My first impression was that it was quite inviting. Perhaps in comparison to most Croydon libraries it was, as our libraries have been left to deteriorate over many years - the fabric of many of the Croydon library buildings is in need of repair, let alone the décor. In comparison the environment was very clean and streamlined.
Once inside there was no real buzz or interest in the library. As you so rightly point out, we were struck by the lack of events and the heavy focus on notices encouraging volunteering.
It was pleasing to see a simple display promoting Story Lab, the children's Summer Reading Challenge though. Unfortunately this was not followed through in the children's section, where the displays were bright, eye-catching but without any sense of real child involvement and lacking any promotion of events for children. Given that we visited only days after the launch of Summer Reading Challenge I would have expected a real splash on this but nothing caught our eye.
The service desk pods were a striking but bizarre feature: aseptic colour coordination. Of four pods only three were manned, each accommodating and staffed by a single member of staff. Staff had to dash back and forth and between pods to tend to library users needs or to liaise with a colleague. Queues formed while staff endeavoured to cater to the needs of library users. Staff were very efficient but had no time to engage with any library users whilst we were there, other than to meet immediate needs and queries. I should imagine it is really stressful!
The self-service machines were a sad feature in my opinion; library users each dealing with their own borrowing and returns, with no facility as far as we could see to borrow books from a person at a desk. How sad to see the parents of a small child borrow a pile of picture books from a machine with no librarian to engage with the family or the child, to offer encouragement, offer suggestions or pass on information about an event. It was similarly sad to see adults drift in, browse, borrow and leave without engaging with anyone.
The shelves were extremely neatly presented, with some face on display of books. For a central library the selection was quite sparse though and there were strange book stocks noted, such as a large selection of Chinese texts - surely this does not reflect the demographics of the area served.
The inclusion of a children's walled off castle-themed area was an attractive addition to the children's area of the library. I could imagine story-telling and events going on without interruption here.
My questions after visiting are:
- How and why do staff work in isolation? There was a security guard on duty in the library but staff worked in isolation, leaving them open to abuse. Staff cannot also liaise over simple queries or refer an enquiry on to a colleague easily.
- Are staff instructed to man the 'pod' desks only? Staff seemed to man the pods rather than engage with users, even in the children's section. Sadly, I admit, they had little time to do anything else but this. I question whether three staff members are enough for a central library.
- The overriding question we came away with though is what interest John Laings has in running library services and how is it possible for John Laings or any other provider to run a library service for profit? Where is the money made in running a library service and where does the money for a refit come from, if running a library service for profit?
The big question is... Are councils, such as Hounslow, Wandsworth and Croydon, so inept and incompetent at running basic services efficiently, such as libraries, that private companies are chomping at the bit to snap them up, for profit?
As always, I have the greatest admiration for library staff who work under such pressure. Is this really what Hounslow Library was like before the intervention of John Laings? And the real question - has John Laings' management actually added value to the service or just added to the profit of John Laings, to the detriment of the Hounslow community?
.jpg)
