News from across the pond!

I'll admit it i've taken my eye of the ball recently when it comes to library privatisation in the US, I mean there's been so much going on in the UK what with Wandsworth, Croydon, Harrow and Ealing!
So here's a digest of stories from the US from the last few months;

'Sumter votes to outsource libraries' (June 26, 2013)
http://www.dailycommercial.com/news/article_905a5273-d22b-5726-b7ab-cc3db6a73922.html
"Despite almost two hours of residents coming to the podium one-by-one to announce their opposition to outsourcing the county’s library system to a private company, Sumter County commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday to move ahead with the effort.
County leaders said handing the system over to Library Systems and Services of Germantown, Md. would lead to improvements such as adding ebooks readers and downloadable music, books through the mail, improved services for the deaf and blind and longer hours.
At least one resident told commissioners Tuesday she gathered more than 2,000 signatures on a petition to keep the library in the county’s hands. Commissioner Don Hahnfeldt said at the workshop last week that 87 percent of his emails were against the measure."

'Company doesn't want to manage Gladstone library' (June 13, 2013)
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."See also - http://saveourlibrarygladstone.wordpress.com/

'Tennessee: LSSI Fires Germantown Librarian Without Notice to Suburb'
http://www.infodocket.com/2013/08/09/germantown-tennessee-lssi-fires-germantown-librarian-without-notice-to-suburb/
"Library Systems and Services dismissed Shannon Rooney on July 15 without advising the suburb. The action prompted a proposed amendment in the contract between the city and LSSI asking for advance notification of such decisions."

'Illinois Black Suburb Can't Even Afford a Library as America Is Privatized and Foreclosed'
http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/18129-illinois-black-suburb-can-t-even-afford-a-library-as-america-is-privatized-and-foreclosed
"If knowledge from books is power, then the predominantly white status quo doesn't have to worry about young people in Ford Heights, Illinois, empowering themselves at the library anytime soon.
That is because there is no library and no books to be checked out in one of the poorest suburbs (about 95% African American of what's left of a village that once had 5000 residents) in the nation."

'Queens Public Library Joins the Ranks of Low-Wage Employers'
http://www.thenewcrossroads.com/2013/08/01/queens-public-library-joins-the-ranks-of-low-wage-employees/
"Back in the mid-1990s, Queens Public Library hired a private security guard company, supposedly to supplement its own unionized guards.
Fast forward to 2010. That’s when the library laid off two security guards, leaving only one on its payroll. About a dozen lower-paid non-union contract security guards now monitor the Central library and the biggest branch, Flushing. The 62 other branches are left to fend for themselves.
In April, the library’s trustees approved a contract with a private company for custodian services.Today, the administration is once more singing the same old song. It assured the union that it doesn’t plan to lay off any of its own approximately 75 custodian workers. Management says it only needs extra help at the Central Library.
But the union and its members are concerned that what’s afoot is creeping contracting out, a long-term plan to get rid of unionized employees. Already, the library has assigned contract custodians to work at a branch under renovation in addition to those working at the Central Library."
For more on this story see; http://www.local1321.org/index.cfm?action=article&articleID=4a2936e2-131e-48ab-b73b-62a89601361d

DC Library Renaissance Project - 'Absurd' - Posted on August 22, 2013 by Editor
http://www.savedclibraries.org/
"In response to articles about the release of an RFQ for architects to renovate MLK, assertions have been made that we oppose renovations to libraries. Honestly? No one has done more to advocate for libraries in DC than the DC Library Renaissance Project and the District Dynamos. And we have succeeded."



 

The Gospel according to Mark Sesnan (GLL)

In a Guardian article the MD of Greenwich LeisureLtd (GLL), Mark Sesnan, waxed lyrical not only about his own company but about what he sees as the ""win–win" not-for-profit relationship" for the Public Sector.

He's was very keen to distance his 'social enterprise' from other commercial outfits stating;

"The way I see it, councils can privatise by selecting a commercial contractor, they can stick their heads in the sand and continue to try to run a facility themselves, or they can work with a social enterprise partner in a "win–win" not-for-profit relationship."

He also talks about GLL's recent move into managing public libraries;

"Libraries are part of local authorities' cultural block. You'd want your library to be open seven days a week, to be accessible, to have a crèche, a café, a car park and be friendly and bright – the same specification as a leisure centre."

The obvious omission to me in the above statement is any mention of 'education and learning', he emphasises their cultural and leisure role which isn't surprising considering his companies raison d’être and the general positioning of public library services within the leisure directorates of local councils but is still very worrying.

