« Perkins in the paper | Main | Libraries for Life for Londoners »
April 1, 2010
Chinese gift to British Public Libraries
The Chinese Government have made a most generous grant of £500 million specifically for the purchase of printed books for use in British Public Libraries.
The statement says that in part the grant is an expression of gratitude for the printing work that is placed in China by British Publishers, but it is more fundamentally a statement of the international value of the culture of writing.
The grant will be available to all British Library authorities on the basis of the number of residents in the area they serve and applications will be handled by the Chinese authorities in London
Posted by Perkins at April 1, 2010 11:15 AM
Comments
Lambeth Council has politely refused this offer, concerned that its status as the authority with fewest books per resident might be compromised. Such acquisitions would interfere with its programme of removing shelving from its remaining libraries following its laudable policy of not wishing to confuse the public with too large a choice of book. Expensive rolling stacks were purchased specifically to keep thousands of books away from the browsing public in its bijou, Grade II-Listed, Carnegie Library, fearing such activity could impair the work of its dedicated management team who heroically work in rooms the benefactor provided, with great foresight, knowing that only by their efforts could Lambeth’s libraries budget be justified.
Posted by: No Brain at April 1, 2010 5:36 PM