In September this blog started campaigning against Barnet Councillor Robert Rams proposals to decimate the library service in Barnet and to sell off the buildings. I happen to believe that Barnets libraries are a treasured part of the local community. I believe that reading is the key to education and libraries are the cornerstone of literacy. Let me deal with a couple of arguments that have been raised against libraries (we've collected approx 4,000 signatures and had about a dozen people make negative comments to us).
"I don't use libraries, why should I pay for them" - This is a simple argument. We are a community and we need to support one another. Just because you personally don't use a service, that service may enable the people you will need today, tomorrow and in the future to educate themselves and perform the jobs and pay the taxes which will maintain you, when you need help. Libraries provide a quiet space for study. Many poorer families do not have space for quiet study for children. Libraries offer the opportunity for children from such backgrounds to improve themselves and break the cycle of poverty.
"Books are cheap and you can buy them in Tescos". Whilst books may be relatively cheap, families on benefits with 3-4 children could not afford to support the reading habits of their children - £15-£20 a week on books would be beyond their means. The same is true of pensioners. My mother used to read 3-4 books a week when she retired. She would have soon exhausted the supply of suitable books in most branches of Tescos. Generally these shops don't have a good selection of classics, concentrating on the popular genre such as "The Jordan Life Story".
"We could sell off the Libraries and spend the money on front line services". Barnet Council is spending millions of pounds on consultants who merely generate paper. There is plenty of scope for cuts here. The library service is a lifeline for many elderly, lonely people. I believe that the mental wellbeing of many people will suffer if they can no longer borrow books. For many elderly people a walk to the library also provides exercise and a reason to get out. It is also true to say that if children can't develop their potential, they will be far less likely to get good jobs and pay tax. Benefit dependency is the biggest waste of money and lives. Libraries are a proven way out of the cycle.
I have also criticised the "On Line Library Consultation", provided by Barnet Council. What exactly don't I like about it and why do I say it's rigged. The answer to this is simple. It doesn't detail any real improvements to the provision of books. It is all about "what new things can we use the space for". The issue of getting more people into libraries is not mentioned. There is no details of how much these crazy cuts will save. I doubt many people would support chopping their library if they only saved 25p per week. I'd like to see Barnet llibraries have specialised sections. If each library had an area for it's speciality eg History, Sci Fi, Classics, then I believe that we'd see more footfall. I don't believe that libraries should be turned into mini council offices. They should be libraries and they should be engaging with the community. I'd like to see authors and small exhibitions held as well, related to literary themes. I'd also like to see late evening reading groups and guest visits from local authors.
What did I expect when I launched the petition? I had hoped for 500 signatures. We got eight times that. We have now handed the petition in, so that it can be considered as part of the consultation. We will however carry on collecting. We had many things against us. The local press have EMBARGO'd the petition and refused to give it a single mention, despite the fact that it's been mentioned in national press and even on the BBC. I am truly disgusted with their attitude. I have come to the conclusion that our local papers are desperately jealous of the blogs of Barnet and this policy is sheer spite. I can see how many visits they make to my blog and I know the same is true of other bloggers. They can't stand the fact that this blog has launched one of the most popular campiagns ever in Barnet. Shame on them.
I must thank the Barnet Alliance for Public Services for their support in organising stalls. They have done the donkey work. I have set the direction of the campaign and they've done much of the hard work. I stated from day 1 that our primary target was Conservative voters in Conservative wards. That's why we've had stalls in Edgware, Mill Hill, High Barnet, East Barnet and Finchley. As I have always suspected, the Tories of Barnet love their libraries as much as anyone, often more so. Many old ladies have been horrified at the proposed cuts. When we held a stall outside East Barnet library, when Councillor Rams was doing a ward surgery, he resorted to telling the old dear that "This library is safe". I suspect that every library he chops will result in the loss of a Tory ward. Matthew Offord won Hendon by 106 votes. I can guarantee that Labour will get those votes back if they cut a single library in Hendon constituency.
From what I am hearing Councillor Rams has developed a "squeaky bottom" in regards to the library consultation. I can tell him and his Tory colleagues what will happen once the actual closures are announced.
1. We will doorstop Theresa Villiers MP for Chipping Barnet, Mike Freer MP for Finchley and Matthew Offord MP for Hendon. We will video them answering the question "Do you support the closure of this library by the Barnet Conservative Council" and we will post the answer on Youtube. That way the world will know what their MP thinks.
2. We will leaflet every home in the area of closed libraries and make sure they know that this a Barnet Conservative policy and we will explain where they are happy for money to be wasted that could save their library.
3. We will redouble the campaign to force a rethink. We had the resources and plans to collect 3,000 signatures in the last 2 weeks, but the inclement weather prevented our plans. On average we collected 250 signatures per high st stall. We had 12 stalls cancelled over the last few weeks with snow. We were also unable to run stalls outside local carol services as I had planned. I am cast iron certain, we'd have got a minimum of 3,000 paper signatures and another 250 online (this went up massively with the leafletting).
4. We will engage some high profile supporters of the campaign to make public appearances to bolster our campaign. We have plans to get a few celebrity residents to ask public questions at Council meetings. We have received significant national media interest in this. All we need is Councillor Rams to wave the start flag and say where the libraries are closing.
I have lots of behind the scenes homework to do. There is a public side to the campaign and a behind the scenes side. We are currently forensically picking over the Council budget and the Future shape expenses. We are looking for obvious waste and savings and we are working on a strategy to present this to the people of Barnet, showing that the library cuts are just the last thrashings of a failed policy by a very below average council.
Councillor Robert Rams has a stark choice. He can go back and work out a way to save our libraries and improve the service or he can be the man responsible for ending the Tory rule of Barnet Council. Our focus prior to the consultation has been solely on trying to get signatures on the petition. We have tried to stop Rams from making a very bad decision. If he carries out his plan, the next phase will be to ensure that every Tory voter in Barnet knows who is responsible for the cuts and also that they are not necessary.
As we approach Christmas, I will be backing off the blogging on politics and Barnet. It is not good for the soul to be so mired in such stupidity at a time of peace and goodwill. Normal coverage will resume in the New Year (unless Barnet do something really sneaky in the meantime).
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query libraries. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query libraries. Sort by date Show all posts
Thursday, 23 December 2010
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Building the library of the future in the London Borough of Barnet?
So Barnet Council are in the process of reviewing their library service. This is the second time in five years that they've done this. The Councillor who is "in charge" of the process is Reuben Thompstone. Oddly "Rubes" as he is lovingly known, seems to have learned nothing from the 2010 debacle. One supposes that this is partly because the last bloke to try it, Robert Rams, got thrown out by the electorate at the last election.
When they tried it ast time, I lead the campaign to save the libraries. This was sparked by crass comments by Robert Rams, such as that people could order books online from Amazon if they wanted one. I immediately realised that Rams knew nothing about what a library was or the type of people who used them. Realising that if I was to do the job properly, I needed to make sure that I wasn't like Rams, totally ignorant of the subject. So the first thing I did was a tour of every library in the Borough. I went at times when I thought they'd be busy and I had a routine. I'd go in and read the paper. Whilst I did this I'd observe the customers and the staff. What immediately struck me was the fact that the libraries all reflected their communities. The customers reflected what was going on. Hendon library, being near Middx Uni had far more students using the space for study. Burnt Oak had a very ethnically diverse custom. Mill Hill had young mums and old ladies. Each library had its own feel and just from watching, I realised that there was far more to what libraries do than simply lending books.
The next thing I did was some research as to what other authorities were doing. I also realised that every council has a different view of what a library service should be. Some value, develop and cherish it, some want shot of it and some, such as Barnet Council are simply clueless.
By doing my homework, when I addressed councillors and the council, I was able to talk with authority and raise points they hadn't thought of. I realised that the authorities that loved and cherished libraries had empowered communities to build friends groups who raised funds and helped the team of qualified librarians out. They realised that librarians are qualified professional people and that they should be treated as such. Any volunteer services are simply there to extend and improve the services and to help raise funds. My research showed me that good friends groups can raise up to £30,000 a year, which can be ploughed back into the service.
I also realised that there are hundreds of authors in our city, all of whom have books to promote. They are all keen to share their work, so good libraries arrange book readings. Many people enjoy book clubs and what better place to run these than the library? One group I spoke to organised book readings. People would bake cakes to sell and bring wine for the evening, pay aing a few pounds on subs to be a member. Some libraries organise reading based activities for tots, whilst the mums have a chinwag and a coffeee. Others have coffee mornings for pensioners, where councillors would attend and give seminars on local history and environment. This would also allow the councillors to get to know people and their issues. Then there are students. Good library services have special opening hours and study times, in association with local schools. These are promoted as an opportunity for local youths, who have no private study place at home, to do homework in a quiet and studious environment.
Then there is the question of library design. As the needs of library users have changed, so has the design. People like a touch of privacy, so reading areas can be more secluded, not closed off but designed so that you can read in peace. Many modern libraries separate shelves from reading space, so the space can be reused in the evening for events. Good libraries also have good IT services, many run courses for older people to help them become IT literate.Many run other courses, especially English language courses for the many immigrants we have in our community and also foreign language courses for the locals. Some have services to help peoplewrite CV's and some have film nights and even live music.
Perhaps the most interesting thing I saw was libraries that team up with commercial sponsors, who recognise the value in engaging with the community. This helps the company to be recognised as part of the community and the library to pay its bills.
There is also the issue of running costs. Some libraries have gone green. They use solar panels to provide power (libraries are largely open in daylight). Some use other green technologies. All of these make the proposition more sustainable.
Every single one of the the things I've mentioned above, I suggested to councillors in 2010. Sadly they were not interested. Every single one would help us to build a better and more harmonious community. It has been estimated that every hour an adult spends in education or training results in approx 100 times the cost benefit to the economy. If Barnet and the UK wants to be a successful modern nation, we need education and skills at our heart. This can only happen if we recognise the value of our library service.
When they tried it ast time, I lead the campaign to save the libraries. This was sparked by crass comments by Robert Rams, such as that people could order books online from Amazon if they wanted one. I immediately realised that Rams knew nothing about what a library was or the type of people who used them. Realising that if I was to do the job properly, I needed to make sure that I wasn't like Rams, totally ignorant of the subject. So the first thing I did was a tour of every library in the Borough. I went at times when I thought they'd be busy and I had a routine. I'd go in and read the paper. Whilst I did this I'd observe the customers and the staff. What immediately struck me was the fact that the libraries all reflected their communities. The customers reflected what was going on. Hendon library, being near Middx Uni had far more students using the space for study. Burnt Oak had a very ethnically diverse custom. Mill Hill had young mums and old ladies. Each library had its own feel and just from watching, I realised that there was far more to what libraries do than simply lending books.
