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January 21, 2010
London Libraries Change Programme
In December we werre promised a new communications strategy from the London Libraries Change Programme board and MLA London.
The new strategy appears to be not to communicate anything at all. Probably until after the election, so as to avoid any embarrasment to local councillors.
That's wrong! (do I have to explain?) Democracy is about elections at which politicians say beforehand what they will do if they are elected. One of the dafter slogans of the past decade has been about how public libraries contribute to local democracy. Yes, sure, we can see what that means in the library services in London- "Hide everything and shut the door, so we can decide what to do, without the public having a clue."
Posted by Perkins at January 21, 2010 9:13 AM
Comments
I have agreed to stand for an opposition political party, locally, in the May elections. My motivation has been that our Tory group in Swindon consistently shows a dogged reluctance to listen to or communicate with residents on many matters, epitomised for me by its attitude during a lengthy 'Save Old Town Library Campaign'. The party I choose to represent has been very supportive of our library at this local level. Yet I am still absolutely in the dark about what the Liberal Democrats' policy on public libraries is in the hallowed halls of Westminster. In spite of some encouraging feedback from contacts there, recent earnest pleas to them for a very public commitment to community libraries NOW, before local councils' budget rounds, have resulted in their sudden silence. I can only hope that this is because, behind the scenes, there are furious plans afoot to let the public know "from the top", without delay, that communities and the libraries at their heart are a real priority. Residents tell me our branch libraries are absolutely essential to literacy, learning and community life. Many of us listen to Radio 4's 'Today' programme etc, read the broadsheets and watch the TV news daily -- hoping for a Lib Dem announcement. As night falls, we say : "perhaps tomorrow?" . . . .
Posted by: Shirley Burnham at January 21, 2010 2:00 PM
Dear Mrs Burnham,
Good luck with your campaign. I'm rather a fan of Vince Cable, and I would also like to embarrass CILIP publicly by mentioning that I have received no reply to request to join their "Big Conversation." Looks like CILIP is as bad as the Tories in Swindon (which is really saying something!) and for them, silence seems to be the order of the day when it comes to the subject of libraries. Hope you let them hear the noise!
Posted by: james Christie at January 22, 2010 12:31 PM