APPENDIX 5
Memorandum submitted by Shiraz Durrani,
Principal Librarian, London Borough of Merton
1. I am submitting evidence to the inquiry
in the following capacities:
1.1 Lead person, Quality Leaders Project
for Black Library & Information Workers whose feasibility
study has been funded by the Library and Information Commission.
1.2 Principal Librarian, London Borough
of Merton.
1.3 A member of the Black community and
a refugee.
1.4 I am a member of the project team of
the Public Library Policy and Social Exclusion Project funded
by the Library and Information Commission. (You will have received
a submission from David J Muddiman, the Project Co-ordinator of
the Project.)
2. I am concerned that current public library
service does not provide adequately for Black[4]
communities.
3. I am also concerned that public libraries
do not provide adequately for the needs of the working class.
4. It is a regrettable fact that Black Library
& Information Services (LIS) workers have not achieved positions
of power and influence in the profession. This is not because
of lack of academic achievements and commitment on the part of
Black LIS workers, but through the existence of institutional
racism in the profession. The facts speak for themselves: Bob
McKee, the Chief Executive of the Library Association has said
that the profession, particularly at senior levels, does not reflect
the ethnic and cultural diversity of our communities. Only 1.2
per cent of LA members describe themselves as Asian, African or
Caribbean—a total of 286 people of whom just three individuals
declare a salary of more than £27,000 per year. (Khan, 2000).
5. In spite of the fact that many research
reports and inquiries have been undertaken—such as Clough,
E and Quarmby, J (1978), Roach, P and Morrison, M (1998), and
the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry (1999)—no substantive change
of direction has taken place in services to Black and working
class communities. The excellent standards for local authorities
by CRE remain unimplemented.
6. This lack of interest in service to Black
communities in the past is shown by the fact that the Report,
Library Services for Black and Ethnic Minority Nationalities
in the UK was totally ignored in the DNH Review of the
Public Library Service in England and Wales (1995).
7. Given commitment and support from the
highest level, it is possible to achieve success, as shown for
example in Hackney under the Black Stock Group (See Durrani, Pateman
and Durrani, 1999). Yet such progress is isolated and not capable
of sustainable growth when there is lack of continuing support
and commitment from those who hold power—mostly White, petty-bourgeois
senior managers who make policies and middle managers who interpret
and implement policies.
8. Many projects aimed at improving the
position of Black LIS workers and at improving service for Black
communities do not receive support and are shifted into a Kafkaesq
queue never to see the light of approval. For example, an application
to finance projects under the arrangements that followed the Section
11 has got nowhere.
9. Yet there are positive signs as well.
I am pleased to note the following positive moves:
9.1 The Library and Information Commission
(LIC) has sponsored some relevant research projects such as the
Public Library Policy and Social Exclusion Project, Social Exclusion
Action Planning Network, and the feasibility study for the Quality
Leaders Project for Black LIS Workers (QLP). I understand that
in their submission, the LIC have referred to these projects.
(Details about the QLP are attached[5].)
9.2 The setting up of the Social Exclusion
Unit and the general attention paid to public libraries by the
Government, including funding through the New Opportunities Fund.
9.3 The introduction of the annual planning
process in the Annual Library Plan, with its emphasis on issues
around social exclusion.
9.4 The publication of Libraries for
all: Social Inclusion in Public Libraries; Policy Guidance for
Local Authorities in England. October 1999. DCMS. This is
a welcome move as such Policy Guidelines were long overdue. (Some
comments on this are attached[6].)
9.5 The proposed introduction of Library
Standards which should provide a tool to guide developments and
specify required outcomes. Standards of service to Black communities
in terms of allocation of funds, outreach activities, specific
information on rights, language translation services, etc need
to be prescribed by Standards. Similarly, the requirement to ensure
the progression of Black LIS workers to the highest levels in
the organisation need to be covered by the Standards.
9.6 The conduct of this "CMSC Inquiry
into Libraries" is itself a welcome move indicating a new
commitment to looking into the question of the relevance of the
public library service.
10. It is important that the inquiry comes
out with a concrete plan to address the various issues highlighted
in this submission as well as those highlighted in submissions
from John Pateman, Head of Libraries & Heritage ("Public
Library Policy and Social Exclusion") and John Vincent on
behalf of the Social Exclusion Planning Network.
11. Further elaboration of some points raised
in this submission is given in attached documents and listed in
item 17 below, "List of documents".
12. Some issues that need to be resolved
are given below (item 13). Further background and recommendations
on issues raised here will be considered in Struggle against
Racial Exclusion in Libraries, a forthcoming Background Paper
from the Public Library Policy and Social Exclusion Project. The
final report of the Project itself will be available later in
the year. It is important that the inquiry provides a mechanism
for discussing, accepting and implementing recommendations from
these as an on-going exercise rather than having to wait for a
future similar inquiry.
13. Issues that need to be resolved before
the public library service to Black communities will improve include
the following:
13.1 Mechanism for empowering Black communities
so that the service decisions are taken with their involvement
and approval. The Best Value framework can provide this mechanism
if interpreted correctly.
13.2 Mechanism for ensuring that institutional
and other barriers to the promotion of Black LIS workers to decision
making positions are removed. Black staff need to be empowered
so that they are fully involved in developing service, making
policies and implementing them.