The next thing I did was some research as to what other authorities were doing. I also realised that every council has a different view of what a library service should be. Some value, develop and cherish it, some want shot of it and some, such as Barnet Council are simply clueless.
By doing my homework, when I addressed councillors and the council, I was able to talk with authority and raise points they hadn't thought of. I realised that the authorities that loved and cherished libraries had empowered communities to build friends groups who raised funds and helped the team of qualified librarians out. They realised that librarians are qualified professional people and that they should be treated as such. Any volunteer services are simply there to extend and improve the services and to help raise funds. My research showed me that good friends groups can raise up to £30,000 a year, which can be ploughed back into the service.
I also realised that there are hundreds of authors in our city, all of whom have books to promote. They are all keen to share their work, so good libraries arrange book readings. Many people enjoy book clubs and what better place to run these than the library? One group I spoke to organised book readings. People would bake cakes to sell and bring wine for the evening, pay aing a few pounds on subs to be a member. Some libraries organise reading based activities for tots, whilst the mums have a chinwag and a coffeee. Others have coffee mornings for pensioners, where councillors would attend and give seminars on local history and environment. This would also allow the councillors to get to know people and their issues. Then there are students. Good library services have special opening hours and study times, in association with local schools. These are promoted as an opportunity for local youths, who have no private study place at home, to do homework in a quiet and studious environment.
Then there is the question of library design. As the needs of library users have changed, so has the design. People like a touch of privacy, so reading areas can be more secluded, not closed off but designed so that you can read in peace. Many modern libraries separate shelves from reading space, so the space can be reused in the evening for events. Good libraries also have good IT services, many run courses for older people to help them become IT literate.Many run other courses, especially English language courses for the many immigrants we have in our community and also foreign language courses for the locals. Some have services to help peoplewrite CV's and some have film nights and even live music.
Perhaps the most interesting thing I saw was libraries that team up with commercial sponsors, who recognise the value in engaging with the community. This helps the company to be recognised as part of the community and the library to pay its bills.
There is also the issue of running costs. Some libraries have gone green. They use solar panels to provide power (libraries are largely open in daylight). Some use other green technologies. All of these make the proposition more sustainable.
Every single one of the the things I've mentioned above, I suggested to councillors in 2010. Sadly they were not interested. Every single one would help us to build a better and more harmonious community. It has been estimated that every hour an adult spends in education or training results in approx 100 times the cost benefit to the economy. If Barnet and the UK wants to be a successful modern nation, we need education and skills at our heart. This can only happen if we recognise the value of our library service.
Sunday, 4 January 2015
Barnet Council - An honesty free zone
In May 2014, we had a Council election. The Conservatives narrowly held on to the control of the Council. As we start the new year, The Barnet Eye thought we'd explore some of the myths and lies of Barnet Politics.
Libraries. The Tories made a big play of protecting library services in their election manifesto in 2014. In their manifesto they said
So you may ask, are Barnet Labour any better?
Well as they lost the election, we can't tell whether they'd actually renege on any promises. we can look at a few commonly held myths and misconceptions.
1. Barnet Labour are "anti outsourcing".
I looked at the Labour manifesto to see what it said about "One Barnet", the Tories huge outsourcing program. This is what Labour had to say
2. Barnet Labour are Anti Cuts.
When Barnet Council voted on its budget last year, the Barnet Tories and Barnet Labour party both proposed budgets with exactly the same amount of council spending. Some priorities were different, but at the end of the day, both would have delivered exactly the same amount of cuts. Whatever you may think of the Barnet Tories and their cuts agenda, had Labour won, we'd be seeing exactly the same cuts being enacted.
3. Barnet Labour will protect the local NHS.
Their manifesto said
"... All this is putting pressure on our local health services - particularly hospital services - where local A&E departments are increasingly struggling to meet targets and demand."
These are fine words, however it was a Labour government that closed Edgware General A&E department, requiring everyone in the west of the Borough to make the trip to Barnet General. I fought tooth and nail to save Edgware General A&E and campaigned relentlessly for a Labour government, in the mistaken belief that they would save the hospital. Now we have an A&E crisis in Barnet.
There is a saying that we get the politicians we deserve. What have the people of Barnet done to deserve this shower? How can we make an informed choice when all they do it tell us porkies to buy our votes and as soon as they've got the job, do what the hell they like.
Every Barnet Councillor gets a yearlybung allowance from the taxpayer of a minumum of £10,000. If they don't toe the party line they get deselected and kicked out. The sad truth is that the councillors of Barnet serve their own pockets, not the people. How would you feel if you paid a plumber £10,000 to install a new central heating system in your flat, but when you paid him, he simply went next door and mended their tap, because they gave him a cup of tea and a few biscuits? You'd be sickened. That is exactly what your local councillor has done to you. Taken your vote,but served someone elses interest.
Libraries. The Tories made a big play of protecting library services in their election manifesto in 2014. In their manifesto they said
Barnet’s Libraries are in good shape.But this is Barnet. Whilst they were writing these fine word, they were secretly planning a completely different policy. A policy where six libraries were up for closure. A policy where, rather than "expanding libraries" some are being reduced to 10% of their former size. In short, their election manifesto was a blatent lie, designed purely to con and hoodwink local people into voting for a party which believed the opposite of what they tell the mugs who vote for them. As they were in control of the council and had full access to all the figures, they cannot claim that they didn't know the financial situation. It disgusts me when people lie to me. This is a prime example of why no one believes a word politicians say.
We have:
Kept Barnet’s libraries open – neighbouring Brent closed half theirs.
Established two community libraries.
Provided all libraries with free wifi.
Installed RFID technology e.g. self-service kiosks in many of our libraries
We will:
Pledge not to sell the Friern Barnet library building.
Deliver improvements to library buildings where required and have new buildings planned e.g. Finchley Church End library.
Examine the potential for libraries to expand their offer and become community spaces.
Look at community involvement and assist local people to actively support their libraries
So you may ask, are Barnet Labour any better?
Well as they lost the election, we can't tell whether they'd actually renege on any promises. we can look at a few commonly held myths and misconceptions.
1. Barnet Labour are "anti outsourcing".
I looked at the Labour manifesto to see what it said about "One Barnet", the Tories huge outsourcing program. This is what Labour had to say
Under the Conservatives’ ‘One Barnet’ mass-privatisation programme hundreds of jobs have been lost to the Borough, and as a result money has been lost to the local economy. We called for keeping jobs local to be part of the procurement criteria in the letting of these massive contracts.So in fact the Barnet Labour Party had no objection to the outsourcing so long as a clause was written into the contract to keep jobs locally. Barnet Labour know full well that such clauses are not worth the paper they are written on. The point is that it is clear they have no objection to outsourcing as a concept. When the Your Choice Barnet outsourcing deal failed, they had the opportunity to call for the service to be brought in house, but Councillor Barry Rawlings specifically signed up to a clause stating that bringing the service in house was not an option.
2. Barnet Labour are Anti Cuts.
When Barnet Council voted on its budget last year, the Barnet Tories and Barnet Labour party both proposed budgets with exactly the same amount of council spending. Some priorities were different, but at the end of the day, both would have delivered exactly the same amount of cuts. Whatever you may think of the Barnet Tories and their cuts agenda, had Labour won, we'd be seeing exactly the same cuts being enacted.
3. Barnet Labour will protect the local NHS.
Their manifesto said
"... All this is putting pressure on our local health services - particularly hospital services - where local A&E departments are increasingly struggling to meet targets and demand."
These are fine words, however it was a Labour government that closed Edgware General A&E department, requiring everyone in the west of the Borough to make the trip to Barnet General. I fought tooth and nail to save Edgware General A&E and campaigned relentlessly for a Labour government, in the mistaken belief that they would save the hospital. Now we have an A&E crisis in Barnet.
There is a saying that we get the politicians we deserve. What have the people of Barnet done to deserve this shower? How can we make an informed choice when all they do it tell us porkies to buy our votes and as soon as they've got the job, do what the hell they like.
Every Barnet Councillor gets a yearly
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
UPDATED **** Look what Councillor Robert Rams is doing to our landmark libraries
 |
| Empty shelves at Hendon Landmark library |
If you read what Councillor Robert Rams (cabinet member responsible for libraries) says about Barnet Council Library services, you would think that Barnets libraries are thriving and well funded. He states that one reason Friern Barnet library is being closed is to "safeguard" our other libraries.
Well I'm sorry to report that the other libraries are being run down, neglected and starved of cash. Rams claims that there is a policy to "build up" the landmark libraries. The truth could not be more different. Tonight I visited Hendon Library at 7pm with my daughter. The purpose of the visit?
She is studying English GCSE and is studying "To Kill a Mockingbird". She had been told at Mill Hill Library that it wasn't in stock, but it would be at Hendon, as this is the local Lanmark library. Off we went to Hendon, the premier library on this side of Barnet. What I found shocked me. It could not be clearer that the book stock is being run down. I snapped a few pictures of empty shelves, just to prove a point. Even more worrying was the fact that this "landmark library" didn't have the book we wanted in stock.
Thousands of children across Barnet are studying GCSE English as we speak. Of course there will be quite a few wishing to withdraw the book, but the Libraries must know this and should be geared up to cope. Councillor Robert Rams is the man in charge. It is clear to me what he wants to do. If the libraries have a poor book stock, footfall will decline. If this happens, then he can justify closing the libraries and flogging off the buildings, as he is doing in Friern. Since Friern reopened as the "Peoples library" footfall has shot up. There is a stock of 8,000 books now. There are no empty shelves, in fact more have recently been delivered. Nothing could be clearer to me. Rams is vandalising the Library service. He shut Church farmhouse museum and is trying to flog it off. He cannot be trusted with our heritage.
Even more disturbing is the fact that local MP, Matthew Offord lives around the corner from Hendon library. He clearly doesn't care either. He let Rams shut the museum, now he's letting him run down the library. In 20-30 years, I have no doubt that this current regime in Barnet will be viewed rather like we view the cultural revolution in China or the Taliban fanatics who destroyed 1,000 year old buddha's in Afghanistan. They care nothing for the culture and traditions of Barnet.
