A digest of today’s news items, reproduced here, with kind permission from Shirley Burnham who collated it. For up to date libraries news follow @ShirleyBurnham on Twitter.
THE GUARDIAN : 25th February
Frances O’Grady: a new vision for in-sourced and effective public services
Not only is there a strong moral and social case for the delivery of services through a democratically accountable public sector based on universal access and public good, but there is a very strong value-for-money case for in-sourcing services, which resonates in straitened financial times.
Liverpool Echo : 26th February
Campaigners launch final bid to save Sefton’s libraries from closure
The submission was presented to council leader Peter Dowd last Thursday at Bootle town hall.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.
Get Wokingham : 26th February
Libraries and road maintenances budgets slashed in council cuts
More than £230,000 will be cut from spending on libraries over the next three years, but executive member for internal services Councillor Pauline Jorgensen doesn’t expect customers will notice any change to the service. She said: “There are a few process improvements we are taking in terms of centralising the storage of books and generally a lot of tweaking around the edges to provide more efficiencies.”
http://www.getwokingham.co.uk/
Society of Chief Librarians : 25th February
http://www.goscl.com/creative-
Public Libraries News : 25th February
Little acorns of hope from the austerity oak tree … and calls to cut costs
http://www.
Bridport News : 26th February
Charmouth Library to re-open thanks to volunteers
Hazel Robinson, chairman of the Friends of Charmouth Library, said: “When we waved our protest placards a year ago in an attempt to force Dorset County Council to recognise how we value our library, we could not have envisaged what huge efforts we would have to make to keep it. That’s all in the past and, though we vehemently believe that there was no need to close libraries as there were other means of making sufficient savings, we have had to do what we have had to do. DCC will still provide the books, the computers and a little professional help and Charmouth has to do the rest.”
http://www.bridportnews.co.uk/
About My Area : 26th February
New Sunday Opening Hours For Libraries Across Milton Keynes
http://www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/
Shetland Times : 26th February
Public library facing cuts to opening hours and books budget
http://www.shetlandtimes.co.
