Ramsgate library in Kent
This morning, Kent County Council discussed their recent library report (see B3) which gives a vague indication of what lies ahead for the service. Paul Francis, the KM Group Political Editor, was there and tweeted live from the meeting. Much of what was tweeted was highly alarming and should be cause for concern for the residents of Kent, not least because their views on the future of the service appear to be secondary to that of the councillors. Unsurprisingly, localism appears to be a commitment that runs only skin deep. Should you disagree with the local politicians, well, you are not the kind of local person they are interested in listening to. It is worth pointing out that Cath Anley, referred to in some of the tweets below, is actually the head of Kent libraries and secretary of the Society of Chief Librarians.
And quite breathtakingly:
Of course, schools almost certainly would not provide a suitable place for a public library to be sited, not least due to issues of safety for the children. Interestingly, Kent did previously have a library situated in a school – Greenhill near Herne Bay. And what happened to this library? Well, it closed down just over three years ago due to lack of use. How do I know this? I was one of the ones packing the boxes and coordinating the closure (unfortunately).
Two other things strike me from these series of tweets. Firstly, the combative tone of the Head of Libraries. It is almost a “bring it on” message delivered to the people of Kent. You care about your service and want to protect it? Bring it on, we’ve got the arguments to defeat you and close your library down. Well, Gloucestershire thought they had all the arguments to defeat local people and close the libraries down. They didn’t.
The other thing that disturbs me greatly is the attitude of Cllr Jean Law. It certainly reveals a great deal about her attitude to libraries and local people. Well, Cllr Law, you may have slipped library closures passed the people of Kent before now without them even noticing, you are going to have a damn hard job doing so now. And I fully intend on making it as difficult for you and your fellow councillors as possible. You say you are up for the challenge, well so am I.
Incidentally, I have submitted a Freedom of Information request relating to parish council requests to run libraries. I will share any information I receive when I get it.
Pingback: Kent libraries – “we’ve got away with closing them before” | Infoism | The value of librarians | Scoop.it
Pingback: Kent libraries – “we’ve got away with closing them before” | Infoism | UK Public libraries in the news | Scoop.it
Pingback: Kent libraries: “we’ve got away with closing them before” | Alan Gibbons’ Blog