Libraries – a little bit like supermarkets really

A grocery store (in case you forget what they look like) - c/o roadsidepictures on Flickr

There’s a blog title I never thought I’d write.  Stick with me on this one.  I was listening to Eddie Mair in the car on the way home from work this evening (on the radio obviously, he wasn’t actually in my car) and he was running a short segment about the growth of online grocery shopping.  Introduced with a line about how increasing numbers of people no longer actually visit their supermarket, Mair proceeded to introduce two guests (binary alert!), one celebrating online shopping (think it was one of those Trinny/Susannah types – for brevity I’ll refer to her as Trinnyanna) and one celebrating visits to the store.  And this is where it got interesting (I know, not like it wasn’t interesting already, right?).

The arguments put forward by both sides were very…familiar.  The one arguing in favour of visiting the shops (the non-Trinnyanna) talked about how online shopping tended to result in less experimentation when shopping.  Instead of browsing around and picking up something that maybe you hadn’t had before, the tendency would be to just go straight to the items you always buy out of habit.  No browsing.  No checking out something different or unusual.  Just routine shopping.  She also pointed out (and I agree entirely on this point by the way) that by shopping online you are not able to check out the produce that you are intending on purchasing beforehand.  Instead of having the chance to root around the fruit and veg to find a nice firm item, you could end up with something that turns to mush as soon as you pick it up to put in the fridge.  Seriously, this does have a point to it.  I’ve not taken to suddenly blogging about grocery shopping.  Not yet anyway.

The argument in favour of online shopping was also interesting (if a little wishy-washy).  According to Trinnyanna, what makes supermarket shopping so tricky is that it is confusing (seriously) and hard to find the things you want (sound familiar?).  Not only that, but often you end up buying the ‘wrong’ things (again, I am serious here).  Seems to me that rather coincided with what the supporter of ‘real’ grocery shopping was talking about – the random purchase of items you would not necessarily buy.

Basically, strip out the grocery element of the discussion, and they could easily be talking about libraries.  The tendency to experiment, the ability to browse, being able to examine an item before deciding whether to take it home, the confusing layout, the accidental taking home of an item you didn’t really want…  Are supermarkets turning into libraries at a time when libraries are trying to turn into supermarkets (well, bookshops at least)?  In the future, will we see the supermarket threatened in a way that libraries are today?  Will the ability to get everything you want online make the supermarket on the high street (or, more likely, out-of-town development) redundant?  Who knows?  But then, who thought libraries and supermarkets would have so much in common?

Voices for the Library and National Save Our Libraries Day

Save our Libraries (c/o CILIP).

Yesterday was quite a crazy day to say the least! Who would have thought back in December when Alan Gibbons first proposed a day of coordinated protest that there would be quite so much coverage of the day in the national media. It was really quite moving and I was really blown away by the huge numbers of people who came out in support of their local library. It reinforced for me, once more, just how important libraries are to their local communities. After reading so many anti-library comments on various online articles, one begins to imagine that library support had ebbed away to virtually nil. In fact, it appears the very opposite was true. There’s so much to say about the day and the events leading up to it, but you’ll have to excuse me if I focus on my own story leading up to yesterday’s events.

Voices for the Library - Speaking up for librarians, library staff and library users.

First, a little bit about Voices for the Library. I got involved in this organisation because I wanted to see a group out there presenting libraries and librarians in a new light. Not the sterile old-fashioned image of libraries that so many people fall for and perpetuate. No, I wanted to help show what librarians and libraries contribute to their local communities and the range of services they offer beyond the world of book issues. Books are, and always will be, central to libraries. Despite the growth of the Internet they are the primary information source for the majority of people in this country. But that word ‘information’ is key. Libraries were initially only about books because they were the only form of information delivery. There was a need to ensure that the working classes had the same access to information as the richest in society. Things haven’t changed. 9 million households do not have Internet connections, many due to the expense of the equipment. Libraries now ensure information via books and the Internet to ensure that everyone has equal access to information. This is the reason libraries exist and why they must continue to prosper. The irony is that it is the ‘traditionalists’ who seem to lack the understanding of the true library tradition.

Back to this week and a course of events that will live long in the memory. Whilst Kent is not currently facing library closures (at least not publicly), there will be a consultation launched later this year (possibly late February, early March). Consequently, there were no protests or ‘Read-ins’ planned for the county. Despite this, and because of the national picture, my details were passed onto BBC Radio Kent who wanted to interview someone about the situation in Kent and across the UK. As I am the Kent based representative for Voices, I was happy to oblige so agreed to talk to them and explain the concerns that I have about the situation in the county.