When GLL won the 15 year contract for Greenwich Libraries in 2012 serious concerns were raised by the Unite union, campaigners and users about what they saw as the privatisation of the service through the means of a 'Trojan horse', GLL, a 'social enterprise' that claimed to be 'worker led'. These concerns led to Unite calling a five day strike of library staff which was called off due to GLL agreeing to come back to the negotiating table.

See http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/14456

"On 30 April, library workers were transferred to Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), which employs staff on poorer pay and conditions than the council. But a magnificent two-day strike by Unite members closed eleven out of 13 libraries. GLL threatened legal action against the strike. Strike action on 30 April and 1 May had to be postponed."

Mark Sesnan sneeringly responded to criticisms and concerns on the 853blog;

http://853blog.com/2012/05/01/greenwich-libraries-dispute-gll-chief-mark-sesnan-responds/

"it is disappointing that virtually none of the blogs discuss what is the real key issue here, the Library service itself. It would be good to think that people were interested
in the future of Libraries as well as the staff. It would also be good if there was a realistic discussion
about what the actual options for public services are in the climate of massive funding cuts.

Anyway, let the nasty oppressive GLL respond to the questions:"

Recently, Greenwich Branch of the UNITE union, has accused GLL of employing workers, including in libraries, on zero-hrs contracts and this recent job advert for a 'Casual Library Assistant' to work in their Wandsworth operation appears to prove them right

"GLL

Casual Library Assistant

Hours of Work

Zero hours contracts"

Seems to me a very strange way for a 'not-for-profit, worker-led, social enterprise' to operate, but they've also been in the news recently for apparently asking 'sports instructors' to clean libraries, but then that's the complicated 'smoke and mirrors' world of privatisation for you!

In 2012 GLL also won an 8yr contract to run Wandsworth Libraries, the contract started in Spring 2013 and since then everything on the news front has gone quite, but I have heard on the grapevine mention of a 'cult like' management style and uniforms!

A pint and a book please!

Now I'm a great believer in protecting local pubs, especially rural ones, I recently mentioned them in a piece i wrote on behalf of Voices for the Library for Age UK;

"In rural areas, the local library, along with the village hall, pub and shop, is the focal point of community life."

But a conversation that took place this morning on Twitter between myself and Russell Hamilton (Cabinet Member Environment, Housing & Planning, Herefordshire Council) has led me to believe that Councils, policy makers, local communities and publicans are looking at library services as one way of protecting this "focal point of community life".
It's not a new idea as you can see from this BBC News video from 2010.

The conversation started with me responding to a tweet from Russell Hamilton;

RH - What is your #local #pub doing to make it stand out? Does yours have a #shop, #library, #PO #wifi #parkandshare #clubs #classes

Me - why on earth would a pub have a library, surely you just mean books? Libraries require paid staff!

RH - A library in a pub is just another way of attracting custom. @PubistheHub_uk

I then investigated his 'PubistheHub' link;

"Established since 2001, Pub is The Hub operates as a ‘not-for-profit’ organisation dedicated to offering advice and support to licensees, rural pubs and community services."

So they are not just about protecting pubs it's about community services as well, all fine on the face of it but I'm afraid for me alarm bells start ringing when i see mention of the 'community right to bid" which is a key part of the Localism agenda, they are also partly funded through the The BIG Lottery Fund– specifically for the Local Community Services Champions initiative.
For more information on the Governement agenda relating to this see;
https://www.gov.uk/government/get-involved/take-part/take-over-a-local-pub-shop-or-green-space-for-the-community

The reason I'm concerned about this is not particularly to do with this organisation itself but with the way that Russell Hamilton and other councillors like him might be using it, especially in places like Herefordshire where local Public Libraries are in grave danger of being slashed. In fact my fears that this might be the case was partly proven by another tweet by RH to the http://libraries.communityknowledgehub.org.uk/, the 'Locality' backed 'quango' which advices communities/volunteers in how to take over the running of closed/cut Public Libraries.

Russell‏@RBHamilton18h

@ckhlibraries I have a community with one in a village hall, working on one in a shop & hope to have others in pubs etc

 

As i said I've nothing against communities fighting to keep their local pubs/services open but Public Libraries need paid, trained and knowledgeable staff, the service can't just be transferred to a room or a few shelves in a pub, it's not a Public Library it's just a pub with books!

For more information on 'libraries' housed in pubs see;
http://www.londonbookfair.co.uk/Library/Highlights-from-around-the-globe/Somerset-pub-to-open-library-/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherhowse/7963110/Public-libraries-A-pint-of-best-bitter-and-a-Cider-with-Rosie.html
http://www.richmond.org/community/hudswellpub/
 

JLIS exposed in Private Eye - Save Croydon Libraries Campaign - 21/08/13

http://soslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/jlis-exposed-in-private-eye.html?m=1

"See the latest  Private Eye, page 28 for this report on JLIS and Croydon Libraries..."

