[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-mass-lobby-of-parliament-for-school-libraries":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"What a day we had lobbying! Ha ha, I had to post this photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.candygourlay.com\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a> just because it made me laugh so hard. I was getting fake arrested by a very nice cop in front of Parliament after climbing on the portcullis. It was pretty awesome. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/candypic_policesarah-a3331c5b15.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.candygourlay.com\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nHere's our team of fearsome librarians in Victoria Embankment Gardens! Librarians do not take abuse to their libraries sitting down, they are a force to be reckoned with. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/candypic_lobby_group-60f5d44248.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.candygourlay.com\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's Candy herself! We decided to hold a big Love In until the government would meet our demand that \u003Cb>every school in Britain have a library, staffed by a trained librarian\u003C/b>. You'd think that would be a pretty obvious thing, wouldn't you, but not to this government. (...Oh, and also, I just love Candy; it's a good excuse.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lobby4schlib_candykiss-63d0011b3a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe excellent librarian \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/bcb567\">Barbara Brand\u003C/a> (speaking here with a policeman) organised the event; she was a real trooper and, together with the team, got people to set up appointments with their MPs and made sure there were lots of printed t-shirts and placards. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/candypic_barbara-513777a768.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.candygourlay.com\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nSome of Britain's finest writers and illustrators turned out for the day! Here are some of them. From the left: \u003Ca href=\"http://www.maryhoffman.co.uk/\">Mary Hoffman\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.vrombaut.co.uk/\">An Vrombaut\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.cressidacowell.co.uk/\">Cressida Cowell\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/PhilipArdagh\">Philip Ardagh\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.francescasimon.com/\">Francesca Simon\u003C/a>, me, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.megrosoff.co.uk/blog/\">Meg Rossof\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.candygourlay.com/\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lobby4schlib_group3-626da74069.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://heatherkilgour.com/\">Heather Kilgour\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for more photos under the cut!-->\\r\nOo, and it was exciting getting to meet \u003Ca href=\"http://www.chrispriestleybooks.com/\">Chris Priestley\u003C/a> for the first time! (I love his \u003Ci>Tales of Terror\u003C/i> books, illustrated by David Roberts.) Here are three Tough Cookies, no one messes with these guys:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lobby4schlib_philcandchris-88ba0b6fc8.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Candy Gourlay, Philip Ardagh, Chris Priestley\u003C/font>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nHere's Francesca, of the \u003Ci>Horrid Henry\u003C/i> books. And I was super-chuffed to see some people had printed out and coloured the poster I designed the night before! (See \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/518224.html\">yesterday's blog post\u003C/a> to download your own copy if you like.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lobby4schlib_francesca-dd64a184c9.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's a good look at the day's t-shirt, modelled by CILIP's \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/_aaronhussey\">Aaron Hussey\u003C/a>. Hurrah!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lobby4schlib_tshirt-49c001cb56.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd Meg and I getting VERY ANNOYED about the state of libraries in Britain right now. Our country should be PROUD of our libraries and helping them grow, not closing them down. How are kids supposed to know what to read if they're just loosed on Google to write reports? How will they develop a life-long love of reading? They need guidance, good recommendations, a well-stocked library with its best books turned cover outward for easy browsing, a safe space to let their imaginations take off. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, GOVERNMENT? Meg and I are NOT AMUSED.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lobby4schlib_meg_sarah-5f98047e4c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBut we were slightly amused by the range of cupcakes in the House of Commons. Meg had a fine cake of the red velvet variety and I had a rather lurid purple cupcake. Nom nom. Priorities. (No, Ardagh did not get to lick my icing, thank you very much.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lobby4schlib_cupcake-a0daf23a29.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThanks to everyone who came out to march on a Monday afternoon, you're all the finest of superheroes. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lobby4schlib_march1-aa5bdade73.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nEven Dave the Library Rat (with librarian \u003Cb>Adrian Thompson\u003C/b>).\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lobby4schlib_libraryrat-57063487ba.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nA fabulous day! Let's hope the MPs took notice and we see some pro-library action!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/candypic_bigben_philsarah-6c06fdd853.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.candygourlay.com\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nOtherwise we really WILL have to do something terribly dramatic and get ourselves locked up. Aïeeee!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lobby4schlib_arrest-7793235648.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/PhilipArdagh\">Philip Ardagh\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nFor \u003Cb>more information and to get involved in supporting libraries\u003C/b>, read the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.cilip.org.uk/news-media/Pages/news121023.aspx\">Press Release here\u003C/a> and visit the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.speakupforlibraries.org/\">Speak Up For Libraries\u003C/a> website. Here's \u003Ca href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/10/28/school-library-school-campaign_n_2033160.html\">an article in the Huffington Post\u003C/a>. \u003Ca href=\"http://www.societyofauthors.net/\">The Society of Authors\u003C/a> is always campaigning for libraries, and you can read writer \u003Cb>Jeff Norton\u003C/b>'s piece about libraries on the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.theliteraryplatform.com/2012/10/why-school-libraries-matter-hint-its-not-just-about-the-books/\">CILIP website\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.thebookseller.com/blogs/secret-library.html\">\u003Ci>The Bookseller\u003C/i> website\u003C/a>. Let's hope the government acts quickly and we don't have to wait so long that we all grow long beards. (Oh wait, I already did! Ardagh wanted me to post this photo, saying it was me.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lobby4schlib_phil_hat-6ff1fde72e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI'll post links soon to lots more relevant websites and blog posts about the day! I relaxed a bit about the photography because I saw Candy and the CILIP team were on the case (and it's hard to wield a camera phone while carrying a bag and a placard). So look out for their photos soon! I suspect lots of them will be linked on the event's open \u003Ca href=\"http://www.facebook.com/groups/207318732723647/\">Facebook page\u003C/a> and under the \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23lobby4schlib&src=hash\">#lobby4schlib hashtag\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ci>Edit:\u003C/i> Some more follow-up blog links! Posts by \u003Ca href=\"http://bookmavenmary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/proud-to-wear-t-shirt-by-mary-hoffman.html\">Mary Hoffman\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://pj-young.com/2012/10/30/did-you-know-schools-dont-have-to-have-libraries/\">PJ Young\u003C/a>.","2012-10-30T00:37:00.000Z","mass-lobby-of-parliament-for-school-libraries",[],"mass lobby of parliament for school libraries!",1776628724376]