The government is keen on increasing community involvement in public services. Some libararians are too.
How could this work in practice?
Friends groups could be broadened.
New community library committee/boards could be formed. These could be constructed on the lines of SACREs, the community bodies responsible for RE syllabi. Essentially this would mean drawing up a schedule of [...]

Why is it that the views of Hillingdon staff have not been heard?
Because they are not allowed to comment on the plans. Many haven’t even seen them.
Why should they be, Pete? As public servants shouldn’t they just do as they’re told?
Well, no. As adults and citizens they should be as free as  anyone involved to [...]

Library staff will work in the Starbucks franchises, serving “coffee” whilst answering queries. So join a library become a barista!
Franchises note- so if it doesn’t work, *$ get their cash anyway and they and the council can blame the staff for not running a good enough “coffee” shop.
Private enterprise, the guaranteed trouble free way to [...]

Librarians make collections live.
Or we should.
A building full of books is not a library. A building full of books and people issuing them over the counter is not a library- no matter how nice the building, or the people, or the coffee. If all a library is is a collection of books and a means to [...]

Tim Coates asked me to stop praising Rotherham libraries.
I pointed out that I was talking only about my own experiences, and will continue to do so. Nevertheless, I felt I should look at the broader picture. So I have looked into some basic facts about the library service- from the report on the council site.
It’s [...]

An interesting new blog on Slow Reading has been launched.
It is interesting to see slow reading defined as part of a resistance to the hectic pace of modern life. This is something I can see the sense of.
We all need to slow down at times, for true appreciation to take place. And books do offer [...]

I did not encounter banks of PCs. I was not surrounded by bare shelves.  The collection reflected the area served by the library. The staff did not ignore me.
I found a book I had been thinking of buying- Gombrich’s history- so borrow it to see if it’s worth buying. I also find a book in [...]