The discussion with Radio Kent took two forms. The first was a chat on the telephone with someone at the station asking me a series of questions. At a certain point she informed me that they would be recording my contribution and playing it throughout the day on the news bulletins! I had no idea this would happen until the phone conversation and, as I had no time to prepare, it was a little tricky to get the right message out there. I do writing and stuff not media and talking…I leave that to the awesome Lauren Smith (who, by the way, is an absolute media legend now!). Anyway, come the day , they played numerous extracts from my conversation, including this one:

BBC Radio Kent soundbite

Let’s not dwell on that for too long eh!?

Canterbury Library - currently undergoing refurbishment. Library is currently housed in Pound Lane.

Part II involved a live interview on Pat Marsh’s show at 7am (!) on Saturday. I have to admit to being nervous beforehand but, thanks to a conversation with the aforementioned Ms Smith, I was fairly confident I could get the message out there in my first ever broadcast interview. It was, however, kinda weird to be sitting at the dining table at 7am with a cup of tea and a stack of notes ready to deal with any question is thrown at me. I was amazed at how long the interview seemed to go on for. I thought it was going to be a very short piece but it last around 5 minutes. Sure, that doesn’t sound long, but it is a long time when you are being interviewed for live radio!

I tried very hard not to say ‘um’ and ‘er’ too much and I think I did reasonably ok. There were a few hesitations during the interview, but remember it was 7am! I won’t be challenging my colleagues at VftL for media attention, but it was good to get it under my belt and know that I can (just about) manage again if it’s thrown at me! You can hear the full interview here (recorded for posterity!):

Full Interview on BBC Radio Kent

Once I had done my bit on radio it was simply left for me to go out and visit my local library and take out a whole bunch of books (twelve in actual fact!). I had seen The Guardian’s protest map earlier in the day and seen that Canterbury library scored 5/5 for the strength of the protest and my understanding was that it was absolutely packed. Great news for everyone, and I am sure the councillor responsible for libraries was thrilled that the library service is so popular in Kent as well (even without an ‘official’ event taking place).

However, my job wasn’t quite done there. Earlier in the day I had come across Dr David Kuo who argued, quite seriously, on BBC Breakfast that if Internet provision is such a crucial aspect of the library service then everyone should be given an Internet connection and then we can close the libraries (presumably this idea would be paid for by the government). Thinking I needed to act quickly to put a message out there about how this is pie in the sky, I decided to do some research and produced a statement on behalf of Voices for the Library on this barmy scheme. You can read the full statement here and, if you ever come across Dr David Kuo, maybe throw this in his general direction. Although not literally of course…that might hurt.

A big old stack of library books!

So that pretty much summed up my day. I’m not ashamed to admit that I came close to tears when I saw the strength of support for libraries across the UK (hey, I’m a ‘new man’ type person ok?!). It really was very moving and will live long in my memory. All that is left for me to say is how much I admire and respect not only those who did go out and do something, I am also very proud to be working alongside a great bunch of people at Voices for the Library. Their dedication, hard-work, cheeriness in the face of adversity, integrity and all-round awesomeness make every day working with them an absolute pleasure. I feel so lucky to be associated with such people, each and every one of them are absolutely phenomenal – Bethan, Simon, Tom, Mick, Lauren, Gary, Alice and Ian (Version 2.0). I’m so glad I got involved in Voices for the Library when I did and I look forward to seeing it continue to prosper and grow over the coming years, getting the message out there about why libraries and librarians are so important.

Actually, what am I saying, that isn’t all I have left to say! I would also like to add that if you live in Kent and are concerned about what the future holds for libraries in the county, please get in touch (see the contact tab at the top of this page). If you want to set up a campaign, do get in touch and I will help you set up a blog, Facebook Page and Twitter account to get things started. I will also act as a link between a local campaign and Voices for the Library to help promote the campaign and link up with others around the country. If that interests you, do make sure you drop me a line. Thanks.

Wikileaks – information should be free

Despite attempts to halt the leaks, they still keep coming....(flickr image: Brother O

As someone who is working in the information business, I have been fascinated by the leaks coming out from Wikileaks over the past few weeks. Fascinated as much by the reaction to the leaks as the leaks themselves. The reaction from politicians and commentators in the United States has been particularly….er…..disturbing. Calls for assassinations and equating Julian Assange with Osama Bin Laden are just some of the examples of blatant hyperbole that have dominated the airwaves since this series of leaks commenced. However, the leaks still come and day by day we are hearing new revelations in regard to foreign policy and international diplomacy. Yes, some of this may be tittle-tattle, but some of the information that is being leaked is noteworthy. Certainly they help to provide a bit of context to some of the events of recent years. But what about the future for information delivery in the light of these attacks on Wikileaks?

I guess before I go any further, I should disclose that I share Assange’s philosophy that the unlimited provision of free information can make the world a better place. Rational decisions can only be made when one has access to all the relevant information. One cannot, as an individual, make reasoned decisions without information. As I’ve noted before, one cannot expect people to make rational choices about the food they eat without being provided with information about it (or even the tools to interpret it).