If your local library is being run down, send me the pictures, I intend to name and shame these B****rds. Robert Rams claims to support "One Barnet" if it is left to him, there will be "No Barnet" left.
By the way, we had a chat with a helpful librarian who advised us that Mill Hill library had a copy of the book.
************************ Updated 4th December 2012 ******************************
Councillor Robert Rams is clearly rather embarrassed and humiliated by the fact we've exposed his inefficiency and lack of commitment to the service. He claims that this post is an attack on the Library service. It isn't, as any sensible person will see, it is an attack on the way he is running the service. He has posted a panicked response on his blog. It says
(http://robertrams.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/a-sign-of-a-successful-library)
If we analyse what Rams has to say in detail, it paints a far less rosy picture. According to Rams there are 26 copies of the book in the system. This implies that there are only 26 copies for 14 libraries in Barnet, that is less than 2 copies per library for a standard text. As to the Book club collections, these are clearly not designed for GCSE students to use (who one must assume will be the primary borrowers). I had assumed that such a popular text would have a far greater number, five or six copies for larger libraries and two or three at smaller ones. You do not have to be a genius to work out why it isn't currently available. ************************ Updated 4th December 2012 ******************************
Councillor Robert Rams is clearly rather embarrassed and humiliated by the fact we've exposed his inefficiency and lack of commitment to the service. He claims that this post is an attack on the Library service. It isn't, as any sensible person will see, it is an attack on the way he is running the service. He has posted a panicked response on his blog. It says
(http://robertrams.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/a-sign-of-a-successful-library)
I read an attack on Hendon Library this morning http://barneteye.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/look-what-councillor-robert-rams-is.html
The truth is very different to the picture painted in this article. We actually have 26 copies of To Kill a Mockingbird for general loan, plus 15 copies in the Barnet Book Club collections for reading groups. So, a total of 41 copies in the system. A study guide to the book is also available on Barnet Digital library.
Hendon Library has very high stock figures: – 69,036 items in stock, of which 62,617 are books and 7,651 new items have been added. There are high numbers of books on loan at any one time in Hendon so it’s not surprising that shelves are not fully stocked at all times!
It is a sign of a successful library!
Rams then goes on to claim that the reason shelves are not fully stocked is down to the library being successful and the books being borrowed. If there were gaps in rows on shelves that would be a plausable explanation. As you can see from the pictures, there were whole rows missing. It is simply not credible that whole rows have been cleared out by avid readers whilst other rows are fully stocked. If I'd taken pictures of a few gaps, Rams may have had a point.
As ever with Rams it is all down to trust. You have read his response, do you believe he is credible and his response means that the library service is being well managed by people who understand what it is supposed to provide. Alternatively, do you agree with me and think Rams has proven (yet again) that he simply is unfit to run libraries and museums in Barnet.
Friday, 6 October 2017
The Friday Joke - 05/10/2017 - Suspended due to essential maintenance at local Libraries
If you've never met me and only read my blogs, I suspect that you will be a tad surprised, should you ever have the misfortune to spend some time with me. I try my hardest to be polite and nice to people, to put people at ease and to genuinely try and give them the benefit of the doubt. I am well known for enjoying the craic as they say where my Grandad was born. I try my hardest to present a cheerful demeanour to the world and to make people smile. I always enjoy putting together the Friday Joke. It is a bit of light relief and I hope that the readers of the blog enjoy it.
I am, therefore always highly fed up when I have to miss printing one, unless it is to promote a gig, or some other great local event. I believe that we should strive to make life joyous and a celebration. Once in a while, however, my sunny demeanour is disturbed and I feel a joke is not appropriate. Today is one such occasion. The source of my ire? A completely dishonest tweet from the Barnet Conservatives, in response to a Tweet from the Save Barnet Libraries campaign.
So how does the @BarnetTories tweet stand in this respect. Well if you apply this test to the statement, it would not be unreasonable to conclude that the Barnet Tories have done a marvellously good job as the custodians of the jewels that comprise Barnet's library service. But does the tweet tell the whole truth? Would M'Lud conclude that they are reliable, honest and decent witnesses? Or would he conclude that they are a tad shifty?
Lets present the evidence.
They state that unlike Brent, which is run by Labour, no libraries have shut on their watch. But they are playing fast and loose with the truth. Lets take a look at Mill Hill Library. As a toddler, my mum would take me there and I'd select Thomas The Tank Engine books from the marvellous childrens library section on the left had side. Mum would bring these home and read them to me. This cycle was repeated with my own children. It is not in my nature to boast, but I believe that this is a critical factor in the incredible academic success of my children. The children's library had been refurbished and was a very child friendly place where youngsters could enjoy books while mums socialised. There are many reasons why you don't really want children and toddlers sharing a space with adult
library users. Hopefully I don't really need to spell these out.
Sadly, the childrens library in Mill Hill has shut. It has been taken over by the Mill Hill Hub. This provides all sorts of marvellous things, such as hot desking facilites for business people, a cafe and a space for performances. In many ways it is a good thing. But it is not a proper childrens library. There is still a library, in Mill Hill. It is 50% of the size of the previous library. Some libraries have had their size cut by far more. If you cut a library's size down by 50-75%, that means that there are a half or a quarter as many books. It means that more people are crammed in and the environment is less conducive to work. Now that is bad enough, but if you sack the librarian and let untrained volunteers run the show, it ceases to be a library. I have shelves of books in my house and I know what they all are. But is my house a library? Of course it isn't.
Now I have a degree of sympathy for our local Conservative administration. The government has put them in an impossible position with budget cuts. Whilst I believe that they are misguided to cut library provision, I can see why they have made such a decision. If they were honest and said "We would love to keep our local library service, but the government has cut our budgets to the point where it is unsustainable", I would applaud them for their honesty, if nothing else. But they can't do that because they know it would make the local Tory MP's, all with wafer thin majorities, even more vulnerable. So what do they do?
They do something which is despicable and dishonest. They put out leaflets which are misleading and dishonest. They have only "not closed libraries" if you think that children don't matter and that a room with a few books in it and a few people hanging around to tidy up is a library. To run a library, you need to be qualified, as in study and have exams. This means that when members of the public come in, you can answer their queries.
And then there is the opening hours. In 2012 these were the opening hours
And what are they like today?
So there are two different models of cuts, both of which I believe are short sighted, bad for our communities and unfair on residents who use libraries (typically, the elderly, young families and those with financial difficulties). The Brent model where you close half of the libraries, but keep a decent service at the rest or the Barnet model where you close half of the space, get rid of the staff and provide a service run by untrained amateurs (who are clearly decent and publicly minded people).
Not only that but many Barnet libraries are self service. These are closed to children and minors. In Barnet, children don't really seem to matter at all to our Conservative councillors, which may well be why OFSTED issued such a damning report of childrens services. Despite the prosperity in Barnet, many live in poverty and many students and young people use the libraries as a quiet space for study and revision. I used to myself when revising for exams. There is no telly, no distractions. If the space is not open, it is shut. As you can see, your local library is shut far more regularly.
There is an ancillary matter as well to consider. They say they've spent £7 million on refurbishment and "new techs". None of this has been spent on libraries, it has been spent on making the space suitable for other purposes. So is this statement "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth".
So when the Tories say "Thanks for drawing attention to our £7m investment in new tech & refurbs to keep all libraries open! @BrentLabour closed 1/2 theirs instead. ", is it the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth". I'll let you, the jury decide in May next year
God bless the child, but not in Barnet. Here we bless vested interests. I can't lift your mood with a joke today with a joke, I apologise. But here is some truly awesome music that sums up how I feel and how I worry for our community. May God bless you!
I am, therefore always highly fed up when I have to miss printing one, unless it is to promote a gig, or some other great local event. I believe that we should strive to make life joyous and a celebration. Once in a while, however, my sunny demeanour is disturbed and I feel a joke is not appropriate. Today is one such occasion. The source of my ire? A completely dishonest tweet from the Barnet Conservatives, in response to a Tweet from the Save Barnet Libraries campaign.
When you give evidence in court, you are asked to give three things. The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth. If you do not do this a Judge, Jury or Magistrate will deem you to be untrustworthy. Your evidence is likely to be discounted and you may well find yourself in trouble for perjury.Thanks for drawing attention to our £7m investment in new tech & refurbs to keep all libraries open! @BrentLabour closed 1/2 theirs instead. https://t.co/xVufwSIzg7— Barnet Conservatives (@BarnetTories) October 5, 2017
So how does the @BarnetTories tweet stand in this respect. Well if you apply this test to the statement, it would not be unreasonable to conclude that the Barnet Tories have done a marvellously good job as the custodians of the jewels that comprise Barnet's library service. But does the tweet tell the whole truth? Would M'Lud conclude that they are reliable, honest and decent witnesses? Or would he conclude that they are a tad shifty?
Lets present the evidence.
They state that unlike Brent, which is run by Labour, no libraries have shut on their watch. But they are playing fast and loose with the truth. Lets take a look at Mill Hill Library. As a toddler, my mum would take me there and I'd select Thomas The Tank Engine books from the marvellous childrens library section on the left had side. Mum would bring these home and read them to me. This cycle was repeated with my own children. It is not in my nature to boast, but I believe that this is a critical factor in the incredible academic success of my children. The children's library had been refurbished and was a very child friendly place where youngsters could enjoy books while mums socialised. There are many reasons why you don't really want children and toddlers sharing a space with adult
library users. Hopefully I don't really need to spell these out.
Sadly, the childrens library in Mill Hill has shut. It has been taken over by the Mill Hill Hub. This provides all sorts of marvellous things, such as hot desking facilites for business people, a cafe and a space for performances. In many ways it is a good thing. But it is not a proper childrens library. There is still a library, in Mill Hill. It is 50% of the size of the previous library. Some libraries have had their size cut by far more. If you cut a library's size down by 50-75%, that means that there are a half or a quarter as many books. It means that more people are crammed in and the environment is less conducive to work. Now that is bad enough, but if you sack the librarian and let untrained volunteers run the show, it ceases to be a library. I have shelves of books in my house and I know what they all are. But is my house a library? Of course it isn't.
Now I have a degree of sympathy for our local Conservative administration. The government has put them in an impossible position with budget cuts. Whilst I believe that they are misguided to cut library provision, I can see why they have made such a decision. If they were honest and said "We would love to keep our local library service, but the government has cut our budgets to the point where it is unsustainable", I would applaud them for their honesty, if nothing else. But they can't do that because they know it would make the local Tory MP's, all with wafer thin majorities, even more vulnerable. So what do they do?
