The idea is simple. Readers can take as many books as they want, for as long as they want - even permanently.
BBC News Magazine, 20 Sept 2012 - for full story.
Showing posts with label The Future of Libraries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Future of Libraries. Show all posts
Thursday, September 20, 2012
The man who turned his home into a public library
"The only rule is that there are no rules."
The idea is simple. Readers can take as many books as they want, for as long as they want - even permanently.
BBC News Magazine, 20 Sept 2012 - for full story.
The idea is simple. Readers can take as many books as they want, for as long as they want - even permanently.
BBC News Magazine, 20 Sept 2012 - for full story.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Vandalism and barbarism continues
This piece by Maggie Gee was first published on Thursday (in The Guardian) and pops up in The Week in Books in today's issue.
Midnight Library raid (read the whole thing)
On Monday morning, between 2am and 3am, when most people were asleep, Brent council sent in a team to remove thousands of books in cardboard boxes from London's Kensal Rise library, which local people, ably backed by household-name writers such as Philip Pullman and Zadie Smith, have been fighting to keep open since November 2010. [...]
[...]
However, the library service has never stopped operating. On the day of the closure, after one round of our expensive legal battle was lost on 13 October 2011, we opened our own Kensal Rise Pop-Up Library within the library's perimeter wall.
Apologies for use of excerpts without permission.
Midnight Library raid (read the whole thing)
On Monday morning, between 2am and 3am, when most people were asleep, Brent council sent in a team to remove thousands of books in cardboard boxes from London's Kensal Rise library, which local people, ably backed by household-name writers such as Philip Pullman and Zadie Smith, have been fighting to keep open since November 2010. [...]
.jpg) |
| The Kensal Rise pop-up library. Photograph: David Levene |
However, the library service has never stopped operating. On the day of the closure, after one round of our expensive legal battle was lost on 13 October 2011, we opened our own Kensal Rise Pop-Up Library within the library's perimeter wall.
Apologies for use of excerpts without permission.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Carnegie research on libraries
Although CarnegieUK Trust are no longer involved in providing library services, they have recently created a detailed research report on the current state of play, with recommendations for the future.
http://carnegieuktrust.org.uk/publications/2012
In Cardiff we still have two branch libraries originally founded by Carnegie, as you can see in this article from The Guardian (Aug 2010)
"The library on Cowbridge Road East and Library Street, is one of two Carnegie libraries in Cardiff (the other is in Cathays) – founded by Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie as one of 2,500 across the globe. "
http://carnegieuktrust.org.uk/publications/2012
In Cardiff we still have two branch libraries originally founded by Carnegie, as you can see in this article from The Guardian (Aug 2010)
"The library on Cowbridge Road East and Library Street, is one of two Carnegie libraries in Cardiff (the other is in Cathays) – founded by Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie as one of 2,500 across the globe. "
,_Cardiff.jpg) |
| Cathays Carnegie Library opened 1907 |
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
A bit of good news for a change
A [Conservative] council that had its library restructuring plans quashed in the high court spent more than £70,000 fighting the judicial review.
The review at the high court in November decided it was unlawful for Somerset county council to withdraw funding for 11 libraries because the cuts did not comply with "public sector equality duties" owed to vulnerable social groups.
Full Story at The Guardian
The review at the high court in November decided it was unlawful for Somerset county council to withdraw funding for 11 libraries because the cuts did not comply with "public sector equality duties" owed to vulnerable social groups.
Full Story at The Guardian
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
"In support of Libraries, Books, Words and Ideas...."
I don't seem to visit this blog much any more - but this wonderful contribution to the Save the Libraries movement came to my attention, and I like to pass on such life-enhancing ideas.
Ten mysterious paper sculptures turned up in various Edinburgh libraries, with the only explanation in notes which read (in part):
"...In support of Libraries, Books, Words and Ideas...."
Monday, November 7, 2011
lucid defence of libraries
As I have said before - I let this blog slip when the library I work for set up its own blog, Twitter and Facebook outlets.
However, I really liked this article about the true value of libraries to a community - as a public space.
However, I really liked this article about the true value of libraries to a community - as a public space.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Devaluing libraries
The story goes on, as ever.
Volunteers
Certainly in England (if not yet in Wales) the Tory plan to have libraries run by volunteers is getting rolled out (as if running a library is roughly like running a charity shop, like the one in Walcot which doesn't get enough volunteers).
This is not only insulting to professional library staff, but seriously misunderstands the library's place in society.
