The revised revised deadline - You can still submit your responses to Croydon Library survey

Having extended the deadline once, from 2 May to 16 May, due to the low response rate, it's been extended again, although without notifying the residents of Croydon.

Allan Nimmo, the Council Officer responsible, has confirmed that although the online survey closes today, he will accept paper copies completed received "in the next few days".

So, if you haven't had your say, take a look at our leaflet, here, containing useful information such as pitfalls to look out for,

Save Croydon Libraries leaflet

And, download a copy of the survey to complete:

Croydon Libraries Survey

And do let us know how you get on.

The clear agenda of our Labour council...

Result of the Croydon Advertiser poll

And a few images of our libraries...

Is this the offer we want for our children?

Unstaffed floors in what was one of the busiest libraries in England...

Signs at the ready.... IT issues in all libraries

Croydon's promotion of reading for our younger residents....

Croydon libraries survey and a flyer with useful info to help you and others respond

The Croydon libraries consultation has been extended until 16 May 2016 as so few responses had been received by the original closing date.

Few still know of the consultation, so please spread the word.

Be aware that people who have completed the online survey have had issues. See the notes on page 2 of the flyer below.

Download the flyer here.

Download a copy of the Croydon library survey, here.

Do let us know your thoughts...

Add your voice to the Save Croydon Libraries Campaign...

Information has gone out via two well-meaning sources who believe Croydon libraries are to close, along with a roughly scanned copy of the libraries consultation. This is not done on behalf of the campaign. This information also, unfortunately, went out with the council's glossy spiel about investing in libraries and that Croydon libraries are fully-staffed! Anyone visiting a library in Croydon knows that is far the case. The council's statement made about Upper Norwood Library being saved is also untrue.  As of 1 April 2016, it became a self-serve facility. The few staff remaining are only there to issue current library users with new cards for the new facility which will have no librarians or library staff.
This is not what Upper Norwood Library campaign fought for and a battle the new Trust now has to take on. The local politicians seem to think this is perfectly acceptable and wave on the loss of staff with a few platitudes...

That is a battle now for the newly formed Trust to take forward...

So, Getting involved and staying informed

If you want to stay up to date with the Save Croydon Libraries campaign - a campaign covering all thirteen Croydon libraries - please join the list at SaveCroydonLibraries@gmail.com You can join the facebook group to discuss matters and follow the local campaigns on Twitter.
You can comment on this website, or even contribute a post.

Contribution to the survey

There is a clear PDF of the Save Croydon Libraries website, in the last post, which also explains the issues people have been having so that people are forewarned before completing the survey.
The intention of providing this was twofold. It meant that residents could share the survey with those not online who may want to express a view. It also meant that those who were able to complete it online could consider the survey first before completing it online, therefore avoiding the issues some have reported of the survey closing before they've had time to add comments they wished to make.

It is not provided purely to increase the workload of the council officer responsible, who will have to manually input responses provided in this way, not to increase the workload of the limited number of staff still in our libraries!

The Campaign is not encouraging everyone to do a paper copy as the information in circulation from other sources appears to imply. If you are providing a copy to someone else, please provided them with the PDF attached here, and not a scanned copy that is not as legible.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE:  

Croydon Libraries survey

You may even like to defer responding until after the public meeting.

Public Meeting - 26 April 2016

The public meeting is being called by the community for the community, in the absence of any of any public meetings being called by the council. Councillors Timothy Godfrey and Lynne Hale have been invited to attend to answer your questions and hear your views.

Places are limited. Please see the full details and book a place if you plan to attend. See: https://croydoncc.wordpress.com/2016/04/06/ccc-public-meeting-on-libraries-tues-26-april-2016/

Please spread the word!

Have your say ....the Croydon libraries survey

The ruling Labour administration claim to be ambitious for libraries yet it is unclear how they could be any more unambitious for libraries or in seeking the views of residents.

The survey
It helps the council officer responsible if you can complete the survey online, but it is useful to view the documents before you attempt to do it online so you have time to consider your answers and in order to avoid the issues people have had, as listed below.

