The library as 'living center for community resources' vs. 'archive of the written word': eternal tension illuminated by @millmedia.bsky.social 's @sophieatkinson.bsky.social
manchestermill.co.uk/the-lost-boo...
The council argue - correctly! - that all the evidence I have gathered is anecdotal. But there’s certainly a lot of it. If you’ve made it this far, I’d love you to read the piece tinyurl.com/ynsyvy2t .And if you have any further info you can share with me on this story, I’m at sphatkinson@gmail.com
The story took a YEAR to report, which was partly about the slow slog of persuading scared librarians to speak to me, but also because the council sat on an FOI I sent them for six months, claiming they were understaffed, before arguing all of the info I was after was from too long ago. 4/?
I did not expect it to be difficult to report, so I was surprised when I found that the former librarians from the time seemed scared to talk to me & often only did so via intermediaries and under the condition that I cite them anonymously. They claimed they feared repercussions from the council 3/?
Reading about these claims in Dec 2024, I assumed it would be easy, all these years later, to get to the bottom of this. Possibly the staff had been correct, or just as likely - it was a rumour that had caught on and been spread widely, as good gossip often does.
In 2012, there were rumblings in Manchester that something strange was happening with the Central Library renovation. Staff were alleging there had been a miscalculation in the amount of shelving that had led to the council needing to cut a disproportionate % of books at speed. (1/??)
And also wrote about all the North American Liverpools which ended up zeroing in on Liverpool, NY, which is essentially Stars Hollow — and where I had the considerable advantage of consulting a salaried town historian (why can't everywhere have this).
oh funny, hello! I was so sure you were a lovely southern lady librarian. Pls remind me - are you in London these days? (And ARE you a librarian, I had no idea) Hope it's all going well xx
Yes very possible your version of events is true! Funnily enough, I was told there is a Friends of Central Library member who has the evidence that could prove all of these claims. They won't speak to me, though - they think it's too late since books are gone and not worth the personal risk.
but yes, a good route to pursue if I ever do a follow up. Thanks so much for all this background info xx
Fascinating! Kind of the opposite of my experience - was quite hard to get any info out of the library or indeed to even get a response from CILIP after reaching out multiple times. I imagine because it's a small world, it's quite political. Even unrelated librarians didn't want to get involved
like almost everything wrong with this country, this is ultimately downstream of austerity - a library cannot be a library any more, it has to be a meeting room, a cafe, a study area, a chillout zone with beanbags, a public toilet, an event space, because no other free public spaces exist any more.
Really good piece on how with minimal to zero input from experienced librarians, Manchester City Council threw out around a quarter of a million books in a rush during the renovation of Central Library in 2010 by @sophieatkinson.bsky.social for @manchestermill.bsky.social
hmm! This would be amazing - but I think old system was on paper, like an old fashioned card system, so as far as I understand, it would be impossible to compare and contrast? (I may well be missing something - lmk if so!)
No, no, it's healthy and good to question reporting! I should stress that nothing I've said above is PROVEN. The council may well have had a weeding policy, weeding may not have been 40%. All of my evidence is anecdotal - heard from a few members of staff who worked there at the time.
At least anecdotally, didn't hear that there was any time to cross-reference books that were being sorted with other libraries to ensure another copy existed, which as you say, is one of the foundations of responsible weeding. The council didn't respond when I asked about this, unfortunately.
interpretation, which Neil sort of ducks by saying "The staff are extremely experienced, extremely competent." Think the other key aspect of weeding issue is %. Wasn't able to reach a clear % but could have been as high as 40% of reference collection. That's not a normal percentage for weeding.
They never sent it. That said, if you listen to the 2012 You and Yours episode Neil MacInnes is on, the BBC presenter lists one line of the policy: "“The content or the material is no longer relevant of or supportive of the library’s collection or its stock policy.” She points out it's v open to...
Hey Jan! Obviously weeding is a great and necessary thing for libraries. One concern raised by staff centred on no clear weeding policy (council alleged there was one, was put online for a few days and then pulled down again) which is obviously the basics for weeding. Asked council for it but..
Manchester’s Central Library was once considered the British Library of the North. Did a miscalculation in shelving lead to it having to chop a huge fraction of its non-fiction collection, and at speed? I spent a year obsessing about a long-lost rumour from the early 2010s tinyurl.com/ynsyvy2t
Thanks Harry, appreciate this. A frustrating one to investigate! The council seem better placed to evidence their side of things and claim to be tired of the rumours but then seem to think it's unfair of me to ask for any evidence. Baffling.
‘I can hear wailing from the funeral and the yelps of the women as they scare the gods with their genitals’.
@sophieatkinson.bsky.social is back on @manchestermill.bsky.social with a brilliant piece about the Marina Abramovic show.
manchestermill.co.uk/in-a-sea-of-...
Labour's new policy - of humiliating trans people by requiring them constantly to self-identify - we believe puts the UK (again) in breach of its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and will seek a declaration of incompatability. goodlaw.social/0r6l
are you based in glasgow...or are you elsewhere and do you simply enjoy a perfect Yarn. May i direct you to today's @glasgowbell.bsky.social's look at how beef over fencing in Cathkin Park has escalated to a court battle; a loo civil war and manspreading allegations 💯 shorturl.at/a8KUw
Ramzi Kassem, Mahmoud Khalil’s lawyer and the director of CUNY CLEAR, addresses a gaggle of reporters and other media outside the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse in lower Manhattan on March 12, 2025.
Press gaggle outside the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan, as lawyers and supporters of Mahmoud Khalil speak to reporters during a rally in Foley Square, where hundreds have gathered directly across the street. The New York State Supreme Courthouse, which doesn’t house the state’s highest court but is just a trial court, is seen in the background.
Supporters of Mahmoud Khalil waving signs and Palestinian flags gather in Foley Square in lower Manhattan on March 12, 2025.
A digital sign on a truck in support of Mahmoud Khalil is seen in lower Manhattan on March 12, 2025. One side of the truck features a black and white photo of the activist and the inscription: “ICE: HANDS OFF OUR PALESTINIAN STUDENTS.”
A few images from outside the federal courthouse in downtown Manhattan, where a rally in support Mahmoud Khalil took place in Foley Square.
Captions in the alt-text.
"Saying to clients: 'yes, it’s fine to consume as much material as your gloriously Instagrammable open plan kitchen requires' while doing nothing to make the house less consumptive, felt fraudulent": we spoke to architects here about why retrofitting needs to happen NOW. 🧵
For inspiration for your own home and a rare bit of positive news about the climate crisis, check out the full piece by @sophieatkinson.bsky.social below 🏚️>🏠 manchestermill.co.uk/could-this-b...
Israel cuts off humanitarian supplies to Gaza as it seeks to change ceasefire deal
rave review from the only critic i care about, my boyfriend
You may not be shocked to learn that Elon Musk has egregiously misled the world about the Oldham grooming story. I've been reporting on it for years and so much of the noise traces back to one bad faith rabble rouser called Raja Miah. This is the real story.
manchestermill.co.uk/p/elon-musk-...