It seems far more likely that the plan is to run them this way, and then, as volunteers fall away, claim that proves people don't really want libraries, and close them. Will we also get a volunteer fire service, volunteer ambulance service, volunteer-run old people's homes? What is this? A war zone?
When I posted something similar on Facebook, one librarian commented:
"I'd love to see how long volunteers would last in a branch library, they damned well be prepared for anyone and anything, there'll be no sitting around reading books all bloody day. Social workers, mental health workers, children's nannies, cleaners, career advisors, IT specialists, human dictionaries, counsellors and riot police...Just some of the hats we wear every day, eh?"
Uniformed officers
Here in Wales we thought we had weathered the storm, but we have been wondering why there has been a push towards staff wearing uniforms (when an informal look, and approachability, has previously been part of the library image). It appears that the old One Stop Shop idea has turned up again - which means combining council services, so that library staff get replaced by desks staffed by housing benefit officers, citizen's advice bureau staff, etc.
Hence the uniforms. Officers.
Whether they will also get training in running a library (see the above comments from front line staff) or library staff are simply expected to add these skills and responsibilities to their already crowded days, doesn't seem clear yet. We'll see.
I am, as they say, not optimistic. The plans are being made by people who probably have a private library in the West Wing of their homes (even if many of them maybe don't read very much). It's hard to believe they might understand...
Volunteers
Certainly in England (if not yet in Wales) the Tory plan to have libraries run by volunteers is getting rolled out (as if running a library is roughly like running a charity shop, like the one in Walcot which doesn't get enough volunteers).
This is not only insulting to professional library staff, but seriously misunderstands the library's place in society.
It seems far more likely that the plan is to run them this way, and then, as volunteers fall away, claim that proves people don't really want libraries, and close them. Will we also get a volunteer fire service, volunteer ambulance service, volunteer-run old people's homes? What is this? A war zone?
When I posted something similar on Facebook, one librarian commented:
"I'd love to see how long volunteers would last in a branch library, they damned well be prepared for anyone and anything, there'll be no sitting around reading books all bloody day. Social workers, mental health workers, children's nannies, cleaners, career advisors, IT specialists, human dictionaries, counsellors and riot police...Just some of the hats we wear every day, eh?"
Uniformed officers
Here in Wales we thought we had weathered the storm, but we have been wondering why there has been a push towards staff wearing uniforms (when an informal look, and approachability, has previously been part of the library image). It appears that the old One Stop Shop idea has turned up again - which means combining council services, so that library staff get replaced by desks staffed by housing benefit officers, citizen's advice bureau staff, etc.
Hence the uniforms. Officers.
Whether they will also get training in running a library (see the above comments from front line staff) or library staff are simply expected to add these skills and responsibilities to their already crowded days, doesn't seem clear yet. We'll see.
I am, as they say, not optimistic. The plans are being made by people who probably have a private library in the West Wing of their homes (even if many of them maybe don't read very much). It's hard to believe they might understand...
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
I withdraw the happy new year greeting - maybe this will make you angry
Look at this from False Economies
You might want to subscribe to Public Library News to track all the planned closures of libraries...
Look out for a day of action in February (article in The Guardian)
Massive library cuts may even prove illegal (The Guardian 30 Nov 2010)
(sigh)
Off to bed now...
You might want to subscribe to Public Library News to track all the planned closures of libraries...
Look out for a day of action in February (article in The Guardian)
Massive library cuts may even prove illegal (The Guardian 30 Nov 2010)
(sigh)
Off to bed now...
Monday, November 22, 2010
A Point of View
A Point of View - Reading for Free
(listen on iPlayer)
Joan Bakewell reflects on the irreplaceable value of reading at a time when the squeeze on government spending is putting public libraries at risk.
(listen on iPlayer)
Joan Bakewell reflects on the irreplaceable value of reading at a time when the squeeze on government spending is putting public libraries at risk.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Pawn shop Britain
I have to say I have never heard a weaker or vaguer slogan than the Big Society, but even the Tories are now exceeding my expectations of them.
A think tank suggests selling off local assets (like libraries) to the local community. Well, duh, excuse me for not following, but libraries already belong to the local community, and get paid for by local people, through their councils.
Selling such assets off presumably means that rich people (who don't use public transport, or libraries, or swimming pools, etc) won't have to contribute to them any more through local taxes.
They pitch it as 'poor people having a stake in society' by presumably owning shares in a library.
Most strange.
Rather than tackle the deep divisions in society, or the appalling gap in wealth distribution, they want to further dismantle what few services the poor can still access, while not rebalancing the wealth gap.
The lowest 10% "have negative net wealth" - what weasel words! You mean they are not just poor, but in debt, surely? So how will they benefit by buying a library or a hospital? They'll have to borrow more to buy it, just like the over-priced housing, and then supposedly 'keep the profit' from running such a service. My mind reels at the nonsense of this.
Press Association article
Local Gov co uk article
I have to quote some of this for its jaw-dropping, bare-faced inanity:
ResPublica warned: ‘Meaningful assets and market entry have become the preserve of the rich.’
It highlighted that currently the poorest households in the UK have no stake in society.
The report said: ‘In fact, the bottom 10% of society has a negative net wealth. This disparity is even starker in terms of financial wealth, with the bottom half of households in Britain owning 1%, whilst the top 20% accounts for 84%.’
But the group argued this would not be solved by keeping the status quo in public services: ‘The welfare state was designed for a demographic pyramid which no longer exists and has built a culture of passive dependence which Beveridge never imagined and would have abhorred.’
The report added: ‘Public assets can and, wherever desirable, should become community assets, owned mutually or by individual shareholders or stakeholders in association with communities.
‘We have an unprecedented opportunity to lay the foundations for a truly popular and meaningful “Big Society” by simultaneously capitalising civil society and spreading ownership.
‘More importantly, we have an opportunity to achieve a bottom-up prosperity that builds resilient and independent communities capable of providing individuals with sustainable exits from poverty and entrances into wealth and well-being.
A think tank suggests selling off local assets (like libraries) to the local community. Well, duh, excuse me for not following, but libraries already belong to the local community, and get paid for by local people, through their councils.
Selling such assets off presumably means that rich people (who don't use public transport, or libraries, or swimming pools, etc) won't have to contribute to them any more through local taxes.
They pitch it as 'poor people having a stake in society' by presumably owning shares in a library.
Most strange.
Rather than tackle the deep divisions in society, or the appalling gap in wealth distribution, they want to further dismantle what few services the poor can still access, while not rebalancing the wealth gap.
The lowest 10% "have negative net wealth" - what weasel words! You mean they are not just poor, but in debt, surely? So how will they benefit by buying a library or a hospital? They'll have to borrow more to buy it, just like the over-priced housing, and then supposedly 'keep the profit' from running such a service. My mind reels at the nonsense of this.
Press Association article
Local Gov co uk article
I have to quote some of this for its jaw-dropping, bare-faced inanity:
ResPublica warned: ‘Meaningful assets and market entry have become the preserve of the rich.’
It highlighted that currently the poorest households in the UK have no stake in society.
The report said: ‘In fact, the bottom 10% of society has a negative net wealth. This disparity is even starker in terms of financial wealth, with the bottom half of households in Britain owning 1%, whilst the top 20% accounts for 84%.’
But the group argued this would not be solved by keeping the status quo in public services: ‘The welfare state was designed for a demographic pyramid which no longer exists and has built a culture of passive dependence which Beveridge never imagined and would have abhorred.’
The report added: ‘Public assets can and, wherever desirable, should become community assets, owned mutually or by individual shareholders or stakeholders in association with communities.
‘We have an unprecedented opportunity to lay the foundations for a truly popular and meaningful “Big Society” by simultaneously capitalising civil society and spreading ownership.
‘More importantly, we have an opportunity to achieve a bottom-up prosperity that builds resilient and independent communities capable of providing individuals with sustainable exits from poverty and entrances into wealth and well-being.
Friday, October 22, 2010
ebooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point
If Libraries are Screwed, so are the Rest of Us - a blog entry at Digital Book World about ebooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point a virtual conference which included presentations from Ray Kurzweil and Kevin Kelly, for instance…
Archive viewing of the content is available for $19.95.
Archive viewing of the content is available for $19.95.
Friday, October 15, 2010
An open source library
It was interesting to hear that one library in the UK has fully embraced the online nature of much information, education and entertainment these days.
Halton libraries use Facebook and Twitter, and they have a blog for current news.
The Koha Library Management System comes from PTFS Europe
From the Press Release:
Koha Library Management System
With Koha, library staff access is completely web-based; acquisitions, circulation, cataloguing, serials and reports are all done through a web browser. As well as an excellent search engine the OPAC offers a range of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 facilities such as tagging, reviewing, public and private lists as well as integrating with services such as RSS, Twitter and Facebook.
