STOP PRESS! Wrong dates advertised!

You can only do what you can, big society and all that, but some councils seem determined to put every barrier in your way.  They just don't get it, do they?

Residents are being mislead and misinformed about events in Croydon libraries by haphazard, careless, some might even go as far to say a shambolic handling of the details and advertising.

The latest is that the Creative Writing Session advertised for tomorrow, Saturday 4th August, 2012 at Sanderstead Library is not on and has been moved!  The new date is now Tuesday, 7th August, 2012 from 3-4pm.

Saddened at the lack of promotion of Croydon libraries and of the activities run in them, we have done out utmost to promote the details.  It is not easy as Croydon Council, so proud to serve, refuses to release a list of library events to the campaign group or to individuals who request them.

A new blog, Teens4Libraries, has also sprung up, trying to promote libraries and library events, particularly  in Croydon libraries. They are tweeting about events in order to promote them as many library events are so poorly supported now as Croydon residents just don't know about them. They have been promoting this series of events via their blog and twitter.

If this date is incorrect, how many others are also? It is difficult not to trust information clearly advertised.

The actual poster, advertising the date.

Spot the mistake?  No.  We couldn't either.

And it is also clearly listed on the council's own website, at the top of the list, still visible today,  promoting the event on the wrong day too!

We fail to see how any resident could read this as an event actually being held on Tuesday, 7th August.

Can you?

Please let us know if you get details of events and we will promote them as libraries are important to the residents of Croydon.

Purley Festival celebrated in Purley Library

The Purley Festival ran for a second year, with many regular and special activities running in or from the library in Purley.  Here are a selection of the events.

An opportunity to hear from a local milliner - Fascinating Hats by Valerie Mackenzie 

Historical Walks

children's activities

and art work on show....

Summer Book Trail - just fab or a flop in the making?

An article in the local press promotes the adult Summer reading challenge in Croydon libraries. You can read the full article here and our response here.

The Your Croydon E- bulletin, emailed out to households across the borough today, follows up by promoting this too, yet also makes no mention of the children's Summer Book Trail running during the same period. The glossy magazine version, the June issue of Your Croydon, ironically only accessed by many residents via their local libraries, fails to mention either.

The children's Book Trail all but failed last year as this was the first year Croydon relied on volunteers to run the scheme. Coupled with greatly depleted staffing, the Book Trail became a Book Trial for many, including those who refused to return after the Trail was cancelled without notice because of lack of staff to run events and others who felt the Book Trail had lost its attraction.  One letter received,  that we chose not to publish last year, was the outpouring of scorn on Croydon Council by one mother who blamed the authority for ruining the only thing that engaged her son in reading.

But will history repeat itself?

Many report that volunteers are not coming forward to run the children's Summer Booktrail again this year. Initially the information specified that  volunteers needed to be between 16 and 25 years of age, as was the case last year. The poor response reported would seem to be supported by the fact that the upper age limit has been removed recently to encourage older people to come forward to try to fill the void.

There is further confusion as the Council information requires volunteers to commit to a minimum of five sessions, yet the revised paperwork, which only recently appeared in some Croydon libraries, also asked applicants to complete not only the council application but also requests that the applicant registers on the  the Do_it Volunteering website as they are now working with Croydon Voluntary Action. The link to the role can be found here: CVA - Croydon Book Trail Volunteer

This site provides different information to the details on display in the library and on application forms, including unnecessarily duplicated information.

But the striking difference is here, where it makes clear that volunteers must commit to a minimum of ten sessions, not five as advertised by the council.

And despite concern raised by residents and library campaigners last year about the need for CRB checks, which resulted in Cllr Sara Bashford giving assurances that the issue would be addressed, there is still no mention of this, this year.


Nor is there any mention of a closing date in order for volunteers to be interviewed and successful applicants to be given sufficient training to carry out the role, a role previously carried out by qualified and experienced library staff. 


Are we in for a repeat of last year?  Everything would seem to indicate so.

We'd love to hear what residents think.

What was your experience of Book Trail last year?

Does the lack of clarity around training and the CRB checks on volunteers concern you, or is having library staff around to offer supervision and guidance sufficient?

What, to you, makes the children's Summer Book Trail a worthwhile experience?

Are you volunteering to help, and if so, what is your motivation for doing so?

You can add a comment to the blog or email your comment to soslibrary@hotmail.co.uk Please sign your post with a pseudonym or identifier if you do not log in with a facebook, blogger or twitter account.

We'd also love comments by children and teens, via email, but please give us a first name only to use on the post and your age, along with a parent's permission for us to post your comment.

