25m books are missing from uk librariesbut who’s counting
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

25m books are missing from UK libraries - but who’s counting?

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today 25m books are missing from UK libraries - but who’s counting?

Penguin books are seen in a used bookshop in central London.
London - Arab Today

The decline in books stocked by public libraries may be far worse than official figures indicate, with industry sources claiming that it may be many millions higher than the 25 million books recorded as missing, meaning that the number of books available to borrowers has plummeted by more than 50 per cent since 1996.

Librarians are calling for a national audit to reveal the true extent of the problem, with the news coming as the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (Cilip) sent an open letter to chancellor Philip Hammond calling on him to increase funding for the sector, to protect it from irreparable decline as part of his strategy for economic growth.

Official figures from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) for library books stood at 52.3 million at the end of 2016, a drop of almost 25 million since 1996. But that number reflects computer records rather than physical stock checks made by librarians. Earlier this week, it emerged that libraries in Suffolk had 10,000 fewer books than listed on its database after an inventory count by librarians.

Insiders said similar disparities were likely to be reflected across the 151 library authorities in England and Wales because cutbacks had reduced librarians’ ability to do shelf counts.

Library campaigner and former head of Waterstones Tim Coates said: “It’s not just Suffolk that has this problem. This is a national issue, because librarians are not doing enough stock checks because cuts mean they can’t do their job properly

He added that throughout the book industry, it was acknowledged that inventory reviews always revealed there to be fewer books in store than databases suggested. Cilip chief executive officer Nick Poole agreed with Coates, and said that six years of austerity had left librarians unable to keep track of their book collections as well as in the past.

“We need a national audit of what’s in our libraries,” he said. “Because we have had to pursue lots of other activities, we have taken our eye off the ball with books and they are absolutely at the core of what we do and why people use libraries.”

Poole blamed the problem on swingeing cuts to budgets as a result of austerity measures imposed on local authorities by central government over the past six years. Cutbacks have resulted GBP25 million (Dh114 million) being slashed from library budgets in just the past year. Since 2010, 8,000 librarians have been made redundant across England and Wales - a quarter of the workforce - while the number of libraries has fallen by 340 since 2008.

The level of books stocked by individual libraries has also fallen dramatically. In 1996, the average library stocked 23,000 books, Coates said. “Since then we have removed the equivalent of 1,000 public libraries worth of books and the picture may be much worse once audited,” he added.

Stock is lost through damage, loss and theft. In the past, books would be automatically replaced, but there is less money available in budgets to buy replacements. In Birmingham, savings of GBP113 million imposed on the city council led to book budgets being suspended across its 38 libraries in 2015.

Some branches appealed to the public to donate books less than a year old in order to maintain their collections. Council leaders laid the blame for the destruction of book stock firmly with central government.

Ian Stephens, chair of the Local Government Association’s culture, tourism and sport board, said local authorities were doing everything they could to support libraries, but were “stuck between a rock and a hard place”.

“On the one hand, demand for social care will create a funding gap of GBP2.6 billion by 2020. On the other, councils have experienced a 40 per cent reduction in central government funding over the last parliament alone, and serious funding pressures continue,” he told theGuardian.

In his letter shown to the Guardian, Cilip’s Nick Poole called on the chancellor of the exchequer to ring fence library budgets in order to protect them from cash strapped councils trying to shore up frontline services. It also called for investment by central government in the sector in recognition of role libraries play in promoting knowledge, information and data, which, he said, were vital for the economic future of the country.

Describing investment in the library and information sector as a “low-cost, high-impact” way to deliver the government’s goals of creating strong growth while maintaining low taxes, Poole wrote: “As a nation, at exactly the moment when we ought to be investing in literacy and skills, we have allowed at least 10 per cent of our public libraries and many of our much-needed school libraries to close while many others have been forced to implement drastic reductions to opening hours and services.

source : gulfnews

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

25m books are missing from uk librariesbut who’s counting 25m books are missing from uk librariesbut who’s counting

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

25m books are missing from uk librariesbut who’s counting 25m books are missing from uk librariesbut who’s counting

 



GMT 21:16 2016 Monday ,27 June

Zaki Badr discusses cleaning problem in Giza

GMT 21:46 2017 Saturday ,14 January

Turkey arrests 60 businessmen for alleged Gulen ties

GMT 22:38 2017 Friday ,24 March

Abbas meets with Merkel in Berlin

GMT 09:02 2017 Monday ,27 March

Tunisian Premier Concludes Visit to Sudan

GMT 15:54 2017 Friday ,01 September

Attorney General Directs Prosecutors to inspect Prison

GMT 09:22 2017 Sunday ,31 December

HM King condoles with Afghanistan President

GMT 10:12 2016 Wednesday ,06 April

Strong dollar, mild weather shrink H&M profits

GMT 17:03 2016 Saturday ,24 December

7 police killed in attacks in Afghansitan

GMT 13:51 2017 Friday ,17 March

Israel denies Syria shot down a warplane

GMT 04:08 2017 Thursday ,05 January

Carbon tax can fund clean energy transition

GMT 19:27 2016 Wednesday ,14 September

Alstom to go ahead with plans to shut down Belfort plant

GMT 01:44 2017 Friday ,15 December

Mennat-Allah underlines importance of landscapes

GMT 04:57 2017 Thursday ,14 December

Trump tells NASA to send Americans to Moon

GMT 21:43 2017 Wednesday ,11 October

Qabil discusses with Swiss delegation improving power

GMT 21:06 2017 Sunday ,17 September

OIC condemns suicide attack in Kabul

GMT 08:27 2017 Thursday ,27 April

Nokia reports another loss as networks sag

GMT 19:41 2017 Monday ,06 February

Elina Svitolina Claims Taiwan Open Title

GMT 09:39 2017 Friday ,03 February

Former Brazilian president Lula's wife dies of stroke
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday