sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Some interesting points raised there and I wonder just how much the movements of population come into play here. For instance, has the catchment area of Spring Hill Library been significantly reduced due to the massive clearance of houses in the Ladywood area and their replacement with a few tower blocks? Not having lived in Birmingham for over 50 years, I'm not in a position to assess this.
Many library authorities have experimented with things like Sunday opening, and these sorts of things are frequently discussed by librarians' associations such as the National Acquisitions Group (N.A.G.). To what extent they were successful and whether any such trials took place in Birmingham, I wouldn't know. A friend in Bournemouth uses his local library for meetings of the Local History Group, and I'm sure many others do, but this is only once a month and in the evening as most would be attendees are at work during the day.
There's no doubt that heating these old buildings and maintaining them has a very significant cost. Pensioners want access during the day as many are afraid to go out in the evening.If savings have to be made, councils will opt for the easy option - libraries, in much the same way as they opt for easy sources of revenue such as motorists with speeding and parking infringements.
Maurice
Many library authorities have experimented with things like Sunday opening, and these sorts of things are frequently discussed by librarians' associations such as the National Acquisitions Group (N.A.G.). To what extent they were successful and whether any such trials took place in Birmingham, I wouldn't know. A friend in Bournemouth uses his local library for meetings of the Local History Group, and I'm sure many others do, but this is only once a month and in the evening as most would be attendees are at work during the day.
There's no doubt that heating these old buildings and maintaining them has a very significant cost. Pensioners want access during the day as many are afraid to go out in the evening.If savings have to be made, councils will opt for the easy option - libraries, in much the same way as they opt for easy sources of revenue such as motorists with speeding and parking infringements.
Maurice