"THE public get more for less," claimed Tim Grier, managing director of John Laing Integrated Services (JLIS), speaking at the recent Conservative Way Forward Local Government conference. "

Harrow UNISON Press Release re: Library Job Losses Aug 13th, 2013 @ 09:16 pm › Paul Boakes - IHarrow.com

http://www.iharrow.com/council/harrow-unison-press-release-re-library-job-losses/

NO CONSULTATION ON 29 LIBRARY JOB LOSSES AS UNION FEARS MOUNT OVER LIBRARY SERVICE QUALITY

Harrow UNISON Local Government Branch is sickened by the lack of consultation and engagement by Harrow Council surrounding the intention of new contractor John Laing Integrated Services Ltd (JLIS) to cut Harrow’s Libraries staff by 29 posts. UNISON were recently notified of John Laing’s intention to reduce the library workforce on the 1st August 2013 but Harrow UNISON Branch have since established that Harrow Council’s Human Resources Department knew of these plans as early as 3rd July 2013 but, for reasons unknown, did not feel it necessary to disclose this information. Following this UNISON uncovered that Harrow staff would transfer to a subsidiary of JLIS, Cultural Community Solutions Ltd, a subsidiary without a parent-company guarantee.

Despite the council’s Divisional Director of Community & Culture maintaining that she did not know of the job losses in person to staff on the 2nd August, we find it difficult to believe that this information did not form an integral part of the comprehensive library service tendering process which took place last year. Put simply, we believe those responsible for this process have been completely disingenuous in being transparent about what impact this privatisation exercise will mean for staff and current service levels for the residents of Harrow. None of this information was relayed to UNISON during the equality impact monitoring stage months before the proposals went to Cabinet in June. We firmly believe that the council has breached the public sector equality duty to adequately assess the impact on staff (s.149 of the Equality Act 2010) prior to taking the Cabinet decision.

We also understand that in addition to the deletion of 29 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) posts, approximately 10 agency staff will be released when Harrow’s libraries are transferred to JLIS which we believe equates to nearly a 50% reduction in current staffing levels. Given the significant staffing impact, Harrow Council has left its staff, the trade unions and library service users completely in the dark about the real impact of privatisation.

UNISON have formally requested information from the Council to establish how John Laing will run and operate its 10 libraries on a drastically reduced workforce, complying with its legal duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act (1964) to provide a “comprehensive and efficient public library service”.

It appears that drastic staffing reductions seem to be the only way in which private companies can seek profit from local authority services (NB- JLIS has announced that it is deleting 35 posts in Ealing) signalling a recipe of reduced service quality when public services are outsourced.

Source: Harrow UNISON branch

The dirty deed is done; JLIS sign Croydon contract!

Thanks to Save Croydon Libraries for alerting me to the following press release that appeared on the Croydon Council website today;

Eight-year contract signed for Croydon's libraries

The future of the borough's libraries is assured with the signing of an eight-year contract by Croydon Council and John Laing Integrated Services (JLIS).
The new arrangements start on 1 October, when JLIS will take over the running of the service. It represents good value for taxpayers as it will save the authority significant amounts of money at the same time as ensuring all of the council's 13 libraries remain open and face no reductions in opening hours.
The contract will see the service undergo a major modernisation programme, involving the introduction of new technology for the benefit of both staff and customers. This will include self-service, wi-fi and the very latest innovations in online resources and e-books.
JLIS will work closely with local communities to improve the way library services are delivered. There will also be new local business opportunities and good prospects for employment, volunteering and apprenticeships.
Councillor Tim Pollard, cabinet member for children, families and learning, said: "Signing this contract means that Croydon's libraries are now safe for the foreseeable future. At a time when all council services are coming under financial scrutiny, it's great to have negotiated an arrangement that not only keeps all our branches open, but will also see modernisation through the investment that is now planned."
Tim Grier, JLIS managing director, said: "I'm delighted that JLIS has secured its second London library contract. This is a fantastic milestone in developing our presence in the library services market and brings the number of library sites managed by JLIS to 24. We look forward to working with the council and local organisations to provide an excellent library service for the benefit of the Croydon community."

I'm a bit puzzled at why their MD, Tim Grier, believes that this is only their 2nd London contract, they now have Hounslow, Ealing/Harrow and Croydon!