They do something which is despicable and dishonest. They put out leaflets which are misleading and dishonest. They have only "not closed libraries" if you think that children don't matter and that a room with a few books in it and a few people hanging around to tidy up is a library. To run a library, you need to be qualified, as in study and have exams. This means that when members of the public come in, you can answer their queries.
And then there is the opening hours. In 2012 these were the opening hours
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So there are two different models of cuts, both of which I believe are short sighted, bad for our communities and unfair on residents who use libraries (typically, the elderly, young families and those with financial difficulties). The Brent model where you close half of the libraries, but keep a decent service at the rest or the Barnet model where you close half of the space, get rid of the staff and provide a service run by untrained amateurs (who are clearly decent and publicly minded people).
Not only that but many Barnet libraries are self service. These are closed to children and minors. In Barnet, children don't really seem to matter at all to our Conservative councillors, which may well be why OFSTED issued such a damning report of childrens services. Despite the prosperity in Barnet, many live in poverty and many students and young people use the libraries as a quiet space for study and revision. I used to myself when revising for exams. There is no telly, no distractions. If the space is not open, it is shut. As you can see, your local library is shut far more regularly.
There is an ancillary matter as well to consider. They say they've spent £7 million on refurbishment and "new techs". None of this has been spent on libraries, it has been spent on making the space suitable for other purposes. So is this statement "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth".
So when the Tories say "Thanks for drawing attention to our £7m investment in new tech & refurbs to keep all libraries open! @BrentLabour closed 1/2 theirs instead. ", is it the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth". I'll let you, the jury decide in May next year
God bless the child, but not in Barnet. Here we bless vested interests. I can't lift your mood with a joke today with a joke, I apologise. But here is some truly awesome music that sums up how I feel and how I worry for our community. May God bless you!
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Barnet Libraries - The sad truth exposed
Yesterday I attended a meeting at South Friern Library. Full details will be posted later today. There was however one shocking admission from the Barnet Council Library service which exposes the myth that they are interested in preserving the service.
Any valuable community asset in a time of recession is likely to face budgetary threats. If the management of the organisation care and want to preserve it, they do something about this to ensure that alternative funding streams are generated. That is why your children can have a sleepover party at the science museum. That is why the friends of the Settle and Carlisle heritage railway organise steam train excursions on the route.
Barnet currently has 14 libraries. I asked a question yesterday. How many of these libraries have "friends of ...." groups to help fundraising and to organise other activities. Can you guess the answer? None. Apparently something used to exist, but no longer. As the organiser of the save Barnets libraries petition, I know libraries have huge goodwill. If each of these libraries had a friends group and each of these friends groups had say 300 members and each of these friends paid £5 to join, then that would on its own generate £21,000 without any effort at all. Extra activities and fundraising could be then organised and just suppose extra lessons and parties etc could be organised out of hours and raise say £200 per week, that would net the libraries over £140,000 per year. That with the £21,000 would be a third of the way towards plugging the gap left by the non sale of Friern Library. Over five years that is over £800,000. This is nearly twice the sum raised by the sale of Friern.
So why haven't they done this? It is a classic way to make any asset work? Because if they did, there would be a ready made protest group when the numpties tried to shut the network down. They would rather manage decline than try and encourage the community to support the network and dip into their pockets a little bit.
The Barnet library service are trying to pretend they are the good guys and are trying to say they are closing Friern to protect the rest of Barnets libraries. This is hogwash. If they were, they would engage with the community. Closing one library and disadvamtaging one community, to pay for improvements to other (often better off communities) libraries is completely immoral. The lie is now laid bare.
Any valuable community asset in a time of recession is likely to face budgetary threats. If the management of the organisation care and want to preserve it, they do something about this to ensure that alternative funding streams are generated. That is why your children can have a sleepover party at the science museum. That is why the friends of the Settle and Carlisle heritage railway organise steam train excursions on the route.
Barnet currently has 14 libraries. I asked a question yesterday. How many of these libraries have "friends of ...." groups to help fundraising and to organise other activities. Can you guess the answer? None. Apparently something used to exist, but no longer. As the organiser of the save Barnets libraries petition, I know libraries have huge goodwill. If each of these libraries had a friends group and each of these friends groups had say 300 members and each of these friends paid £5 to join, then that would on its own generate £21,000 without any effort at all. Extra activities and fundraising could be then organised and just suppose extra lessons and parties etc could be organised out of hours and raise say £200 per week, that would net the libraries over £140,000 per year. That with the £21,000 would be a third of the way towards plugging the gap left by the non sale of Friern Library. Over five years that is over £800,000. This is nearly twice the sum raised by the sale of Friern.
So why haven't they done this? It is a classic way to make any asset work? Because if they did, there would be a ready made protest group when the numpties tried to shut the network down. They would rather manage decline than try and encourage the community to support the network and dip into their pockets a little bit.
The Barnet library service are trying to pretend they are the good guys and are trying to say they are closing Friern to protect the rest of Barnets libraries. This is hogwash. If they were, they would engage with the community. Closing one library and disadvamtaging one community, to pay for improvements to other (often better off communities) libraries is completely immoral. The lie is now laid bare.
Sunday, 6 February 2011
The sad truth about Library closures and social housing
My good friend, Mr Limosky came to see me in the shop yesterday afternoon. In many ways Mr Limosky is like that embarrassing uncle we all have, the one who always says the embarrassing truth, which everyone else is too polite to speak. He's lost many a friend over the years with his harsh comments. A typical example of his tact and diplomacy was when a friend of his was saying how his daughter wanted to become a fashion model. Mr Limosky replied "She hasn't got a chance, she's far too fat". What has Mr Limoskys view of the world got to do with the libraries campaign, you may wonder. Well Mr Limosky isn't a fan of libraries either. He told me that I was wasting my time running the campaign. Now Mr Limosky's job has given me an extraordinary insight into a role I'd not realised the Libraries play in 2011 post Thatcherite Great Britain. What could this be?
Well Mr Limosky is a central heating engineer. He works for companies such as the now defunct Connaught PLC, servicing boilers forvictims tenants of social housing in and around North London. Mr Limosky has a little window into the lives of the poor unfortunate people in our area that us wealthy, comfy middle class people never ever see. I suspect the likes of Councillors Coleman and Rams have never ventured into the world of squalour which Mr Limosky regales us with on his visits for coffee and to scrounge cigarettes.
His view of the libraries Campaign? "If they shut the libraries, where will all the OAP's go to read the papers in winter and keep warm? That is the most useful service performed by libraries. If they go, hundreds will either freeze to death through cold or starve to death because they'll have to pay to have their heating on all day". He told me that no one in social housing on a basic pension in North London could afford to keep their heating on in the recent cold snap. His view of Rams suggestion that Libraries could be turned into Starbucks "They won't want a bunch of geriatrics hanging round all day, trying not to freeze to death".
It really is quite depressing. There is a whole subculture of survival which most of us are totally unaware of. It's like free bus passes. This enables OAP's to travel far afield for free. Discount retailers such as Lidl and Aldi can deliver savings on food bills which could for many be the difference between malnutrition and health. Sadly heat and warmth cannot be shopped around for in the same way. If you can't afford to put your heating on, you have to turn it off and find another way to stay warm. Maybe Mr Limosky was being harsh in his analysis of what the Barnet Conservatives are up to "Look, they've got no cash, if they have a good cull of all these dependent geriatrics, they'll save a fortune. They are not stupid you know".
As I said, Mr Limosky's views are not for the faint hearted. Sadly though, I suspect he might have detected a truth about our local council which none of us nicer, politer people would ever possibly say. I've been trying to think of an appropriate question to ask Councillor Robert Rams at the Cabinet meeting on the 29th of March, when they debate the library closure program. I've been struggling to think of one, but I think Mr Limosky has given me the answer.
"During the winter, many elderly people in Barnet visit libraries to keep warm and read the newspapers. Many cannot afford to keep their heating on all day. Please could Councillor Rams detail what plans are in place to ensure these residents do not die of hypothermia. If no contingency plans are in place, can Councillor Rams please detail how much money Barnet Council expects to save from its social welfare budget as a result of them dying"
Well Mr Limosky is a central heating engineer. He works for companies such as the now defunct Connaught PLC, servicing boilers for
His view of the libraries Campaign? "If they shut the libraries, where will all the OAP's go to read the papers in winter and keep warm? That is the most useful service performed by libraries. If they go, hundreds will either freeze to death through cold or starve to death because they'll have to pay to have their heating on all day". He told me that no one in social housing on a basic pension in North London could afford to keep their heating on in the recent cold snap. His view of Rams suggestion that Libraries could be turned into Starbucks "They won't want a bunch of geriatrics hanging round all day, trying not to freeze to death".
It really is quite depressing. There is a whole subculture of survival which most of us are totally unaware of. It's like free bus passes. This enables OAP's to travel far afield for free. Discount retailers such as Lidl and Aldi can deliver savings on food bills which could for many be the difference between malnutrition and health. Sadly heat and warmth cannot be shopped around for in the same way. If you can't afford to put your heating on, you have to turn it off and find another way to stay warm. Maybe Mr Limosky was being harsh in his analysis of what the Barnet Conservatives are up to "Look, they've got no cash, if they have a good cull of all these dependent geriatrics, they'll save a fortune. They are not stupid you know".
As I said, Mr Limosky's views are not for the faint hearted. Sadly though, I suspect he might have detected a truth about our local council which none of us nicer, politer people would ever possibly say. I've been trying to think of an appropriate question to ask Councillor Robert Rams at the Cabinet meeting on the 29th of March, when they debate the library closure program. I've been struggling to think of one, but I think Mr Limosky has given me the answer.
"During the winter, many elderly people in Barnet visit libraries to keep warm and read the newspapers. Many cannot afford to keep their heating on all day. Please could Councillor Rams detail what plans are in place to ensure these residents do not die of hypothermia. If no contingency plans are in place, can Councillor Rams please detail how much money Barnet Council expects to save from its social welfare budget as a result of them dying"
Monday, 31 January 2011
Save Barnets Library Campaign - Day of action 5th February
As part of the National Day for Libraries on 5th February, 2011, Barnet UNISON are running a stall outside the Broadwalk Shopping Centre, Station Road, Edgware between 10.30 a.m. and 12 noon in support of the Barnet "Save Our Libraries" and UNISON’s "Love Your Libraries" campaigns.
