Time to get back on the trail. There is so much that is not being done and so much that is being done wrong. All rather parochial perhaps, but for those of us who live in Brighton & Hove these are important issues.
To start catching up with pressing issues:
The council cabinet voted on 9 December to close the Brighton History Centre. This is a wonderful facility, full of all the resources the city owns in a purpose-converted space and with an experienced expert and helpful staff. It opened in the former reference library in summer 2002 and has featured on the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are?
It is probably underused because it is barely publicised. People I have taken there—including keen members of Friends of the Royal Pavilion and Museums (ie, friends of the estimable branch of city government that runs the Centre)—have been amazed at its existence. I have used it frequently and intend to use it a lot more in the near future for research on a book I have scheduled for this coming spring about one of the key aspects of the city's history and culture. The book would still appear without the Centre's existence but it would not contain much of the information.
More important is a letter to The Argus from Tim Carder, author of the incomparable Encyclopaedia of Brighton. He argues that this and his other books were only possible because of the resources that are now in the Centre. Ironically, the new edition of the Encyclopaedia is to be published in May by the City Libraries, who repay his efforts (and mine, come to that) by closing the Centre that makes such things possible.
The book I am soon to publish will make a small contribution to promoting the city's cultural tourism. A film festival I am organising for next year's festival fringe—in premises that are owned by the same council department as the BHC—directly links research done at the BHC to cultural events. We have applied for lottery funding with a specific aim of attracting visitors to the city. The BHC has been vital to allowing these things to happen.
So I am in the process of setting up an epetition that will be hidden away on the Brighton & Hove Council website. Watch this space for details.
Meanwhile, to combat the council's argument that the BHC is underused (not helped by their hiding it away with minimal publicity), go and use it. Read the old newspapers on microfilm. They are unbelievably fascinating. Look in the old street directories to see who lived in your house years ago. Enjoy (while you can)!
