{"id":18635136,"url":"https://github.com/bbc-data-unit/libraries","last_synced_at":"2025-04-11T08:30:30.690Z","repository":{"id":72157618,"uuid":"54964881","full_name":"BBC-Data-Unit/libraries","owner":"BBC-Data-Unit","description":"Data used in the story 'Libraries lose a quarter of staff as hundreds close'","archived":false,"fork":false,"pushed_at":"2019-05-29T08:53:53.000Z","size":1563,"stargazers_count":6,"open_issues_count":0,"forks_count":4,"subscribers_count":6,"default_branch":"master","last_synced_at":"2025-03-25T11:38:31.981Z","etag":null,"topics":["councils","foi","libraries","python","scraping"],"latest_commit_sha":null,"homepage":"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35707956","language":"Python","has_issues":true,"has_wiki":null,"has_pages":null,"mirror_url":null,"source_name":null,"license":null,"status":null,"scm":"git","pull_requests_enabled":true,"icon_url":"https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit.png","metadata":{"files":{"readme":"README.md","changelog":null,"contributing":null,"funding":null,"license":null,"code_of_conduct":null,"threat_model":null,"audit":null,"citation":null,"codeowners":null,"security":null,"support":null,"governance":null,"roadmap":null,"authors":null,"dei":null,"publiccode":null,"codemeta":null}},"created_at":"2016-03-29T09:53:06.000Z","updated_at":"2024-06-13T08:00:13.000Z","dependencies_parsed_at":null,"dependency_job_id":"41818c02-263b-44f6-842f-d5a3fce6855c","html_url":"https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/libraries","commit_stats":null,"previous_names":[],"tags_count":0,"template":false,"template_full_name":null,"repository_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/BBC-Data-Unit%2Flibraries","tags_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/BBC-Data-Unit%2Flibraries/tags","releases_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/BBC-Data-Unit%2Flibraries/releases","manifests_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/BBC-Data-Unit%2Flibraries/manifests","owner_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/owners/BBC-Data-Unit","download_url":"https://codeload.github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/libraries/tar.gz/refs/heads/master","host":{"name":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com","kind":"github","repositories_count":248361450,"owners_count":21090900,"icon_url":"https://github.com/github.png","version":null,"created_at":"2022-05-30T11:31:42.601Z","updated_at":"2022-07-04T15:15:14.044Z","host_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub","repositories_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories","repository_names_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repository_names","owners_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/owners"}},"keywords":["councils","foi","libraries","python","scraping"],"created_at":"2024-11-07T05:23:37.042Z","updated_at":"2025-04-11T08:30:30.684Z","avatar_url":"https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit.png","language":"Python","funding_links":[],"categories":[],"sub_categories":[],"readme":"# Library cuts: closures, volunteer numbers and staff cuts\n\n![Image from @BBCEngland](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CetbYziWIAEw8N4.jpg)\n\nThis repository contains data used in the story 'Libraries lose a quarter of staff as hundreds close', collected through [Freedom of Information requests](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/libraries/blob/master/FOI_request.md) to library authorities across the UK. This data was complemented by analysis of [CIPFA reports](http://www.cipfa.org/services/statistics/comparative-profiles/public-libraries).\n\nThe story was reported across the BBC, including the following articles online:\n\n* [Libraries lose a quarter of staff as hundreds close](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35707956)\n* [Libraries: The decline of a profession?](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35724957)\n* [Book borrowing figures show library habits are changing](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35788332)\n\nThe reporting team was Peter Sherlock, Daniel Wainwright, Paul Bradshaw and Antia Geada.\n\n## Coverage\n\nYou can [listen to Radio 4 Today's coverage here (at 0730)](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b074x312), Nicky Campbell and Eleanor Oldroyd [on 5 Live Breakfast](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b074z5m5) and **Jeremy Vine** [on Radio 2 here (at 1230)](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b074lfpf). Lauren Smith has [linked to a range of local radio coverage on her blog](https://laurensmith.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/radio-marathon/).\n\n![Image from @bbc5live](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ces4VfHWEAAfliU.jpg)\n\n[#libraries trended on Twitter](https://twitter.com/WeNeedLibraries/status/714758162704953347) throughout the morning. **BBC Breakfast** [created this short video for social media showing some key figures](https://twitter.com/BBCBreakfast/status/714703963078176768). You can [join in the discussion on their Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/bbcbreakfast/videos/vb.127439507270196/1294853730528762/?type=2\u0026theater) \n\n[BBC Breakfast created this short video for social media showing some key figures](https://twitter.com/BBCBreakfast/status/714703963078176768) and [#libraries trended on Twitter throughout the morning](https://twitter.com/WeNeedLibraries/status/714758162704953347).\n\nBy midday Chris Love had used our data to [create a Tableau visualisation of volunteer numbers at each library](https://public.tableau.com/views/LibraryCuts/Cuts?:embed=y\u0026:display_count=yes\u0026:showTabs=y)\n\n![](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BBC-Data-Unit/libraries/master/librariestableau.png)\n\n## Other information\n\nThe House of Commons Library quoted the BBC research in its [briefing paper on public libraries on April 15, 2016](http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN05875). This briefing, which we have [uploaded to this repository](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/libraries/blob/master/HouseOfCommons%20Libraries%20Briefing%20SN05875.pdf), also includes data going back to 2005 and including a breakdown of different types of employees. Professional posts, for example, declined at a much faster rate (46% of positions going between 2010 and 2015) than other posts (25% over the same period).\n\n## Data\n\n* [FOI response data on closures, volunteers and staff](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/libraries/blob/master/library_closures_BBC.csv)\n* [Percentage of libraries with wifi access in each authority (England only)](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/libraries/blob/master/LibrariesWithWiFiPoints.csv)\n* [Book issues in 2012 and 2014 for authorities in England](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/libraries/blob/master/LibrariesBookBorrowing.csv)\n","project_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Fbbc-data-unit%2Flibraries","html_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/projects/github.com%2Fbbc-data-unit%2Flibraries","lists_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Fbbc-data-unit%2Flibraries/lists"}