The day of action has been organised nationally by children’s author and Blue Peter Book Award 2000 winner Alan Gibbons, to highlight the danger of up to 400 libraries being threatened with closure. Upon learning of Barnet Councillors referring to libraries as a 'lifestyle choice' and suggesting that residents should collect their books from supermarkets, Gibbons commented:
"’Let them buy books from Tesco!’ - Barnet's Councillors are posing as latter-day Marie Antoinettes. They want to 'save money' by closing libraries. Illiteracy is not something we should bequeath our children. Culture and reading are not a frippery. They are an essential element in a democratic society." (Alan Gibbons)
Local author and winner of the Orange Award for New Writers 2006, Naomi Alderman, is backing the event, and remembers how Hendon Library provided her with a quiet area and inspiration to write her debut novel ‘Disobedience'. In support of the day, she claims:
"Libraries are needed by the poorest and most vulnerable in our community. Children who want to study but have no quiet place in a crowded or noisy home to do it. Pensioners on fixed incomes whose greatest pleasure is reading but who can't afford to buy new books. Those people on low wages who aren't able to afford internet access or reference books at home. They are a way to care for the minds of our citizens, just as hospitals care for our bodies. They should be the very last thing we consider cutting, not the first." (Naomi Alderman)
If Barnet residents agree with Alan and Naomi, they will have an opportunity to sign the petition in support of protecting Barnet's libraries at the stall. The petition is also available for signature online at http://www.gopetition.com/petition/39319/sign.html
"’Let them buy books from Tesco!’ - Barnet's Councillors are posing as latter-day Marie Antoinettes. They want to 'save money' by closing libraries. Illiteracy is not something we should bequeath our children. Culture and reading are not a frippery. They are an essential element in a democratic society." (Alan Gibbons)
Local author and winner of the Orange Award for New Writers 2006, Naomi Alderman, is backing the event, and remembers how Hendon Library provided her with a quiet area and inspiration to write her debut novel ‘Disobedience'. In support of the day, she claims:
"Libraries are needed by the poorest and most vulnerable in our community. Children who want to study but have no quiet place in a crowded or noisy home to do it. Pensioners on fixed incomes whose greatest pleasure is reading but who can't afford to buy new books. Those people on low wages who aren't able to afford internet access or reference books at home. They are a way to care for the minds of our citizens, just as hospitals care for our bodies. They should be the very last thing we consider cutting, not the first." (Naomi Alderman)
If Barnet residents agree with Alan and Naomi, they will have an opportunity to sign the petition in support of protecting Barnet's libraries at the stall. The petition is also available for signature online at http://www.gopetition.com/petition/39319/sign.html
For further information about the event on February 5th please contact:
- Contact: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738389569 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk
- Further details on The Day of Action nationally can be found on Alan Gibbons blog: http://alangibbons.net or UNISON web site
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Barnet Council Libraries Update : Robert Rams is at it again !
What is the matter with Councillor Robert Ramsbottom? Why is it that every time he opens his mouth on the subject of Barnets libraries he says something completely stupid? Even stranger is the fact that his boss Councillor Richard III Cornelius hasn't sacked him. Surely you should have someone who understands their brief doing the cabinet job. On Tuesday this press release appeared on Barnet Council's website :-
http://www.barnet.gov.uk/press_releases.htm?id=2397
Let me quote this to you :-
It just demonstrates the fact that when it comes to libraries, Rams just doesn't get it. If he thinks libraries are or have ever been "just places to store books" then he is an idiot. Libraries are a place which you borrow books from, read in and study in. They are a place where people learn. Many people would not have the qualifications they have or the jobs they have without our libraries. For over a year now, people in Barnet have been campaigning against library closures. The campaign managed to persuade the local Tories (no mean feat) to abandon their mass closure scheme. We had a model campaign and picketed Rams at his council surgery at East Barnet library. Sadly he decided that he could get away with closing Friern Barnet library and Garden Suburb library. The locals don't like it and have been running a very effective campaign. and have organised an event this Saturday 15 October at 2pm on the green beside the Friern Barnet library. Join them for family fun including apple bobbing, pumpkin faces and leaf bookmarks. More details on the Save Friern Barnet Library blog. http://www.barnet.gov.uk/press_releases.htm?id=2397
Let me quote this to you :-
Cabinet Member for Customer Access and Partnerships, Councillor Robert Rams, said: “Here in Barnet, following significant investment, our libraries have become more than just places to store books.
Rams criticises other authorities for closing libraries, this is pure hypocracy whilst he's doing the same thing
Tuesday, 6 March 2018
Barnet Council paying security guards to keep mums and children out of our local libraries
If you were making a short film to show what a marvellous service Barnet's libraries were providing, what sort of stories and images would you use? I'd probably show a mum with a young child turning up at the library, being greeted by a helpful librarian and then see the youngster selecting books and leaving with a big smile on their face. I think that is the image we all want to imagine for our local library service.
As you may know, the council has spent £14 million on "reconfiguring" our library service. How are these changes working out in the real world? Today I was having lunch with one of our most esteemed Barnet Residents, Gerrard Roots, the highly respected former curator of Church Farmhouse Museum. Gerrard is always great company, regaling me with tales of the "Hendon Nudist Riots at the Welsh Harp" in the 1930's and how Bram Stoker set Dracula in St Mary's Churchyard.
However, Gerrard then recounted a terrible tale concerning Hendon library, one which left me speechless. I was so shocked that I asked him if he'd be so kind as to repeat the story whilst I filmed, as I think this is something that Barnet Residents need to be aware of. Here is the film and I strongly suggest that you watch this and share this clip with your friends.
Libraries in Barnet used to be one of the jewels in the civic crown. Hendon Library was a large space, with a beautiful space for a childrens library, loved by residents and popular with young people needing quiet space to work and revise. The Council used to pay trained librarians to welcome young mums with small children. They would guide them to the section with the best books for the age group and provide a safe and welcoming environment for all.
In an act of complete cultural vandalism, Librarians have been sacked and as Gerrard recounts, now Barnet employ security guards to keep out the young mums and small children. They are paid to warn and scare off esteemed public servants. As Gerrard was formerly a council officer for decades, with a special responsibility as custodian of culture in Hendon, he is completely dumbstruck that Barnet Council now employs guards to keep people out of libraries rather than librarians to welcome them in.
The Barnet Times has a story detailing a protest by local residents upset by the Councils policy. If you read Barnet Libraries supremo, Councillor Reuben Thompstone, you would think that all was well in the service. He told the times
As you may know, the council has spent £14 million on "reconfiguring" our library service. How are these changes working out in the real world? Today I was having lunch with one of our most esteemed Barnet Residents, Gerrard Roots, the highly respected former curator of Church Farmhouse Museum. Gerrard is always great company, regaling me with tales of the "Hendon Nudist Riots at the Welsh Harp" in the 1930's and how Bram Stoker set Dracula in St Mary's Churchyard.
However, Gerrard then recounted a terrible tale concerning Hendon library, one which left me speechless. I was so shocked that I asked him if he'd be so kind as to repeat the story whilst I filmed, as I think this is something that Barnet Residents need to be aware of. Here is the film and I strongly suggest that you watch this and share this clip with your friends.
Libraries in Barnet used to be one of the jewels in the civic crown. Hendon Library was a large space, with a beautiful space for a childrens library, loved by residents and popular with young people needing quiet space to work and revise. The Council used to pay trained librarians to welcome young mums with small children. They would guide them to the section with the best books for the age group and provide a safe and welcoming environment for all.
In an act of complete cultural vandalism, Librarians have been sacked and as Gerrard recounts, now Barnet employ security guards to keep out the young mums and small children. They are paid to warn and scare off esteemed public servants. As Gerrard was formerly a council officer for decades, with a special responsibility as custodian of culture in Hendon, he is completely dumbstruck that Barnet Council now employs guards to keep people out of libraries rather than librarians to welcome them in.
The Barnet Times has a story detailing a protest by local residents upset by the Councils policy. If you read Barnet Libraries supremo, Councillor Reuben Thompstone, you would think that all was well in the service. He told the times
"Though we have changed the number of staffed hours our libaries are open, we will be increasing the number of hours our residents can access our libraries each week. There has been a very positive uptake for self-service opening hours, with more than 17,000 people already signed up."
As you can see from Gerrards tale, whilst the Library may technically be open, it is no longer the welcoming, friendly library of the past. We no longer have librarians to help. If you find you have forgotten your access card, you get turned away, even though there is someone on site who could let you in. As Gerrard points out, what will the small child think of the Library? Will they think it is a nice place to go? Or will it be one of those experiences that you recall later in life where a "nasty man in a uniform was mean to mummy and a nice old man who was trying to help". I remember a park keeper being rude to my mother when I was a child. She wanted to use the loo in the park, just as he was locking it. It is an image that lingered to this day and I still feel angry at the thought.
What has Barnet Council come to? What sort of madness is it that means we pay security guards to keep people out of libraries, when all they want to do is return their books and use the facilities that the council has apparently spent £14 million doing up?
The only logical explanation of this "reconfiguration" that I can think of is that it makes the libraries so unpopular that the Council can then sell them off without a whiff of public protest. What other reason can there possibly be for a council wanting people to turn people away from the library who simply want to read and learn?
Tuesday, 13 October 2015
When is a Library not a library? When is a community not a community?
What does the word "community mean?" - Just ponder on that for five seconds, before you proceed.
"The wheels on the bus go round and round...." If you take the wheels off the bus, is it still a bus? I suppose this is a bit too much of an existencial question for a Tuesday afternoon. Did I ever tell you I why I chose maths as a subject of choice? Quite simple really, the sense of order appealed to me. Wheras with many other subjects, you can take a view. In history you can decide that Henry VIII was the greatest ever English King or a Tyrant. In Geography, you can decide that historically Taunton was already part of Minehead. In Architecture you can decide that St Pauls is a monstrous carbunkle and the Grahame Park Estate is the future of British Architecture. But in Maths if X=3Y and Y is 3, is cannot be anything else apart from 9 (unless you are dealing in Octal, when it is 11 I suppose).
Yep Maths gives the world a certain order. But as I entered the crazy world of blogging about Barnet Council, all that sanity and logic went out of the window. Last night, the Councillor in charge of Libraries, Rueben Thompstone (Rube as he likes me calling him) explained to me that all those certainties were nonsense. Why? Because I didn't understand scale. All those years studying. All those nights when I could have been on the piss, but stayed in ensuring that I understood binomial equations and the such like.
