Saturday’s Campaign for the Book conference was a resounding success. Some 200 delegates packed into King Edward’s School in Birmingham for a day of inspirational speeches, evidence-based research, workshops and debate. There were public and school librarians, School Library Service staff, authors, publishers, library campaigners, academics, teachers and book lovers. Here is a blog diary of the day:
10.30am
Chair of the Society of Authors Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group (CWIG), author Celia Rees, opened the conference by introducing Chief Master of the host school KES John Claughton. In a witty introduction, John welcomed the delegates.
Birmingham school student Charlie Alcock spoke next, detailing his love of books. He went on to describe how his family had initiated the Cystic Fibrosis Cookbook. To date, over 1,000 have been raising £6,000 for the charity.
Celia concluded her comments and left the stage in preparation for the Question Time session.
11 am to 12.30am
Six speakers took to the stage for a panel discussion based on BBC’s Question Time.
Performing the role of ersatz David Dimbleby was author Steve Skidmore.
The panel were: Ed Vaizey, Shadow Culture Secretary; Richard Younger-Ross, Lib Dem Culture spokesman; Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust; Miranda McKearney OBE, Director of the Reading Agency; Roy Clare, Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and children’s author Alan Gibbons.
Lyn Brown MP had been scheduled to speak for the Labour Party but was promoted to the Whip’s Office. Notice was too short to find another Labour representative but Jonathan Douglas stepped in and made a terrific contribution. Thank you Jonathan.
Among the points raised were:
*should school libraries be statutory? Ed Vaizey thought this might run counter to Conservative policy to devolve responsibility to the local level. Several of the other speakers countered to this saying that the right to read was basic and that Governments intervened centrally in many other areas of cultural and educational life. Richard Younger Ross indicated that the Lib Dems were sympathetic to the idea of statutory school libraries.
*how can we protect public library services from spending cuts? Issues of leadership and advocacy were discussed as was training of elected representatives, something Roy Clare said was being addressed by the MLA.
*what is the future of School Library Services? The problem here, some of the panel said, was that the SLS often sat uneasily between the DCSF and DCMS. Speakers argued that the DCSF should make it clear that the SLS was the main delivery mechanism for putting books into schools which needed support and book provision.
12.30pm to 1.30pm
KES’s excellent caterers provided a great lunch.
1.30pm-2.30pm
Facing the Challenges.
Clare Broadbelt began the session. Clare told the story of how she was made redundant at the Meadows School in Chesterfield. She received a standing ovation.
Cath McNally, a Wirral librarian, then spoke about the situation in the Merseyside authority which is being investigated after attempting to close half its branch libraries. Her moving speech was met with prolonged and enthusiastic applause.
Joy Court rounded off the speeches with an authoritative exposition of the challenges facing School Library Services. She also highlighted the fact that the new school Report Card doesn’t include reading.
2.30pm-3.30pm
Seizing the opportunities
Author Gillian Cross chaired the session, speaking about the need to recognize the new world in which we find ourselves. She challenged delegates to recognize that we couldn’t hark back to a ‘golden age’ of reading but had to meet the demands of a changing world.
Miranda McKearney outlined the new Creative Reading Strategy, which could be important in drawing together good practice.
Marilyn Mottram of the United Kingdom Literacy Association, revealed some stimulating research on how to establish communities of readers.
Martyn Coles, Head teacher at the City of London Academy, demonstrated how the senior management in schools can combine with a professional librarian to improve reading standards and the engagement of students in their learning.
Finally, Andrew Coburn from the Library Campaign spoke briefly about the work of local friends of the library.
3.30pm-4.30pm Afternoon tea!
4-5pm
Workshops led by Miranda McKearney, Christine Lewis (Unison), Tricia Adams (SLA), Marilyn Mottram (UKLA) and author Bali Rai who spoke about Identity and Race in Young People’s Fiction.
5-6pm
Author Beverley Naidoo spoke on Literature and Freedom, outlining how reading was vital in the struggle against apartheid for example. She asked why we didn’t drop books rather than bombs.
Author and screen-writer Frank Cottrell Boyce also spoke brilliantly to close the conference, telling the audience how he asked a young woman in the Balkan conflict how she knew there could be a better world. She said, quite simply, ‘books.’
Thanks for a brilliant day go to host librarian Jean Allen, host headteacher John Claughton, the catering team, Steve Dent who designed the Campaign banner, the school students who guided us to our places and Ben the technician. We should also pay tribute to all the speakers who donated their services for free because of their committment to reading and libraries.
Here are some of the issues resulting from the conference:
*the need to broaden the campaign to make school libraries statutory. The need to approach Head teachers and Governors’ organizations. The Early Day Motion sponsored by Unison.
*the speakers’ tree of authors to support local campaigns
*the possibility of authors adopting local public library services, school libraries and SLSs.
*the need to campaign both locally and nationally
*the proposal to hold local Campaign for the Book meetings to broaden support.
*the need to put forward a positive image of reading and libraries in advance of cuts.
*the need to develop national and local relationships with elected representatives
*the importance of developing the coalition between all pro-book and pro-reading organizations
*the importance of balance between the new and old information and story-telling technologies
*the proposal to trial a Reading and Writing Roadshow at KES next academic year. Political representatives will be invited to demonstrate how such events could create enthusiasm for reading across the country.
And finally…
Beverley Naidoo’s words inspired me to write this poem:
Peace
By Alan Gibbons
Peace is when you can lay your head on the pillow
And never be afraid to sleep.
Peace is when you can cross the street
And know that the stranger coming the other way
Will do you no harm.
Peace is when you look in the mirror
And the only thing you can do is smile.
Peace is when there are no mirrors
And you look into someone else’s eyes
So you can give away your smile.
Peace is Shalom, Salaam Aleikum
And may your God go with you.
Peace is the good man or woman who,
Without faith, holds that all men and women
Are their brothers and sisters.
Peace is the moment when the fog of war
Burns away to reveal that, when you drop
Books instead of bombs words grow…
Like flowers.