Brent Library Outreach Services

One part of Brent's library services that does not get properly appreciated is the outreach service.  This tends to get dismissed as a "bookswop" but I think it can have a much more valuable role.  Since we bwent ahead with our new library system in 2011, Brent Libraries have seen a massive increase in library services.

The graph shows an increase of more than 600% between 2011 and the end of 2014, an even bigger growth than with home library services.  The number of outreach loans is actually greater than the total number of loans from Harlesden Library. 

What i9s more interesting is the number of ways, the outreach service can reach parts of the Borough that are less accessible to the physical libraries:

• Outreach arrangements can be made with areas that have never been near a physical library.  An example would be the Children Centre in St Raphaels in Stonebridge.  For those who don't know it, the St Raphaels estate scores very badly on most measures of deprivation, and is somewhat physically isolated for people without a car.  Putting a library outreach service in the middle of it helps Brent Library Service access an area where they have been largely absent.  
• Outreach arrangements can provide temporary cover during building work, as was successfully done during the Kilburn Library refurbishment.
• Outreach can also be used to reach audiences previously untouched.  For example, it has been used in coffee shops, hostels and even Northwick Park hospital.
• Outreach can also be used to respond to shifts in population.  The likely growth in Alperton, for instance, could be serviced in this way.  When Brent's first libraries were founded in the 1890s, much of the Borough was fields and transport and technology were entirely different.

Outreach certainly cannot replace physical libraries, but what it can contribute is often overlooked. 

Stop and Search In Brent

A few days ago I was sent some figures on stop and search in Brent.  They show a disproportionate number of black people are being stopped.

 

 These figures cover from February 2013 to February 2014.  The proportions are similar for arrests following a stop and search.

Universal Credit and Public Libraries

There is an interesting report here about the possible impact of Universal Credit on Public Libraries and IT facilities.  I posted on IT use in Brent libraries before, but I focused on technological changes. It is useful to be reminded of the other pressures on IT use.

The Lorenbergs paper essentially argues that libraries will see increasing usage of IT facilities in libraries as a result of benefit changes, which seems plausible.  In Brent, the welfare advisers  seen in the BBC Panorama programme are located immediately by Wembley Library.  I am told that they are seeing increasing demand for the self service IT facilities even now, and that they expect the same in the Willesden Green Library Centre when it opens.  It may well be that some of the library PCs come to be used as overspill.

This raises a number of interesting issues.  One of which is whether there is any legal duty for libraries to provide IT.   I think there is, but that opinion is based on my own exegesis of paragraph 116 of the Ouseley  judgement.  The conventional wisdom is that there is no legal duty to provide IT in libraries.  If that vis accepted, then doing away with IT facilities may well be part of the hollowing out that I have argued is the only plausible alternative to building closures.

Of course, this can be done more inconspicuously than literally removing the PCs.  Not upgrading the software or the broadband connection might achieve the same result more insidiously.  Similarly refusing to invest in new technologies such as ipads will slowly erode IT provision without attracting much public controversy.  I suspect these options may be taken up by authorities as budgets tighten still further.

I suspect that Iain Duncan Smith's department has embarked on its Universal Credit programme without giving such things much thought.

CPZ Permits and Car Clubs

Speaking to a Kensal Green resident recently, I was delighted to learn that she had taken advantage of the option to give up the CPZ permit that we introduced when we converted CPZs to emission based bands.  When the ability to give up CPZ permits was suggested, I was quite skeptical as to whether anyone would take it.  She is now using a car club membership, although she said that even there her usage was limited.  Shifting people away from cars is crucial to improving London's air quality.

Brent Home Library Services Up

During the debate about Brent's Library Transformation, one of the major concerns many people had was access for disabled people, although these feelings are not universal.  In all the Labour Party debates I take part in about how to respond to the Lib Dem/Tory cuts, it was generally agreed that protecting the most vulnerable is a key priority.

Of course, this doesn't get you much credit politically.  None of the housebound users of this service will be marching to the Town Hall in protest, because they are not capable of marching anywhere.  It is also true that the cost per user is probably higher than for library users in general.  However, I think that a civilised society distributes resources according to need rather than according to whoever can shout the loudest.

It is also worth mentioning that providing services to the disabled involves more than just the Home Library service.  It includes making sure all our libraries are properly disabled accessible, that at least some of the PCs have disability software and that there is a reasonable range of titles that people can access.  The improvement of the online offer is also important.

However, for people who are so severely disabled that they are housebound, the home library service is a vital link.  It also is an example of Brent using volunteers (which people complain we are against) as it involves volunteers driving round and bringing the books to people who cannot travel to the library themselves.  You can get an idea of the scope of the service via this link (including a short video).

That shows an increase of 401% since we decided to go ahead with the transformation in 2011.

Libraries and Bookselling

I see that e-lending trials have led to more book purchases.  Perhaps this strengthens the case for libraries as showrooms for publishers?

False Hopes of Local Democracy

I notice that Brent Liberal Democrats are making specious promises around democracy and accountability.  I find these unconvincing, because Brent Liberal Democrats have a long history of failing to attend meetings, allowing councillors to carry on living outside the Borough, and failing to participate fully in meetings even when they are there.  The current Liberal Democrat leader was Council Leader for four years, and made no significant changes, why should we believe he will change now?