Working with PTFS Europe provides the freedom and functionality of open source software together with the benefits of receiving high quality customer support.
Paula Reilly-Cooper, Library Services Manager at Halton said "This open source solution is the natural choice for Halton Libraries at a time of public service cuts and the need to justify our presence. The innate flexibility of the software and service from PTFS Europe will allow us to do so much more for less, enabling us to provide an enhanced, adaptable library and information service that meets changing customer expectation."
Nick Dimant, Managing Director at PTFS Europe said "We would like to thank the team at Halton for showing the vision and initiative to make this decision. The challenging economic climate is proving to be a catalyst. It is encouraging libraries to realise that by moving to Koha they can benefit from this combination of good functionality and modern technologies at a reduced cost."
Halton libraries use Facebook and Twitter, and they have a blog for current news.
The Koha Library Management System comes from PTFS Europe
From the Press Release:
Koha Library Management System
With Koha, library staff access is completely web-based; acquisitions, circulation, cataloguing, serials and reports are all done through a web browser. As well as an excellent search engine the OPAC offers a range of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 facilities such as tagging, reviewing, public and private lists as well as integrating with services such as RSS, Twitter and Facebook.
Working with PTFS Europe provides the freedom and functionality of open source software together with the benefits of receiving high quality customer support.
Paula Reilly-Cooper, Library Services Manager at Halton said "This open source solution is the natural choice for Halton Libraries at a time of public service cuts and the need to justify our presence. The innate flexibility of the software and service from PTFS Europe will allow us to do so much more for less, enabling us to provide an enhanced, adaptable library and information service that meets changing customer expectation."
Nick Dimant, Managing Director at PTFS Europe said "We would like to thank the team at Halton for showing the vision and initiative to make this decision. The challenging economic climate is proving to be a catalyst. It is encouraging libraries to realise that by moving to Koha they can benefit from this combination of good functionality and modern technologies at a reduced cost."
Thursday, September 9, 2010
An unofficial voice
This remains far from an official venture, emanating stealthily from Cardiff Libraries, but it was great to read that Paige Turner (Swansea Libraries) claims the status of oldest (OK,OOK, longest-running) official library blog in the UK.
Excellent!
This and much other intriguing stuff available here, in Sarah Hammond's article on Ariadne: Public Library 2.0: Culture Change?
Interesting list of the public biblioblogosphere (easy for you to say) here.
Excellent!
This and much other intriguing stuff available here, in Sarah Hammond's article on Ariadne: Public Library 2.0: Culture Change?
Interesting list of the public biblioblogosphere (easy for you to say) here.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Voices for the library
The truth is that this blog does not get written by a professional librarian, simply a user who became a lowly library worker. However, my respect for libraries, and all the staff (qualified by degree, or simply by experience) means that I continue to seek out examples of people trying to raise awareness of the social value of libraries.
Voices for the library seems like one such advocate:
Why librarians?
Librarians stand for free and equal access to information for all. This means a number of things:
Voices for the library seems like one such advocate:
Why librarians?
Librarians stand for free and equal access to information for all. This means a number of things:
- Librarians will not discriminate in the provision of access to material
- Librarians will not disclose what you ask, read, or borrow
- Librarians will work to fight censorship, bias, and false reporting
- Librarians will always work to provide you with the best possible information resources to suit your needs
- Librarians will work to provide high-quality collections tailored to the needs of a community
- Librarians work for the larger public good
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The future of libraries debate
There was an interesting editorial in The Guardian today.
*****
A week ago this appeared on the BBC site.
Tim Coates, who is a library campaigner and consultant, said: "I believe we will lose between 600 to a 1,000 libraries in the next 12-18 months and that may be only the beginning, we are seeing the destruction of the public library service."
*****
And on this morning's Radio 4 you could have heard this:
a 30 minute programme about libraries still available on BBC iPlayer
What's the Point of... Series 33 The Public Library
Former poet laureate Sir Andrew Motion, campaigner Tim Coates and Arts minister Edward Vaizey join Quentin Letts as he asks, what's the point of the public library? (NB: Quentin Letts sounded to me as though he was playing Devil's Advocate, or trying to stir up an argument).
*****
And if you missed it - there was a five minute discussion on The Today Programme back on 24th August 2010.
Library Usage is 'rather depressing'.
Richard Charkin, of Bloomsbury Publishing, and author Marina Lewycka debate why people do not use libraries as much as they used to.
