DANGER: 1,000 LIBRARIES TO CLOSE That's a full quarter of the total in England - all of them small branches that cost peanuts to run, & are located where people need them most. HOW DO WE WORK OUT THIS FIGURE? 201 library service points were closed last year. A further 336 are threatened with closure (to date) this year. Arts Council England predicts a further cut of at least 40% by 2016. WHY ISN'T THE GOVERNMENT TELLING YOU THIS? These are figures you will not see on any official website or press release. They are compiled by a librarian in his spare time* from local press reports. That's just one example of what is NOT being done by the bodies responsible for public libraries - the government (DCMS, Department for Culture, Media & Sport) and Arts Council England (ACE). AND CLOSURES ARE NOT THE ONLY BAD NEWS Many libraries have been dumped on to local communities, to run as best they can. Many more stay open under council control, but are losing books, opening hours and skilled staff. CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? Yet, say library campaigners, the government simply denies there is any problem. It points to a handful of new library openings, as if these compensate for mass closures and downgrading. It ignores all evidence presented to it. Even worse, it has powers to help - but chooses to do nothing. WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING Many campaign groups and hundreds of reports in local media show that the real situation is bleak. Check the website for yourself*. For instance.... = Lincolnshire plans that 32 of its 45 libraries, plus an unspecified number of mobile units, will either close or be passed on to volunteers. That means losing 170 highly-trained staff (55 FTE) and 177 public access computers. = Herefordshire decided to close ALL except its one central library - and is now dealing with a huge outcry from the public. These are only the latest to see their library service dismantled. Mass closures have already taken place, from Newcastle to the Isle of Wight, Gloucestershire to Brent. And about 3,000 professional librarians have already lost their jobs. QUOTE Library campaigner Shirley Burnham says: 'The Minister, Ed Vaizey, was vociferous in defence of libraries when in Opposition. But he has been frozen into inaction since coming into office. 'He and his officials are in denial, muttering "What crisis?" as hundreds of libraries are closed, or the keys handed to volunteers - with no support.' QUOTE The Library Campaign is the national group for library users. Laura Swaffield, its chair, says: 'Library users have appealed time and again to the minister to intervene against mass closures. He has a legal duty to "superintend and improve" the service**. But he does nothing. 'And he does nothing about libraries that stay open but now provide a far worse service. Scotland and Wales have national minimum standards, but not England. 'Finally, many communities are now trying to run their own libraries, as the only way to save them. They get no national help or advice. Not from the government, not from Arts Council England (ACE).' At the recent Library Campaign conference in London, Jim Brooks of the Little Chalfont volunteer-run library in Buckinghamshire reported that 130 volunteer groups have found their way to him, desperate for help. Laura says: 'Jim is the only national resource giving advice. It's absurd!' FUTURE? WHAT FUTURE? Brian Ashley, who holds the libraries portfolio for ACE, admitted at the Library Campaign meeting that libraries face a further 40% cut in funding. But ACE has no shared plan to help local authorities manage their resources - or focus on users' needs. At most risk are rural areas and deprived urban areas. If a local library closes, travel to another one is difficult and expensive. And few have the time, money or skills to take it over themselves. Yet libraries offer a lifeline to many people in need - especially to those with no internet access, families with small children, those in education and older people. Libraries are the last refuge of a civilised society and cost next to nothing. WHITEHALL FARCE The government's refusal to intervene verges on the farcical. Bolton campaigner, retired solicitor Geof Dron, says: 'The council did not believe volunteer-run libraries would be sustainable, and simply closed five libraries. 'Local campaigners and the Civic Trust asked the Minister to use his legal powers (ii) to intervene. First his officials lost part of our submission. Then they refused even to meet with us. 'The Minister, from the comfort of his Whitehall office, has refused our request for an inquiry. He expresses no interest in the needs of the young, the elderly and the disadvantaged of Bolton for literacy, education and access to computers. He is not prepared even to talk to us.' WHAT'S MISSING? At the same time, many libraries still under local authority control have lost much of their bookstock, professional expertise and ethos as cost-free, neutral places of study, reading for pleasure and access to information (both physical and digital). A multiplicity of consultancy studies and official reports are gathering dust in Whitehall. What is missing, however, is any plan by government or its partners to address the issues or to provide an iota of leadership. This is despite pleas by the All Party Parliamentary Group, senior politicians and the professional bodies that represent librarians. As a speaker at the recent Society of Chief Librarians' conference said, the Minister 'needs to smell the coffee'. WHAT'S NEEDED? Campaigners say that much can - and should - be done to halt the hollowing out or collapse of public libraries. Destroying libraries signifies incompetence, not necessity. Notably, a handful of local authorities are protecting or even enhancing provision under the same economic constraints as others. The DCMS ignores this evidence of best practice and refuses to contemplate national standards for libraries, a postcode lottery of service provision is inevitable. The minister (or ACE) should find out what works, where and in what circumstances, and use his powers. DIVIDENDS Other countries are investing in libraries - from Australia and New Zealand to China and South Korea. A high quality public library service that serves the common good and underpins the nation's literacy will, campaigners insist, reap dividends for the national economy. But only if those responsible for libraries take their heads out of the sand. * www.publiclibrariesnews.com<http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com> gives a daily breakdown of news reports, and summaries by local authority area. No official source does anything like this. ** The Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964 makes it a legal duty for every council to provide a 'comprehensive and efficient' library service. The Secretary of State at the DCMS has a legal duty to 'superintend and improve' this service - and legal powers to intervene if council libraries are failing. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING... 1. Laura Swaffield, 07914 491 145 Chair of The Library Campaign - the only national resource for library users/campaigners. www.librarycampaign.com<http://www.librarycampaign.com> (includes daily updated list of local campaign groups). 2. Public Libraries News Unique daily breakdown of news reports, and summaries by local authority area. www.publiclibrariesnews.com<http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com> 3. Voices for the Library Run by librarians, the only national website focused on promoting librarians, libraries and explaining what they do. http://voicesforthelibrary.org.uk Frances Hendrix Martin House Farm, Hilltop Lane, Whittle le Woods, Chorley, Lancs, PR6 7QR Tel: 01257 274 833. Mobile: 0777 55 888 03