I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library

 This is one of my favourite quotes about libraries, written by the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. It seems particularly appropriate during Libraries Week. Coincidentally, I contributed to a pan-European study this week on libraries, highlighting some of the challenges facing the public library service in Scotland and the UK.

I am very fortunate to own several thousand books in what I call my library and a frequent target for my wife's decluttering initiatives! However, it isn't a library. It is a collection of books, even if they are carefully organised and entered into a database. A public library is much more than a collection of books, more than a service; it is an integral part of the community. What I called in my Reid Foundation paper, Building Stronger Communities, social infrastructure.

Despite my 'significant' collection of books, I am a member of the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, and arguably most importantly, my local library. I am not keen on the saying 'use it or lose it', although I understand the importance of demonstrating community support for public services. I always have a book on loan because even in my small local library, I can find a book that I wouldn't have bought, which stretches my thinking into new fields.

Under the Public Libraries Consolidation (Scotland) Act, as amended in schedule 21 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, local authorities in Scotland have a statutory duty to provide "adequate library facilities" for all residents in their area. The problem is that 'adequate' is not defined. I recall seeking counsel's opinion on a possible legal challenge some years ago, only to be told that the test could probably be met by one public library in the local authority area. There are some local acts on libraries, but they are no more substantial. Several local authorities have also outsourced their libraries to culture trusts, further blurring the statutory duty.

Like other local government services, libraries are under financial pressure. 83 public libraries have closed in Scotland since 2009/10, with spending cut by 30 per cent over the same period. This is despite yearly visitor numbers increasing by over 40 per cent. Many more libraries have cut their opening hours and reduced staff. Around 20% (700+) of all public libraries in the UK have no professional staff. They are spun as 'volunteer led', a euphemism for blackmailing communities into running libraries under the threat of closure. 

There has been a welcome move towards abolishing library book fines, although the data is limited. Glasgow Life has recently done this, arguing that it reflects a growing global movement to abolish late book fines, recognised as a barrier to participation, particularly for families from low-income households. A progressive move after they controversially closed several libraries, later reopened after great community campaigns.

The importance of professional staff is reflected in the wide range of services and activities in our libraries. It also provides an objective voice in selecting books and other resources. I am sure there would be no shortage of well-meaning middle-class people in my town who would be prepared to help run the library. However, they would have little idea of the wider community's needs. This is becoming a genuine concern in the USA as books are banned because some ideologue doesn't like the content. My experience as a UNISON official was that librarians made fearsome negotiators, always well prepared. A skill that even Donald Trump is discovering as he faces legal action for keeping files from US government librarians. I am also in awe of the work being done by "Crazy Ukrainian librarians" in the most difficult of circumstances.

The broader value of public libraries as a community resource is being recognised in the concept of 'warm banks' in response to the energy crisis. Librarians have always recognised this well before the current crisis. The consumer champion Martin Lewis has commissioned a best practice guide on this. A recent survey showed that 60% are actively considering participating in a "warm bank" scheme, offering heat and shelter to vulnerable people, as another way to help during the cost of living crisis.

In England, Baroness Elizabeth Sanderson has been appointed by the UK Government to help develop a new strategy to ensure public libraries provide the best possible service for their communities. There have been some understandably cynical responses to this initiative, but we will see. Almost one in five (18.6%) children in England between the ages of five and eight do not have access to books at home. Authors and publishers have urged the new prime minister to abolish "the last remaining tax on reading", and ensure schools have funding for author visits and invest in libraries.

So, please use Libraries Week to show your support for a vital public service. And challenge your elected representatives to strengthen the statutory duty, employ more library staff, invest in resources and keep our libraries open.

National Libraries Day

Today is National Libraries Day. An opportunity to celebrate our public library service at a time when it is under threat from public sector cuts. I have to declare an interest as a serious book lover in paper and electronic forms. I also have huge respect for librarians as a profession. After more than thirty years of representing them as a trade union official I have met many great union activists from this profession.

