| SEPTEMBER 2024 |
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| Welcome to our newsletter round up of September’s UK libraries news! |
| INCREDIBLE CROYDON |
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| Croydon council has just rubber-stamped the strangest library “plan” we think we have ever seen. Known facts: Croydon is in serious financial trouble; residents value their 13 libraries hugely, and repeatedly say so. Unknown: how this new plan could possibly work. Long story short: cash could be raised by selling four library buildings, but the council daren’t admit it. The four chosen libraries were listed in (yet another) consultation this year. Despite a furious response, they still are. Closing them would save only their building running costs. Staff would be redeployed to luckier libraries elsewhere. The saving (three different estimates are scattered about) would be so paltry as to be effectively zero. Especially as the staff would also be busy “mitigating” the damage by travelling about to numerous unidentified community venues doing… well, library stuff. This hazy proposal was greeted by consultees with (Croydon’s own words) “confusion”, “scepticism” – and calls for proper information. There still isn’t any. Library staff are expected to cobble together something from nothing (but not until the libraries have closed). Meanwhile, Croydon saves face by saying the four buildings should stay in community use. It is sure that local organisations will take them all on (with help from council funds that would wipe out any saving – again). What organisations? You guessed it – unidentified. If it doesn’t work, the buildings must be sold. The Library Campaign continues to try to get some sense talked and has made a formal complaint about the consultation to the DCMS. But hundreds of pages of smokescreen documents can’t hide the likely end of this story. More here. |
| HAVERING -AGAIN |
| Also strange – in a sadder way – is the picture in Havering (East London.) Faced with a budget deficit of £32.5m, the council plans to close FOUR of its 10 libraries just to save a total £300,000. Despite local anger, 4,000 responses to its consultation, angry opposition councillors, five petitions, a 150-strong rally addressed by Alan Wylie and a Save Our Libraries campaign, it is ploughing on. Everyone points out that such a tiny saving cannot justify such vandalism. TLC’s Laura Swaffield went to one of the threatened libraries, Collier Row, for a BBC breakfast TV broadcast. Waiting her turn, she was amazed to hear the council leader telling the interviewer how valuable libraries are, with detailed perceptions we could have scripted ourselves. The situation is mad. Oh, and the library was absolutely buzzing with people. |
| LUCKY IN LAMBETH |
The roll-call of awful library cuts grinds on, with Bradford, Coventry, Hampshire and – of course – Birmingham among those in the firing line.So it’s refreshing to report at least one service that is bucking the trend. Deprived, inner city Lambeth has just voted £1.7m for upgrades, ranging from complete building refurbs to new shelving and IT hardware, down to hearing loops and AV equipment. This follows previous £1m+ grants, which for instance have transformed the central library in Brixton with a new lift, toilets, extra space and a complete redecoration. |
| Lambeth knows what it is doing. Its libraries provide extra value with a huge programme of free activities (including several month-long festivals and plenty for children), plus ESOL classes, debt counselling, specialist book groups, craft sessions, art exhibitions, study space, special equipment for those with sight problems, numerous clubs from chess to science to chronic pain support, free outfits for job-seekers, book-a-librarian for individual help, drop-in IT advice, business support and… well, you get the idea. Luckily for Lambeth residents, so does the council. And it’s worth noting that the service supports and publicises its network of Friends groups, who run all-day craft and culture fairs, packed-out author events, a film club, music evenings and… we won’t go on. |
| KIRKLEES SEES SENSE |
| Six months ago we reported that Kirklees Council (Huddersfield) was consulting on a plan to give eight more libraries to the “community” i.e. they would probably be run by volunteers. Local Friends groups pushed back and now Kirklees has dropped the plan. It is still proposing to reduce staff across its libraries and there will be another consultation soon on how to make £900,000 savings but for now the libraries are safe. Speaking of the earlier process, one Councillor said: “This was poorly communicated, there wasn’t active engagement with ward councillors. Ward councillors weren’t involved with the consultations.” And the Council leader said: “I do have to agree with you that it certainly sounds as if better consultation etc could have happened.” Lesson learned for now? |
| ADVOCACY AND MARKETING |
| Three library industry professional groups have recently launched what they are calling advocacy tools. CILIP recently produced its Member Connect Toolkit, which gives advice on how to promote libraries to politicians and decision-makers at all levels. It does not contain much new or earth shattering – similar material has been on the Library Campaign website for a long time – but for CILIP members (you have to be one to download it) the document will be a useful tool. Meantime CILIPS (CILIP in Scotland) has a guide to campaigning and an advocacy network – details of both on their website. The Library Campaign does not have a brief to cover Scotland, but this is open to all. Some of what is there could be of use elsewhere. And Libraries Connected has produced Library Advocacy: a beginner’s guide. It draws on the experience of senior librarians and others in local government and the public sector. Again it is principally aimed at LC members (Heads of Service etc) but it has plenty that could be used by Friends groups campaigning to improve or defend their public library service. For instance, it says of people you may be trying to influence: “Don’t assume they will know anything about how a modern library service works.” And also it point out: “You may be surprised how many are not already members!” All useful stuff. These organisations all refer to advocacy for public libraries. And there is nothing wrong with doing that. However, maybe what we need is a concerted “marketing” campaign involving all these bodies and more (The Library Campaign, Arts Council, maybe even DCMS!) to get over the message about the value of public libraries. What do you think? |
