영국, 2010년 이후 약 800개의 도서관 폐쇄(2019년 12월 6일, 가디언지)
Almost 800 libraries have closed since the Conservative-Lib Dem government implemented austerity in 2010, new figures reveal.
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (Cipfa) annual survey of the UK’s libraries, excluding Northern Ireland, shows there are 3,583 library branches still open in the UK – 35 fewer than last year. Since 2010, 773 have closed.
북아일랜드를 제외한 영국 도서관에 대한 차타드 공공재정회계연구소(Cipfa) 연례 조사에 따르면 영국에는 3,583개의 도서관 지점이 남아 있는데 이는 작년보다 35개 적은 수치입니다. 2010년 이후 773개가 문을 닫았습니다.
The closure of almost a fifth of the UK’s libraries over the last 10 years comes against a backdrop of a 29.6% decline in spend, said Cipfa. National spending on the service topped £1bn in 2009/10 but dropped to under £750m in the last year, which saw a 0.4% increase on the 2017/2018 spend.
지난 10년 동안 영국 도서관의 거의 5분의 1이 폐쇄되면서 지출이 29.6% 감소한 것으로 나타났다. 서비스에 대한 국가 지출은 2009/10에서 10억 파운드를 기록했지만 작년에는 7억 5천만 파운드로 감소
The number of paid librarians has also plummeted. In 2009/2010, the point marking the start of the Tory-led government’s austerity drive, there were 24,000 salaried staff working in libraries. Last year, there were 15,300 employees and more than 51,000 volunteers.
유급 사서 수도 급감했다. 2009/2010년에는 토리(보수당) 주도 정부의 긴축이 시작된 시점에서 24,000명의 직원이 도서관에서 근무하고 있었다. 작년에는 15,300명의 직원과 51,000명 이상의 자원 봉사자가 있었다.
As the number of branches and paid staff have declined, so have library visits: there were 226m visits to libraries over the last year, compared with 315m in 2009/2010.
Cipfa chief executive Rob Whiteman said that while spending had increased slightly in the last year, the figures showed a sustained trend where local councils on tight budgets had been forced to redirect funding to priority services such as social care.
“This is the shape of today’s local authorities. As the country prepares to go to the polls, candidates should be having honest conversations with the public about the role of local government, and the future of lower priority services such as libraries,” Whiteman said.
Earlier this week, Boris Johnson was asked by the BBC’s Andrew Marr about library closures, with the prime minister appearing to offload the blame on to local authorities, who have undergone dramatic cuts over the past decade. This year, council leaders warned that one in five councils might have to impose drastic spending controls to avoid bankruptcy.
Johnson told Marr: “We want to be spending more. We want to be supporting local authorities. But some local authorities have been able to manage their finances so as to open libraries. I give you the example of my own borough of Hillingdon in west London, where they opened libraries … I want to invest in libraries, but we can only do that when we get the economy really motoring.” The prime minister said this could be achieved by “getting Brexit done”.
Nick Poole, chief executive of librarian body Cilip, was harshly critical of Johnson’s comments, saying they include “three key misconceptions”. First, pointed out Poole, local library services are not the responsibility of local councils alone: the 1964 Public Libraries Act requires central government to oversee and improve public library services – a responsibility, he said, that the previous Conservative government failed to implement.
“Secondly, while we are delighted that Mr Johnson’s local council has been able to invest in libraries, the fact that many cannot has less to do with sound financial management and more to do with the cuts of around 30-40% handed down to them by the previous Conservative government. This is why we have called for a fair funding settlement for local government, to reverse the emergence of library ‘haves and have-nots’ across the country,” said Poole.
“Finally, Mr Johnson appears to suggest that the country can only afford libraries when there has been an economic recovery. As we have commented time and again, this is a fundamentally misguided policy. By investing in libraries, you create opportunities for education and skills across the country, which in turn creates the conditions for future economic growth.”
사서 단체 Cilip의 최고 경영자인 닉 풀(Nick Poole)은 존슨(Johnson) 총리의 의견에는“세 가지 주요 오해”가 포함되어 있다고 비판했습니다. 첫째, 지역 도서관 서비스는 지방 의회의 책임이 아니라고 지적했다. 1964년 공공도서관법(Public Libraries Act)은 중앙 정부가 공공 도서관 서비스를 감독하고 개선할 것을 요구한다. 두 번째로, 우리는 Johnson의 지방 의회가 도서관에 투자 할 수 있게 된 것을 기쁘게 생각하지만, 많은 사람들이 건전한 재무 관리와 관련이 없으며 30-40%의 감축과 관련이 있을 수 없습니다 이전 보수 정부에 의해. 그렇기 때문에 우리는 전국의 도서관 소지품과 소지품의 출현을 역전시키기 위해 지방 정부에 공정한 자금 지원을 요청했습니다. 마침내, 존슨 총리는 경제 회복이 있을 때만 도서관을 살 수 있다고 제안하는 것 같습니다. 우리가 몇 번이고 언급했듯이 이것은 근본적으로 잘못된 정책입니다. 도서관에 투자함으로써 전국의 교육 및 기술 기회를 창출 할 수 있게 되며, 이는 미래의 경제 성장을 위한 조건을 만들어줍니다.”
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