The library as 'living center for community resources' vs. 'archive of the written word': eternal tension illuminated by @millmedia.bsky.social 's @sophieatkinson.bsky.social manchestermill.co.uk/the-lost-boo...

The lost books of Central Library: scandal or conspiracy theory?

A quarter of a million volumes were disposed of in circumstances that remain deeply contested. Some former workers accuse the council of a cover up

manchestermill.co.uk

In 2012, there were rumblings in Manchester that something strange was happening with the Central Library renovation. Staff were alleging there had been a miscalculation in the amount of shelving that had led to the council needing to cut a disproportionate % of books at speed. (1/??)

And also wrote about all the North American Liverpools which ended up zeroing in on Liverpool, NY, which is essentially Stars Hollow — and where I had the considerable advantage of consulting a salaried town historian (why can't everywhere have this).

The Post@liverpoolpost.bsky.social · 8mo ago

So we sent the indomitable @sophieatkinson.bsky.social to find out, grilling the residents of one particular Liverpool — in New York state — on their lives in the other 'Pool. Enjoy! www.livpost.co.uk/the-other-li...

like almost everything wrong with this country, this is ultimately downstream of austerity - a library cannot be a library any more, it has to be a meeting room, a cafe, a study area, a chillout zone with beanbags, a public toilet, an event space, because no other free public spaces exist any more.

Harry Stopes@harrystopes.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Really good piece on how with minimal to zero input from experienced librarians, Manchester City Council threw out around a quarter of a million books in a rush during the renovation of Central Library in 2010 by @sophieatkinson.bsky.social for @manchestermill.bsky.social

Really good piece on how with minimal to zero input from experienced librarians, Manchester City Council threw out around a quarter of a million books in a rush during the renovation of Central Library in 2010 by @sophieatkinson.bsky.social for @manchestermill.bsky.social

The lost books of Central Library: scandal or conspiracy theory?

A quarter of a million volumes were disposed of in circumstances that remain deeply contested. Some former workers accuse the council of a cover up

manchestermill.co.uk

Manchester’s Central Library was once considered the British Library of the North. Did a miscalculation in shelving lead to it having to chop a huge fraction of its non-fiction collection, and at speed? I spent a year obsessing about a long-lost rumour from the early 2010s tinyurl.com/ynsyvy2t

The lost books of Central Library: scandal or conspiracy theory?

A quarter of a million volumes were disposed of in circumstances that remain deeply contested. Some former workers accuse the council of a cover up

tinyurl.com

‘I can hear wailing from the funeral and the yelps of the women as they scare the gods with their genitals’. @sophieatkinson.bsky.social is back on @manchestermill.bsky.social with a brilliant piece about the Marina Abramovic show. manchestermill.co.uk/in-a-sea-of-...

In a sea of writhing bodies, Marina Abramovic convinced me Aviva Studios makes sense

'I can hear wailing from the funeral and the yelps of the women as they scare the gods with their genitals'

manchestermill.co.uk

are you based in glasgow...or are you elsewhere and do you simply enjoy a perfect Yarn. May i direct you to today's @glasgowbell.bsky.social's look at how beef over fencing in Cathkin Park has escalated to a court battle; a loo civil war and manspreading allegations 💯 shorturl.at/a8KUw

The £30k war over Cathkin Park

Locals say a football charity is mounting a hostile takeover of a Crosshill pitch. What’s the truth?

shorturl.at

A few images from outside the federal courthouse in downtown Manhattan, where a rally in support Mahmoud Khalil took place in Foley Square. Captions in the alt-text.

"Saying to clients: 'yes, it’s fine to consume as much material as your gloriously Instagrammable open plan kitchen requires' while doing nothing to make the house less consumptive, felt fraudulent": we spoke to architects here about why retrofitting needs to happen NOW. 🧵

For inspiration for your own home and a rare bit of positive news about the climate crisis, check out the full piece by @sophieatkinson.bsky.social below 🏚️>🏠 manchestermill.co.uk/could-this-b...

Could this be the future of housing in Manchester?

Forget damp, forget sky-high energy bills. Let’s retrofit

manchestermill.co.uk

Israel cuts off humanitarian supplies to Gaza as it seeks to change ceasefire deal

Israel cuts off humanitarian supplies to Gaza as it seeks to change ceasefire deal

Netanyahu’s office says it is imposing blockade as Hamas will not accept plan that Israel says US envoy put forward Israel has cut off humanitarian supplies to Gaza in an effort to pressure Hamas into accepting a change in the ceasefire agreement to…

theguardian.com

rave review from the only critic i care about, my boyfriend

Alberto Andrés@aandres.bsky.social · 2y ago

Excellent article on Manchester Art Gallery's mind-boggling teapot exhibition (running for 6 years! longer than The Smiths) and how it is reflective of the failures of Manchester's current arts landscape manchestermill.co.uk/why-has-manc...

You may not be shocked to learn that Elon Musk has egregiously misled the world about the Oldham grooming story. I've been reporting on it for years and so much of the noise traces back to one bad faith rabble rouser called Raja Miah. This is the real story. manchestermill.co.uk/p/elon-musk-...

Elon Musk thinks there is a hidden grooming scandal in Oldham. Why can’t the police find it?

This week’s controversy can be traced back to a vicious online campaign that has terrified politicians – but struggled to substantiate its claims

manchestermill.co.uk

They wore spandex. They did a workout routine on camera. They smashed their fundraising target by 100 x - but who were their uniquely generous donors? @jackdulhanty.bsky.social on the jazzercise fundraising miracle of 2020 is unmissable. shorturl.at/KKcUR

Manchester planning director’s jazzercise for charity raised £50k — from developers

One had filed an application for a controversial tower just before

shorturl.at

"The question is not one of whether women were involved in the label’s success, but rather why it’s taken just under half a century for their involvement to be recognised." @ophiraophira.bsky.social on the forgotten women of Factory, for today's weekend read. manchestermill.co.uk/p/she-helped...

She helped build Factory Records from the ground up. So how did Lindsay Reade get cut out of the story?

‘What is this with all these men? You know? What about me?’

manchestermill.co.uk

I wrote a jampacked cultural edition (ft. some personal musings), where I reviewed the Hockney show at Aviva Studios, the xmas musical at the Royal Exchange — plus whether it might finally be possible to shed some light on the alleged binnings of books at Central Library. tinyurl.com/2p97z4mc

The Central Library mystery, the David Hockney show and the joy of free ping pong

An editor's edition from Sophie

tinyurl.com

Not even 48 hours since the Assad regime fell in Syria.

Joseph Willits 🍉 🦩🦚🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇱🇧@josephwillits.bsky.social · 2y ago

All the doors of the Assad regime’s human slaughterhouse haven’t yet been opened, & fortress Europe (inc the UK) is already closing theirs to Syrians in dehumanising, racist moves. Plans to deport them in Austria. Hostility to refugees part of our social fabric. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Another Labour MP landlord story - this one's just evicted a homeless mother of two. Exclusive from @londonermag.bsky.social. Please share 🙏 www.the-londoner.co.uk/labour-bayo-...

Exclusive: How a Labour MP evicted a homeless mother of two

"I don't even know what is going to happen to me. They could move me to Birmingham."

the-londoner.co.uk

something i feel v intense about but not sufficiently to pitch a long read on is how the Sex and the City BOOK (pre-dated the tv show!) is one of the most underrated non-fiction collections of the 00s...feeling vindicated by bullying a friend into reading it and getting this text

real anti-brrr sentiment on social media this week despite existence of big jumpers, candles, making a different soup each week (neck-deep into my 30s how did you guess)