• Authors protest against cuts to library service
by: Maev Kennedy
 |
| An artist's impression of the super library being built in Birmingham city centre. |
As almost nobody would guess at first glance, this building – which Birmingham council taxpayers were seeing for the first time in a computer-generated fly-through – is a library.
The launch comes at an extraordinary time. All over Britain, library users spent the weekend protesting against closures and imminent swingeing cuts, which could decimate book stocks, staff and opening hours.
On Saturday thousands joined authors including Philip Pullman, who described Oxfordshire's proposal to close 20 of 43 libraries as "a darkening of things"; Mark Haddon; Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, who delivered a protest statement to the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh; children's author John Dougherty and musician Billy Bragg in local events.
At one London branch, Save Our Libraries Day continued into Sunday morning, when protesters voted to continue their "read-in" overnight at New Cross library in south-east London. A 10-minute film, We Love Libraries, with quotes from celebrities and ordinary library users, has become a YouTube hit, the number one non-profit video.
In Birmingham itself, every one of the 40 branch libraries is under review, and major cuts are expected in staffing and the book budgets. Despite this, two enormous concrete towers have risen above a huge hole in the ground in Centenary Square in the city centre: the new super library, planned for a decade, under construction for the last year, is due to open in the summer of 2013, on schedule and, it is claimed, slightly below its original £200m budget.
The cavernous lobby will join the library to its neighbour, the Birmingham Rep theatre, with a single box office and reception desk for both. The Rep – which moves out this week, leaving its home to the builders while the company tours – will run the new 600-seat studio theatre in the library, and the librarians hope to keep book stacks open so theatre-goers can read and borrow books in the intervals of plays.
Brian Gambles, assistant director of culture – effectively chief librarian – insisted: "Books will always be at the heart of what we do." Council leader Mike Whitby said every city in the world would envy his library. And site director Simon Dingle, of the construction firm Carillion, said: "I've been in this business 23 years, and this is definitely the best project I've ever been involved in, including the Channel tunnel."
But not everybody is thrilled. The 20th Century Society campaigned to win hearts and minds for the present library building, half a mile away on a site where there have been public libraries for more than 150 years. The current one opened in 1974, a loved and loathed monument to concrete brutalism by local architect John Madin. Its fate was sealed in 2009 when the government rejected the advice of English Heritage and refused to list it, though the bulldozers won't move in until the new building is complete.
John Dolan, the former city chief librarian, who now works in urban regeneration after a spell as head of libraries policy at the soon to be abolished Museums, Libraries and Archives council, says the existing building is not fit for purpose, and is confident the new library will be an international landmark.
He is also anxious about the operating budget for the new building. "What is absolutely crucial is that the council doesn't just cut the nice red ribbon on the door on opening day and then walk away from it," he said.
The spending decisions will be taken at a council meeting on Valentine's Day. Nothing has been decided yet, Whitby said, but he warned: "We cannot expect to hold on to everything we have."
Sybil Ruth, poet, author and ardent campaigner for libraries, said: "Despite all the hype and spin about the new building, Birmingham city council is currently keeping very, very quiet indeed about its plans for the 'ordinary' library users of Birmingham.
Her own branch in Kings Heath closed in December for repairs, and locals fear it may never reopen.
"The publicity for the new library is very much about showcasing cutting-edge technology. There is very little talk about readers, about promoting literacy in the city. So at the moment we have a central library that is looking increasingly decayed because no money is being spent maintaining it, and some very rundown community libraries."
Gambles is braced for a cut in his book-buying budget, and says weeding out the present stock for the move probably means there will be 10% fewer books on the new shelves. But, he argued: "We ought to be judged as having failed if we deliver a fantastic central library, and there's nothing to show for it out there in the communities."
Winner
The Library of Birmingham, scheduled to open summer 2013
• Cost: £188.8m (down from £193m)
• 35,000 sq metres, 4,000 of which are shared with Birmingham Rep theatre
• 10 floors including outdoor amphitheatre, music centre, exhibition gallery, British Film Institute mediatheque, studio theatre, health and business centres, rooftop cafe and gilded 10th-floor Shakespeare pavilion
Losers
481 libraries – 422 buildings and 59 mobile libraries – under threat
• Isle of Wight: nine out of 11 branches proposed for closure
• Oxfordshire: 20 out of 43 branches
• Dorset: 20 out of 34
• Doncaster: 14 out of 26 branches
Source: Public Library News
from: Guardian
No comments:
Post a Comment