And I am obviously not alone. Many authors have come forward today to speak up for libraries including Kate Mosse who said,

“The brick and glass presence of libraries at the heart of our towns and cities gives the unequivocal message that books matter, that imagination matters, that the principles of free and fair access to literature and education to all matter. The most democratic of spaces, libraries are places where anyone - regardless of age or sex or background, their ambitions and opportunities (or lack of them) - is welcome and on an equal basis and for free. Libraries are home to the readers of today and the writers of tomorrow”

On National Libraries Day, we rightly celebrates the wonderful service that library staff in local libraries provide to communities across Scotland. Libraries, community learning centres and access points provide an ever more vital role in this time of recession and economic uncertainty. They provide accessible education and entertainment for people facing pay freezes, job insecurity or unemployment and rising costs.

But our library services themselves are increasingly under threat from cuts. Many councils are cutting opening hours, cutting jobs (particularly professional posts), and reducing the materials budgets. This is a false economy. Councillors and candidates in the forthcoming Scottish council elections should be campaigning for decent library provision and proper staffing levels, not cuts to this vital service.

I'll finish with Julia Donaldson, Waterstones Children’s Laureate, who has written a dedicated poem to celebrate National Libraries Day.

Everyone is welcome to walk through the door.
It really doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor.
There are books in boxes and books on shelves.
They’re free for you to borrow, so help yourselves.

Come and meet your heroes, old and new,
From William the Conqueror to Winnie the Pooh.
You can look into the Mirror or read The Times,
Or bring along a toddler to chant some rhymes.

The librarian’s a friend who loves to lend,
So see if there’s a book that she can recommend.
Read that book, and if you’re bitten
You can borrow all the other ones the author’s written.

Are you into battles or biography?
Are you keen on gerbils or geography?
Gardening or ghosts? Sharks or science fiction?
There’s something here for everyone, whatever your addiction.

There are students revising, deep in concentration,
And school kids doing projects, finding inspiration.
Over in the corner there’s a table with seating,
So come along and join in the Book Club meeting.

Yes, come to the library! Browse and borrow,
And help make sure it’ll still be here tomorrow.

Libraries and Books

A new experience for me today. I find myself supporting the views of David Gray, principal of Erskine Stewart's Melville Schools, Edinburgh. Now normally I would have little in common with private school teachers, but his piece in today's Scotsman is spot on.

Firstly, he makes the case for the school library. "As places, they have retained an aura of reverence and quiet study, and for young people in good schools, they are at the heart of intellectual thought and reflection."

Secondly, he makes the case for books. "There is also incipient evidence that the reader of the screen does not assimilate information as accurately or as effectively as in applying his (or possibly her David!)  mind to a book which always involves steady, persistent concentration, a key to effective assimilation, analysis and evaluation."

This must be right and that is why we need to come together to defend our libraries. Many councils are looking to cut back their library provision. In particular there has been a move towards reduced opening times and employing less qualified staff. In a UNISON survey more than 40% members reported cuts in service and two-thirds felt staffing levels were inadequate. Nearly 90% indicated public support for the service, but nearly two-thirds felt that the service was not valued by their local authority.

Since the start of the recession libraries across Scotland are reporting increases in visits and lending issues. 30 million visits last year, bucking the trend. Libraries have diversified with the introduction of downloadable audio files and e-books, but the value of the book should not be underestimated.
 
You can love Scottish libraries by signing this online petition today.

Love Your Libraries

Today we have launched UNISON’s Love Your Libraries campaign in Scotland.


I have set out the current state of the public library service in Scotland in a briefing. We should also remember that many other public services have libraries including hospitals, schools, colleges and universities. Currently around 1 million Scots borrow books from Scotland’s 541 public libraries and 82 mobile libraries, and many more use the much wider services that libraries provide via learning centres, and digital access. But there is evidence that authorities are cutting back on libraries, opening hours and qualified staff as a response to the unprecedented financial cutbacks.

We are also asking MSP’s to support the motion submitted by Peter Peacock MSP to the Scottish Parliament (Motion number S3M-05898) that highlights the campaign and the vital role libraries play in our communities. This service has become even more important since the recession as libraries in Scotland are becoming increasingly busy.

The briefing also sets out the case against hiving off the public library service to a trust, as is being considered by some councils. Fortunately there are statutory provisions in Scotland that make this difficult and the only real experience has been in Glasgow. Culture & Sport Glasgow, was promoted in 2007 in order to attract private finance. In fact the only money it has attracted is by tax avoidance, and the Trust is now facing a £1.7m cut this year, wants to freeze staff pay and close libraries. It has already drastically reduced book-buying in the final months of this financial year.

A public library service is the hallmark of a civilised society. We should support them.