Please keep a note of the responses you give, particularly your comments, so we can be sure they are reflected in the final report. These can be emailed to SaveCroydonLibraries@gmail.com

If you prefer to do a paper copy, don't be put off from doing so.

One library at least has been given paper copies to offer out yet others have no paper copies at all Some residents have managed to get a copy by post, others have been denied this.

 This is far from a fair process.

And the survey has been widely criticised, both by those who have managed to access it and by those from further afield.

Please complete it online, which you can find here: http://www.croydon.gov.uk/ambitious4libraries

or complete a hard copy, which you can request from a library, or which you can download to use and share with others by clicking on the link below.

'Libraries for the future - we want your views' survey 

Please keep a copy so we can be sure that all views offered are registered.

And don't forget to book to attend the meeting called by the community.  Places are limited.  See details and link below.

THE BACKGROUND:

Misinformation and scare tactics
First, the Croydon rumour mill went into overdrive, with Timothy Godfrey, the Cabinet member responsible, making a statement about having no legal duty to provide anything other than the statutory ones for Croydon which might be interpreted as just Croydon Central Library.

There were rumours of an engagement exercise, but the details could not be found. This is all based on Croydon Labour's pre-election promise to reverse the sell-off of Croydon libraries, with grand statements about commitments to rip-up the libraries contract with Carillion prior to the election, a plan that was shelved when in power.

Failure to consult
The consultation/engagement/survey was launched very quietly in late March, with no details on display in libraries and no consultation documents on offer in libraries, and the council officer responsible emphatic that there would be no notices or displays to advertise the consultation, nor paper copies made available as the survey must be completed online.

Those wanting a paper copy have to request one, in person, at a library. Their process advised was that the details would be taken and passed to the council officer who would then post a single copy out.  In some cases at least, the request had to go via the library manager before being passed on. Some residents have received a copy via this route.  Others have not.

Those completing it online express concerns about the survey being hard to complete, playing up or that it closes before the respondent has had a chance to say all they want to say.

The only meeting on libraries is one by the community
There are no public meetings planned, only focus groups, the location and time of which are secret. There is a public meeting called to discuss the issue, but this is a meeting called by the residents for the residents. Whether or not Cllr Timothy Godfrey will attend remains unclear, as was the case when he failed to respond to requests to attend a meeting, again called by the community, on the fate of the Fairfield Halls.  Cllr Lynne Hale has accepted the invitation to attend and Conservative councillors have given some indication that they are concerned about the lack of clarity on plans and the poor advertising of engagements on Croydon libraries and on Croydon parks...

Please book a place if you plan to attend as demand is likely to exceed capacity. For details and updates, see: https://croydoncc.wordpress.com/2016/04/06/ccc-public-meeting-on-libraries-tues-26-april-2016/

It's proving extremely hard to have a say in Croydon's libraries consultation

Croydon Council claims to be consulting on libraries and seeking the views of residents but they have been very quiet about it.

The information is only posted online, excluding a great number of people, although residents and campaigners have reported the appearance of an A4 notification pinned up in some libraries from Thursday 7 April, 2016.

Some libraries have displays regarding the consultation.

Others have none.

One library has received hard copies to distribute, but copies are hidden from view and staff will only release them on request.  These versions are numbered by hand, leading to residents questioning the anonymity of the responses.

Others libraries have no paper copies on offer.

Told that anyone can ask for a paper copy, the campaign knows that this is untrue. People have been refused a paper copy, although following the procedure of visiting a library to request one.

There are no public meetings planned by the council.

There is mention of focus groups but details of when these will be held and where are not being shared.

Please do not be put off by the Councils's obfuscation.

Anyone with a view is entitled to their say and should do so.

The greatest concern of the campaign is that those least able to access information online are being prevented from contributing their views.

And those with online access have reported issues, including that the survey is not accepting responses or closes before the respondent can add all they want to say.

Do share your experiences of accessing the survey and your ability to get a hard copy.

We'll be making a copy available shortly.

