Campaigners fear for future of Croydon libraries uncertain after facilities outsourced | SW Londoner

Laing (JLIS) have taken over the running of Croydon Libraries, a story picked up here:

Campaigners fear for future of Croydon libraries uncertain after facilities outsourced | SW Londoner

Have you noticed a change?

Hopefully this will mean a refresh of IT facilities across the network, something that Croydon Council failed to do in recent years, leading to people frustrated when faced with PCs that crashed over and over again or banks of PCs lying idle and out of action in Croydon libraries.

There are still grumbles on Twitter that PCs are slow to load and not a comment about the wifi. As one Croydon resident quipped, Computer says no!

Hopefully it will mean proper promotion of libraries

Although @CroydonLibs has sprung into life on Twitter the advertising of events are late in the day, often tweeted the day of the event and sometimes at odds with the details being given out in Croydon Libraries.

Did anyone meet Floella Benjamin, for example?

She tweeted about her appearance at Croydon Library,

yet the publicity materials produce advertised her appearing at Croydon Council's Community Space, aka Bernard Weatherill House.

and

Find the full programme for Black History Month here.

Then there was confusion over an event advertised in a library for young people from 4 - 4.30pm, specifically stating it was not suitable for very young children yet promoted on Twitter as running 4-5pm and as bedtime stories which clerarly pitches it at an audience for littlies.

Hopefully JLIS will not be taking the council's lead and start promoting libraries properly.  Although they are not answering queries regarding the confusion, which is not helpful, but it is early days.

Let's watch this space.

And hopefully it will mean improved book stock in our libraries

Let's face it.  It would be hard not to improve on scenes like these.

And the erratic book selection will hopefully be addressed too, likened by one avid library user to the bargain book pack at the end of a bookseller's clearance sale rather than the careful selection of stock to meet Croydon's needs.

Let's watch this space!

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