II. MONITORING AND MAINTAINING LIBRARY
STANDARDS
7. The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires
library authorities (County Councils, Unitary Authorities, London
Boroughs and Metropolitan Districts) to "provide a comprehensive
and efficient library service for all persons desiring to make
use thereof".[13]
The Act also makes it a duty of the Secretary of State for Culture,
Media and Sport "to secure the proper discharge by local
authorities of the functions in relation to libraries conferred
on them as library authorities by or under this Act".[14]
These requirements placed upon both local authorities and upon
the Secretary of State have remained undefined, making more difficult
the enforcement of the relevant provisions of the 1964 Act.[15]
8. In recent years, the Government has taken some
steps forward in seeking to give greater force to the requirements
of the 1964 Act. Since 1998, all library authorities have been
required to produce Annual Library Plans that include reviews
of past performance and strategies and targets for the current
and future years.[16]
The Annual Library Plans assist library authorities in focusing
their resources. The DCMS monitors the quality of Annual Library
Plans. Mr Alan Howarth said that if a local authority's plan was
considered inadequate the authority would be required to "think
again and to come back to us with an improved plan".[17]
9. On 15 May 2000, the DCMS published a consultation
paper on Comprehensive and Efficient Standards for Modern Public
Libraries. That document sets out the public library standards
that the DCMS proposes to apply, including an "intervention
point" below which authorities would be in breach of their
statutory duty to provide "a comprehensive and efficient
library service".[18]
The paper asks for comments on the proposed standards to be submitted
by early July 2000.[19]
Consultation has already taken place prior to publication of that
document, which was developed in partnership with the LGA and
the Library Association.[20]
The national library standards are intended to become operational
from April 2001.[21]
10. In evidence to this Committee in advance of the
publication of the consultation paper, the LGA told us that it
regarded the concept of published standards as "timely, beneficial
to library authorities and a basis for partnership working between
central and local government".[22]
The LGA expected the library standards to provide clearer definitions
of the requirement to provide a "comprehensive and efficient"
service. Mr Neville Mackay, the Chief Executive of MLAC, stated
that the development of "commonly agreed and defined performance
indicators, benchmarks [and] standards [will allow] a rational
assessment about the performance or role of individual libraries
as well as groups of libraries together within library authorities
... The work the DCMS have begun in developing performance indicators
and benchmarks for libraries will be very helpful in that respect."[23]
11. The Government's consultation paper on public
library standards was published after we concluded taking evidence
as part of this inquiry. Nevertheless, we welcome the Government's
efforts to put flesh on the bones of the requirement in the Public
Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to provide a "comprehensive
and efficient" library service. We expect that the new library
standards on which the Government is now consulting will assist
in driving up standards of public library provision. We also expect
that when the standards come into force they reflect the conclusions
and recommendations of this Report.
12. The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLAC)
became operational in April 2000.[24]
MLAC replaced the LIC and the Museums and Galleries Commission
(MGC) as the strategic leadership and policy body for the museums,
libraries and archives sectors. MLAC has identified a number of
key areas for development of libraries.[25]
Central to that development is a holistic approach across MLAC's
sectorial responsibilities. Lord Evans of Temple Guiting, Chairman
of MLAC, said that "one of the missions I have ... is to
try and link in the two government departments most concerned
with libraries and education, DCMS and DfEE ... I have spent a
great deal of time at the DfEE talking with them about the importance
of libraries in their plans for Lifelong Learning and all their
educational initiatives."[26]
13. Lord Evans said in relation to MLAC's remit:
"We know what the agenda is with public libraries because
in a way we have been inventing it over the last four years and
we will continue to push very hard for everything that we have
been pushing hard for and the matters that have been brought forward".[27]
The precise role of MLAC, or "Resource" as it now
prefers to call itself, within the library sector remains shadowy.
For example, there is no reference to the role of the new body
in the Government's recently published document on library standards.
We recommend that the Government clarify the precise roles which
it expects "Resource" to perform in the library sector
as a matter of urgency.
14. The roles for MLAC are, of course, dependent
to some extent upon the resources available to it. Lord Evans
said: "If we do not get extra resources it would have been
rather pointless forming this new organisation".[28]
We agree. It is incumbent upon the Government to send the right
signals to the library sector by increasing its financial commitment
to the strategic body which it has chosen to create.
13 Comprehensive and Efficient Standards for Modern
Public Libraries: A Consultation Paper
(hereafter Comprehensive and Efficient Standards), Department
for Culture, Media and Sport, May 2000, para 6. Back
14 Ibid,
para 5. Back
15 Ibid,
paras 9-10. Back
16 Evidence,
p 64. Back
17 Q
163. Back
18 Comprehensive
and Efficient Standards,
para 16. Back
19 Ibid,
para 55. Back
20 Ibid,
para 1. Back
21 Q
153. Back
22 Evidence,
p 29. Back
23 Q
273. Back
24 Evidence,
p 95. Back
25 Evidence,
p 96. Back
26 Q
253. Back
27 Q
268. Back
28 Q
270. Back
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