You see, he explained during the meeting that Barnet Council Tories value the library service. So as I was walking down the stairs with him, I asked a simple question. Given that the cut that the council made to Council Tax Bills was a tiny amount in personal budgets, did he regret making. The amount chopped off, all thos 25p a week per home, would have completely removed the need for a cut. Given that even his party deem the library service valuable, surely in hindsight the cut was a mistake.
"Oh no, you don't understand. You have no concept of the scale of things!" So I queried this "Just because we have removed X in income from the budget, doesn't mean we could have spent X in income on libraries". So all those years learning algebra but in Barnet X is not equal to X.
Well thanks for the Maths lesson Rube. And you know what the disturbing thing is? Rube's day job is as a teacher. I wouldn't want him teaching my kids maths (proud Dad note - My daughter got an A in A level maths last year). So having realised that Professor Rube has taught me my years of study, burning the midnight candle were wasted, I took to pondering buses. Is a bus with no wheels a bus? You can put a restaurant in a bus with no wheels. You can store garden maintenance equipment in a bus with no wheels. You can start an illicit affair and have the time of your life in a bus with no wheels. But it won't take you from A to B which is the primary function of a bus. So it is not a bus, it is a bus with no wheels, which is something completely different.
Last night, at the Barnet Council Library meeting to discuss the future of Barnets libraries, I heard Councillor Rube and Val White, who is a council officer who must have been taught English by someone of Rube's mindset. It sounds like English, it is all rather soothing, but it is a tool cunningly devised to disguise the fact that she is speaking nonsense. I try and avoid big words. This is partially because I am dyslexic, but also because I want to write a blog that anyone who speaks English can understand. Big words don't impress me, unless they are medical terms or breeds of tropical fish. Val White came out with a torrent of tortuous phrases all cunningly constructed to disguise the fact that Ms White and Rube are planning the wholesale destruction of Barnets libaries. Basically the libraries are having most of their usable space closed and used for other purposes. They are sacking nearly half of the Boroughs librarians. This means that many well used libraries will have no librarians on site. They will be staffed by (yet to be identified) volunteers. After much pushing, Ms White revealed that these volunteers are not seen as replacements for libarians. They are sort of seen as unpaid janitors. After much pressing (by me), Ms White admitted that there was no budget for any courses for these volunteers. Not even first aid or health and safety awareness. Remember that this is a public space used by elderly people and children. Ms White revealed that secutity was provided by un monitored CCTV footage. Apparently if there was an incident, this could be reviewed. They are not planning to have any more security staff. There will be a telephone to make emegency calls. It isn't clear who to though. I rather envisage people using this as a cheap way to ring their cousins in New York, but maybe I am just a bad person. The police and the fire service have not been consulted about safety issuese. In a written answer to me, the reason is that the council have their own health and safety team. One has to query how competent this team are, if their idea of security and public safety is a CCTV that no one monitors and a phone hotline no one answers and a security team with no staff. These unmanned buildings will be accessible with a chip and pin card. When asked, there are no checks on whether the person with the chip and pin card is who they say they are.
Because these buildings are unsafe, young people aged 14 & 15, ie those studying for GCSE's can't use the buildings. Are they safe when they are manned by untrained volunteers? This is a grey area. And what about the stock of books. I calculate that the new library space at Mill Hill will just about hold the entire stock of large print books, favoured by elderly people with poor eyesight. People such as my mother who read three books a week. Which means that this will be shrunk down to a stock that my mother would have exhausted in about six months. She wasn't interested in war histories, or political biogs, so a stock of 40-50 historical novels would last no time.
So is a library with virtually no books, no librarians and no young people allowed in a Library. Well I am sure Ms White and Rubes think it is. Rather like Rubes thinks X=X isn't a valid agebra statement. But it goes far further than that. Take a step back. Think about the NAZI's in Germany. What was the first thing they did on taking power. They started banning and burning books. Did they do this to "save money"? Nope, they did this because Hitler realised that knowledge is power. My father was a wartime Bomber Pilot. He was shot down and was held as a Prisoner of War in Romania. He told me that the Romainans were the warmest, loveliest most decent people he'd ever met. He said that he felt truly sorry for them, as they had been badly manipulated by their own corrupt, NAZI sympathising government. When his rear gunners body was recovered from the wreck of his crashed plane, he was taken to identify the body by the Romanian Air Force. He was then allowed to participate in the funeral service and was given hospitality by the commander of the local base. This man was a highly educated and well read ir force officer. He confided in my father that he deplored tyrants. He said that the Romanians had only sided with Hitler as they thought Stalin was more evil. My father said that this discussion made him realise the power of books. They discussed many of their favourite books. The base commander had learned English to indulge his love of authors like Jules Verne. In the most tragic of circumstances, books had brought people together and forged a common bond.
Now I don't believe Rubes and Ms White are evil or motivated by the same fanatic hatred that fuelled Hitlers book burning. Sadly I fear that what drives their policy is something far more worrying and dreadful. They are driven by pig ignorance. Rubes is responsible for educating the Children of Barnet. Yet he wants to exclude them from libraries. Worse still he is a teacher with a science degree.
Now I am an engineer. An engineers job is to look at a problem and solve it. We make the world a better place. You probably don't realise it, but some of my previous work in previous jobs changed the way you live your life, for the better. This country was made great by engineers. Brunel built railways, Glyn Johns recorded the Steve Miller Band. There are many types of engineers. When I have a spare minute I enjoy reading their biographies. All great engineers have one thing in common. They want to improve things. James Dyson wants to make your vacuum cleaner better Sir Clive Sinclair wanted to put a computer in your house. I understand the engineer mindset. My grandfather was an engineer in Australia. He used to drill artesian wells in the outback of Australia, which brough life, prosperity and employment to a previously hostile environment. My father was also an engineer. After the war, he worked in the motor industry, mending peoples cars. Both my brothers are engineers. One worked on the grab arm for the space shuttle. The other mends old ladies cars when they rust to bits. So we understand fixing things. It was ingrained into us. My father taught us that knowing how to fix something is a skill that can save your life.
So lets look at the Library service as it stands in Barnet today. Is it broken? No, it is popular and serves an important social need. So when Rubes and Ms White take an axe to it, they are acting as cultural vandals. What does an engineer do with a problem? They analyse it and they find a solution. So consider Barnet Council. There is nothing at all wrong with the Libraries. So why do they have the axe out? The answer is not because the Library is broken, it is because the budget of the Council is broken. So they are taking an axe to something which works, to fix something that is broken. Just suppose you are in a castle. It is cold and you have no firewood. Do you chop up the castle door to use for firewood? If you do you are a fool. No you work a bit harder, look a bit further afield until you find something that you can burn.
At yesterdays meeting Rubes thought he was being clever asking Blogger Theresa Musgrove if she would volunteer to work at a library. I wished that Theresa had turned around and said "Listen mate, myself and my fellow bloggers exposed the Metpro scandal. That has saved you enough money since we uncovered it to run all the libraries for a year. I'll volunteer all right, I'll volunteer to do your job and run the feckin council properly". Now smartyarse Rube would probably say "nah nah nah, I got elected to do this, you have no mandate". That would be another lie. The Tories got elected saying they would preserve the library network. Another Tory, Cllr Dan Thomas said "you lot only ever criticise, you never come up with any ideas to save money". That again is a lie. Another Blogger Mr Reasonable offered to review the council finances and offer to try and identify savings, he was ignored. I've written to Councillors on numerous occasions with suggestions and observations that would save taxpayers money. Usually they don't reply. I used to read every report they released, from cover to cover, blog on the savings they could make and offer suggestions to save money. They simply ignored me, so I gave up.
David Cameron got in on a ticket of big society. In Barnet, the bloggers bought into this. But our town hall Tories treat us like a bacon roll at a bahmitzvah. We are not welcome. If we suggest something, it is dismissed out of hand with the word "Bloggers", even though we have been almost universally proven right about every major issue.
But returning to Libraries. At last nights meeting it was pointed out that Colindale is the fastest growing place in Europe. What sort of community are the Tories trying to attract there? Are they trying to attract an intelligent, well informed community? Are they trying to attract a community that values education and learning. If I was looking to move to a new city and a new area, I'd look for one with a sound local cultural scene. Where is the new Theatres in Colindale? Where are the new Libraries? Where are the new local community centres? Where are the new playing fields for youth sport? The Barnet Tories attitude to Libraries is a window to their view of what a community is. Sadly in Britain, community is becoming a redundant term. We simply sit on the sofa, watch telly, eat TV dinners and drink plonk. If you live in Colindale, Burnt Oak or Hendon, when did you last go to a play locally?
Another good point raised by Cllr Naqvi was that in most other Boroughs, Libraries sit in the culture portfolio. In Barnet, they sit in the education space. This demonstrates that Barnet don't recognise the role of libraries in our cultural heritage. Ms White talked about "the Digital Library". To me this is a horrific concept. It show show little she understands libraries. They are places where people go. A good library is the centre of a community. A heart. What happens to the body when the heart is ripped out?
When is a bus not a bus? When is a Library not a Library? When is a Community not a Community? I'll let you figure that out. I am taking the dog to the pub to drown my sorrows.
P.S I could have written a short sharp blog, which dissects the Council proposal and explains why each part is a bad idea, I may still do that. But I wanted to get over the point that we should cherish and love libraries and our community. I hope you agree.
"The wheels on the bus go round and round...." If you take the wheels off the bus, is it still a bus? I suppose this is a bit too much of an existencial question for a Tuesday afternoon. Did I ever tell you I why I chose maths as a subject of choice? Quite simple really, the sense of order appealed to me. Wheras with many other subjects, you can take a view. In history you can decide that Henry VIII was the greatest ever English King or a Tyrant. In Geography, you can decide that historically Taunton was already part of Minehead. In Architecture you can decide that St Pauls is a monstrous carbunkle and the Grahame Park Estate is the future of British Architecture. But in Maths if X=3Y and Y is 3, is cannot be anything else apart from 9 (unless you are dealing in Octal, when it is 11 I suppose).
Yep Maths gives the world a certain order. But as I entered the crazy world of blogging about Barnet Council, all that sanity and logic went out of the window. Last night, the Councillor in charge of Libraries, Rueben Thompstone (Rube as he likes me calling him) explained to me that all those certainties were nonsense. Why? Because I didn't understand scale. All those years studying. All those nights when I could have been on the piss, but stayed in ensuring that I understood binomial equations and the such like.
