Showing posts with label Speak Up for Libraries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Speak Up for Libraries. Show all posts

Tuesday 9 February 2016

'Speak Up for Libraries' - Will our MPs respond?





Alan Wylie, Barnet library  campaigner spoke for many today when he made the case for publicly funded, professionally staffed libraries today at the rally that preceded today's Speak Up for Libraries lobby of MPs. As well as local libraries the plight of school libraries was also touched on by many speakers. School libraries are not a 'statutory requirement' (unlike prison libraries) and thus are vulnerable to cuts as well as pressure on space as schools expand to cater for increasing pupils numbers.  Most school libraries cannot hope to stock all the books that teachers and students may require but many local authorities have cut the education library lending service which previously had a comprehensive stock.

George Hamerton, who is a pupil librarian at his primary school wowed the audiencve with his calmly presented case for the prpotection of libraries.

A common theme of contributors, whether authors, library workers or users, often  speaking from their own experience, was the contribution that libraries made to hard up working class families who would otherwise not be available to afford books. This is as true today as it was for many of the speakers as they were growing up but closure of local libraries, school libraries and education library services means that the current generation is at a disadvantage compared to the previous generation - internet or no internet.

Barry Gardiner MP was not in London to listen to the views of Brent North residents who gathered to see him so here are the demands we would have put to our MP. None of the Brent or Harrow MPs have signed the Early Day Motion LINK
Demands 
Enforce the law that says local authorities must provide a “comprehensive and efficient” library service by developing and implementing, with the Leadership for Libraries Taskforce, statuto y guidance on the responsibilities of public library authorities

Acknowledge that libraries are important to people – especially during a
recession – by implementing policy during the 2016 Parliament which secures their statutory rights to a quality library service and recognises the contribution of libraries to overall policy objectives including economic prosperity, skills development, literacy, health and wellbeing and community cohesion

Give libraries a long-term future with a clear vision for their development and standards of service by including a programme of library development and modernisation in the 2016-2020 DCMS Business Plan

Ensure councils have enough money to provide quality services that are well planned and sufficiently staffed

Support the EDM 1025 (Early Day Motion) from Speak Up for Libraries Campaign :

That this House recognises that public libraries are hugely important to our communities; acknowledges that many have already closed or are under threat; welcomes the Speak Up For Library lobby of Parliament in support of the public library service on 9 February 2016; and calls on the Government to ensure that councils have enough money to provide well-staffed quality services to enforce the law that says local authorities must provide a comprehensive and efficient library service, to implement policy which secures people’s statutory rights to a quality library service and to give libraries a long-term future by including a programme of library development and modernisation in the 2016 to 2020 Department for Culture, Media and Sport Business Plan.



Saturday 6 February 2016

'Speak Up for Libraries' Lobby of Parliament Tuesday February 9th




Brent residents have put up one hell of a fight for their libraries having seen half of them closed by Brent Council. Their determination is underlined by the number of campaigns that are still going strong and the community libraries that have been set up.

There is a national lobby of Parliament organised by Speak Up for Librarues and supported by Unison on Tuesday February 9th.


Details:

Aldersgate Room, Central Hall, Storey's Gate, SW1H 9NH
10am Registration, with tea, coffee and biscuits provided and the chance to network.
11am The rally with speeches, music, videos and information on how to lobby your MP.
The full line up of speakers is:

Eve Ainsworth (Seven Days, The Blog of Maisy Malone) – just launching her latest novel Crush with Scholastic (‘Love hurts… but should it hurt this much?’).
Philip Ardagh, multiple award-winning comic writer and dramatist (the Grubtown Tales, Eddie Dickens & The Grunts series) – Guardian book reviewer and the loudest beard in literature.
Jake Arnott (The Long Firm, He Kills Coppers, truecrime, Johnny Come Home, The Devil’s Paintbrush, The House of Rumour) – the first two made into successful TV serials.
Cathy Cassidy, million selling Queen of Teen award winner (the Chocolate Box Girls series, Looking-Glass Girl) – breaking off from a schools and libraries tour to promote her new paperbacks (Penguin Random House).
John Dougherty, irrepressible children’s writer (the Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face series) – singing by special request his classic lament ‘What’s Wrong with [libraries minister] Ed Vaizey?’
Dawn Finch, librarian, literacy consultant and best-selling author (Skara Brae, Brotherhood of Shades, The Book of Worth) – speaking here as President of CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals)
Alan Gibbons, million-selling, multiple award-winning children’s writer (Shadow of the Minotaur, End Game, Hate) – tireless campaigner and international speaker.
Laura Swaffield and Elizabeth Ash, The Library Campaign.
Heather Wakefield, head of local government, UNISON.
Alan Wylie, Voices for the Library.

1pm onwards Delegates will make their way from Central Hall Westminster to the House of Commons to meet with their MPs.  

Details of how to lobby your MP will be recapped on the day but do write to your MP to try to arrange a meeting with them and please check the security requirements also. Full details of how to lobby your MP, including a link to security requirements and a sample letter, can be found here

Please book to let organisers have an idea of numbers and to receive updates 

Brent got a mention in a poem by Alan Gibbons who set up the National Libraries Day.


This is the real value of libraries:


When you open a book
You open a mind.
If there are many open books
Then minds open
Like flowers,
Tremulous, contrary,
Rebellious, enquiring,
Reckless, wise.


If there are many open books
People kick at doors
That are closed,
They tug at cases that are shut,
Ask questions about laws
That are unquestionable.


For that reason some people
Would rather a book
Stays closed
Like a door.


In Brent they came
With boards
To turn a door
Into a wall,
A wall
Into a final chapter


But people
Arrived with open minds
Instead of hammers and nails,
With angler’s chairs
Instead of hammers and crowbars,
With questions
Like flowers,
Tremulous, contrary,
Rebellious, enquiring,
Reckless, wise.


While the libraries stay open,
The books stay open,
The minds stay open,
The final chapter
Is still to be written
And the first chapter
Is still to be thought.


Alan Gibbons



Saturday 22 November 2014

Speaking Up For Libraries today

I filled in at the last minute as a Green Party speaker at the Speak Up for Libraries Conference in Bloomsbury today. It was inspiring to see so many people passionately committed to the survival of libraries in the teeth of local council cuts, privatisation and volunteer solutions. Barnet library campaigners were there who have a particularly hard job on their hands. LINK

I made the link between developments in libraries, education and health - all public assets being handed over to the private sector for profit.

I quoted the Green Party core value that should be the basis of  our libraries policy as well as our other polices:
The success of a society cannot be measured by narrow economic indicators, but should take account of factors affecting the quality of life for all people: personal freedom, social equity, health, happiness and human fulfilment.
I went on to  support locally accessible, professionally staffed, adequately funded, democratically accountable local libraries.

I stressed their importance as shared public spaces contributing to social cohesion in addition to their primary role.

The other people on the panel were  Helen Goodman MP (Labour, Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport) and Justin Tomlinson MP (Conservative). Liberal Democrats were invited but did not send a speaker. Author and library campaigner Alan Gibbons chaired the panel.

There was a discussion about the need for clearer national standards for library provision but delegates pointed out that these were not being enforced by the current Secretary of State despite Lincolnshire campaigners win in the High Court LINK.

I said that I had no faith in Ed Vaizey intervening in the Barnet case as that council was the Tory flagship after Hammersmith went Labour at the local elections.  He would hardly interfere with a council that was the pathbreaker for other Tory councils wanting to shed services. I suggested that there was no substitute for a mass national campaign in defence of libraries.

Non-intervention reflected underlying assumptions about the library service and contrasts with Michael Gove's many interventions in education.

On national standards I agreed that broad standards were important but how they were implemented was a matter for local decision making. However, they would mean nothing if there was not adequate funding for local government and at present there were indications that many council may fail financially and be unable to deliver even core services.

This is how Speak Up for Libraries told the story of the panel on Storify:
(first slide should be 'professionally staffed')