Latest news with #libraries
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Oxfordshire libraries to trial new pop-up bank branches
People in Oxfordshire who want to use face-to-face banking services may soon be able to go their local library to make their financial county council is looking for ways to use its libraries to host pop-up banks, focusing on areas where traditional services have already is in response to an increasing number of banks and building societies leaving the high street in favour of providing more online Library has already trialled the idea, working with the Lloyds Banking Group to provide Community Banking Support. The service is due to end later this week, but similar plans are now being made for other libraries in Oxfordshire, as well as council 2024, 7% of day-to-day account holders had not used online banking or a mobile banking app in the last 12 months, according to the Financial Conduct Authority. The main reasons given were preferring to speak with someone in person (41%) and a concern that digital banking was not secure (37%).In Oxfordshire, there are currently eight areas without any traditional banking services, including Benson, Carterton, Chinnor, Eynsham, Faringdon, Grove, Shrivenham and Sonning Common. Pop-up banks are already being used in other community spaces in Oxfordshire, including the Cornerstone Arts Centre in can get advice on money management and products and services, but cannot pay in cheques or take out cash. Cornerstone staff said the service was popular and that other high street banks had approached them about operating at the Davies, who works in Didcot, said she visited the Barclays Local branch at the Cornerstone Arts Centre to pay in a cheque before being directed to the post office. "I really like the online banking," she said."I don't think I've had to pay a cheque in for a year... it's not a common request but I do need to pay it in." Visiting the service with her mother, Valerie Asher, Sharon Hawkins said her mother would prefer to visit branches in-person. "Mum's not very good with technology, so without a bank she can't do her banking and relies on family to help her," Ms Hawkins said."[The pop-up] is helpful... but I think Mum would prefer to go to a bank, but obviously most of them have been closed." Halifax has also been operating its Community Banker service at the nearby Didcot Library for one day a week, but the service is now closing. The bank said its customers could use the Lloyds branch in Market Place for in-person banking. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Library content order distracts from real issues, critics say
The province announced new standards and guidelines about what schools will be able to put in their libraries. CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny reports. A provincial government order that Alberta schools remove sexually explicit materials from their libraries garnered condemnation yesterday as an example of costly and potentially harmful overreach. NDP education critic Amanda Chapman called the new standards a distraction from critical issues in Alberta's education system. 'Of course materials in schools should be age appropriate,' she said in a statement emailed to The Macleod Gazette. 'But once again, the minister is inserting himself into decisions that should be made by educators and librarians — if this government actually funded schools enough to keep them in the building.' The order made by Demetrios Nicolaides, the minister of education and childcare, requires that by Oct. 1 school libraries rid their shelves of explicit depictions of sexual acts. Then, by Jan. 1, 2026, school authorities must either create policies and procedures to reflect the standards or make sure existing ones align. The new standards allow non-explicit sexual materials for Grade 10 and up, providing the materials are developmentally appropriate. The move follows consultations with stakeholders, public opinion polling of 1,500 Albertans and an online survey of about 77,000 respondents. Results of the survey leaned towards restrictions related to the ages of students, but there was only mixed support for the government setting standards or requirements. Parents of school-aged children were most supportive of province-down standards, with 44 per cent ticking the somewhat or very supportive boxes. Thirty-four per cent of respondents in the online survey said children should never be able to access sexually explicit content in school libraries. But explicit content — defined in the order as 'containing a detailed and clear depiction of a sexual act' — isn't allowed in any grade. Examples provided by the province were masturbation, genital contact, ejaculation and penetration. Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association, said the standards do more harm than good. 'This ministerial order accomplishes little other than adding to teacher workload, politicizing a non-issue and targeting vulnerable students,' Schilling said in a statement yesterday afternoon. 'It's also an overreaction that highlights a lack of resources for school libraries and the fact that our schools cannot afford to employ teacher-librarians to create, curate and coordinate library resources to support student learning in age- and grade-appropriate ways,' the statement said. But Nicolaides said he's confident the standards 'strike the right balance of supporting the important role that school boards, librarians, teachers and staff play in selecting school library materials while setting clear expectations.' He continued: 'This is an important step because, and I can't stress this enough, until now Alberta schools had zero standards for selecting age-appropriate books for libraries.' The standards have no bearing on depictions of medical processes, biological functions, hugging or hand-holding, which the government terms as non-sexual content and therefore available to all grade levels. Some reports published yesterday prompted a clarification from the minister's office. 'There are absolutely no restrictions on content about puberty, menstruation and breastfeeding for any grade level,' said an email message from a ministry spokesperson. Nicole Buchanan, chair of the board for Red Deer Public Schools, said school authorities are confident they can purge their library shelves of non-compliant materials by Oct. 1. The date reflects an extension that boards got from the government to make it happen, she said. 'Multiple school board chairs stated that (Sept. 1) was not enough time,' she told the Thursday news conference. Nicolaides has also told boards that his ministry is willing to work with them if they need more time 'to do what's right for students (and) ultimately right within our schools.' No provincial funding is attached to enacting the standards. Nicolaides conceded in earlier media comments spoke that identifying sexually explicit materials won't be a straightforward task. 'It's almost an impossibility to be able to know the full extent of the content of the vast majority of books that are published in any environment,' said Nicolaides, the member for Calgary-Bow. 'How school boards have their libraries vet or sort content will probably be left up to them,' he said during a roundtable last month with rural media before the actual standards had been set.+ Buchanan spoke in favour of the standards, saying they protect children and reflect societal wishes. 'These standards come at a time when many families, education partners and stakeholders are asking important questions — questions about what children are exposed to and what role schools should play in shaping not just academic learning, but safe and respectful environments,' she said. 