Threats to libraries

Jeanette Winterson speaking at the Edinburgh international book festival at an event marking 25 years since the publication of her bestselling novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Winterson said that when she was growing up, she would escape to her local library in Acrington, Lancashire, where she worked her way through the classics.
On a recent visit to her old library she found that DVDs had replaced many of the books, which led her to become concerned about the formative reading experience of children with little other access to books than through a library.
"If you start taking boots off shelves then you are only going to fing what you are looking for, which does not help those who do not know what they are looking for".

Winterson also spoke of her concern for the furture of libraries themselves, as the new government looks to make cuts in spending across the board. Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has already proposed the abolition of libraries body the Museums, Libraries and Archives council as part of cuts in funding to public bodies, and Winterson's comments come in the week that culture minister Ed Vaizey announced the 10 areas around the UK which will be taking part in the "future libraries programme", a new project aimed at driving down cost and finding new ways of tunning libraries. 

In Suffold, the programme will work to support commnunity groups in managing their local libraries. In Bradford, it si looking into working with retail partner to relocate libraries into shops with extra space. In Northumberland and Durham it will focus on community engagement, particularly how IT skills can be improved through work with volunteers. 

Library Experts, including the cahir of the Museums, Libraries and Archives council and former poet laureate Andrew Motion have previously spoken of their concerns about the use of volunteers in libraries. "Good libraries like good anythings need exper people working within them", Motion told the Gaurdian in June. "Maybe there is a role for some aspects of volunteering, but all the central staff must be done by people who are qualified to do it...I think it would be catastrophe".

More than 100 local authorities applied for the future libraries programme, with lessons learned from 10 participating areas to be shared with the rest of the country.

This scheme will support and showcase genuinely local ideas about how to modernise and improve libraries, said councillor Chris White, chair of the Local Government Association's culture, tourism, and sport board. "Crucially this means that the people who use the cherish their local libaries will have a much greater say in the future."

From Guardian.co.uk  18th August 2010

 

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