And, don't forget to book a place for the public meeting on the Croydon Libraries Consultation which is being  hosted by the community, for the community in the absence of the Council holding a meeting.  Limited places.

Croydon shy of consulting on libraries - Have your say!

Croydon Council is consulting on libraries but is very reticent to promote the fact.

When Croydon consulted on just six libraries in 2011, paper copies of the consultation were plentiful and included a version to canvass the views of children. The consultation documents were regularly replenished in the libraries.  Public meetings were held in large venues in the local areas of the libraries affected.

This time round, the situation is very different.

Members of the Save Croydon Libraries Campaign have been monitoring the situation and we urge more to step forward to join the campaign or feed in views.

How to contribute....

You have to have online access to know of the consultation, which was launched on 22 March, 2016, or to respond.

There are no notices in libraries and the council officer responsible advises that there is no intention for there to be any notices in libraries, or elsewhere, to advertise the consultation.

Those who have asked for a hard copy in order to have their say have gained access, but only after jumping through hoops to do so. The procedure is that the person needs to provide their details at a library, which library staff then pass on to the council officer responsible, who will then post a single copy of the consultation document out. The onus is placed on the respondent to post the completed document back to the officer at Bernard Weatherill House or deliver it to the library, requiring the limited number of staff to scan the consultation document to forward to the responsible officer.  It is very unclear here how confidentiality is maintained.

Members of the campaign have managed to get just 100 hard copies released to just one Croydon library. Members and library users elsewhere have been told categorically that no hard copies will be made available.

Drop into a Croydon library to request your copy and copies for friends, neighbours and community groups.

Croydon's ambition for libraries is on the line

In opposition, Croydon Labour promised to rip up the library contract.

Their pre-election campaign was focussed on being 'Ambitious for Croydon'. See the manifesto here, which includes:

But, once in power, Croydon Labour went rather quiet on the matter of ripping up the libraries contract.

Whatever happened to that ambition?

A jumble of languages; not the ordered packed
shelves of a few years ago.

In opposition, they were keen to seek the help and advice of Tim Coates.

In power, they didn't even respond when they were advised that Tim had offered to travel to the UK, at his cost, to advise again on Croydon Libraries.

That's hardly ambitious.


The libraries have continued to flounder - less stock, fewer staff, and appalling promotion of what Croydon libraries have to offer.

It's lucky the lack of staffing doesn't show.

Do you think this is at all ambitious for libraries? 

It's not really clear how ambition features in what many view as a 'fingers firmly plugged in the ears, hands firmly clasped across the eyes' approach to tackling the issue at hand.

Messages featured on desks on entire floors of Central Library.

Rather than rip up the contract with Carillion, or hold Carillion to account for the service they are contracted to offer, Croydon Council has come up with... Ambitious for Libraries


The plan goes to the Cabinet meeting on Monday 21 March 2016, which includes a consultation period from 22 March through to May 2, 2016.

You can find the papers here:
Cabinet Meeting, Agenda item 8:
Ambitious for the Library Service in Croydon - gaining the views of the community

When asked what people thought previously, Croydon residents gave a clear message. 
You can find the details, here.

Croydon residents valued their libraries and the experienced staff that delivered the service so well; a service now ripped to shreds by privatisation. They did not want to run their libraries, nor feel equipped to do so.

Whether or not the current administration is really ambitious to address the steep decline in Croydon library services, only time will tell.

Let's hope for proper consultation this time round.

How not to promote libraries - Croydon excels at this...

National Libraries Day 2016 is on 6 February - a national celebration of libraries.

Croydon has failed miserably, again, to promote libraries as part of this event.

Nothing at all on offer listed on the National Libraries Day site:

The buzz of activities to celebrate National Libraries Day in areas surrounding Croydon is clear. Yet not one activity has been posted for Croydon, just days prior to the event.

And, just one tweet about it, which went out on 3 February.

But, quite a number of activities, although most are modest offerings, are listed in the Croydon Libraries brochure...

