Ɖ Gardịn vy on locl lîbrriz: a rzors ɖt mst b pṛtctd
(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 4 Dec. 2022)
Ɖ cost-v-livñ crîsis hz cast ny lît on ɖer rǒl az plesz nt onli t rīd n lrn, bt t cīp worm. Ɖe canot b alaud t dwindl
Súnde 4 Dsmbr 2022
Ẃt z ɖ prṗs v lîbrriz? Wn v ɖ oldist, fǎndd in Niṇve in ɖ sevnʈ snć̣ri BC, wz a rpoztri fr wrcs lūtd n c’lectd fr ɖ “gretr contmpleśn” v ɖ scolrli Asirịn cñ Aśrbanipal. Wn v ɖ nyist wz opnd ɖs sumr in Barṣlona, az a sntr fr Latin Americn litṛćr, in onr v a wn-tîm rezidnt, Gabriel García Márquez.
Sć grand stetmnts v inṭlecćl îdntti n asṗreśn sīm a loñ we fṛm ɖ YC’z caś-sqizd locl lîbrriz. Ɖz wr istabliśt undr ɖ Public Lîbrriz Act v 1850 t pṛvîd fri axes t inḟmeśn n litṛćr fr nyli ŕḅnîzd masz wɖ tîm t cil ǎtsd ɖ wrcñ de, bt hv strugld t mc a ces fr nesṣri fundñ in ɖ ej v cut-prîs bcselñ, dclînñ b’lif in print, n rpitd rêdz on locl-guvnmnt bujits.
In ɖ frst deced v ɖ mleńm, ny sūṗlîbrriz sprañ p in an atmt t rfreś n rīdifîn ɖ rǒl v a sectr ɖt z ntorịsli hard t ivalyet. Ɖen ɖ cọliśnguvnmnt rold in ɖ ira v osteṛti, n bî 2019 – folowñ a 25% cut in spendñ ovr ɖ deced – hundṛdz v locl branćz hd clozd. Ɖ xistnśl ʈret grù jrñ ɖ Covid pandemic, ẃn locdǎnz n branćcloźrz dṛmaticli rdyst lounz n vizitrnumbrz.
It hz tecn ɖ caṭstrofic cost-v-livñ crîsis v ɖ last fy munʈs t ri’srt ɖ clem v ɖ 3,000 svîvñ ǎtlets t b ɖ bìtñ hart v ɖer cḿṇtiz: plesz ẃr ppl cn g nt onli t fînd bcs, inḟmeśn n inṭnet axes, bt olso t ple, mīt p n cīp worm. Sm hv bn duḅlñ az fūdbancs. A pîḷtscīm in Lundn t tren lîbrerịnz in dīlñ wɖ homlis ppl wl b rold ǎt t uɖr parts v ɖ cuntri nxt yir.
It z a valy ɖt wz impliṣtli acnolijd in ɖ lêtist ʈri-yir fundñ rǎnd bî Arts Caunsl Ñgḷnd (ACÑ), ɖ guvnmnt’s arm’z-leñʈ bodi, ẃć incrist ɖ numbr v lîbrrisrṿsz fundd in its naśnl portfolio fṛm six t 16, includñ sevṛl in culćṛli dprîvd eriaz. Ɖ sumz involvd mt b smōl – a rîz fṛm £1.5m t £4.1m a yir in totl – bt ɖs repriznts a stepćenj. It olso marcs a ćenj v straṭji, xtndñ ɖ crîtiria fr eliɉbiḷti t includ inḟmeśn n dijitl az wel az hlʈ n welbiyñ, alñsd rīdñ, culćr n crịtivti.
ACÑ onli fundz ptiklr iniṣ́tivz, sć az crietiv-raitñ programz or ǎtrîć wrc. Rsponsbiḷti fr corcosts rmenz wɖ locl oʈoṛtiz, n ɖs z ẃr ɖ riyl añzaytiz lî, az caunslz strugl t baḷns ɖ bcs in ɖ fes v yt mor cuts. A rīsnt srve v hed lîbrerịnz bî ɖ umbrela orġnîześn Lîbrriz Cnctd rvild ɖt mor ɖn haf antiṣpet hvñ t rdys bcstoc n 45% xpct t mc stafñcuts in ɖ nxt tū yirz. Nirli wn in for ʈnc ɖe wl hv t clos locl branćz. In a rport tîtld Riimaɉnñ Ẃr W Liv, ɖ parḷmntri cmiti v ɖ Dpartmnt fr Dijitl, Culćr, Mīdia n Sport last munʈ argyd fr incrist sntṛl-guvnmnt s’port. It z vîtl ɖt ɖ guvnmnt steps p. Ɖ cost v nt dwñ so z unimajiṇbl.
