By Mark Cantrell
A library is traditionally a place of hush but now a
coalition of campaigners is looking to shout the roof down in their defence.
Next month, trade unionists, library staff and library
lovers are to host a joint lobby of Parliament to tell MPs in no uncertain
terms that library closures threaten a vital community asset.
Government austerity cuts are threatening a loss of public
services across the country and libraries are no exception, with a host of
local branches and institutions already earmarked for closure by cash-strapped
councils.
This is bad news not just for librarians, who stand t lose
their jobs, but for the people who rely on them for rather more than borrowing
a book.
“Cutting libraries is not an easy solution for councils to
save cash – it is a literacy time bomb for deprived communities,” said Heather
Wakefield, of the trades union UNISON.
Under David Cameron’s big idea – the Big Society – civil
society is expected to step into the breach, with community groups and
volunteers moving in to provide essential, or simply expected public services,
but for many this is simply unrealistic.
Wakefield added: “Community groups are being held to ransom
by Government plans to force them to take over the running of services – or
lose them. These groups don’t have the time, skills and resources to take over
the jobs of experienced library staff.
“A shocking 30,000 children are leaving primary school with
a reading age of seven or below and libraries are a vital lifeline for
community groups. We need a national vision of a modern library service as an
investment in the future generation.”
Annie Mauger, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), added: “The professional skills
and expertise of library staff are core to providing the public with a quality
library service. Volunteers should supplement and enrich a professional-led
service, not replace the knowledge and skills of staff. We are concerned that
public library services in England are being damaged. The impact will be felt
now and in the long-term.
“We urge the Secretary of State [Jeremy Hunt] to use his
powers of intervention where there is clear evidence that the Public Libraries
& and Museums Act 1964 has been potentially breached. It is wrong to view
public libraries solely as a cost. By providing opportunities for learning and
literacy development, libraries are an investment in communities, families and
individuals.”
UNISON and CILIP, together with other campaign groups,
intend to take their case to Parliament on 13 March 2012, gathering at Central
Hall, Westminster, to highlight what they see as the importance of libraries in
providing access to learning.
More than simply being a depository of books, the
campaigners say that libraries are a “vital lifeline” for many communities.
But surely libraries tired old things now, hollowed out by
the digital revolution? Not according to Andrew Coburn, Secretary of The Library Campaign.
He said: “Public libraries still have a wide-ranging role in
encouraging literacy and education as well as providing literature for leisure
and information. MPs need to know what a real 21st Century library
service can provide – so that they can join the thousands who are trying to
prevent their branches being closed and services mutilated.”
Ruth Bond, Chair of the National Federation of Women’s
Institutes (NFWI) has also spoken up in support of libraries: “A threat to
local library services is a threat to a community’s education and, as champions
of libraries for the past 96 years, WI members are gravely concerned that so
many local authorities are riding roughshod over educational resources while
the Government watches in silence.
“It is simply not good enough to assume that volunteers will
step in to continue providing services previously supplied by professionals.
The Government cannot rely on community-minded individuals to step into the
breach to bridge the gaps – and the loss of professional expertise is
irreplaceable.
“Local libraries are a fundamental information and education
resource. Whilst in their essence, libraries facilitate access to books and
resources, they play a much wider role in promoting shared knowledge and
equality of opportunity, facilitating community cohesion, and enabling
life-long learning and literacy from cradle to grave.”
Somehow, it seems a shame that an appeal for libraries must
rely on ministerial jargon such as ‘community cohesion’, ‘lifelong learning’
and other such dry aspects of ‘accountant’ language, but in a society where
access to books and culture is deemed something of a luxury, inevitably a case
must be made somehow.
“[We] are urging anyone concerned for the future of the
library service in the UK to get involved on March 13th. This is
your chance to tell your MP how vital your local library service is, and ask
them to call the Secretary of State to task over his noticeable lack of
involvement,” said Abby Barker, from the organisation Voices for the Library.
“The 1964 Public Libraries & Museums Act very clearly
puts public libraries under the superintendence of the Secretary of State,
however, Jeremy Hunt has yet to intervene on any level – even in the most
extreme cases.”
Alan Gibbons, author and organiser of Campaign for the Book,
said: “A reading child is a successful child. The National Literacy Trust has
found that a child who goes to a library is twice as likely to read well as one
who doesn’t. The UK currently stands 25th in the PISA International
Reading ranking. Libraries are vital to improving this position. We have to
fight for the defence and extension of public library services.”
Anyone concerned can follow the campaign on Twitter with the
hashtag #librarieslobby.
Category: CULTURE
1 comments:
I am a big fan of reading and libraries and the services they provide. The main two problems I do have with libraries, at least those recently visited by me in Florida and in Kentucky is that they 1. are no longer all that quiet as people seem to think they can use their outside voices inside a library, so it is often hard to concentrate and read or work on what ever quiet project (dealing with books and note taking/etc. of course!) one is working on, and 2. in many cases the books are not as current as they should be and most books are years old and seldom updated or replaced with the "latest versions" of said books or newer books in general.
One library I went to in Pompano Beach Florida it often became hard to find a place to sit and read or a table/desk to work at, because all the chairs were taken by homeless (often extremely dirty and smelly) sleeping in them. In general I don't mind ANYONE coming in and reading, working, or even just plain enjoying the quiet for a short time (long time on reading and working is good though) but to see people sleeping for hours and hours, often snoring or in many cases talking in their sleep?
Friar Don, OBR
http://exposeyourblog.com
Post a Comment