than 5 years ago is worth hanging on to. How ridiculous.

They both need to be replaced.

Posted by Perkins at 8:10 AM | Comments (1)

September 12, 2008

MLA is a political body

Make no mistake the MLA view of public libraries is an extremely political one. It says 'irrespective of what the general public want we will provide the public libraries for them that we think they should have'

Those people who disagree with this approach are derided and ignored. Those who observe that the general public expectation is for a good collection of literature and reading and access to it, buildings that are welcoming and open, are sneered at. Those who criticise huge needless, inefficient expenditures of public money are called 'lacking in expertise'

This is not the way it should be.

We don't want to hear a Minister or a Roy Clare stand up yet again at a conference and say, as David Lammy did, that 'those who disagree with us are living in the past' or like Margaret Hodge did, say that 'their ideas smell of Mansion Polish' . We don't want to hear that stuff ever again, but I suspect we are going to.

Posted by Perkins at 2:01 PM | Comments (1)

September 11, 2008

DCMS in new review of public libraries

The Bookseller has the story.. very good news indeed

Posted by Perkins at 2:44 PM | Comments (2)

More from Tony Durcan and the Society of Chief Librarians

Mr Durcan writes

'Colleagues might be interested to know that SCL is just starting a project, supported by the British Library, to develop an advocacy campaign for public libraries. This is a long term piece of work. We have just appointed an advocacy worker who will be based in the British Library Public Affairs Team. As soon as the project is fully up and running we will let people know more about it. '

But 'The SCL' is not an appointed body -- so by what right do they spend public money? What are they advocating and to whom? Where has this money come from, how much is it and who has authorised it? Why is this being done in secret? Haven't we had enough of central quangoes spending uncontrolled amounts on thew public library service without the approval of their appointed boards of directors?

Is the SCL come mysterious secret society who decides among themselves the role they ought to play? For goodness sake where is The Minister and the civil service who are appointed to superintend all this?

Posted by Perkins at 1:41 PM | Comments (0)

CILIP should be positive

CILIP (public libraries section) should say

- We know how to run good public libraries
- They are places in which people can study, read for pleasure and seek information, for their own private purpose and enjoyment.
- When they do that well they are a bonus to a local community- so they are worthwhile
- We can can train, share and accredit all the skills that are needed to operate public libraries to the highest standard.
- We are able to plan, to budget, to monitor public response and to assure councillors that they are providing best possible library service and value; and we have independent inspection available to do that.

And by demonstrating these abilities we have earned and shall earn the respect of Councillors and Government Ministers- and they, in their turn, will allow us to provide the people of the country with public libraries in a way that the public can see the virtues of our work.

Posted by Perkins at 10:42 AM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2008

The Society of Chief Librarians doesn't want the press to report the fiddling of library figures.

From Tony Durcan -- wishing the damn newspapers wouldn't investigate the way that public money gets spent.

"As many colleagues will know, the recent LIS-PUB-LIBS debate about book issues, and the suggestion that some are deliberately miscalculated, has been reported in a recent edition of the Bookseller. This isn’t good. It damages our credibility and integrity (quite wrongly in my opinion), and it also damages the work we and our partners are trying to do with the National Year of Reading membership campaign

Where colleagues have queries about library performance indicators, or any service matters, I would urge them to seek answers from their Head of Service. Any chief can easily find out from the SCL Executive what the current position on an issue is. I’m not saying we shouldn’t use LIS-PUB-LIBS. This provides really useful discussion opportunities. The problem is that not everyone engages, or has the time to engage, and there may not always be a representative view.

And just to complete the facts – for Frances at least. Some of SCL, including me, have been on holiday. The rest, as usual, have been busy.

Tony Durcan, President of the Society of Chief Librarians.

Come on Tony Durcan. No secrets please. It's good that The Bookseller raises these issues. They reported a number of library authorities saying that they fiddle their performance figures-- and that is not something that should be hidden- and nor should you be saying it should be. There should be nothing behind closed doors. It's not your money.

What you should have said is 'It's wrong to fiddle the figures; if you are doing it, stop now.'

Mr Durcan has had difficulties with 'facts' and figures before both on this blog and in the Bookseller

When you put all this together, frankly, it is no wonder that the public library service never improves. The leaders have no ambition and no integrity. Shameful.

Posted by Perkins at 4:33 PM | Comments (0)

Why do library managers persist in saying that 'books are elite and only appeal to intellectuals' ?

You would have thought that the people who run libraries would see that part of their role in society to encourage the reading of books. There may be others who believe, wrongly, that books are only for the elite classes, but that librarians would be the ones pointing out how stupid it is to say that.