What is more, the Internet is perhaps the greatest tool at our disposal to ensure the spread of information. Unfortunately, in the past couple of years there have been moves to restrict the flow of information on the Internet. Newspapers are steadily hiding things behind paywalls. Big name companies are placing restrictions on what content can be kept on their servers (see Amazon pulling the plug on Wikileaks). Large multi-national corporations have spent millions lobbying against net neutrality, effectively supporting a two tier information network. What we are seeing is the steady erosion of the liberty principle behind the Internet by corporations and governments, leading to a system where some have access to information and some do not, with money being the main dividing line.

As if the slow establishmentarianism and commercialisation of the Internet wasn’t bad enough, the only institution that can level the playing field (libraries) are being slowly taken apart (maybe not so slowly in some cases).  For libraries can subscribe to content to ensure that people can access materials without having to negotiate pay walls.  Why bother paying to subscribe to The Times online, when you can access it for free at the library?  In a way, the increased commercialisation should be a good thing for libraries.  After all, if libraries can purchase access on behalf of their users it could theoretically encourage people back into libraries.  However, it may be that this is seen as too much of a threat to the commercial world.  Whilst there is a free access model, they cannot make the profits that they would hope for.  And the free access model is certainly under threat – see the increased attacks on the BBC as media outlets start to put their content behind paywalls.  As long as the BBC puts out free news content, few people will pay for news content online.   Take the BBC out of the equation and bingo…users will be forced to pay for news content.

The internet is in very grave danger of moving towards a state where there is a large amount of content that people are simply not able to access.  As the commercial sector and the government tighten their grip on this resource, there is a very real danger of the digital divide becoming virtually impossible to close.  Certainly, without libraries to help provide access to content that is otherwise behind paywalls, there are a great many people who will never be able to access the kind of information that most of us will take for granted.  It would seem that not only is education being re-branded as a privilege, access to information may well be about to go through a similar re-branding process.  Governments and corporations both have much to gain from just such a re-branding exercise.  Control for the former and profit for the latter.

For more thoughts on this, I’d heartily recommend The Commercialisation of the Internet and the Erosion of Free Speech.  It’s a very interesting read and highlights some of the dangers ahead for free information on the Internet.

E-books – Not all good news

Although I am a self-confessed believer in the future of ebooks, the future isn’t entirely rosy for everyone.  The BBC has reported that Cambridge University Press has announced plans to cut nearly 160 members of staff from their printing and publishing departments.  A CUP spokeswoman has declared that this is in no small part due to the advances in technology and the predicted impact of the ebook:

“We expect the introduction of eReaders to have a similar effect on the printing and publishing industry as the iPod has had on the music industry.

“Knowing that we were having problems making a profit now – and forecasting future changes – we had to take the difficult decision to scale down.”

Such drastic action is premature to say the least, and I hope an institution like the CUP doesn’t live to regret such a rash move.  As I have said before, I do not believe that ebooks will replace paper copies altogether, they will complement them.  It will not have the same impact as mp3s had on the music industry as there are a great many differences between the two.  One hopes that other publishers do not jump to such rash conclusions, particularly in the current economic climate.

Question Time

I have been a regular viewer of Question Time (QT) on the BBC for a long time now.  Quite why I do so is open to debate as my wife often worries that I will burst a blood vessel every Thursday evening.  However, I watch it anyway and use it as a chance to ‘blow off steam’ and have a good healthy rant.  Well, last night was my chance to do so in person, an opportunity I had been waiting for for some time!

It all started a couple of weeks ago when I was watching the US election special and heard that QT would be heading to Dover (which just so happens to be close to where I live).  After watching the broadcast I visited the QT homepage and filled in my details on the application form….then promptly forgot that I had done so.  Then, out of the blue, I received a phone call at work from the BBC inviting me to attend Thursday night’s recording.  The caller from the BBC then checked through the details of my application form and asked me what political events were on my mind.  Conscious of the fact I was at work in a public area, I kept my answers equivocal so as not to cause consternation amongst our borrowers.  Not an easy task, but I had a damn good crack!  I spent the remainder of the day (and the following day for that matter) babbling excitedly to all those that would listen (and many of those who would not if they could help it) about my debut on national television….I should really get out more.

Once I got home from work I had an email giving me the details of the venue and instructing me to email a question that night and prepare a further one to present upon arrival at the set.  I chose a question on the economic situation and hoped that it may be picked.  My hopes were raised that evening when the central point of my proposed question was discussed on Newsnight.  Did Paxman sneak a peak??  Maybe not but it’s a nice thought!