You see, he explained during the meeting that Barnet Council Tories value the library service. So as I was walking down the stairs with him, I asked a simple question. Given that the cut that the council made to Council Tax Bills was a tiny amount in personal budgets, did he regret making. The amount chopped off, all thos 25p a week per home, would have completely removed the need for a cut. Given that even his party deem the library service valuable, surely in hindsight the cut was a mistake.
"Oh no, you don't understand. You have no concept of the scale of things!" So I queried this "Just because we have removed X in income from the budget, doesn't mean we could have spent X in income on libraries". So all those years learning algebra but in Barnet X is not equal to X.
Well thanks for the Maths lesson Rube. And you know what the disturbing thing is? Rube's day job is as a teacher. I wouldn't want him teaching my kids maths (proud Dad note - My daughter got an A in A level maths last year). So having realised that Professor Rube has taught me my years of study, burning the midnight candle were wasted, I took to pondering buses. Is a bus with no wheels a bus? You can put a restaurant in a bus with no wheels. You can store garden maintenance equipment in a bus with no wheels. You can start an illicit affair and have the time of your life in a bus with no wheels. But it won't take you from A to B which is the primary function of a bus. So it is not a bus, it is a bus with no wheels, which is something completely different.
Last night, at the Barnet Council Library meeting to discuss the future of Barnets libraries, I heard Councillor Rube and Val White, who is a council officer who must have been taught English by someone of Rube's mindset. It sounds like English, it is all rather soothing, but it is a tool cunningly devised to disguise the fact that she is speaking nonsense. I try and avoid big words. This is partially because I am dyslexic, but also because I want to write a blog that anyone who speaks English can understand. Big words don't impress me, unless they are medical terms or breeds of tropical fish. Val White came out with a torrent of tortuous phrases all cunningly constructed to disguise the fact that Ms White and Rube are planning the wholesale destruction of Barnets libaries. Basically the libraries are having most of their usable space closed and used for other purposes. They are sacking nearly half of the Boroughs librarians. This means that many well used libraries will have no librarians on site. They will be staffed by (yet to be identified) volunteers. After much pushing, Ms White revealed that these volunteers are not seen as replacements for libarians. They are sort of seen as unpaid janitors. After much pressing (by me), Ms White admitted that there was no budget for any courses for these volunteers. Not even first aid or health and safety awareness. Remember that this is a public space used by elderly people and children. Ms White revealed that secutity was provided by un monitored CCTV footage. Apparently if there was an incident, this could be reviewed. They are not planning to have any more security staff. There will be a telephone to make emegency calls. It isn't clear who to though. I rather envisage people using this as a cheap way to ring their cousins in New York, but maybe I am just a bad person. The police and the fire service have not been consulted about safety issuese. In a written answer to me, the reason is that the council have their own health and safety team. One has to query how competent this team are, if their idea of security and public safety is a CCTV that no one monitors and a phone hotline no one answers and a security team with no staff. These unmanned buildings will be accessible with a chip and pin card. When asked, there are no checks on whether the person with the chip and pin card is who they say they are.
Because these buildings are unsafe, young people aged 14 & 15, ie those studying for GCSE's can't use the buildings. Are they safe when they are manned by untrained volunteers? This is a grey area. And what about the stock of books. I calculate that the new library space at Mill Hill will just about hold the entire stock of large print books, favoured by elderly people with poor eyesight. People such as my mother who read three books a week. Which means that this will be shrunk down to a stock that my mother would have exhausted in about six months. She wasn't interested in war histories, or political biogs, so a stock of 40-50 historical novels would last no time.
So is a library with virtually no books, no librarians and no young people allowed in a Library. Well I am sure Ms White and Rubes think it is. Rather like Rubes thinks X=X isn't a valid agebra statement. But it goes far further than that. Take a step back. Think about the NAZI's in Germany. What was the first thing they did on taking power. They started banning and burning books. Did they do this to "save money"? Nope, they did this because Hitler realised that knowledge is power. My father was a wartime Bomber Pilot. He was shot down and was held as a Prisoner of War in Romania. He told me that the Romainans were the warmest, loveliest most decent people he'd ever met. He said that he felt truly sorry for them, as they had been badly manipulated by their own corrupt, NAZI sympathising government. When his rear gunners body was recovered from the wreck of his crashed plane, he was taken to identify the body by the Romanian Air Force. He was then allowed to participate in the funeral service and was given hospitality by the commander of the local base. This man was a highly educated and well read ir force officer. He confided in my father that he deplored tyrants. He said that the Romanians had only sided with Hitler as they thought Stalin was more evil. My father said that this discussion made him realise the power of books. They discussed many of their favourite books. The base commander had learned English to indulge his love of authors like Jules Verne. In the most tragic of circumstances, books had brought people together and forged a common bond.
Now I don't believe Rubes and Ms White are evil or motivated by the same fanatic hatred that fuelled Hitlers book burning. Sadly I fear that what drives their policy is something far more worrying and dreadful. They are driven by pig ignorance. Rubes is responsible for educating the Children of Barnet. Yet he wants to exclude them from libraries. Worse still he is a teacher with a science degree.
Now I am an engineer. An engineers job is to look at a problem and solve it. We make the world a better place. You probably don't realise it, but some of my previous work in previous jobs changed the way you live your life, for the better. This country was made great by engineers. Brunel built railways, Glyn Johns recorded the Steve Miller Band. There are many types of engineers. When I have a spare minute I enjoy reading their biographies. All great engineers have one thing in common. They want to improve things. James Dyson wants to make your vacuum cleaner better Sir Clive Sinclair wanted to put a computer in your house. I understand the engineer mindset. My grandfather was an engineer in Australia. He used to drill artesian wells in the outback of Australia, which brough life, prosperity and employment to a previously hostile environment. My father was also an engineer. After the war, he worked in the motor industry, mending peoples cars. Both my brothers are engineers. One worked on the grab arm for the space shuttle. The other mends old ladies cars when they rust to bits. So we understand fixing things. It was ingrained into us. My father taught us that knowing how to fix something is a skill that can save your life.
So lets look at the Library service as it stands in Barnet today. Is it broken? No, it is popular and serves an important social need. So when Rubes and Ms White take an axe to it, they are acting as cultural vandals. What does an engineer do with a problem? They analyse it and they find a solution. So consider Barnet Council. There is nothing at all wrong with the Libraries. So why do they have the axe out? The answer is not because the Library is broken, it is because the budget of the Council is broken. So they are taking an axe to something which works, to fix something that is broken. Just suppose you are in a castle. It is cold and you have no firewood. Do you chop up the castle door to use for firewood? If you do you are a fool. No you work a bit harder, look a bit further afield until you find something that you can burn.
At yesterdays meeting Rubes thought he was being clever asking Blogger Theresa Musgrove if she would volunteer to work at a library. I wished that Theresa had turned around and said "Listen mate, myself and my fellow bloggers exposed the Metpro scandal. That has saved you enough money since we uncovered it to run all the libraries for a year. I'll volunteer all right, I'll volunteer to do your job and run the feckin council properly". Now smartyarse Rube would probably say "nah nah nah, I got elected to do this, you have no mandate". That would be another lie. The Tories got elected saying they would preserve the library network. Another Tory, Cllr Dan Thomas said "you lot only ever criticise, you never come up with any ideas to save money". That again is a lie. Another Blogger Mr Reasonable offered to review the council finances and offer to try and identify savings, he was ignored. I've written to Councillors on numerous occasions with suggestions and observations that would save taxpayers money. Usually they don't reply. I used to read every report they released, from cover to cover, blog on the savings they could make and offer suggestions to save money. They simply ignored me, so I gave up.
David Cameron got in on a ticket of big society. In Barnet, the bloggers bought into this. But our town hall Tories treat us like a bacon roll at a bahmitzvah. We are not welcome. If we suggest something, it is dismissed out of hand with the word "Bloggers", even though we have been almost universally proven right about every major issue.
But returning to Libraries. At last nights meeting it was pointed out that Colindale is the fastest growing place in Europe. What sort of community are the Tories trying to attract there? Are they trying to attract an intelligent, well informed community? Are they trying to attract a community that values education and learning. If I was looking to move to a new city and a new area, I'd look for one with a sound local cultural scene. Where is the new Theatres in Colindale? Where are the new Libraries? Where are the new local community centres? Where are the new playing fields for youth sport? The Barnet Tories attitude to Libraries is a window to their view of what a community is. Sadly in Britain, community is becoming a redundant term. We simply sit on the sofa, watch telly, eat TV dinners and drink plonk. If you live in Colindale, Burnt Oak or Hendon, when did you last go to a play locally?
Another good point raised by Cllr Naqvi was that in most other Boroughs, Libraries sit in the culture portfolio. In Barnet, they sit in the education space. This demonstrates that Barnet don't recognise the role of libraries in our cultural heritage. Ms White talked about "the Digital Library". To me this is a horrific concept. It show show little she understands libraries. They are places where people go. A good library is the centre of a community. A heart. What happens to the body when the heart is ripped out?
When is a bus not a bus? When is a Library not a Library? When is a Community not a Community? I'll let you figure that out. I am taking the dog to the pub to drown my sorrows.
P.S I could have written a short sharp blog, which dissects the Council proposal and explains why each part is a bad idea, I may still do that. But I wanted to get over the point that we should cherish and love libraries and our community. I hope you agree.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
A happy new year from the Save Barnets Libraries campaign
700 not out (well actually 707 as of now). That is the number of signatures on the online version of the Save Barnet Libraries petition. We have handed the paper version of the petition in, as we had to for it to be included as part of the consultation. This doesn't mean it has finished, it just means we've handed all of the signatures in which re received up to the closure period for the consultation. If you've not heard of the campaign, click this link and sign up :-
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/39319/sign.html
Given that I've not really plugged the petition here at all over the Xmas period (mainly due to alchoholic inebriation) I was amazed to see we've picked up another 50 or so signatures over the holiday period. What is even more heartening is to read the comments. People get what is at stake. People know why libraries matter. Have a look at some of the signatures and click on a few of the comments :-
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/39319/signatures.html
For the London Borough of Barnet to be a successful community, we need more than nice houses and exclusive schools, which we can get our children into by paying expensive tuition fees. We need community spirit and I firmly believe that libraries help build this. In a time of cutbacks to public services and redundancies, people need the opportunity to retrain and reskill themselves. Libraries play an important part in this process. People will also have less money and more free time. Again libraries have an important role to play. Families facing redundancy, which have small children, will benefit from having access to books for their children, rather than having to spend hundreds of pounds a year at supermarkets, when purse belts are being tightened.