In my town the library service is about, this blog has been told, to announce that libraries should be modelled on airport lounges with all the layers of anxiety that they inspire-- but books? 'No, not really-- the people who ask for more books are just intellectuals and snobs' -- or some such tripe, was the answer

What about children? What about older people who love to read a good novel? What about other people who were children once and will be older people one day? What about people who want a travel guide for Grimsby?

Why do people like this get to be appointed to run libraries? My local libraries? Why doesn't he go and run an aiport? When I asked the local councillor this question, she said " We appointed him because he is well connected" - oh really. That's a good reason. Like a dog to a lampost.

The former head of the LLDA, like the head of the MLA and doubltess the head of the DCMS, SCL ,ACL etc etc all wonder why they get such a bad report in the newspapers. The answer is that when they are asked 'Should public libraries have more books?' They never ever say 'Yes, they should'

While they continue to behave so stupidly they will continue to be mocked in the press. Journalists, most of whom are delighted to have their work published in books, get it- but library managers evidently don't. They understand the values of published work- why can't library managers do the same?

Posted by Perkins at 3:31 PM | Comments (1)

September 4, 2008

We could save £100m each year of taxpayers money.

The public library service operates in a ridiculously inefficient manner in each local council. We could save taxpayers at least £100m each year and still run a far better service. (The Hillingdon project has demonstrated precisely that)

The news tonight is that Andy Burnham, so-called 'Culture Secretary' of the Government, has called for a review of Public Libraries by his civil servants in the DCMS. For ten years these guys have failed to notice that the Public Library Service is one of the largest expenditures for which they have responsibility. In the dying days of this dreadful government, one watches with fascination how they will shuffle the dreary dried up salad once more

Will we shortly receive a better service at less cost? If you are hoping so, don't hold your breath while you wait.

But those of us who enjoy a bit of gossip will watch while the officials and paid up soaks of the MLA, SCL, ACL, LLDA, Reading Agency, SYRUP, LGA, Conservative central office etc etc.. squirm and posture to preserve their own jobs and avoid the issues,too

Posted by Perkins at 8:06 PM | Comments (1)

The success of Hillingdon

I was in the public library in Ruislip Manor at 9.15pm the other night and realised that the long debate about 'what we should we do with a public library' is over - finished, dead. Hillingdon have answered the question. 'Do what Hillingdon has done-- follow their lead' is the answer. The increased use, to all sections of the community and the outreach achieved are all extraordinary- as the measures of visitors, members and book issues all demonstrate

This is a fine library in which even at this late hour, readers and staff were busy, happy, proud and using the library to read, to study, to pass the time where everything else in the small run down unattractive fifties built suburban street (except the pubs) was closed and locked up. The building is clean, bright, agreeable and unassuming, the tea is good and cheap and the selection of books plentiful and rewarding. The seats are comfortable and there is plenty of space to work in private. The building was quiet- you could have written your essay, or your CV in peace and able to concentrate.. There are free to use Pc's on every desk and two special computing areas, one of which is full of Apple Macs. The doors to the street were wide open and the building was warm on a cold night. The toilets were spotlessly clean.

Behind the scenes we know that this library operation costs less than that which it has replaced; because of efficiencies already delivered, the council tax bill for public libraries in Hillingdon has already been reduced by a significant percentage and the management have identified where the next reductions can come.

Ten years of argument and so-called debate end here. This is the model. Now the next challenge is for the public library world to be humble and diligent, to understand what was done and do it themselves in their own libraries. It is not a 'one size fits all' it is a model that adapts itself not to just to any council - but to any small community within a town, to any street, village or town.

By the way- where are Andrew Motion and Roy Clare? -- they were nowhere to be seen when this project was developing and Mrs Hodge the minister was being rude about it Where is Bob McKee? or the public library group of SYRUP? Where is Miranda McKearnie? Who are the leaders of the SCL or ACL? is the LLDA still functioning, or the MLA in London? Where are the officials from the DCMS? Where is Ed Vaizey? -- to be sure when the time is right they will all claim their part in the success. But they are entitled to none

But Perkins will tell you that the people who have achieved this extraordinary success are Jean Palmer, the director of the council responsible, Andrew Malin, the head of procurement and now deputy director and Councillor Henry Higgins, the portfolio holder. For none of them was this instinctive; none of them had worked in public libraries before last year-- but they each worked fiercely hard to understand the needs of their community, the shortcomings and intransigence of the old operation and bravely undertook the tough management work that has been needed. Three St Pauls on the road from Uxbridge.

It is easy in its way for a council to spend millions of pounds on a new glass architectural statement and claim that for their legacy- and many do. But here the pride is in a humble back street public library created by shear hard work and the facing of reality. That is truly good local government.

Thanks also to Councillor John Whelan of Lambeth who also made it possible, David Whitaker, who played a role, Richard Charkin who encouraged and other allies and friends.

Purr

Posted by Perkins at 8:23 AM | Comments (4)