Defending the Library of Birmingham

Robert Brenchley reports on a march and rally in support of the Library of Birmingham, which faces cuts and possible privatisation

I was using libraries before I could talk. My mother says I used to talk about ‘Go O boo li’, meaning ‘Go to Oxford to get a book from the library’. The old Oxford City Library became one of my refuges from family trouble; I can remember the smell of the place now. Every generation needs libraries; my daughter used to love going to the old Central Library to use the computers when she was little.

I always had my doubts about the wisdom of spending a huge sum on a new building; the headline figure may be £188 million, but with interest it’s far more. Over thirty-odd years, I believe the total is over £500 million, and there were far cheaper alternatives available, which would have offered more shelf space. But with typical Birmingham grandiosity, we got the most expensive option, and never mind the damage to the city’s economy. We ended up with the biggest, and most used, library building in Europe, which opened with vast panoply.

Less than two years later, the council is treating it like an unwanted stepchild. First they wanted to privatise it, then they set out to close community libraries in many of the poorest areas of the city. This is the origin of the Friends of the Library of Birmingham campaign, which moved seamlessly from saving local libraries to trying to save the Library of Birmingham itself.

It’s my local library, about fifteen minutes’ walk from home, and it’s a fabulous resource, with a collection of national importance. But the council, plastic Tories meekly implementing the government’s neoliberal agenda, have cut its hours from seventy-three to forty, and are cutting a hundred staff. The book purchasing budget, which has been inadequate for many years, has been reduced to nothing. What, then, is the value of a library which is closed when you need it, lacks the necessary skilled staff, and has a collection which becomes more out of date by the day?

There has been a series of protests and rallies about the library cuts, with the latest taking place on a rainy Saturday, June 13th, when a hundred or so people defied the weather to come out and march down New Street to a rally outside the Council House.

We had a good crowd in Victoria Square considering the wet, with about a hundred and fifty at its peak, and some excellent poems and speeches, including people who’d come from around the country to support us. Poets’ Place, a group which meets in the Library cafe on alternate Saturdays, deserves particular mention, as several members of the group gave memorable performances.

Predictably, Labour councillors were conspicuous by their absence. It would have been interesting to know why they ignored the last ‘consultation’ on council services, which demonstrated massive support for the library, but mainstream politicians aren’t known for straight answers, unfortunately. It should be mentioned that there is currently a plan to prevent gatherings like this in the city centre, by banning the use of amplification. Without this, speakers would be unable to make themselves heard over the traffic noise, while many buskers could find themselves unable to make a living in Birmingham. A link to the consultation can be found here. Please get your comments in before June 22nd.

A statement was read out from Penny Holbrooke, Cabinet Member for Skills, Learning and Culture. It was utterly bland, said nothing, and offered nothing. The only thing in her mind appeared to be the possibility of commercial involvement, or in other words, some form of privatisation.

So what’s the use of an elected Labour council who appear to view themselves, not as our representatives, but as middle management, there to wield central government’s hatchet for them, without a public murmur?