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Vaizey on libraries: 'We can't go on like this'
07.02.10 | Benedicte Page
Shadow culture minister Ed Vaizey has lambasted the government's record on libraries and citing the Conservatives' new slogan: "We can't go on like this."
At a speech to the Society of Bookmen on Thursday evening (4th Feb), Vaizey said that in the last 11 years Labour had "commissioned report after report, introduced one initiative after another, chopped and changed direction with breathtaking speed". He concluded: "It is hard to see any long term sense of direction or strategy" and said there had been a "massive failure in leadership."
Culture minister Margaret Hodge came in for particular criticism, with Vaizey saying it was "outrageous and offensive to everyone who ever cared about books and reading" to raise the question of whether libraries should remain a statutory local authority service. "This proposal would put the future of every public library in the country under threat." He also criticised Hodge's suggestion that local libraries should start selling books as "irresponsible."
If elected, Tories would introduce a voluntary Charter for Libraries and Reading for local authorities to sign up to, to commit themselves to providing a "first-class library service", as well as establishing a development agency for libraries through the MLA, with a four-year programme to inspire local authorities to invest in their library service.
The Advisory Council on Libraries would be abolished, Vaizey said, and a national library card would also be introduced.
Meanwhile the shadow culture minister also promised that a Tory government would act quickly to bring copyright law up-to-date if it wins the next election, telling publishers: "Your businesses must be protected by effective and up-to-date intellectual property laws". He said the government had "failed to act" while people and companies - "most obviously Google" - have continued "to innovate, or transgress, depending on your point of view".
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So much for the Chatham House Rule?? ;-)
Chatham House rules do apply at the Society of Bookmen evenings, but the speech was released to us separately by Ed Vaizey's office.
they also posted a press release on their website which was circulated by desmond last night.
The Conservative Party issued a press release before Ed Vaizey's speech to the Society. His comments were also mentioned in the Shadow Culture team's weekly email briefing sent to journalists and others.
It is clear that no one broke the 'Chatham House" rules and it is important that the views of the shadow minister should be brought to the attention of a much wider audience. The fact that the speech was given to the BOOKSELLER shows that Ed Vaizey wanted to do just that.
There is only one Chatham House Rule. It was created so that in meetings in Chatham House junior civil servants could make comments criticising their seniors and no one would report by whom the comment had been made. It was therefore an important mechanism to make sure that all views were heard and people need not fear that what they said would be held against them. It appears often to be misinterpreted to mean that what is said in a meeting shall not be reported. It does not mean that at all.
I support these policy initiatives by Ed Vaizey and the Tories. Improvements need to be made in the management of library services in each local council.They are not so difficult that book sellers would not readily recognise what has to be done. Much of the arguments about future technology are and have been a distraction and irrelevant to public libraries. The work is simple and straightforward and about premises, stock and management. The Tories have followed the stories carefully and have made a good diagnosis. At the same time, from the Whitehall perspective there is no doubt that both the DCMS and the MLA have been and continue to be an appalling block to progress. The DCMS, who have never gathered proper evidence, are in an ivory tower of rich over fed civil servants who simply cannot understand why poor ordinary people have any need for libraries. They must be exorcised, they are disgraceful. The MLA has lurched from policy to plan with no idea what it is for and even now, no sense of direction or purpose. They are rudderless and leaderless. Even in the last year they have done more U turns (and wasted more money) than any body should have allowed. They appear to be unable to listen or engage with either library users or those councils who run libraries, because they have nothing useful to say. It is time they were all put out of their misery. Coming into Governmment will be difficult, but it is better to do it in the knowledge of what one faces.
Surely a national library card would be a bad thing. I mean its great in principle being able to walk into any library in the country and use the services available, but isn't it a logistical nightmare. It would make it very difficult to return books or implement a system so that only local people could lend books, as it would be inefficient cost wise to have books being posted between libraries which were far away from each other.
Besides that what is a first class library service?
Maybe I missed something but his idea's seem rather pointless and a bit of a waste of money.
I think it would be the greatest shame to close libraries. They have been the mainstay of people's day-to-day lives for a very long time. It seems that the 'library' that just lends books is old fashioned, therefore with the addition of free computers, cafe's and DVD/games, libraries have turned into high maintenance shops that need to keep up with the times and in the process have lost their way. Libraries are turning into playgrounds for children and alienating the general public, (Library Assistants are turning into children supervisor's). Books are important to me and I would be lost if I was unable to freely borrow books. People don't always want all these money-spinning additions, but just simply the written word. So instead of closing libraries, just cut back on these expensive extra's and get back to the roots of reading and enjoying books.
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