More cuts in Devon, Newham, Hackney etc which will all end up with a poorer service but what’s rarely discussed is the physical & psychological effect on library workers who are dealing with redundancies, restructurings & the erosion of their profession. #protectlibraryworkers

Most Library Workers work with outdated and not-fit-for-purpose IT hardware and systems, staff & public side. This is due to a lack of funding and corporate IT depts who don’t understand what we do. This has to be sorted before any new digital inclusion initiatives are announced.

In my experience the vast majority of people who use Public Libraries want a relatively quiet & calm environment in which to read, study or just to sit and drown out the noise from outside. So why are many libraries not conducive to this want/need? Poor management/design?

We’ve organised marches, protests & lobby’s. We’ve given evidence to Parliament, met with Ministers, written articles & published research. And still the cuts continue. What we need now is coordinated mass industrial action, a National Library Workers Strike. @unisontheunion.bsky.social

Public Libraries are a statutory service. Councils provide/fund them. Library Workers are paid & trained to run them. The 1964 Act makes no provision for alternatives such as volunteer-led etc. Anyone who tells you otherwise is deluded, ignorant or lying. #savelibraries

If you need advice, support and/or someone to speak at your lobby/protest against library cuts & closures then please get in touch ✊ #savelibraries

My Nephew, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, playing for England last night 🤩

KEITH FLETT traces how the ‘world’s most successful political party’ has imploded, from nine leaders in 30 years to losing all 16 English councils, with Reform UK symbolically capturing Peel’s birthplace, Tamworth — but the beast is not dead yet morningstaronline.co.uk/article/tory...

I’ve joined @CILIPinfo - I’m hoping to meet some new colleagues and further the discussion re Public Libraries specifically around ethics & advocacy.

As workers and Trade Unionists we can’t only rely on laws to protect us, we need to organise, protest & take action. We need to stand shoulder to shoulder with our communities to fight & oppose the rise of fascism not just in this country but in the US & across the world ✊

Hey Peterborough, please take some time this weekend to contact City Council and the Mayor about the impending cuts to our library -- this will include eliminating the Children's Librarian role entirely. CUPE makes it easy for you to speak out against these cuts: cupe.on.ca/library-with...

Can anyone help me translate the inscription on this 17/18th century? Axe (possibly Finnish - Billnas), some of it looks runic.

I’m in my beloved Suffolk for a couple of days of needed rest, just arrived in Ipswich forgetting that buses to Hadleigh are few and far between so a bit of a wait. I’ll be popping into the library there to see if anything has changed? #Suffolk #libraries

Any public library staff out there who work in libraries with pods and no library desk? Are you still allowed to have chairs or are you expected to floor walk all day? #librarylife

#WelfareNotWarfare DPAC Day of Action List of Local actions across the UK 26.03.25 Find your locak action and join in dpac.uk.net/2025/03/welf...

An article from the Guardian. I am sorry to have all this super crummy news to share, but I think it's important that people understand the scope of this. As @edrabinski.bsky.social always says "We are stronger together" and we are many and we are organized. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"Library funding draws less than 0.003% of the annual federal budget yet has enormous impact in communities" @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social has a good FAQ about what is happening with/to IMLS; helpful as we decide what to say to our reps, what to put on our signs. www.ala.org/faq-executiv...

#WelfareNotWarefare List of actions so far for the National Day of Action on Wednesday 26th March 2025 More to be announced 📢

Very pleased about my latest charity shop find; a wooden puppet theatre with 8 puppets. It disassembles and fits into the base. Looks 1950’s but not sure? #charityshops

15yrs of constant campaigning, protesting, marching, lobbying, writing articles, giving interviews & submitting evidence only to see a @UKLabour government push on with austerity. Only to see more library cuts & closures. 🤬😔 #savelibraries

Looking forward to speaking at Havering Unison AGM today then on to Brixton to speak at the protest organised by my friends and comrades in Lambeth Unison and Save Lambeth Libraries #savelibraries ✊

Roti Canai and fish kari at Gopals Corner in the Market Hall opposite Victoria Station, delicious 🤤

The Hubs model, other cuts ravaged services shoe-horned into the same space as libraries, has been a disaster for the sector. Dedicated library space/staff/skills have been lost and we’ve ended up with a poorer service, it’s not innovative it’s cuts. #savelibraries

