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Public library sector people talk a lot about 'better marketing' -There are few better, more recognisable, names than 'public library' Any 9-year-old, can tell you. -Marketing means a clear idea what you are for and listening to what the public say. - Our libraries do neither.

Of the many things that Ian says, let me pick out just two that I think are so important 1. There is a new minister for libraries, and she should pause and reflect profoundly on the role she has taken. 2. Public libraries will only ever be successful when they focus more on books

" Focus on books" DOESN'T mean - events, programmes, talks, reading groups and so on. It DOES mean what a visitor to the library will find on the shelves when they are looking for something.

Having agreed with Public Libraries News, Ian, that the advent of a new minister is important, I also agree with him, that past form suggests it will bring little progress I think that if UK libraries are ever to revive, it will come from good people who actually work in libraries now.

Quite something to read a clearly well briefed piece confirming that a Cabinet Minister is ‘set to lose’ their job vs. just speculation!

Lawrence Monk Joanna P. Booth Simple arithmetic (without any politics) will show you that if people are promoted 'entirely' on length of service, you will fairly quickly run out of money

Cultural observation: in the early 1500's when printing became common, written language became rough, abusive and aggressive. Perhaps because what was previously seen by 20 was now seen by 1000's. Read Thomas More and Martin Luther. It lasted 100 years. Maybe we have the same

All over the world, figures show that, while need for reading remains, use of public libraries has fallen over many years. In the UK (only) this has led to falls funding. It is a common factor that all of them have reduced their emphasis on books in favour of digital content

The conclusion is fairly obvious. While libraries have been right to seek digital content they should not have reduced their access to print content. In the UK numbers of books have fallen by 30m. In the US, by 160m - which were significant parts of their collections.

This is not an academic point - if use of libraries continues to fall, then funders will continue to reduce funds and the downward tumble will continue. It is for those responsible to find a way out of this, part of which must be a serious renewed emphasis on print collections

However, clear and reasonable this might be, there is not one library authority or body, professional or governmental, who have a policy to rebuild print book collections - anywhere. And until there are some, library use and funding will continue to fall. It's sad, but obvious.

In every library in which I have been able to explore the detail, the first priority is to rebuild adult non-fiction sections. All the evidence shows that people read and use non-fiction more than fiction and yet, for some reason, libraries have allowed their service to decline.

Responsibility for rebuilding the public library service lies squarely and plainly with the leaders of local councils. No one else. They need to realise that the important role libraries play in their communities is first and foremost to help people find what they want to read.

It might help council leaders to know that when a library concentrates on this work : it will be very popular; it will cost less ; and it will be exactly conforming to its statutory obligations

It follows, therefore, that the role of any organisation that exists in the 'public library sector' is to help council leaders to provide libraries which, in turn, are simply to provide the reading material, and means to read, that local people want. Nothing else.

'Grok' tells me that by saying this I am challenging the long-term trend of library leadership both in the UK and the US Too right, I am. And it's about time these actions I advocate were taken to begin to put things right.

Even if the ‘digital offer’ was any good - this would be nonsense - it excludes 2/3 of adults and nearly all children . But the digital offer, in libraries all across the UK is terrible and is hardly used by anyone

Yet again we see a local council using completely nonsensical arguments to defend closure of their libraries. Yet no one from CILIP Libraries Connected DCMSLibraries Arts Council England - pointing out the glaringly obvious- so that local people can see.