| NATIONAL LIBRARIES WEEK |
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| This year it’s called Green Libraries Week and it takes place from 7 to 13 October. Run by CILIP, it is billed as a chance to focus on sustainability in libraries. It could be argued that libraries have always been in that business – what is more sustainable than borrowing a book and then returning it to give someone else the same opportunity without either of you having to spend anything? Ad infinitum (almost.)But there are other things that library organisations can be doing to save energy, promote recycling and educate youngsters (and the rest of us) in what we can do to make the planet more liveable for longer. The week is intended for all types of libraries but some of the things that happened last year in public libraries included:• Nature’s Tiny Miracle by Britta Teckentrup introducing the wonder of bees to early years and KS1 children • Bug hotel storytime and craft at Dittons Library • Community fridge at Prestwich Library • In-conversation event with bestselling author Louise Doughty at Leicester Central Library Find out if your library has anything planned. If your group wants to join in, there are lots of resources such as posters and template press releases at https://librariesweek.org.uk |
FACEBOOK ROUND UP |
| Welcome to our brief round-up of what’s been happening on Facebook with various Library Friends groups. Each month we try to show the range and breadth of what Friends Groups do including organising against upcoming cuts to services but also inspirational community activities of which there are plenty. Friends of Small Heath Library in Birmingham held a celebration of their library service this month which included talks about how people can support the continuation of their services as well as a chance to discuss books for both adults and children. Friends of Wimborne Library have been advertising their ‘Next to Nature’ event which is in keeping with this year’s Libraries Week theme. On Saturday, October 19th the Dorset-based poet Sarah Barr will be giving a reading as well as two local Wimborne poets and some children who have prepared their own poems for the event. Muswell Hill Library posted an update on the consultations around Haringey Libraries where the authority wants to have libraries closed at critical times of the day. Friends of Muswell Hill were told that they could not attend meetings regarding the council consultation, writing that “we asked to meet several times and were told that as we “only” wanted to discuss strategic issues, a meeting would not help” They mention that 2024 has been very slow for progress on this issue. Friends of Coggeshall Library in Essex posted a reminder that they are now on Instagram. We’ve given them a follow and hope to see their audience grow along with the many other Friends groups that we follow there. They really are an active bunch and, beyond posting regularly on Instagram, hold and organise many in-person talks and reading events. : In Cumbria, Friends of Grange Library have been having fun recently with their regular meet up where they discuss fictional characters that would like to invite to dinner. We thought it was difficult to think of just three here at TLC. So much happens across UK libraries and the friends groups that support them and it is very uplifting to see so much energy and enthusiasm for events and chances for social interaction beyond libraries being merely a place for serious study and research – which they clearly can be at the same. Please do let us know if you would like us to write a profile in our newsletter, magazine, or on our website about your local library Friends Group activities. |
| AND FINALLY… |
| DCMS ANNUAL REPORT ON PUBLIC LIBRARIESThe Department for Culture, Media & Sport has published its annual report for 2023-24. Of course since then there has been a change of government so the foreword by new Minister Chris Bryant does not take credit (or blame) for what the report says. He does point out that he has another ministerial role in the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology where he has responsibility for data infrastructure. It is to be hoped that there will some joined up thinking on issues connecting the two jobs. Such as digital inclusion…As far as the main report goes, there is some useful information about what libraries have been up to, notably in one of the appendices, and about other “partners” that have been working with the DCMS and thus libraries during the year. |
| Please get in touch with us if your local library is under threat, you have a Friends group that you wish to promote or you would like advice about how to start a Friends group for your local library – currently under threat or not. Feel free to ask any questions about what Friends groups get up to. We have now created an archive of our previous newsletters, which you can view here – check it out if you haven’t already and share the link as it’s also a place for new subscribers to sign up. If you are new to getting our monthly newsletter this is a way to see what we’ve been getting across since we started this newsletter in Autumn 2022. |
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