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Original poster

You know those nice volunteers who will be running libraries fr the Big Society ...

38 replies

Eleison · 15/02/2011 10:14

"The Independent has learnt that LSSI, an American firm which manages 13 public libraries across the US, has set itself a target to manage libraries in eight British local authorities by the end of the year and to capture 15 per cent of the market within five years."

LSSI in Britain operates as a limited company. It is not even a social enterprise, which means that its obligation is entirely to its shareholders, and its bottom line is entirely financial.

It may well be that it can offer a perfectly good library service. Who knows. But what can be said for sure is that here, as elsewhere, the Big Sociey is NOT about empowering communities. It is about offering up public service to private sector provision, just like the NHS will now have to buy in services from "any willing provider". Big Society rhetoric is a cover, not so much for cuts but for privatisation.

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casbie · 23/02/2011 23:48

"The Big Society is an idea that can neither be checked, evaluated or even understood."

Here, Here...

And these 'experiements' (no pilot schemes for any of these bright ideas or examination of current services) means that all of these changes are down to the whim of the government... no scientific/management anaylsis involved.

and they think there are problems in the middle-east, wait till they try to implement GPs running hospital services!!!!!!!!

GabbyLoggon · 22/02/2011 15:00

The Big Society is an idea that can neither be checked, evaluated or even understood.

Thats why it appeals to Cam and ossie osbourne.

On his deathbed Cameron may "cough" and whisper...

"It was Obesity, not compilicated at all"

A bbc type told me that, "Gabby"

SharronM1 · 21/02/2011 23:44

Users of public services, and those who work in those services, could be empowered by having a say in the services required and how they are run - but without taking those services out of public hands.But this option is not on offer.
The government is happy with volunteer services (work for free, don't worry about the quality of services or whether they are patchy) or with private company services (opportunities for profits at taxpayers' expense).The only option they are against is public services.
Public services are so important that people do not want to lose them -it is for this reason that people volunteer to work, say, in a hospital anyway. How many volunteer to work selling insurance, in factories or warehouses ?(actually some do as a way of getting work).
Public services such as libraries, education and the NHS are just as much a part of the production of society as services provided by the private sector. It is the method of payment that is different -one being mainly by taxation and the other by user payment.The ConDems object to payment by taxation as the well-off pay more by this method.The only options they see as legitimate are those which allow the rich to keep and increase their wealth - hence volunteers and private company provision.
Effectively, the 'big society' means the well-off providing less hours of their own work to provide services (as they pay less tax).

Tortington · 21/02/2011 23:41

there seems to be a cath kidson gingham coated notion regarding libraries, big society and volunteers and its really pissing me off

as i said on another thread the point of big society is for volunteers to be able to tender AGAINST PRIVATE COMPANIES for services

now libraries should IMO be the least of our worries.

servicces for older people
serivices for disabled people
thing like sure start activities

could all be tendered out

whilst there are big charities with the infrastructure, personel and resources on place - such as AGE UK could tender for serices to do with older people - they could - i'm not suggesting they will, THIS ISN'T ABOUT SAHMS GIvING TWO HOURS A DAY TO CHECK OUT BOOKS

the whole bloody library thing is a fucking misnoma

say you assessed tenders - imagine you did andd a group of volunteers had recently come together - and by some miricle of the hand of JH CHRIST HIMSELF had the knowledge, resources, funding and manpower to deliver

would you as the person assessing the tender really give the tender to a newly formed group or would you go for the safe option of a company which has been trading for a long time, had financials you can see and has guarenteed resources in place

now as the assessor of the tenders - if it were me, you bet i would save my own arse and job first. i'd go with the safe bet - becuase i wouldn't want some kind of service failure fiasco on the front page of the local newspaper - egg on the faces of local polititions and senior council leaders leading to my eventual disgrace!

casbie · 21/02/2011 23:03

wow, never thought about access to personal information, but like the government are only going to let 'nice' people in surely sarcastic...

like 'nice' community/voluntary/charity groups to run our national forests...

...ahem!

Triggles · 18/02/2011 21:48

Just a side question, but following the comment made that volunteers working in the library would have our (and our children's) personal information available to them on the computer system - doesn't that mean any volunteer (as they would be working around children) would need to have a CRB done?

TheCoalitionNeedsYou · 18/02/2011 14:01

scaryteacher - You are living in the wrong place.

newwave · 16/02/2011 18:26

My take is that lending books will remain free but extras such as computers and reserving a book will cost you, not at the start but eventually.

