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

[Eleison]

"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.

I don't see that privatisation is necessarily a bad thing. If the service remains free to the user, is no longer financed at the expense of the taxpayer, is an improvement on the status quo and returns the company some revenue at the same time, how is that worse than closing a library?

Of course it isn't free to the taxpayer!! -- Unless the library user is charged instead. The company operating the library will be paid, natch. They will be paid, presumably, by the council or alternatively by the library users. And they will be paid at a rate that enables them to make a profit. So instead of getting a service at cost, we get a service at cost-plus. And the services offered will be the ones that can generate a profit. So services that aren't profitable (e.g. comunities in which the Starbucks in-library franchise might not be a goer; expensive low-demand large-print books, ect) won't be run.

And anyway, even if privatisation is the solution, why pretend that what is happening is 'community empowerment'. Why lie about what you are doing? Ubnless of course you are well aware that what you are doing will benefit some at the cost of many.

It is still community empowerment. The democratically elected local council will presumably be the body that decides if the library is to be sold off, outsourced and part-funded, retained as a 100% publicly-funded facility or if it is to be closed completely. Currently, only two of those options are open for consideration. And if the library is to be outsourced, the bidding process would - if they have any sense - include commitments to things like large-print books etc.

Again, if a private company have better ways of running libraries so that the main services are for free but that they make money with add-on extras like coffee-shops, or whatever, then why not?

It really isn't community empowerment. Currently libraries are run by local councils, based perhaps a few miles from where the library users live and accountable to the electorate. Under these plans tehy will be run by profit making companies, quite possible based overseas as per OPs reference, and accountable to shareholders

It is the OPPOSITE of community empowerment and absolutely undermines accountability.

Libraries in Cornwall are run by a unitary authority that is miles away from my local library and even when it was run by a district council they were still a good 15-20 minute drive away, so your rosy view of libraries ain't always so.

I don't want libraries to shut, but if there are libraries that are underused and it is costing to keep them open in staff and maintenance and heating costs and they get say 15 people in a week, how can that be justified? Better perhaps to have a mobile library for that area. Many council services are already contracted out like Council Tax, rubbish collection etc. If that enables a service to still be provided, then good.

Just because a company has set itself a target doesn't mean that it will happen, or that councils will put this service out to tender. I think you may be theorising ahead of your data here.

Mobile libraries are used by the old and by people who can't easily get to town. Presumably they're a 'luxury' in the sense that the service must cost more per 'footfall' than a normal library.

Sounds unattractive as a business - I bet Dave would be happy for mobile librarians to lose their jobs, the gap in service then to be made up by big society volunteers.

It isn't community empowerment as if it's a disaster and said community doesn't like not having a free service(which lets face it it won't be) or said company are crap it's too damn late.

Said community are stuck with the crappy company running their library as they'll errr own the library.

I want to know just where all these Big Socitey volunteers are going to come from to run anything.... And what happens to a service when said volunteers get fed up....

It may or may not be empowerment, but it will remain the decision of the council whether to use these services. So it remains local decision making. If you think your council may make a wrong decision, then you need to get onto it with your councillors now.

Exactly amother

There are childcare implications here as personally I'd rather my library wasn't filled with rampaging pre-schoolers when mum was scanning books.

Also our librarian is fab at finding/suggesting books for the dc. She's highly qualified. Sorry but I don't want any Tom ,Dick or Harry who may not even have adequate book knowledge or her expertise running my library.

Also all my family details,dob,address etc are on their computer.I don't want transient volunteers having free access to all this information.

LSSI case-study

I thought I'd look up LSSI and see what kind of outfit they run. This case-study from an LSSI-run library in a remote, rural community in Kansas is interesting and explains how they combine a county budget, library management, cost-saving, private fundraising and community events..... and no mention of charging people to use the library. Worth a read.

MilaMae - very good point about personal data.

Good points, MilaMae.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

'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.

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.

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

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?

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

The Big Society is theft.

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.