Dear David,
You are not alone!
As a former resident of Somerset and a library user (Fully supporting the campaign against cuts), I would be wary of Coates' off the cuff figures.
The £20 handing cost was publicised a few years ago when Hampshire County Council invited him in for consultation. That figure applied to that service which subsequently experienced a major "back office" overhaul. Of course the cost of a modern EDI acquisition cost is tiny in comparison and that figure reflected a single book's share of the cost of Hampshire's library workers at the time. Unless he does the sums in Somerset reflecting their modern practice then he shouldn't be throwing these numbers around.
Coates has made some good points over the years and helped a lot of libraries modernise but he's not the only "expert" - Librarian's know an awful lot too funnily enough.
Somerset actually benefits in my view from the Libraries West Consortium: sharing costs and professional librarian's services to the great benefit of a population larger than Somerset alone. No one could take seriously the remark "empowering librarians to buy books directly, saving substantially on central purchasing and distribution costs" I
Individual Librarians in individual branches buying books directly? Great! So then each branch should then hold onto what they own and not exchange with others in the system? Don't share knowledge either. - let's waste any public money left on stock duplication too! What the hell does he think we are - bookshops? Hello stale stock! Goodbye readers! Seriously who does that any more - we have been cutting and finding efficiencies for years. What next? get rid of LMS because brown issue is cheaper!!
Welcome to the public library in 1911 (whoops I mean 2011 after the cuts)
On the other hand Somerset Council has a cheek not being able to explain why the top slice is unaccountable.
IYmddiheuraf na fedrai i gyfathrebu yn y Gymraeg ar hyn o bryd
Angela D. Haynes
Swyddog Datblygu Rhanbarthol
Regional Development Officer
Partneriaeth Llyfrgelloedd Gogledd Cymru
North Wales Libraries Partnership
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