MORENO VALLEY: Private company to run public library - The Press-Enterprise - 26/06/13

http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/moreno-valley/moreno-valley-headlines-index/20130626-moreno-valley-private-company-to-run-public-library.ece

"Moreno Valley Public Library employees will soon be laid off after the city agreed to outsource library services to save money while expanding library hours and services.
On Tuesday night, June 25, the Moreno Valley City Council unanimously approved a five-year contract turning over library operations to a private company, Library Systems & Services LLC. The Maryland-based company runs 35 library branches in Riverside County."

"Contracting city public library work to a private company violates state government codes, said John Adams, labor relations consultant to the Moreno Valley City Employee Association.
General-law cities can contract for services that they don’t have the ability to do themselves, but those are mainly technical and administrative jobs. Cities can only contract for those services with another public agency -- not private companies, he said.
The union will now watch a test case on an identical question involving government privatization in Costa Mesa that is expected to be heard in Orange County Superior Court in January.
If the case is settled in favor of public employees, the city of Moreno Valley will have to void the contract with Library Systems & Services or the union will file a lawsuit to do so, Adams said."

For background on the test case on privatisation in Costa Mesa see;

http://www.voiceofoc.org/oc_coast/costa_mesa/article_d14c1192-ce18-11e2-a5d3-001a4bcf887a.html

 

No to Privatisation of Croydon's Libraries!

I fully support Save Croydon Libraries and their campaign to stop the privatisation of their Library

Service.

Please sign the petition and share this far and wide.

A petition has been launched at 38 DEGREES.

You can add your voice by signing and help by sharing this petition:

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/no-to-privatisation-of-croydon-s-libraries

and feel free to add your comments here.

Company doesn't want to manage Gladstone library - Oregon Live - 13/06/13

http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2013/06/company_doesnt_want_to_manage.html

"Gladstone will not consider turning over management of the city library to a private company -- an issue that has polarized residents for months.
Library Systems and Services, which advertises its services as a way for municipalities to make their libraries more efficient, earlier this month declined to submit a bid to operate the library. A company representative said the potential savings and improvements were minimal and wouldn't justify their services."

Shock as LSSI turn down a library contract due to the lack of profit to be made, and i thought they where in it for the love of libraries!

Union concerned over new library outsourcing contract - Harrow Times - 07/06/13

http://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/10470912.Union_concerned_over_new_library_outsourcing_contract/

"Union members have raised concerns over the new outsourcing contract for the running of library services agreed last night.
Members of Harrow Unison raised a number of concerns over the new libraries contract before it was agreed at the meeting of Harrow Borough Council's cabinet.
The deal was for library services to be run by John Laing Integrated Services Ltd in partnership with the neighbouring borough of Ealing."

"Council leader Thaya Idaikkadar said at the meeting: “With the state of the economy in Harrow and for everyone at the moment we have to be pragmatic.
“The public of Harrow really values these services and people will be more concerned about keeping them than who is running them."

The above statement from the Leader of the Council especially  "people will be more concerned about keeping them than who is running them." is quite disgraceful considering in 2011 Harrow Council held a public consultation where the majority of those consulted said that they wanted the management of their Library Service kept in-house and not privatised!

"The results of the Let’s Talk consultation had indicated that residents did not want the libraries to be outsourced to anyone other than the Council. The Divisional Director acknowledged this but advised that the proposal was that the management of the libraries be commissioned but that the Council would retain sovereignty over its library service and would continue to drive the strategic vision for the service.The alternatives, given the current financial imperatives, could be even more unpalatable for Members and residents."

What makes this even more puzzling is a statement made in 2009 by
Cllr Bill Stephenson, Leader of Harrow’s Labour Group, in response to proposals by the Conservative administration to outsource leisure service including libraries;

“This is a very serious matter indeed. Many residents will be appalled at the idea of libraries, for example, being outsourced. Councillors, local residents, and arts and sports organisations will want to be fully consulted before any decision is made."

Deal to outsource Croydon libraries to be signed "within weeks" - This is Croydon Today - 14/06/13

http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/Deal-outsource-Croydon-libraries-signed-weeks/story-19283205-detail/story.html#axzz2WBjP4nX4

"THE contract resulting in John Laing Integrated Services (JLIS) taking over the running of Croydon's libraries should be signed within the next few weeks.
On Tuesday night, the council's scrutiny committee decided to make no formal recommendations to the cabinet about changing the decision to choose JLIS as the preferred bidder for the contract."

for more on this see;

http://insidecroydon.com/2013/05/28/30m-library-deal-referred-for-scrutiny-by-reports-author/

http://soslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/cllr-pollard-doubts-his-own-decision-on.html


 

County drops idea of privatising library system - Daily Commercial - 5/6/13

http://m.dailycommercial.com/news/article_3d2c2d67-b2b2-5e2a-b232-d3fb297b46a5.html

Lake County Council in Florida took the decision on Tuesday not to privatise 
their Library Service. Some 200 people turned up to a public meeting to discuss the 
proposals and concerns where raised about the commercialisation of the
service and the possible danger of losing the good will and support of 
community volunteers. Now that's what I call real consultation and effective

local democracy!

Harrow to make privatisation decision on 6/6/13

Harrow Council are holding a special cabinet meeting on Thursday 6/6/13 to make the decision about privatising their Library Service to JLIS.
For the agenda and cabinet reports see:
http://www.harrow.gov.uk/www2/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=249&MId=62202

My sources tell me that Harrow Unison are planning to hold a lobby of the Council outside the 
Town Hall on Thursday 6/6/13 between 5-6.30pm.