The councillor responsible for the library closure program, Robert Rams has stated that "the public can order books on-line and pick them up at Tescos". My question - who reads books most? The elderly and children. In effect Mr Rams is imposing a stealth tax on these groups by his discriminatory proposals. Mr Rams is a Conservative Councillor. I have one final question - you can choose the answer
Q - Who do you think donates more money to the Conservative Party?
a1 - The large supermarket chains
a2 - Barnets library service
I don't suppose that has anything to do with the proposals to shift users of the library service into supermarkets, does it?
Anyway, once again, if you have only just found out about the petition, please do the following :-
SIGN IT
TWITTER IT
FACEBOOK IT
CUT AND PASTE THE ABOVE LINK AND SEND IT TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS.
And if you have signed it already and done all or any of the above (and even if you haven't), a very Happy New Year from the Save Barnets Libraries Campaign.
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/39319/sign.html
Given that I've not really plugged the petition here at all over the Xmas period (mainly due to alchoholic inebriation) I was amazed to see we've picked up another 50 or so signatures over the holiday period. What is even more heartening is to read the comments. People get what is at stake. People know why libraries matter. Have a look at some of the signatures and click on a few of the comments :-
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/39319/signatures.html
For the London Borough of Barnet to be a successful community, we need more than nice houses and exclusive schools, which we can get our children into by paying expensive tuition fees. We need community spirit and I firmly believe that libraries help build this. In a time of cutbacks to public services and redundancies, people need the opportunity to retrain and reskill themselves. Libraries play an important part in this process. People will also have less money and more free time. Again libraries have an important role to play. Families facing redundancy, which have small children, will benefit from having access to books for their children, rather than having to spend hundreds of pounds a year at supermarkets, when purse belts are being tightened.
The councillor responsible for the library closure program, Robert Rams has stated that "the public can order books on-line and pick them up at Tescos". My question - who reads books most? The elderly and children. In effect Mr Rams is imposing a stealth tax on these groups by his discriminatory proposals. Mr Rams is a Conservative Councillor. I have one final question - you can choose the answer
Q - Who do you think donates more money to the Conservative Party?
a1 - The large supermarket chains
a2 - Barnets library service
I don't suppose that has anything to do with the proposals to shift users of the library service into supermarkets, does it?
Anyway, once again, if you have only just found out about the petition, please do the following :-
SIGN IT
TWITTER IT
FACEBOOK IT
CUT AND PASTE THE ABOVE LINK AND SEND IT TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS.
And if you have signed it already and done all or any of the above (and even if you haven't), a very Happy New Year from the Save Barnets Libraries Campaign.
Saturday, 12 September 2015
Save Barnets Libraries Childrens March
What a fantastic day, I am elated and exhausted. They say the sun shines on the righteous and the sun certainly shone on the hundreds of people who turned up for the Save Barnet Libraries Childrens March. I took a few video clips on my iPhone just to give a taste of what a wonderful day it was. The highlight was the fabulous Durham Miners marching band, who turned up at Chuch End library to lead the last leg
The March started at 10.15 at East Finchley Library. It soon became clear that a huge number of people had turned up. Here is a clip I took as the march was leaving. At one stage it was over half a mile long and as we went we gathered more people.
A large number of people joined when the march arrived at Church End. This was the scene which greeted us. A decked out double decker bus.
As a long time supporter of the Save Barnet Library campaign, I was absolutely chuffed at such a large turnout. I bumped into many friends, old and new on the march. One was a friend I used to work with and hadn't seen for 30 years. Since I last saw him, he's gained a lovely wife and daughter and they are stalwarts of the Save Finchley Library campaign. I also had a good old chinwag with Mrs Angry, the Queen of Barnet blogging. I expect that we shall soon have one of her marvellous takes on the day.
At Church End Library we had an empassioned speech by the Leader of the Durham Miners. He spoke of how imprtant communities are, how libraries are a key element and how the whole notion of community is under attack. He also spoke about his pride in taking part in a march in Margaret Thatchers old constituency. For the miners, the wounds of the decimation of the the whole fabric of colliery towns by Thatcher is clearly still raw. I was invited to say a few words, I just said I was so proud of the hundreds of children who marched, one group carried the banner for the whole march. I said that it was criminal and an act of theft to steal their future. Another speaker gave us some facts and figures detailing how young people who attend libraries are twice as literate as those who don't on average. Why would a civilised nation choose to throw such a public asset away?
I am at a loss as to why the Conservative council regime are so set against libraries. They are a tiny item in the Boroughs budget. Not only that, but the Tories lost their GLA Rep Brian Coleman in part due to their previous war on libraries. They lost four councillors in wards affected by the Friern Barnet library fiasco. This nearly lost them the council.
As we marched, literally hundreds of cars passing honked horns. People asked for leaflets and waved. Unbelievably, I noticed that local Tories had started to dishonestly tweet that the march was poorly attended and the organisers were disappointed.
Dishonest or what? Don't believe me, then just have a look at the tweets everyone left and the lovely pictures and comments
https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=Barnet%20Libraries&src=typd
It was brilliant. I was there and I am so proud to be associated with this campaign.
The March started at 10.15 at East Finchley Library. It soon became clear that a huge number of people had turned up. Here is a clip I took as the march was leaving. At one stage it was over half a mile long and as we went we gathered more people.
A large number of people joined when the march arrived at Church End. This was the scene which greeted us. A decked out double decker bus.
As a long time supporter of the Save Barnet Library campaign, I was absolutely chuffed at such a large turnout. I bumped into many friends, old and new on the march. One was a friend I used to work with and hadn't seen for 30 years. Since I last saw him, he's gained a lovely wife and daughter and they are stalwarts of the Save Finchley Library campaign. I also had a good old chinwag with Mrs Angry, the Queen of Barnet blogging. I expect that we shall soon have one of her marvellous takes on the day.
At Church End Library we had an empassioned speech by the Leader of the Durham Miners. He spoke of how imprtant communities are, how libraries are a key element and how the whole notion of community is under attack. He also spoke about his pride in taking part in a march in Margaret Thatchers old constituency. For the miners, the wounds of the decimation of the the whole fabric of colliery towns by Thatcher is clearly still raw. I was invited to say a few words, I just said I was so proud of the hundreds of children who marched, one group carried the banner for the whole march. I said that it was criminal and an act of theft to steal their future. Another speaker gave us some facts and figures detailing how young people who attend libraries are twice as literate as those who don't on average. Why would a civilised nation choose to throw such a public asset away?
I am at a loss as to why the Conservative council regime are so set against libraries. They are a tiny item in the Boroughs budget. Not only that, but the Tories lost their GLA Rep Brian Coleman in part due to their previous war on libraries. They lost four councillors in wards affected by the Friern Barnet library fiasco. This nearly lost them the council.
As we marched, literally hundreds of cars passing honked horns. People asked for leaflets and waved. Unbelievably, I noticed that local Tories had started to dishonestly tweet that the march was poorly attended and the organisers were disappointed.
Brian Coleman
Reports of thin turnout for #savebarnetlibraries organisers said to be "disappointed "
It is a sure sign that you know you've won the argument, when those you disagree with start lying. The organisers of the march were elated. Do these pictures look like a "badly attended march"?
Dishonest or what? Don't believe me, then just have a look at the tweets everyone left and the lovely pictures and comments
https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=Barnet%20Libraries&src=typd
It was brilliant. I was there and I am so proud to be associated with this campaign.
Sunday, 4 October 2015
Guest Blog - What all Barnet Tory Councillors should realise about libraries - By Barnet Librarian
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| Local people defending Friern Barnet Library |
Firstly, I want to thank you for standing up for libraries. For using them, recommending them and defending them.
However, there are one or two things I'd like to clarify and expand on. Any librarians left on the frontline in Barnet Libraries are there incidentally. Barnet stripped it's frontline teams of professional librarians nearly 3 years ago, reducing a team of 26 adults and children's specialists down to 6, now based at NLBP planning and developing the service. What you encounter now are dedicated, skilled and experienced para professional staff helping you on a daily basis. That was the beginning of the deprofessionalising and attempted destruction of our library service.
Secondly, if we were to take one of your typical customer examples, the job seeking refugee, yes there would be a book recommendation and loan involved at some point in his journey, but Barnet Libraries go much further than that. If his English language skills were poor, he'd be referred to one of the many Conversation Cafés run by library staff across branches. Here he could practice his spoken English, access skills for life stock, make friends and contacts. He'd also be referred to the free Transparent Language tool Barnet Libraries provides online to develop his English further.
The next step would be to offer IT training at one of their library based sessions. This can be anything from the basics of using a computer, to more advanced applications.
Subsequently, he could attend one of the job clubs also run in libraries. Here he'd receive advice about how to search for vacancies and how to build a CV. While he was there he could also talk to library staff about how to access benefits and housing options, even receiving help with filling in the long and complicated forms needed to qualify for these, followed by authentication of his ID and supporting documents by authorised library staff in order to fast track his application.
Lastly, he could take advantage of the new project to be launched in November by the Service Development Librarian Team (those 6 remaining librarians), who've recently won funding from the Tinder Foundation to run a digital inclusion and employment related IT programme for people on low incomes in the borough. Using portable technology, library staff will deliver 6 week programmes of IT learning and career development sessions introducing users to sites they subscribe to like My Work Search, giving access to online job advice, CV builder tools, interview techniques and databases like Monster.
Yes, this user will probably take home a book or two as well, and yes he may meet people whilst at the library who'll say, "I saw a great job advertised down the road yesterday", but this is just the icing on the cake of a huge range of resources he could have just accessed.
Can this be delivered by teams of volunteers? I doubt it.
Could this be delivered by staff during the proposed 20 hours of staff time in a Core + library? I doubt it.
Could this be delivered without a librarian team, procuring the systems, successfully bidding for funding, training frontline staff to deliver? I doubt it. I could have used any of your customer examples to tell a similar story. Adult, child, OAP, toddler, student, refugee, job seeker, low income parent.......all would access a different life changing part of the service.....and yes a few books would also be involved :)
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Barnet Librarian is a librarian working in the London Borough of Barnet, who clearly and for obvious reasons is probably keen to remain anonymous. This was originally posted as a comment in response to a blog I posted yesterday. Having read it, I feel it merits the exposure of a blog in its own right. Do we really want to throw all of this away? Is it really a "value for money saving" to throw all of this away?
Guest blogs are always welcome at the Barnet Eye.
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