I did read your response, it does have contempt for anything that exists
outside the marketplace.

Blaming councils for this is disingenuous.   In this context economies being
made means circa 10% of the library network closing in just this financial
year.  This is merely the beginning.  To claim for a second on a
professional mailing list that this won't harm services is simply absurd.

Anyway, rather than clog up the list with this, I'll shut up now.  The
library campaigners are making the points far more eloquently.

-----Original Message-----
From: Library and Information Professionals
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rowley, Margaret
(Knowledge Management)
Sent: 08 February 2011 15:27
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Library Campaigns. What next?

I don't think you read my response.  The Government does not have contempt
for the publicly funded library.  It is up to local councils where they
target the cuts, and economies can be made without harming services.  

Margaret

-----Original Message-----
From: Library and Information Professionals
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David McMenemy
Sent: 08 February 2011 15:04
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Library Campaigns. What next?

And they say we're all one big profession!  You can have the debate on the
terms of a government that has contempt for the publically funded library if
you like.  

Incidentally I can't help but notice the geographical locations of some of
the folk towing the ConDem line.

-----Original Message-----
From: Library and Information Professionals
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rowley, Margaret
(Knowledge Management)
Sent: 08 February 2011 14:59
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Library Campaigns. What next?

In the case of the public library services it is the local choice.  Local
councils choose how much money to spend on libraries, rubbish disposal,
potholes or whatever within their overall budget.  Some councils are
supporting libraries more than others. Admittedly there is less money to go
round now but we couldn't continue increasing the national debt at such a
high rate so some savings have to be made.  

In Worcestershire some libraries are sharing premises with other local
government services thus making savings while increasing the footfall in
libraries.  It is possible to make savings and improve services.

Margaret Rowley
Head of Knowledge Management
Worcestershire Health Libraries

-----Original Message-----
From: Library and Information Professionals
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David McMenemy
Sent: 08 February 2011 14:10
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Library Campaigns. What next?

No, the country, or rather the current government is CHOOSING to not afford
fantastic facilities on every doorstep.  For a government so keen on CHOICE,
it's absurd to let them off the hook for their choice to shaft the public
sector and then blame it on councils.

I'm sure I can't be alone in finding some of the comment on this thread
utterly depressing and reflective of why we're in the position we're in.

-----Original Message-----
From: Library and Information Professionals
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael Charlton
Sent: 08 February 2011 12:47
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Library Campaigns. What next?

I think we also have to ask exactly how popular are the local branches? Yes
it's great to have a library round the corner, but how many people are
actually using that library. I think Kevin makes a very serious point in
respect to Cambridge. People seemed willing - in certain areas - to turn up
to save the local library from closure; but how many of these same people
use THAT library on a regular basis? We can't let sentiment for the good old
days of a library at the end of the street cloud the issues. If people are
offered a state of the art, multi-functional library 10 minutes on the bus
or a local library with a poor collection and a couple of out of date
computers at the bottom of the road, which will they choose? The country
can't afford to have fantastic facilities on every doorstep, but if certain
tough decisions are made, it can afford fantastic public library provision
from a central library in every town centre. We won't get to that point if
we continue to pile resources into local libraries which people only go to
when a campaign is organised to stop it closing.



Kind regards,

Michael Charlton
After hours: +44 (0) 1788 560 824
Fax: +44 (0) 1788 568 266
Skype: mildwaters.consulting
Walton House 25 Bilton Road Rugby
Warwickshire United Kingdom CV22 7AG
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://www.mildwatersconsulting.com/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail, and any attachment, contains information which is confidential
and may be legally privileged. If you are not the person intended to receive
it or a copy of it please notify the sender by reply e-mail as soon as
possible. In these circumstances please delete the e-mail on your system and
do not copy or disclose its contents or take any action in reliance upon it.

Internet communications are not secure and therefore Mildwaters Consulting
LLP does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message as
it has been transmitted over a public network. If you suspect the message
may have been intercepted or amended, please call the sender. Please note
that e-mails sent by or to any person through our IT systems may be seen by
other members of the consultancy.

Mildwaters Consulting LLP is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation
Authority under number 520348.

-----Original Message-----


From: Library and Information Professionals
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kevin Symonds
Sent: 08 February 2011 12:36
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Library Campaigns. What next?

Bridget
>I was really pleased to see the number that came in to support it - and
take out books!<

And?

People use libraries, people love libraries, libraries are brilliant. We all
know that.
Having people sitting round and enjoying themselves, taking out more books
or having photos taken to show off the love people have for libraries is
great. But it's a little bit in the local paper, even as a part of a bigger
day what concrete impact does it actually have?

Cuts are going to have to be made in council budgets, surely the important
thing is to get the general public to steer their councils towards cutting
other things instead of libraries or look for ways of raising money to keep
libraries going. Just because something is worthy, used and popular does not
suddenly make councils and government go 'oh well that's different, we must
stop the cuts immediately, little Tommy loves  Asterix books so we can't
close down his local library branch'. Alternatives need to be given,
finances need to be sorted out. I can't imagine it's an emotive issue, it's
a simple financial decision and so needs to be countered in the same way.

Somewhere like Cambridge where they might want to close down some of the
smaller branch libraries you can see what they are thinking. Lovely new
central library, lots of money spent on it (£7.5 million), great resources,
free wireless, RFID tagged books, café, local history collection, BFI
collection, longer opening hours (even open on a Sunday!) etc. Do you really
need 2 other libraries within 2 miles when the Central Library has the all
those facilities? Plus the great transport links, cycle parking, other shops
(being in the middle of a shopping centre and round the corner from the very
centre of Cambridge) and everything else that people come into town for
anyway.

There needs to be good solid reasons why these Libraries should remain. And
getting normal people to tell the people that make the decision is surely
one step in the right direction. Problem is do they love libraries more than
having their rubbish collected, or street lights or care homes etc?

I like the way they seem to deal with these issues in America, separate
local tax paid to directly support libraries.

Kevin