More stories about Library Workers being threatened, abused and assaulted, this isn’t a new thing but it’s definitely getting worse. Cuts, short-staffing, poor management, colocation and socio-economic pressures have put library staff at greater risk. #protectlibraryworkers

The lobby to keep Dudley Leisure Centres a Public Service is now on all our social media. Please Like and Share..... Instagram www.instagram.com/p/DFuo4Ofo30... X /Twitter x.com/UnisonDudley... Facebook www.facebook.com/share/p/15aJ... #KeepDBLeisureaPublicService

At the start of the ‘Save Havering Libraries’ Rally ✊

Had to get out of the house today so jumped on buses and did a tour of North-west London through the wilds of Willesden, Harlesden, Park Royal and then to Acton for some lovely Ghanaian food and then to Shepherds Bush then to Camden and home, phew 😮‍💨 #london

I’ll be speaking at this rally please show your support and solidarity if you can ✊

Hi @cilip.bsky.social @iflaglobal.bsky.social @librariesconnected.bsky.social will you be issuing a statement condemning the destruction of the Edward Said Public Library in Gaza? Will you also be raising funds to help rebuild & restock the library? #libraries #Gaza

Yesterday Inclusive Books for Children announced the 2025 shortlist for the IBC awards. #NewIllustrationoftheDay is by Ruth Hearson from the shortlisted Zeki Eats Out, in a series of books about Zeki by Anna McQuinn. A happy family scene drawn with warmth, rich colour & precision. From Alanna Max.

Happy PLR Day! Every time you borrow a book from a public library in the UK, the writer receives a payment - just another way in which libraries are AMAZING. Huge thanks to all libraries & librarians for working so hard to inspire the love of reading - and thank you to all readers! #LoveLibraries

Please help save our library www.change.org/p/save-alyth...

Hi @lisanandy @RhonddaBryant @DcmsLibraries remember when Library Workers were classed as ‘key/critical workers’ during the pandemic? Hasn’t protected them from cuts has it 😷 #protectlibraryworkers #savelibraries

Hey Children’s Authors before you sign up to the @GLL_UK Literary Foundation maybe you should do some background checks on how they treat their workers and their anti-union stance 🤔 @unitetheunion #gllnotbetter

I totally opposed self-serve and ‘open+’ from the very start arguing that it would be used to cut staff & hollow-out libraries and was called a “Luddite” and told it would “free up staff time” but I was right 😔 #savelibraries #stafflesslibraries

Haringey Central Library in Wood Green is an absolute disgrace; stark & depressing inside and filthy outside and the fact it’s shared with a council service centre doesn’t help. Get the basics right before you start making cuts to the branches @haringeycouncil 🤬 #savelibraries

To all my comrades ✊

Instead of spending £46m for a memorial for the queen why not abolish the monarchy, house the homeless in their palaces and build a memorial to all those murdered and enslaved during the Empire. #AbolishTheMonarchy

Apart from the Library of Birmingham how many other libraries are crippled by PFI repayments? #libraries #pfi

“Have Labour adopted a national policy supporting Public Libraries yet?” #savelibraries

At the RA for a private view of the Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael drawings - very exciting 😊

The silence from @UKLabour re the crisis in the Public Libraries sector has been deafening, oh there’s been glitzy receptions in parliament and cosy meetings with prof orgs BUT users, staff, unions & campaigners have been virtually ignored. A tragic betrayal. #savelibraries

The success/future of a library/service shouldn’t be based on numbers. We pander far too much to Senior Managers & Cllrs who can read a spreadsheet but don’t really understand the true worth of what they have. Impact & outcomes are far more important. #libraries

Public Libraries are a statutory service. Councils provide/fund them. Library Workers are paid & trained to run them. The 1964 Act makes no provision for alternatives such as volunteer-led etc. Anyone who tells you otherwise is deluded, ignorant or lying. #savelibraries

It’s useless lobbying politicians and/or trying to change policy so we need to step up community and trade union action; We need more protests. We need more marches. We need more strike action. We need to organise & fight back. And we need to do all this NOW. #savelibraries

A little vanity article by Ross from @fiveleavesbooks.bsky.social about #libraries, resurfaced a day back, so why not - nottinghamcityofliterature.com/blog/librari... Appeared in the newsletter of Nottingham City of Literature

“net expenditure by local authorities on public libraries fell by 47% in real terms between 2009/10 and 2022/23, from £1.2bn to £673m.” DCMS Analysis #savelibraries