And if you'd like details of this year's plans for Book Trail you can access them here: Book Trail 2012

HAPPY SUMMER READING! 

Will you take the six book Reading Challenge?

An article in the local press promotes the six book challenge aimed at adults, soon to be launched in Croydon libraries, with comment from Cllr Tim Pollard, who has taken on responsibilities for libraries from Cllr Sara Bashford. You can read the full article here.

Will you be taking part in the six book challenge?

The recent book cull was quite regularly reported to the campaign by library users from the far south to the far north of the borough. This cull saw some of the housing for books removed in at least one library and length after length of empty shelving in others.

Just one shelf in one Croydon library.

This is not an isolated case. 

Shelving has actually been removed in some to mask the book cull.

We hear ongoing reports of the difficulties that residents have accessing the books they actually want to read. Often even best-sellers are not available on the catalogue and other popular books are very difficult to obtain as so few are held. 

Another Croydon library following the theme 'less is more'.

Whilst the chance to go into the draw to win £25 might be an incentive to some, isn't a good selection of books, that residents actually wish to read, a more effective motivator to using the library than a cash prize?

What do you value about our library service? 

Are you motivated by the offer of a prize draw? 

Please take a moment to give us your views.

Purley Festival Opening Ceremony at Purley Library

Thanks to Wendy Ager for this report and images of the opening ceremony, held at Purley Library. We welcome receiving posts, comments and photos from anyone so please email them to soslibrary@hotmail.co.uk.


The speakers were Fiona Lipscombe, Purley Festival Director, who spoke about the community coming together and local business support, without which the festival would not be able to run as we don't get any funding from anywhere. 






The Deputy Croydon Mayor, Councillor Tony Harris, spoke about his memories of Purley from childhood to more recent times and had everyone laughing.








Also, Leanne from the Library spoke about the events at the library and finale weekend, and two artists who are exhibiting their work.








It was a thoroughly enjoyable event with standing room only at the back, and a guitarist played popular tunes afterwards whilst people mingled and had light refreshments, again donated by local people and businesses.






You can follow Purley Festival events:
on twitter at @PurleyFestival
on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PurleyFestival
and on the website,which you can find at http://www.purleyfestival.co.uk/

Lack of information causes confusion...again!

Given Croydon's record on transparency and libraries it is a shame that the local press continue to run articles without checking other sources. Library campaigners have a very good grasp of the situation and are very keen to work with the local press! The latest article contained misinformation, stating that there are now only three organisations bidding to run the Croydon libraries network along with that of Wandsworth. The correct information was readily available, but not from Croydon Council, the one source you would expect to be providing all the information.

The facts were uncovered by Alan Wylie, finally confirmed and  flagged up on Stop the Privatization of Public Libraries  and confirmed by independent work by Inside Croydon, which we followed up here.

It is a shame the details for the Croydon Guardian article were not checked before uploading the story.  It has already been circulated to a wide readership via Public Libraries News, unchallenged. Whilst the content of the article may not hold weight the comments are worth a read.  The full article can be found here.

Although LSSI have followed Civica by withdrawing from the process there are still four potential providers, yet to be short-listed, as an in house bid was accepted from Wandsworth after LSSI withdrew.

Yet despite speculation that the whole process is falling apart there is no real sign as yet from Wandsworth or from Croydon that they are wavering from their intention to wash their hands of their libraries, with only saving money as their prime, some would suggest their sole, motivator.

Cutting edge? The LGA on libraries, including Croydon

Thanks to Public Libraries News for spotting this:

The Healthy Living Hub in Croydon Central library is listed as one of the innovations in a press release by the Local Government Association.  

"The Healthy Living Hub in Croydon Central Library is an innovative project funded jointly by NHS Croydon and Croydon Council. As a face-to-face advice and support service about healthy lifestyles, it offers services such as arm chair exercises for older people, sexual health advice and contraception, and provides a space to link with other voluntary agencies and NHS teams. It received about 7,000 visitors last year and is contributing to council targets for increasing participation in sport, reducing obesity and reducing smoking.

Do you use the Healthy Living Hub? It is an astounding figure, given that the Healthy Living Hub area, situated directly opposite the library counters on the ground floor, is often empty. Do you make use of this facility or know someone who has?  Please let us know.


It is so well promoted and receives so much attention that it is difficult to find a photo of this Healthy Living Hub but at least the council have an image or two on their flickr photostream.  View one here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourcroydon/4785490791/in/photostream/

Buzzing?  Hardly the word that comes to mind.


Read more here: Public Libraries News: Cutting edge indeed: the LGA on libraries.: The influential LGA have released details of a session at their annual conference this week. The session concerns how councils are changin...