For a taste of what might be in store for Croydon's library service see;
http://dontprivatiselibraries.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/heart-of-darkness-trip-to-hounslow.html
http://elizcro.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/heart-of-darkness-user-perspective.html

and for more on this story see;
http://soslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/contract-with-jlis-is-signed-for.html
http://www.localgov.co.uk/index.cfm?method=news.detail&id=110572

Localism and Libraries

According to research undertaken by the Arts Council England there are 425, either already in operation or planned, "community supported or managed" public libraries in England, this equates to 12% of the service. 
CILIP estimated that in 2010/11 that there where 21,000 volunteers working in England's 3,300 public libraries. The creation of 'Community Libraries', the controversial term used to describe those that are volunteer run, has developed at an alarming rate from a few communities with guns to their heads to a multi-million pound ideological agenda supported and bankrolled by the government.
Before we look at the specific agenda surrounding 'community libraries' themselves maybe it would be worthwhile giving some background to 'localism'.


In 2011 the 'Localism Act' was introduced with an aim, according to the government, of devolving more decision making powers into the hands of local communities and councils.
The key measures of the act were grouped under four main headings;    

• new freedoms and flexibilities for local government
• new rights and powers for communities and individuals
• reform to make the planning system more democratic and more effective
• reform to ensure decisions about housing are taken locally

the one that has had a major impact on Public Libraries is 'Community Rights' which can be broken down into:
 

·  Community right to challenge

·  Community right-to-bid.

·  Community right to build

The Community right to challenge came into force in June 2012. This allows voluntary and community groups, parish councils or two or more members of local authority staff to express an interest in running a service currently commissioned or delivered by a local authority. Where the expressions of interest are accepted, the local authority must run a competitive procurement.
 
The Community Right to Bid came into force in September 2012. The Community right-to-bid allows communities to nominate buildings and land that they consider to be of value to the community, to be included on a local authority maintained list. If any of the assets on the register are put up for sale, the community is given a window of opportunity to express an interest in purchasing the asset, and another window of opportunity to bid.
 
The whole 'localism agenda' has come under fierce criticism and is seen by many "as a smokescreen for cuts" as highlighted in this article from the journal 'Public Finance' dated 27/01/11

"shadow local government secretary Caroline Flint said the changes were masking the government’s unprecedented spending cuts.
She said: ‘It’s a smokescreen for these cuts and particularly the frontloaded element, which is not giving councils enough time to think and plan and look for different ways to provide services. My big concern about this Bill is that what is shaping local government at the moment isn’t localism, it’s the cuts."

It even drew criticism from the LGA;

“The Bill also came under fire from the Local Government Association, which said the notion of localism was ‘undermined’ by the fact that it handed more than 100 new powers to ministers, such as the right to decide what would constitute an excessive rise in council tax.

In 2012 the TUC published the report 'Localism; threat or opportunity?' which asked several respected figures from the charitable and voluntary sector, as well as the IPPR and the TUC themselves, too comment on specific aspects of the legislation and agenda.
In the opening section, Brendan Barber, then TUC General Secretary, raises some major concerns;

“Given the wide scope of the legislation, we invited a number of different community and voluntary sector groups, along with the TUC, to offer their perspectives. This booklet therefore provides a range of views on the Act. But a unifying theme that comes through is a shared concern about the government’s ‘big society’ and ‘open public services’ agenda and how the creation of public service markets and an individualist and consumer-led approach to public service reform might lead to growing inequality within and between communities, markets that exclude community participation, competition at the expense of collaboration and localism that devolves responsibility and blame but not resources or power.”

Continuing on from this opening gambit Matt Dykes, TUC Policy Officer, raises some very specific concerns about the ‘Community Right to Challenge’;

“The Community Right to Challenge is a key component of the government’s Open Public Services agenda which aims to open up local public services to a competitive market. While couched in terms of shifting power to local community and voluntary organisations, at best it is simply a mechanism for subjecting services to competitive tender in an open market in which national voluntary organisations and large private providers will also compete. Recent experience of outsourcing under this government in the health service and through the Work Programme suggests that private sector interests will dominate.”

And in the section ‘Unpacking localism in voluntary action; the wider context’, Adrian Barritt, Chief Officer, Adur Voluntary Action, raises some major moral and ethical issues, some of which are very topical and relevant to the ‘community libraries’ debate.