Everything from: 

• scavenger hunts
• crafts
• African drumming
• mystery book displays
• quizzes for adults and children
• a coffee morning 
• NLD themed storytime
• We love libraries... heart writing event
• and a suggestion box 

If you love libraries, please ignore the lack of promotion.

You can:

Visit your library

Borrow a book or two

Take a shelfie to share

Tweet using #LibrariesDay #Croydon

Send us your views, images, thoughts....



Plus

You can also join the rally prior to the lobby of Parliament, next Tuesday, at Central Hall Westminster.  This is open to everyone - library worker, library campaigner and library user.

See www.speakupforlibraries.org for details and link to booking.

Promoting libraries - Marking #NLD15 in Croydon

National Libraries Day is a national celebration of libraries, but not so in Croydon, and Carillion is continuing the tradition in spectacular style.

We've pulled together the history and collated the details of what is going on today, so you can join in, and we've summarised the details here.  But for the history and full details, read on.

#NLD12

In 2012 we had Croydon under fire, caught out by the press for doing nothing to celebrate the event, including a report in The Bookseller. http://www.thebookseller.com/news/croydon-under-fire-over-national-libraries-day

With news out and the campaign highlighting this, it lead to hastily cobbled together displays by staff in libraries, presumably under instruction,  in order to cover up the Council's omission.

Children's display on the day

Main entrance display in a library

#NLD13

Clearly lessons were not learnt, and Croydon Council chose to ignore National Libraries Day again 2013.

In order to avoid a repeat of the previous year, where staff were further burdened to cobble together a promotion at the last minute, no one mentioned a thing until on the day.  There was no celebration.

 #NLD14 

was lost in the blur of changes after libraries were outsourced to Laings then rapidly passed on to Carillion. 

Labour wins the Council elections in May 2014 and all wait for them to act on their pre-election promise to rip up the contract.  And they wait, and they wait....

The Campaign met with the Leader and have made attempts to meet with the Labour lead of Libraries. We are still waiting.....

And Croydon library service spiralled ever downward, with bare and disappearing shelves, IT problems, health and safety issues, odd study pass systems put in place, and staff visibly stressed and leaving in number. Staff numbers were so depleted that the main entrance to Croydon Central Library, one of the busiest libraries in the country, was closed off in order to close off areas of unmanned desk space. A handful of posts sum up the year... , and that's not the full depressing story...

We are actually open but you are not welcome here.
Main entrance of Croydon Central.
People turned away, believing it to be closed.

Just one trolley of unprocessed books - often banks of these
were seen in libraries.

Slightly misleading as these service desks, including the one
in the children's libraries and on certain floors, were never staffed.

Finally, with tape.  Eventually removed.
This sharp metal shelf was in place for at least
6 weeks, possibly longer.  

Standard display, promoting new books.

Shelving, Croydon style.

The terms of the contract remain hidden. Promotion of libraries continues to be sporadic and haphazard in the hands of Carillion.....

#NLD15

But surely they could not miss marking National Libraries Day.

No doubt plans will be in place for Ealing libraries, where national library campaigners understand Ed Vaizey MP is due to visit on the day.  Watch this space....

But Croydon, again,  suffers under a maze of misinformation and lack of promotion.  A lot has been teased out by library users, residents and campaigners....

We have -

Just one event 

promoted in the expensive full colour 'What's On' brochure, promoting events in Croydon Libraries.... released in January and still available, hard copy in libraries and also online.

Norbury Library 
9am to 5pm
Write a love letter to your favourite book and libraries, and display it on the graffiti wall.
If you aren't a library member, join free today.

This will have had the greatest reach, and was replicated online. Many will be unaware of anything going on in other Croydon libraries.

But two events

promoted in the online Events calendar, promoting events in Croydon Libraries....  recently updated and available online.

Sanderstead Library
9am to 5pm
Scavenger hunt for the children, where they win a badge for completing it.

"I love libraries because..." hearts, for all ages to complete.

Norbury Library
9am to 5pm
Write a love letter to your favourite book and libraries, and display it on the graffiti wall.

If you aren't a library member, join free today.

No.  Wait... 8 events

promoted late this week on 5 February, and only to those who signed up to the newly created email alert.

Norbury Library
Write a love letter to your favourite book and libraries, and display it on the graffiti wall.

[But not promoting that if you aren't a library member, you can join free today.]

Croydon Central
Contribute with reviews of your Best Reads

Bradmore Green Library
Coulsdon Library
New Addington Library
Purley Library
Sanderstead Library
Selsdon Library

Library scavenger hunt for children

Love Libraries board with paper hearts for adults

If you are not already a member you can join free today

BUT there is more...

Coffee at Bradmore Green

A campaigner has advised that Bradmore Green are running a coffee morning for National Libraries Day, although those who regularly visit were not aware of this, and we have not details of time.  It is assumed it will be in the morning. Please post if you have further details.

AND.... an author event at Central Croydon Library

The campaign was aware of an author promoting an event in Croydon Central library but, until tonight, we did not have any confirmation this was genuine as it was not listed anywhere.

Reading of The Adventures of Obi and Titi 1-2pm  - It is difficult to read the details from the post so do call if you are interested in attending.

And the mystery bonus!

It is also clear from this photo that there is another event going on... See bottom right of the photo. A Reader's Community Stock Selection event.  Not sure when or what it actually involves, but if anyone gets details of this, or any other event, please let us know.

Presumably there will be something going on in other Croydon libraries, including libraries in Broad Green, Ashburton, South Norwood and Thornotn Heath....

Help us to celebrate #NLD15 in Croydon

It's easy..... 

Send us details of events not listed so we can promote them

Visit your library

Join if you aren't already a member

Send us reviews, photos or comments on events you attend by posting here, via email or tweet us @SaveCroydonLibs

Tell us why you love libraries!

And keep an eye on your library, and feed us your views....

We will follow this up with a post summarising all details and comments received. 

Email SaveCroydonLibraries@gmail.com

Thank you!

AND, we will be tweeting and retweeting, using the hashtags #NLD15 and #Croydon.  

Join in!

#NLD15 in Croydon - What's on!

Details are sketchy and conflict in different listings or aren't listed at all,  but here is what we think is on in Croydon libraries.

"I love libraries because..." hearts, for all ages to complete may be in all libraries, but should be available in those listed below.

Norbury Library
Write a love letter to your favourite book and libraries, and display it on the graffiti wall.


Croydon Central
Contribute with reviews of your Best Reads


Bradmore Green Library
Coulsdon Library
New Addington Library
Purley Library
Sanderstead Library
Selsdon Library

Library scavenger hunt for children

Love Libraries board with paper hearts for adults

If you are not already a member you can join free today

Additionally, 

Coffee at Bradmore Green

A campaigner has advised that Bradmore Green are running a coffee morning for National Libraries Day, although those who regularly visit were not aware of this, and we have not details of time.  It is assumed it will be in the morning. Please post if you have further details.

AND.... an author event at Central Croydon Library

The campaign was aware of an author promoting an event in Croydon Central library but, until tonight, we did not have any confirmation this was genuine as it was not listed anywhere.

Reading of The Adventures of Obi and Titi 1-2pm  - It is difficult to read the details from the post so do call if you are interested in attending.

And the mystery bonus!

It is also clear from this photo that there is another event going on... See bottom right of the photo. A Reader's Community Stock Selection event.  Not sure when or what it actually involves, but if anyone gets details of this, or any other event, please let us know.

Presumably there will be something going on in other Croydon libraries, including libraries in Broad Green, Ashburton, South Norwood and Thornotn Heath....

Help us to celebrate #NLD15 in Croydon

It's easy..... 

Send us details of events not listed so we can promote them

Visit your library

Join if you aren't already a member

Send us reviews, photos or comments on events you attend by posting here, via email or tweet us @SaveCroydonLibs

Tell us why you love libraries!

And keep an eye on your library, and feed us your views....

We will follow this up with a post summarising all details and comments received. 

Email SaveCroydonLibraries@gmail.com

Thank you!