More than a Quarter of Brent Library Loans are Outside Libraries

I have remarked before that many of the book loans made from Brent libraries are not from actual buildings at all.  The pie chart below illustrates the point using 2013/14 data.

 

Non building loans account for more than a quarter of a million loans by Brent library service.  The actual break down of those loans is the second chart (below). 

 

It is noticeable that ebooks still only account for a small proportion of the total number of loans (about 1.1% of all Brent book loans), so the ebook revolution has a long time to wait.  The fact that such a high proportion of book loans happen outside the actual buildings strengthens my argument that library authorities should concentrate on services rather than buildings.

UPDATE

Again, the comment below seems to come from a mindset of entrenched hostility.  Certainly, one can point to a link between online renewals and loans from physical libraries.  My point is that if you ignore the non-building loans, you are ignoring a major element of book loans in Brent.

Remember the main alternative option for Brent Libraries (supported by many "library campaigners" at the time) was simply to cut opening hours, which is an option generally known as "hollowing out". I don't think, had we gone for that option, we would now see our numbers going up.

Air Quality Related Deaths

The Guardian has produced a data map of UK authorities showing air quality related deaths.  London comes off particularly badly. 

The Value of Visual Art Projects

At the Furness Pocket Park Mosaic launch last Saturday, I was speaking to one of the organisers who was emphasising the value of such art projects.  She was passionately in favour and, in speaking to me, preaching to the converted.

As well as the actual objects, many of these project have a big community involvement aspect which helps draw people together.  You can see some pictures of the Furness mosaic workshops here.  This was also true of the artwork in Tubbs Road Pocket Park.  The mosaics there (below) were down by children at Furness Primary School.

In the case of Tubbs Road Pocket Park, the bidding process to get the funding also helped bring the Junction Association together.

However, artwork can also portray a corporate message, as with the Hazel Road artwork below, where I managed to get funding to promote Fairtrade.

It can also be used to discourage graffiti, as at the Seneca recycling facility in Neasden, which is thought to be the longest stretch of mural art in Europe.

Temporary Arts projects can draw attention to changes in the area as with the art on the hoardings outside Willesden Library.

Art projects really should be seen as more than just an add on.  They create much more value than they cost.

BBC Panorama on Brent Benefits

I watched the BBC Panorama programme on the effect of the benefit changes in Brent.  I thought it did a good job of showing the effect on the claimants and the efforts that Council officers are trying to make to help them.  Of course, anyone with experience of this kind of casework knows that a lot of the time it is a choice between a tough option, and an even tougher option.  I still prefer the practical help that Council officers were implementing in the film to the Loony Left alternative. 

Willesden Library Still Brent's Second Biggest Library

Following my posting of a couple of days ago, I thought the split of visits to Brent libraries might be of interest.

Wembley Library is now Brent's biggest library, and I suspect that it will feature in CIFPA's list of the top twenty libraries in the country fairly soon.  Many people will be surprised that Willesden Library is still our second biggest library by visits, given that it is operating an interim service during the building period.  Indeed, I have met people who believe our political opponents who have given the impression that Willesden Library is simply closed.

Overlong Planning Meetings

The Planning Committee went on past 10.30 last night.  Granted there were some controversial items, such as the Moberly Sports Centre, on the agenda, but even so it seems to me to be too long.  I imagine that those members of the public who came for items towards the end must have been getting fairly fed up at having to wait so long.

Incidentally, Moberly Sports Centre was granted permission.

Higher Council Tax Bands

I see the Liberal Democrats are proposing a series of higher Council Tax bands instead of their previous Mansion Tax policy.  This really continues to tinker round the edges of Council Tax, which suffers from a political perception that a revaluation exercise would be politically toxic.  Interestingly, the Welsh managed to have such an exercise without the sky falling in.

I am not sure that Council Tax levels have the same salience that they used to.  I seldom have Council Tax raised with me on the doorstep.  Of course, this may be related to the Council Tax freeze Brent has had since 2010, but I don't recall it coming up much during the Lib Dem / Tory administration of 2006-2010, where band D Council Tax was raised by more than £100, despite Brent Liberal Democrat promises to freeze it.

Brent Library Figures Up Again

Brent Libraries figures are up again in the year ending 31 March 2014.  This follows our successfully bucking the trend last year.  The full figures for visits since deciding to go ahead with the Libraries Transformation Project in April 2011 are:

2011/12       1,506,852
2012/13       1,526,095        1.2%
2013/14       1,654,807        8.4%

The same period for loans shows:

2011/12           985,590
2012/13           963,188       -2.3%
2013/14           996,890        3.5%

Compared to the 2011/12 baseline, visits have gone up by 9.8%, and loans have gone up by 1.1%.  I recall telling Public Libraries News that:

“Brent Libraries will have more book loans and library visits in 2014/15 than we had in 2011″

We seem to have got there a year ahead of schedule.