“Overall, localism is likely to result in an invidious moral dilemma for voluntary action: to connive in the destruction of local public sector jobs by helping to engage volunteers in provision of erstwhile public services, or to stand by and see services vanish whilst needs remain. Another dilemma might be whether to support a localism initiative which is under-resourced, perhaps not equitable or sustainable, and possibly offering a lower quality of service”

Out of this legislation and the Big Society agenda that it’s linked to comes a host of quango-style organisations such as ‘Locality’, ‘The Asset Transfer Unit’, The Place Station’, ‘Big Society Capital’ et al, some supported by the DCLG,  whose main purpose is to facilitate the wholesale transfer of publicly funded, council managed services to community groups, Social Enterprises and to those who have the time, resources and vocal dexterity to shout the loudest.
 

The ‘quango’ directly responsible for pushing the agenda in respect of Public Libraries is ‘The Libraries Community Knowledge Hub’ - http://libraries.communityknowledgehub.org.uk/, LCKH is an offshoot of 'Locality' and the 'Asset Transfer Unit'. Membership of LCKH starts at £75.

"This Community Knowledge Hub for Libraries brings expert guidance and resources together with an interactive community of organisations and local authorities involved with community managed and supported libraries. In this way, the Hub provides an invaluable source of high quality information, along with the latest news from communities on the ground."

"We believe that library services and buildings play a vitally important role at the very heart of our communities, and that ‘doing nothing’ would come at a considerable cost. However, documented good practice and specialist support for those taking their first steps towards development of a community managed library service is in short supply.
Locality is keen to work with prospective as well as existing community enterprises to evolve high quality community-led library services through the development its first Community Knowledge Hub network."

I also recently found out that Jim Brooks, Little Chalfont Community Library, is receiving funding from Nick Hurd, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering, to advise other communities on how to set up volunteer run libraries!
 
Now I’m not going to get bogged down in the rights and wrongs and successes and failures of volunteer run ‘community libraries’ for that I suggest you look at the following sites;
 
http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/campaigning/volunteer-run-libraries

http://questioneverythingtheytellyou.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/ingress-and-egress.html

but what I will say is that something that started with a few communities with a gun to their heads and told “run your libraries or we’ll close them” has turned into a multi-million pound initiative with a highly organised support network and publicity machine behind it.
 
‘Community Libraries’ also have the general backing of the Arts Council, research carried out by Locality on behalf of them clearly outlines the guiding principles;
 
Community libraries can be statutory.
 

There is no single model of community

involvement in libraries.
 

Most community libraries are not

independent, they are partnerships

with their local council.
 

Community libraries are testing new

approaches to library service delivery.
 

Communities often want to

be involved in their libraries

(but not always).
 

Community libraries are often more

than ‘just volunteers’.
 

Library buildings and assets can be

transferred into community ownership.

“Library services are changing rapidly at the moment. Communities have

always been involved in their local libraries but current social trends and

the scale of financial reductions in local government are prompting the

significant reshaping of services and accelerating discussions about what role

communities might be able to play. The emerging picture is diverse but has

revealed a strong interest from many communities in getting involved in their

local libraries. We make no judgements about how we ended up here, but

simply acknowledge that change is underway.”

The Society of Chief Librarians in their 2012/13 Annual Report mention the ACE research and the growing trend towards ‘community libraries’ but strangely don’t include it in their list of things they have engaged with or responded to, they also don’t mention it in their key areas of discussion!
 
The LGA published in June 2012 the report ‘Local solutions for future local library services’, which clearly outlines their support for the model by stating that it is “empowering communities to do things their way” not that it’s a desperate attempt by communities to maintain services under severe pressure from savage cuts to local government and the public sector. In the report they also peddle the myths of ‘assisting not substituting’ and that ‘self-serve frees up staff time’, in fact peddling myths is what the LGA excels in, they often state that public libraries are not a statutory service!
 
Some of the groundwork for this was laid down by the MLA in a DCMS commissioned report ‘Community managed libraries’ published in June 2011, which to me clearly expresses the ideological dimension of the agenda.
 

“Perhaps most of all, because the threat of closure is only one of a number of catalysts or drivers

identified for this process to succeed, the threat of closure is not essential. The benefits (and issues)

inherent in community management and support of libraries are clear from the evidence; the door is

open for local authorities not simply to transfer libraries to community management to ensure

efficiencies, but to work with communities to transition the process in a thoughtful and strategic manner

to create shared benefits for local government, but also local community, and local user.”

                                                                                                                            
I’ll finish with a quote from Alan Gibbons, Author and Library Campaigner;
 
“Quite simply, there is no need to abandon the ideal of a public library service, free at the point of use and run by paid staff. Anything less is an insult to users. Yes, there are successful volunteer libraries around the country, but fewer than politicians in search of a Big Society might imagine. The experience of those that run them is instructive. It is not easy and cannot be done on a wing and a prayer.”