AND, we will be tweeting and retweeting, using the hashtags #NLD15 and #Croydon.  

Join in!

Carillion's Curse - part 2

Keeping track of the situation, some two and a half months on...

It is fair to say that modest progress has been made since the previous post reporting the state of Croydon Central Library back at the end of May.

You ARE now welcome to Croydon Central Library

Gone is the unwelcoming closed entrance shutter that was in place for so many months, 

even if somewhat reluctantly opened....

thanks to the efforts of the lead for Libraries, Cllr Timothy Godfrey.

Sadly though, library users are still so conditioned to going in the exit, the exit is the main entrance for most, even months later.

Lighting, surroundings and outlook

The lighting was dim on all floors months ago, and still is.

Previously some of the seating was in a poor state and, at times, oddly placed.

Now the issue of oddly placed furniture appears to have been remedied but the furniture remains in a poor state with threadbare seating still apparent.

Months ago there was a partly dismantled shelving unit, complete with metal shelving protruding beyond wooden side of unit. 

 

The metal jutting out at child eye level was not even masked until weeks later.

Months on though, the piece of metal has been removed, perhaps as a result of a library user pointing this out to the person doing a health and safety inspection.

Quite what purpose the remaining structure serves nobody knows. It's still there.

Signage

Previously there were signs everywhere, advising of the systems in place, not to move chairs and tables, where to go when stations on different floors were unstaffed and that staff were no longer able to help on matters such as booking PCs.  There was odd signage too, referring to not plugging in lap tops at points where no sockets existed and not moving chairs from an area with no chairs.

Signs are inconsistently formatted - different colours, fonts and styles - giving an unloved and unprofessional feel to the place.

Other than the removal of some of the notices and colour coding that had been put in place by hastily and poorly applied thick coloured tape across corners of tables to denote study and non study tables, little has changed.

Before

And after

Some signs on tables still remain. Where removed, the cleaning contractors have not even managed to clean the sellotape marks off the tables, leaving grubby marks on surfaces.

Nice!

Promoting what's on offer

Sadly there is little change here. Shelves are often untidy and trolleys are stacked with unprocessed returns.

Displays are still dismal and the same as those on show months before.

The leaflet racks are often virtually empty.

The Twitter account @CroydonLibs still fails to engage with library users or to promote events.

And notable changes

for the better....

New IT and access to floors is now in working order

At least most, if not all, of the PCs are now in working order, which is a welcome change. Gone are the out of order signs on PCs, on the lifts and the escalator.

Magazines and papers are now readily available on shelves that lay bare before.

Uncertain future, sustainability or effect
Maps are also readily available.

Whether or not they are still available in branch libraries has not been explored though.

Staffing was increased, on occasion, after the previous post went up late May, but quickly dropped to previous levels.

At no time in the past few months have we seen, or anyone we've spoken to seen, staff on level 2 or on the ground floor in the children's library. Signs to direct library users are permanently in place and regular library users know the system well.

Staff are tied to work stations (presumably due to shortage of staffing), rarely on the floor engaging with library users or dealing with stock on shelves and trolleys. Queues at desks are often evident.

Negative
Ever reducing stock
It is of concern that the stock is reducing even further. The proliferation of hazard-taped spots, empty shelving and bare unworn flooring where shelving once stood is ever more apparent.

So what exactly is Croydon getting for their money from Carillion?

 Not a great deal.

Let's hope the damage can be reversed by the new Labour administration.

Croydon Labour continue to promise a public meeting.

To be fair to Croydon Labour it is early days for the new administration. Nevertheless it is clear that Croydon libraries need urgent action and support.

Liaison with the lead on libraries, Cllr Timothy Godfrey and hid deputy Cllr Oliver Lewis has been sought, with an offer of support. A meeting with the Leader. Cllr Tony Newman, has been held, with promise of more engagement with the campaign.

The new administration is making positive noises about keeping their election pledge to bring Croydon Libraries back in house.

Let's hope this aim is realised.  It is the only point that has raised serious spontaneous applause at two public meetings in Croydon recently.