UPDATE

A commentator has put a link in to the CIPFA library comparison report.  Unfortunately, CIPFA take a long time to collate their data.  That CIPFA report relates to 2012/13, so it is more than a year out of date.  The next CIFPA report will probably come in September.  People might also want to look at the Public Library User Survey, which gives the opinions of Brent Library Users. UPDATE 15/12/14:  CIPFA have now released on the CIPFA comparisons for 2013/14 so it is possible to comment on them as requested in the comment below.  As expected, nationally the figures show a downward slide whilst Brent figures continue to improve.

ANOTHER UPDATE

Another comment posted below.  I get the impression that some people simply can't accept that Brent libraries are a success, whatever the evidence.  They are.  Across England and Wales most libraries are seeing declining loans and visits. Ours are going up.  Brent libraries upward trajectory is all the more remarkable given that the Willesden service is currently an interim one.  The big rise in Brent library usage is achieved by a lot of hard working library staff following a good strategy.  Why not just acknowledge that?

Gradual Progress at Furness Pocket Park

Now that the mosaic at Furness Pocket Park is unveiled, it is worth thinking about what other incremental changes can be made.  The park itself has been vastly improved by the extra flowerbeds and planting that Brent Parks service contributed as part of the project. 

However, the area of pavement immediately by the park is rather scrappy.  Part of the Harlesden Town Centre project is to remove the old Harlesden City Challenge railings that you can see below.

I am hoping that this could be combined with repaving a small area immediately outside the park entrance, and perhaps replacing the benches below, which are also pretty run down.

Doing things bit by bit like this may seem slow and frustrating, but it still represents progress and it builds up over time.  I think removing the railings at the front so that people did not just allow their dogs loose in the park actually made a big improvement.  Along with the dog mess bin I asked to be installed ages ago, it has made the park much more usable by people.  It was good to see at the Kensal Green Streets event on Saturday that there were small children running about, which the prevalence of dog mess had previously made difficult. 

We have also seen progress on flytipping with the installation of fencing facing Harlesden High Street, and more recently next to the adjoining house.  And of course, we also planted the two cherry trees that are just now blossoming. 

Over time this all adds up.

Barham Park Planning Appeal

Last year, the Planning Committee _ foolishly in my opinion _ refused planning permission for change of use of the Barham Park buildings.  This is unfortunate as it creates a delay in getting the buildings occupied.  The Council went through an elaborate tendering process and awarded the lease to an Arts Charity called ACAVA.  Unfortunately, Cllr Paul Lorber was able to exploit his position as a councillor to try to secure the building for his own purposes.  He succeeded in bamboozling the committee into making a decision that makes very little sense in planning terms.

The matter has now gone to appeal.  I would certainly expect permission to be granted.  It is just a pity that delay and expense has been needlessly caused to the Council. 

Poor Liberal Democrat Attendance

Brent Liberal Democrat councillors are once again being criticized for their poor attendance record at Council meetings.  As I have pointed out before, it is not just the named individuals who don't attend.  A more telling point, I think, is the poor quality of contributions one gets when such councillors do manage to get there.  There is usually very little in the way of substance to what is said, and almost no one on the Council appears to have any questioning skills.

Furness Road Pocket Park Mosaic

Greatly enjoyed the unveiling of Furness Road Pocket Park's new mosaic today.  It is a really nice community project supported through ward working.

Moberly Sports Centre Planning Permission

Unfortunately, I can't go to the Planning Site visit this morning, although I will be at Committee.  The biggest application will undoubtedly be the proposed Moberly Sports Centre rebuild, which I have blogged on before.

Poplars Avenue Market Space

I gather that some individuals have been spreading misinformation about the proposed market space in Poplars Avenue, just outside Sainsburys in Willesden Green.  A substantial amount of the work for this has been done.  You can't see it because it consisted of moving utilities in the space.  The rest of the work consists largely of repaving the area and is in the Highways department's schedule of works.

Play Space in Unity Close

Last weekend, I was out doorknocking in Unity Close in Willesden Green.  The above play space was put in in the past year after a lot of work by my colleague Cllr Lesley Jones.  There is a small MUGA, a childrens play space and quiet areas to sit.  it shows what can still be done despite the extremely tight budgets in local government. 

Electoral Malpractice

The Electoral Commission has just released details about cases of electoral malpractice.  I suspect many people don't realise how many requirements there are in standing for election.  Even the candidates who were convicted may have been surprised at the level of penalties exacted for making false statements, as well as the public humiliation of course.

The Green Man and Planning Enforcement

The Green Man in High Street Harlesden has had a planning enforcement notice served against it.  I have been pursuing this issue for ages.  The building, which is listed and in the Harlesden Conservation area, was subject to a conversion into sub standard flats some time ago.  Many of the original features are said to have been ripped out.  An enforcement notice was served, and this pushed the owner to get planning permission for a more acceptable type of development.  Although granted some time ago, the redevelopment has not actually been built.  Hopefully, the enforcement notice will galvinese the owner.

It would be particularly good for this development to get sorted as it backs on to Rucklidge Avenue near the old Social Club, where again I have been trying to progress a development for a long time.  The two together could design out a lot of the anti-social behavior in that area.