'We all want students to be challenged to engage with new ideas, to learn how to think critically, independently and with empathy, but we also want to know that the content and resources that they access, especially in school, are appropriate for their age and stage of development. That's the balance that these new standards are meant to support.' She continued: 'This isn't about banning books or silencing voices. It's about recognizing that some content simply isn't appropriate in a K-12 setting.' Buchanan likened the standards to other principles applied in a school setting, like not providing access to alcohol and tobacco. 'Some students in our schools may be of the provincial age to consume them, but that doesn't mean that we put them in our vending machines. Why? Because they don't belong in a school environment, regardless of age and legality. 'Explicit sexual content should be viewed the same way. It may exist in society, but that doesn't mean it belongs in our classrooms or libraries, and we must be mindful of this. If a passage or image isn't appropriate for the front page of a newspaper or a billboard on the side of the highway, then it shouldn't be available to students in K-12 learning environments.' Developing the standards began when sexual depictions in four books were brought to the province's attention. The graphic-novel-style books were found in Calgary and Edmonton school libraries. All four were written by Americans and are based upon their authors' life experiences. Three of them directly reflect experiences in the LGBTQ2S+ community. They include depictions of masturbation, oral sex, pornography use and petting. Mentions of self-harm, sexual abuse and suicide are also present. The books were in libraries visited by students in kindergarten and higher grades, the government said. The standards apply to public, separate, francophone, charter and independent schools. The don't apply to 55 municipal public libraries located in school buildings or to resources selected by teachers to support curriculum. Schilling of the ATA said the order limits teaching and learning within a diverse school population. He said: 'The sweeping scope of this ministerial order will result in the removal of valuable and inclusive resources from our libraries. It will also discourage teachers from seeking out materials that interest and engage students. 'Ultimately, it will have a chilling effect on our schools and signal to students who are coming to understand themselves that some expressions of their gender and sexual identities are shameful and should be hidden away.' Chapman of the NDP said urgent issues require the ministry's attention, like student funding, a looming teachers' strike, overcrowded classrooms, and a shortage of educational assistants to support students with complex needs. 'These are the issues facing our education system that deserve the most focus,' said Chapman, the member for Calgary-Beddington. 'Our kids don't need political theatre and press conferences about books. They need teachers, EAs, and a government that actually funds public education.' Buchanan, however, put more stock in the government's move. 'These new standards set clear expectations, and they give school boards across Alberta the tools to make thoughtful, transparent decisions about library materials,' the Red Deer board chair said. 'This is about accountability. It's about open communication with the families and communities we serve, and most of all, it's about creating learning spaces that keep students' wellbeing at the centre.' By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Macleod Gazette
CTV News
11-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Alberta not allowing certain books in school libraries
Edmonton Watch The province announced new standards and guidelines about what schools will be able to put in their libraries, including banning some books and restricting others. CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny reports.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Prizes for reading: Edmonton and St. Albert libraries launch summer programs for kids and adults
Libraries in the Edmonton area want to see more children and adults reading this summer and the St. Albert library is going all out in its efforts.
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Former Librarian of Congress, fired by Trump, vows to improve public information in new Mellon role
The former Librarian of Congress abruptly fired by President Donald Trump has found a new position with the country's largest philanthropic supporter of the arts. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation exclusively told The Associated Press that Carla Hayden will join the humanities grantmaker Monday as a senior fellow whose duties will include advising on efforts to advance public knowledge through libraries and archives. The year-long post places Hayden back at the center of the very debates over American culture that surrounded her dismissal. The White House ousted Hayden, the first woman and the first African American to hold the title, after she was accused of promoting 'radical' literary material by a conservative advocacy group seeking to squash Trump opposition within the federal government. Hayden acknowledged existing threats to 'the free exchange of ideas' in a statement to the AP. 'For generations, libraries, archives, and cultural institutions have been the guardians of knowledge and the catalysts for human progress,' she said. 'Together, we will work to strengthen the public knowledge ecosystem and ensure that the transformative power of information remains accessible to all.' Mellon's response to government funding cuts Meanwhile, the Mellon Foundation has been working to fill fiscal holes for arts communities reeling from federal cuts. Its $15 million 'emergency' fund aims to offset the $65 million that were supposed to go to the state humanities councils that organize book fairs, heritage festivals, theater productions and other programs fostering cultural engagement. The foundation has previously supported the American Library Association 's efforts to counter book bans, increase scholarships for librarians of color and boost adult literacy. Mellon President Elizabeth Alexander said the foundation is thrilled to welcome Hayden, 'a leader with an unshakable regard for the public good of the American people,' during such a 'crucial time.' Public knowledge institutions are navigating 'historic challenges and transformative advances," according to Mellon, including artificial intelligence, digital technologies, federal funding withdrawals and censorship efforts. Who is the Librarian of Congress and what is the job? The acting librarian is Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who represented Trump during his 2024 criminal trial. Responsibilities range from looking after collections to selecting the country's poet laureate to awarding the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. The library also manages the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. Librarians serve 10-year terms, and Hayden's was scheduled to end in 2026. Her tenure included modernizing its reservoir of the nation's books and history. She oversaw new initiatives reaching out to rural and online audiences. Recent campaigns sought to improve accessibility for everyday visitors. And she arranged for Lizzo's 2022 performance where the artist played a crystal flute owned by President James Madison — among the Library's troves of artifacts. Before her confirmation in 2016, Hayden spent more than two decades as CEO of Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library system and was president of the American Library Association from 2003 to 2004. A graduate of Roosevelt University and the University of Chicago, she is a member of the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