13.3 White staff need to be trained so that
they see the delivery of service to Black communities as part
of their responsibility too.
13.4 Addressing the problem of reluctance
on the part of many White managers—middle as well as senior—to
provide an "equal" service to Black communities and
eliminate institutional racism in their organisations.
13.5 Need to undertake research to establish
the needs of Black communities; also the position of Black LIS
workers and barriers to their progression to senior positions.
13.6 Additional funding of new, innovative
and creative projects to improve services to Black communities.
This needs to be linked to the provision of new ICT technologies,
along the lines of the NOF programme.
13.7 Having appropriate performance indicators
to measure the performance of library authorities in service delivery
as well as development and promotion of Black staff.
14. Some possible practical ways of meeting
the above needs are given below:
14.1 Implement fully recommendations from
Roach and Morrison as well as the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry.
14.2 Ensure that Best Value and CRE's Standards
are uniformly used as means and measure of service improvement
and for staff development.
14.3 Use Annual Library Plans to ensure
the appropriate policies are in place and implemented.
14.4 Use the Libraries for All as
a guide to action in libraries.
14.5 Strengthen clauses in the forthcoming
Library Standards as a way of combating racism.
14.6 Support the formation of workplace
and national Black Workers Group.
14.7 Support the formation of local and
national forums of Black community groups as advisory bodies which
would advise libraries on policies, practices, implementation
and monitoring of service.
14.8 Provide concrete support (financial
as well as moral) to projects such as the Quality Leaders Project
which can provide valuable lessons based on research to improve
service to Black communities as well as provide necessary experience
for Black LIS workers.
14.9 Develop communication networks on the
Internet to enable Black communities and LIS workers to document
their achievements and provide a forum of discussion which can
lead to better policies. A dedicated "BlackLISWeb" for
this is urgently needed. It would be invaluable to disseminate
research results and can provide a link between academic organisations,
government departments, local libraries and communities. The use
of the Internet will also ensure that views and experiences from
the Black Diaspora are also available. This can be linked to item
14.10 below.
14.10 Support for a regular publication
to enable Black communities, LIS workers to gain experience in
writing their experiences, suggesting policies and projects. Involvement
in writing articles, editing and publishing such a publication
will give new experience and improve self-worth among Black workers,
besides providing a social framework and a sense of community.
Similar in scope to 14.9 above, both of which can involve Black
LIS students at Universities and Colleges.
14.11 A regular national conference of Black
workers with a remit to suggest service improvements, discuss
workplace problems and suggest solutions would be invaluable.
14.12 In any policy affecting social and
economic exclusion, there is a need to address historical imbalance
suffered by the excluded communities. There is an urgent need
for an Equality Charter as part of basic human rights legislation,
with redress provided through courts of law. Experiences in other
countries and in other fields show that only such legal requirements
can eliminate social and economic exclusion.
15. The above are some ideas that need to
be further developed. If appropriate, it will be possible to give
oral evidence to the inquiry.
16. It would give a positive message to
Black communities and LIS workers as well as policy makers if
the final report of the inquiry pays sufficient attention to the
issues around race mentioned in this submission.
17. The following documents[7]
are enclosed with this submission:
17.1 Black communities and information
workers in search of social justice. New Library World: Vol.100,
No 1151 (October, 1999) pp 265-278.
17.2 Durrani, S, Pateman, J and Durrani,
N (1999) The Black and Minority Ethnic Stock Group (BSG) in
Hackney Libraries. Library Review 48 (1).
17.3 The educational role of public libraries
in combating racism and xenophobia. Paper presented at the
Second European Conference: Equality in Education, Towards
the next millennium: Collaborating to combat racism and xenophobia
across Europe. Verona, Italy 17-19 May 1999.
17.4 Motions on race and class at the Library
Association's Annual General Meeting, held on Wednesday 23 October
1996. Library Association Record. 98(9) September 1996.
17.5 Libraries for all—A tool for
change? A review of Libraries for All: Social Inclusion
in Public Libraries; Policy Guidance for Local Authorities in
England. October 1999. DCMS.
17.6 Library Services for Black and Ethnic
Minority Nationalities in the UK—A Report Prepared for the
DNH Review of Public Libraries (1994). Black & Ethnic
Minority Workers Group. London Borough of Hackney.
17.7 Community outreach and BME[8]
services.
17.8 Quality Leaders Project for Black Library
& Information Workers.
17.9 Quality Leaders Project: Meeting
the needs of communities & workers (16 December 1999).
17.10 Review of Untold Stories; Civil
Rights, Libraries, and Black Librarianship. Tucker, John Mark
(Editor). Graduate School of Library and Information Science,
University of Illinois. Champaign, IL, USA. 1998. Reviewed for
New Library World.
17.11 Service for All? Black communities
and librarians in search of social justice: a review article.
January 2000
4 The term Black is used in its political sense to
include all people from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean and all
those who consider themselves Black. It includes those born in
Britain but whose parents or grandparents came from Africa, Asia
or the Caribbean. Back
5
Not printed. Back
6
Not printed. Back
7
Not printed. Back
8
BME-Black and other Minority Ethnic Nationalities. Back
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