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Everyman tells school to give books back

03.12.08 Caroline Horn

Everyman publisher David Campbell has demanded a return of a free set of books given to a school library that has now been earmarked for closure.

Governors at Meadows Community School in Chesterfield decided earlier this term to close the school’s library in the New Year, when the school will become a 'virtual learning environment’. The school will also lose its specialist librarian.

The school received 300 books from Everyman’s Library between 1998-2005, on the condition was that the books be displayed in the school library.

In his letter to the school’s head, Campbell wrote: "I donated 300 books from Everyman’s Library to every state secondary school in the UK, including Meadows Community School, between 1998-2005. Authors ranged from Homer to Roald Dahl, Raymond Chandler and Garcia Marquez."

Campbell has demanded that the book should now be returned. "If you persist in this extraordinary and deeply wrong decision please will you return the Everyman Millennium Library to Grantham Book Services, Alma Park Industrial Estate, Isaac Newton Way, Grantham, Lincs NG31 9SD, since it was a condition of this gift that you would display the books in your library."

Campbell added: "We are besieged by schools who were ineligible as well as by schools in Africa who would like these books and they will be recycled."

The £20m giveaway of Everyman books was part funded by the Millennium Commission (£4m) and Everyman produced the books at cost price.

Meadows Community School has become a focus of the ‘Campaign for the Book’, headed by author Alan Gibbons, against school library closures.

Caroline Horn Home Everyman Everyman's Library

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Comments on this article

By RobC

What does 'virtual learning environment' mean, then? Some hideous euphemism?

03 Dec 08 09:11

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By Sailtie

Good for you, Mr Campbell.

03 Dec 08 09:50

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By frank

It's incredibly mean spirited and high handed of mr campbell. maybe get off your high horse and join the real world where tough decisions are made everyday.

03 Dec 08 09:55

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By RobC

Frank: if what Mr Campbell says is true, and other libraries missed out on the books, isn't it understandable that he'd want the books returned so that they can be given to somewhere that will use them? I struggle to see how this is either mean-spirited or high-handed.

03 Dec 08 10:57

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By Laura Swaffield

Virtual learning environment does mean something - all quite clever stuff to do with designing e-learning material & enabling people to discuss things online. You might say you don't need all that if you have a physical space which has all the copies of every book, journal & work of art that any student might want, where people can all meet at the same time & nobody's shy & nobody works anywhere but on campus & there's no such thing as homework... but things aren't quite like that any more. More scary to me - surveys by the School Library Group of CILIP (librarians' professional body) find that many of the unqualified staff being used as 'librarians' are not even web-savvy, & have never heard (for instance) of Web.2.0.

04 Dec 08 18:15

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By COMMENTATOR

The tough decision taken was to get his books back because the library in question had not carried through the agreement . David Campbell was of course right, it is Frank who is living in La La land .

04 Dec 08 18:46

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