When my kids were small the local library was brilliant with the story readers, if they succumb to profit making no doubt there will eventually be charges involved

scaryteacher · 16/02/2011 09:20

Chil - because I like Cornwall and the location and we moved out of Plymouth precisely because we had had enough of noise. As I have a car it's not a problem. When we are much older we will sell the house and move into a small market town where everything is on the doorstep.

It also meant the kids I taught couldn't come and bang on my door as I lived nowhere near the school!

ilovemydogandMrObama · 16/02/2011 09:19

While I don't think that the word 'profit' is a dirty word, I would prefer for any profit from libraries to be put back into the library and for it to be run for the benefit of the community.

Think there are lots of great ideas that could make library services more relevant such as an post back service, ordering books online, toy library etc.

Chil1234 · 16/02/2011 09:14

Woman of many locations! Wink

complimentary · 16/02/2011 09:07

Chil1234. You get up early to post on MN. Or are you doing it from work? Sort of thing I would do if I got 'in' early! Grin

Chil1234 · 16/02/2011 08:54

This might sound simplistic but if you don't have amenities, access to transport and all the rest - why continue living in such a remote place?

scaryteacher · 15/02/2011 20:46

You have more choice than us Scram, as we have the village shop and PO (closed Sat pm and all day Tuesday) and the pubs are in the next village about 3 miles away down a winding unlit Cornish lane. Nearest town 10 minutes drive.

IntergalacticHussy · 15/02/2011 16:35

Thanks Elieson, this is exactly what i've been saying.

The Big Society is theft.

ScramVonChubby · 15/02/2011 16:31

Sounds familiar ST, and it really does limit life chances; car ownership is expensive and lack of public transport etc really does make rural poverty far more of an issue than many realise- very isolating. This town ehre is a small town / large village crossover but hecuase of planning we cannot have a supermarket; I dread to think what would happen if the buses were cut down as there are a few shops 2 miles up a very steep hill, or one can choose from the Spar / pathetic artisan-stylee veg shop / three sandwich bars or the shite cherub-specialist places in the arts centre.

Useful, huh?

scaryteacher · 15/02/2011 16:03

We get one bus a day in the village, or two if you count the return journey!

ScramVonChubby · 15/02/2011 14:36

Cristina haven't seen letter, think it was done as 'do remember that there are volunteer needs here so if you are looking to keep your skills up do consider....' sort of thing.

ST not everyone in rural areas HAS a car of course, and I somehow think shrinking council budgets will hit the subsidies paid to rural transport (not from your County, a similar one 2 on though). This carless number will surely rise as petrol and insurance costs shoot up. And most rural areas do have a disproportionate number of the elderly and then disabled of course.

scaryteacher · 15/02/2011 14:27

'Mobile libraries are used by the old and by people who can't easily get to town.' Rot, they are also used by people who in rural areas who don't want to drive to town - the mobile library used to stop outside my house - why would I get the car out when all I had to do was walk out the door with ds who was 3 at the time?

Interesting case study Chil; they look OK to me.

CristinaTheAstonishing · 15/02/2011 14:20

Do you mean she was made redundant but 'invited' to work for free?

ScramVonChubby · 15/02/2011 13:48

I am sure there will be less skilled people; my friend, a skilled librarian, has had both her cards and a letter asking her to return as a volunteer recently: at under 30 with a new DH and a mortgage, she clearly cannot do that, bills must be paid.

Chil1234 · 15/02/2011 13:41

The services provided by councils and outsourced to private firms are decided on the basis of a business tender. One firm generally gets the contract to do, say, all the refuse collection. Libraries would be contracted out as a group so it would be unlikely that you'd get several libraries in the same district being run by independent companies. Library management would still be a paid role, if I read the LSSI example correctly. Whilst voluntary work is being encouraged, I think this idea that volunteers will run everything is simply not accurate.

jenroy29 · 15/02/2011 13:37

Most of the books in my dcs schools are from the library service, what will happen to that. And if my library hasn't got a book they order it from another, how will that work if the libraries are all run by different organisations.

MilaMae · 15/02/2011 13:31

I also think in areas where literacy may not be as good as other areas there will be less book knowledge and volunteers so a crappier service.

These are exactly the communities we want to have excellent library services.

CristinaTheAstonishing · 15/02/2011 13:27

Good points, MilaMae.

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