Bromley House - discussed on BBC East Midlands Today

Bromley House - a place I love but which I sadly get much less time to enjoy than I would like - recently garnered an extended feature looking at this hidden gem Library on our local news programme.

It's a fine reminder of why I love this location and why it is an oasis of calm in the middle of the city.

Shame that the town planners do not seem to appreciate this quite as much as they should (with redevelopment plans for the surrounding locations having threatened the sanctity for several years now). Still, keep fighting...

Saving Bromley House in Nottingham

Bromley House is the most incredible place - it houses Nottingham's Subscription Library in an 18th century town house and has an amazing little garden. It is an oasis of calm in the midst of the city centre. Surrounded by far too many rather tacky buildings, it is under threat from a number of things and has been fighting a variety of inappropriate building plans for the nearby derelict former Odeon cinema site for some time.

There have long been problems with developers proposing multi-storey developments in close proximity, and now we find out the Council failed to notify anyone - including the library - of changes to the latest developers plans despite a meeting at the committee being due just next week (17th Dec). To top it all, English Heritage in its infinite wisdom has now decided to withdraw support for our campaign of opposition saying it now believes the development will do 'no harm' (how can they POSSIBLY tell?!) and that they no longer require any consultation from the Council with them. Yet even EH admit that there are still problems with the plans and that there are 'missed opportunities' for improvement of the overall site which is very close to a large number of multi-storey buildings on Maid Marian Way which the Council itself admits should NOT be added to and that have been to the detriment of the cityscape.

I don't get it.

If any of you are interested in adding weight to a campaign for a brilliant local site of historic interest, let me know. if you are interested in libraries and their preservation, let me know. If you care about city centres not being over-run with more unnecessary high-storey buildings then also join us.

Afterthoughts on 'the Library'

Criminal, I tell you, it's criminal. Missing such a superb piece of drama for this year's New Faces/Opportunity Knocks. WTF? I'm sorry, I just do not get talent shows; never have, never will. Apologies to all who are addicted to them. At least the AI ratings show those who did watch DW appreciated the effort.

And before anyone asks why I may not be around their online place this week, I'm trying to stay as spoiler and prediction free as is possible in this interweb world we live in. I ADORED the Moffat episode; it made me feel everything from fear to sadness, admiration to longing - and yes, there were still a few good laughs in it, as dark as it was (anyone else distracted by noticing the Doctor's sculptured hair? I haven't kept tabs on the shooting order but I'm inclined to bet this was in the same block as Planet of the Ood.).

I want to be as up for seeing part 2 as is feasible. I've even barred friends from speculating with me: I will duck opening DWM until after the episode airs and I will even then avoid reading the preview puffery pieces the mag does for the remaining episodes. In fact it is quite plausible I will buy the mag and hide it in my teenager bedroom until after the end of the season.

Did I say I enjoyed Saturday's episode?

And oh yeah: someone PLEASE tell me they haven't actually demolished the gorgeous Swansea library where this was filmed? It's a library! Let it be a library again! With, you know, BOOKS. I swear that the term 'Resource Centre' brings me out in hives.

The British Library government answer

Library - epetition reply 13 July 2007

We received a petition asking:

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to keep the British Library FREE of charge to users! Don't cut its budget!."

Details of Petition:

"You may have read in newspapers that the government is considering cutting the British Library's budget by up to 7%. That might not sound much, but it will result in the library cutting its opening hours dramatically, and charging a fee to use the reading rooms. If you believe that to be a truly British Library, the library services the BL provides should be free of charge to the user - then sign the petition! The BL is a truly world class institution, and one which belongs to all of us. We have a duty of care to support it, for the benefit of future generations. Please, Mr Blair, don't cut its budget!"

Read the Government's response

The British Library preserves, promotes and celebrates our language and literature, two of our greatest contributions to the world's cultural heritage. It also underpins research in the higher education and business sectors, playing what is an essential part in a modern knowledge economy. This Government has supported the Library in fulfilling these roles since 1997, and will continue to do so.

It is, however, independent of Government, and makes its own management decisions, including on issues such as admission charges [italics added].

Excuse me, but how the FUCK does that answer a petition on budget cuts forcing the Library to consider introducing admission charges?

Because I read that response as being the Library makes its own decisions on what to do WITH the budget it gets set, but says absolutely PISS all about denying there is any cut or even explaining any budget cuts. Let alone confronting the issue of how changes and limited hours will impact on accessibility, quality of research and the very things that make the library worth fighting for... Sure, I'm reet p'eed off the with Library for making moves towards admission/reading room charges, but they wouldn't be in that position without the cuts.

So this strikes me as a real duck of an answer here.

Sorry; this just bought out the cranky in me.

I feel the need to invoke the sweary spirit of Melissa - aka QCoFM.

Lowdham revisited

Last year we visited the Lowdham book festival for the first time. We had an absolutely spiffy time there.

This year was rather marred by an overdose of rain and flooding. Lots of rain. And lots of flooding in Lowdham.

Despite this, the festival carried on very successfully - even if some events did have to shuffle about a little (sandbags were still very evident yesterday on the final day). For reasons of travel difficulties and scheduling, we didn't get chance to go to any of the events before the final day, but friends and colleagues spoke just as highly of proceedings and there were excellent audiences. Brits eh; we don't let a little water put us off culture...

Funnily, I wasn't expecting to make it TO the final day at all. I'd originally been down to do some work (volunteering beyond calls of duty being a particular area of expertise) but at the last minute, I didn't have to do it. It probably contributed to why I felt less obligated to traverse the wilds of flooding to go to Lowdham (even if it IS my maternal great-grandparents etc familiar haunt) for other events mind, but it was with glee in my heart I could trundle with Cloud yesterday to be able to enjoy Mike's talk about blogging.

Of course, it wasn't all we did. We had mucho fun trawling the book fair and exchanging hellos with the Bromley House staff (who had drawn a massive audience for a presentation on subscription libraries like BH). We especially enjoyed meeting with Creme de la Crime publishers. Wow; that was a treat: not only was the stall offering up plenty of scrumptious looking crime writing goodies, we also got the chance to natter to Maureen Carter. She was friendly, delightful to talk to and on dipping into the range on offer we were more than happy to part with some cash for a couple of her titles and one by Roz Southey (from the Period Pieces selection of CdlC's range). We're very much looking forward to reading them.

Nevertheless, Mike was the key reason we were there. "Blog-Talk": how could we resist?!

He was fab. It was fab. There was a mini-blogging coterie in attendance - not least the lovely JP (as charming and cheery as ever despite everything) and the ever-glamorous Miss Mish - and the pleasure of meeting K (definitely wearing the Best Jeans Ever). The worlds of work and blogging collided nicely as a colleague of Neil's was also part of the Troubled-Diva gang. And post-talk we followed them all to the pub for drinks, hilarious anecdotes (I will never think of twigs in the same way), Doctor Who chatterings, and final smokes before todays ban (on which note, I'm with JJ: HURRAH to no smoking in pubs etc ever again!!!)

Post-drinkies (just orange juice for my lovely driver btw) we took the decision to drive on up to Newark to indulge in purchases from Waitrose - that being the nearest branch we are aware of in Nottingham's vicinity. Scrummy. That made for a nice pre-Who tea.

And then it was Who...


UPDATE: a lovely post from Mike who is as self-effacing as ever. Lots of good links to regarding the sources used for his talk.

Protect Free Access to the British Library!

... and Marie and Matt_c's love life prospects...

Go on, you know it makes sense. Sign the petition here to protect future readers and lovelorn writers...