08.06.18
www.thebookseller.com
NEWS REVIEW
09 LIBRARIES Librarians in protest over Home Office deal BY NATASHA ONWUEMEZI
Eighty library professionals have signed an open letter condemning a deal between the Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) and Home Office department UK Visas & Immigration that will see libraries provide biometric visa support services. The new contract, delivered by
IT consultancy Sopra Steria, will be rolled out across 56 library services in the UK and will enable visa applicants to submit biometric data and supporting documents. The role of library staff will be to support online access for applicants to submit their documents and biometric data, but they will not give visa or immigration advice, or know the results of visa applications. The move has been condemned
by members of the Radical Librarians Collective, which has issued a statement urging library workers to resist the scheme.
PEOPLE & MOVES Chief finance officer Bresh departs role at Quarto after eight weeks
Quarto chief financial officer Carolyn Bresh right has resigned with immediate effect, days after Marcus Leaver, the illustrated publisher’s c.e.o., also left his position. Bresh, who had been in the role for just
over eight weeks, will be succeeded by Mick Mousley, in the role of interim chief financial officer. Mousley was Quarto’s chief finance officer for 28 years from 1987 until he retired in 2015, but he was reappointed last month following a dramatic boardroom coup instigated by Laurence Orbach, the publisher’s founder. The revolt saw Orbach and fellow
shareholder Chuk Kin Lau, of the Lion Rock printing company reinstated on the board at the company’s a.g.m., along with Lau’s colleague Mei Lan Lam and Mousley. Together, Orbach and Lau own 47% of the publisher. At the same meeting, four board directors were
axed, including chairman Peter Read and non-directors Leslie-Ann Reed, Jess Burley and Claire Capeci. Leaver resigned less than a week later,
and was succeeded by Lau as interim chief executive. The company had a £47m debt burden as of the end of 2017 and a market value of £23.5m, and the shareholder revolt was said to have been motivated by concern for the company’s debt. An internal staff memo just before Leaver’s departure said the boardroom changes were the result of a poor financial year, with Orbach indicating that he wanted to take the business back to its coedition roots. Bresh said: “Quarto is an exciting place
to work with both wonderful books and dedicated staff. I have decided to step down, following the change of control at the recent annual general meeting. I wish Quarto every success in the future.” With Bresh’s departure, Quarto now has just one woman on its board; in the summer of 2017, it had an equal 50:50 split.
The signatories expressed
Some librarians are concerned that the partnership with the Home Office could change the perception of libraries as shared spaces for all sections of the community
The latter had been signed by 80 people by the time The Bookseller went to press. The collective fears that the contract will result in the “creeping normalisation and increased presence of Home Office divisions” in public libraries, which will “actively work against” the creation of an inclusive and diverse
public library service. The statement criticised the Home Office, which it says has been “ruthless in its pursuit to effect ‘hostile environment’ policies”, and also said the firm contracted to deliver the service, Sopra Steria, had been linked to a “colossal” loss of data between 2011 and 2016.
concern about the possibility of librarians being put under pressure to offer advice they are not qualified to give, and about library workers being seen as agents of the application process, rather than staff offering independent help and support, thereby undermining the crucial role of libraries as trusted spaces for all. In response to the letter, a spokesperson for SCL told The Bookseller that the organisation believes the contract was an “important initiative” and that Sopra Steria underwent the relevant Home Office checks before being awarded the contract. Following the fallout, the SCL
has now agreed to work with the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals on ethical guidelines regarding commercial partnerships. The Home Office did not respond to requests for comment.
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