On the day of the broadcast I was required to arrive between 6-6.30pm at the Western Docks in Dover.  Upon arrival I was greeted by security men waving those scanner things over my person (which always makes me feel uncomfortable.  Why?  I have nothing to hide.) and was ushered into a reception area where I was given a list of panel members and a card to write a further question.  The panel for that evening were:

• Margaret Beckett
• Jeremy Hunt
• Shirley Williams
• Brian Moore
• Simon Heffer

 After waiting around for about 45mins, the legend that is David Dimbleby came out to speak to us all and explain how the program worked as well as sharing a little of his past experiences with Dover.  I have to say, he was exactly as he appears on TV.  Calm, considered, charming.  If anything, my opinion of him went up after watching him live.  The very definition of professional.

After another 20 minutes or so we were led through into the ‘studio’.  When we had taken our seats the floor manager asked for five volunteers to act as panel members whilst the test the lights/sound/pictures.  The volunteers were promptly chosen and a debate was mocked with each volunteer acting as a substitute for the panel members that were due to arrive later.  I got so involved in proceedings at this stage, I completely forgot it was just a test.  When the topic got onto rudeness amongst the young, I piped up with my frustration at the negative portrayal of the young in the media and was relieved to receive a very loud round of applause by the audience.  Bouyed by this, I went on to attack those calling for national service by questioning whether it was a good idea to train ‘youths’ that are supposedly ‘out of control’, how to use a gun.  That went down well also.  I felt confident that when the time came, I would raise my voice and get my face on telly.

After another small delay, the panel came out and we were nearly ready (by this time those that were asking questions knew that they were to do so).  The first question was a ‘test’ question designed to double check that everything was ready to go.  The test question was on Obama and his recent election victory.  After a few people had their say, I once more plucked up the courage to pipe up and was spotted by Dimbleby who then asked me to speak.  Having spoken, I was rather disturbed to find the Tory on the panel responding directly to me and, shockingly, agreeing with me.  I must have made a mistake somewhere!

Once the test was done we started filming for real.  The filming began at around 8.30pm and was recorded as live.  Apparently, they only remove anything if there is any swearing (‘Jonathan Ross style’ as Dimbleby put it).  What we saw was what we got.  At this point I realised that if I spoke out (again!) i would definitely get on TV.  What an incentive!

After a while I found an opportunity to contribute to the debate.  Now, we were told before the recording to ensure that if we put our hands up we kept them up until the topic moves on or we are picked.  If you put your hand down you weren’t chosen.  Sadly, in my case, I had my hand up for a full ten minutes (with very hot lighting beating down on me and sweat pouring off me) and was beginning to think my arm was about to drop off when suddenly, as if by magic, I was called upon (much to the annoyance of the old chap in front who had his hand up almost as long as me!).  Sadly, my comment was met by absolute silence.  But still, I did my bit so I was happy.  The remainder of the program flew by and, before I knew it, it was time to leave.  Incidentally, when the panellists were leaving the set, Shirley Williams drew loud cheers of support from a number of women in the audience.  Upon hearing the cheers she seemed a little puzzled about what was going on but she obligingly gave a little wave in acknowledgement.  I don’t always agree with what she has to say, but I do have a certain amount of respect for her.  And I think she would be a rather lovely grandmother!

After leaving the set, I rang my wife and my dad to let them know that I would definitely be on that night’s QT.  As I started driving off, I came to a bit of a tricky junction at the terminal that meant I couldn’t see what was coming.  Luckily, a certain Brian Moore was walking past and he waved me out to indicate that it was safe to pull out.  Having been on the receiving end of his courtesy however, I miserably failed in doing the same in return.  Even though he was clearly walking to wherever it was he was going, and it was chucking down with rain, I failed to even ask if he wanted a lift.  What an idiot.  Now, I hate rugby, but imagine Brian Moore sitting in your passenger seat.  That would have been pretty cool.  Ah well.

So anyway, that had nothing to do with libraries whatsoever, but hey, who said it was exclusively about libraries anyway¹?  If you look hard enough there are messages about access to information and the digital divide.  No, really.  Somewhere in there.  Honest.

If you are interested in seeing the broadcast, you can do so via the BBC’s iPlayer here.

¹ Incidentally, I never intended my politics to emerge on this blog, that’s not what it is for.  However, I’m sure you can forgive me for posting about this.  Can’t you?

Broadband ‘failing customers’

Been a bit slow to pick up on this report by the BBC on the problems associated with poor service standards amongst internet providers.  Of course, this is a very serious problem in an age where more and more people rely on the internet as a primary source of information.  It is up to Ofcom and the government to ensure that information is accessible for all, as well as ensuring that internet service providers are censured for failure to deliver their contractual obligations.  Without putting meaasures in place, there is a very real danger of an increased divide between the digital haves and the digital have-nots.