*****
But to finish on a more positive note, here you can find The Reading Agency strongly defending the value of the Summer Reading Challenge (administered through the library services), in the Education section of The Guardian.
*****
A week ago this appeared on the BBC site.
Tim Coates, who is a library campaigner and consultant, said: "I believe we will lose between 600 to a 1,000 libraries in the next 12-18 months and that may be only the beginning, we are seeing the destruction of the public library service."
*****
And on this morning's Radio 4 you could have heard this:
a 30 minute programme about libraries still available on BBC iPlayer
What's the Point of... Series 33 The Public Library
Former poet laureate Sir Andrew Motion, campaigner Tim Coates and Arts minister Edward Vaizey join Quentin Letts as he asks, what's the point of the public library? (NB: Quentin Letts sounded to me as though he was playing Devil's Advocate, or trying to stir up an argument).
*****
And if you missed it - there was a five minute discussion on The Today Programme back on 24th August 2010.
Library Usage is 'rather depressing'.
Richard Charkin, of Bloomsbury Publishing, and author Marina Lewycka debate why people do not use libraries as much as they used to.
*****
But to finish on a more positive note, here you can find The Reading Agency strongly defending the value of the Summer Reading Challenge (administered through the library services), in the Education section of The Guardian.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Make 'em less attractive and you can close 'em down...
Libraries need investment to thrive
An article in yesterday's Guardian by John Harris that speaks for itself, and needs no comment from me...
An article in yesterday's Guardian by John Harris that speaks for itself, and needs no comment from me...
Monday, August 23, 2010
Job Hunting, or borrowing fishing rods...
Public Libraries: enablers of Americans' dreams...
...a friend forwarded me the link to this interesting article on Common Ground (originally published in the Seattle Times)...
I found it useful to compare how libraries are adapting to changing circumstances, about how communities push back when attempts to close libraries are made, how they adjust to lowered funding, etc.
I fond especially interesting the quoted fact that Andrew Carnegie originally planned a place that would attract young people in, and only then encourage them to read...with him it was swimming pools or boxing gyms, with us it is free computer access...
Very intriguing, to compare the similiarities, and contrast the differences, between the library's function in the US and in the UK (for instance).
...a friend forwarded me the link to this interesting article on Common Ground (originally published in the Seattle Times)...
I found it useful to compare how libraries are adapting to changing circumstances, about how communities push back when attempts to close libraries are made, how they adjust to lowered funding, etc.
I fond especially interesting the quoted fact that Andrew Carnegie originally planned a place that would attract young people in, and only then encourage them to read...with him it was swimming pools or boxing gyms, with us it is free computer access...
Very intriguing, to compare the similiarities, and contrast the differences, between the library's function in the US and in the UK (for instance).
Saturday, August 21, 2010
De-skilling libraries
Read this article about 'privatising libraries by stealth' - Terence Blacker in The Independent...
"A country's public library service is a sure indicator of how highly it values its citizens, its children and its future. There may well be a place for the new localism around the outer fringes of the service – the library is a focus of local life, after all – but, if the Government allows it to slip into decline in the hollow name of community, Ed Vaizey's promises and his boss's Big Society will be exposed as a heartless sham."
Yup, here we go again - libraries run as sort of charity swap shops, by a bunch of local volunteers...only Tories who can afford to buy what they want when they want it could ignore the 'added value' libraries bring to communities, particularly in deprived areas.
The Big Society, huh. What a lame, and unvivid image. Apparently "The Big Society is a society in which we as individuals don’t feel small."
The Future Libraries Programme from the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport (which just about sums up the government's level of cultural appreciation).
The press release.
Watch the speech.
"A country's public library service is a sure indicator of how highly it values its citizens, its children and its future. There may well be a place for the new localism around the outer fringes of the service – the library is a focus of local life, after all – but, if the Government allows it to slip into decline in the hollow name of community, Ed Vaizey's promises and his boss's Big Society will be exposed as a heartless sham."
Yup, here we go again - libraries run as sort of charity swap shops, by a bunch of local volunteers...only Tories who can afford to buy what they want when they want it could ignore the 'added value' libraries bring to communities, particularly in deprived areas.
The Big Society, huh. What a lame, and unvivid image. Apparently "The Big Society is a society in which we as individuals don’t feel small."
The Future Libraries Programme from the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport (which just about sums up the government's level of cultural appreciation).
The press release.
Watch the speech.
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