This is a British democracy, Bernard!

Lot of stuff flying round about the SCL and its decision to not support the CILIP My Library My Right campaign and Halifax teaching people computer skills. The things CILIP are campaigning for:

• The public’s rights to libraries to be recognised and respected
• Public libraries to be treated as the statutory services they are
• The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to carry out their legal duties under the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act
• Statutory guidance for local authorities on their duties under the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act from DCMS, with support from CILIP and the library and information profession

Which seems pretty straight forward, it seems to just be that libraries are recognised as the statutory service they are. So many times the LGA, councils and others have keep pushing the line that libraries aren't really statutory and they can be cut. I find it very peculiar that the SCL don't support this rather basic recognition of libraries. The president of the SCL has came out and defended the line yesterday in PLN. And I don't think anyone doubts the hard work the SCL and the task force are putting in, but whose agenda are they following? I keep coming back to the line on the SCL website: 

"advocates for continuous improvement of the public library service on behalf of local people."

How can they not support My Library My Right but supposedly advocate for improvement of the library service on our behalf? They are in the odd position of having the Universal Offers (not a campaign) that says what your library service should provide, in great detail. But won’t support the user’s right to an actual library. To me they are both campaigns.

Is it because the offers were cleared by Vaizey and the DCMS so that campaign is ok? But because CILIP and library users have a low opinion of the superintendence of the library service by Vaizey and the DCMS, then SCL if it wants to remain in the tent can’t support it? Perhaps it’s not what you campaign on, it’s who you campaign with is the issue. Obviously I have nothing factual to base this on as we only see what’s minuted between the SCL/Taskfoce/DCMS etc and I suspect like what happens in government now to prevent FOI later on, any really meaty discussions never get written down. 

When I think of the LGA, SCL & the taskforce I’m reminded of the great Tony Benn quote:

“one can ask five questions:

• what power do you have;
• where did you get it;
• in whose interests do you exercise it;
• to whom are you accountable;
• and, how can we get rid of you?

Anyone who cannot answer the last of those questions does not live in a democratic system."

Again, just to stress, no one can doubt the hard work and hours put in by the SCL and Taskforce. But in whose interests are they really exercising the power they have? 

On the Halifax thing, no private company does anything unless there’s something in it for them. Subtle marketing, good PR. The private sector doesn’t do things for free. I think David McMenemy nailed it with this tweet:

Something ironic in bank employees undertaking work in libraries when the bailout that kept them employed is reason libraries are closing.

— David McMenemy (@D_McMenemy) January 20, 2016

How utterly, utterly awful it must be to lose your job, or have your job under constant threat because of “austerity” then have the banking sector leveraging ailing libraries for a bit of good PR.  Vaizey popped up to say when launching the digital champions "we couldn't do that job without companies like Halifax". 

https://twitter.com/AskHalifaxBank/status/689827075377774592

So they you go, Ed either doesn't think library staff know how to show people how to use computers or its a back handed recognition that libraries are losing staff fast and only the good will of the banking sector can save them.