Memorandum submitted by the Society of
Chief Librarians
The Society of Chief Librarians, which represents
heads of service from every public library authority in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland is grateful for the opportunity to
submit the following for consideration by the Select Committee.
1. ACCESSIBILITY,
COMMUNITY, USE
AND PROVISION
Learning is fundamental to society, and libraries
have been recognised as a cornerstone to formal and informal learning
for more than a century. Many public library services are offering
many things to many people very successfully. All are creative
in the way that they utilise their resources. A growing number
are struggling to find the budget to meet evolving demand and
national standards.
Recent work by retail consultants identifies
public libraries as a well-loved brand/product that commercial
organisations would "die for":
— 60% of the population hold a library
ticket.
— 305 million books are borrowed from
3,510 libraries in England.
— On average every person in England
borrows six items a year. This equals approximately 300 million
loans. If people had to buy these books it would cost approximately
£3 billion.
— Total net expenditure on libraries
in England in 2003-04 was £772,929,000.
Originally libraries were established to provide
access for everyone to information and knowledge so that they
could make informed choices and have a better quality of life.
In the Victorian era the focus was on borrowing books.
Today the original aim remains, but the mechanisms
and resources through which people obtain information have changed
and grown exponentially to a level which creates both exciting
new possibilities and tremendous challenges to libraries and users.
Now, more than ever before, libraries have become fundamental
to the democratic process giving people the skills and opportunity
to engage in decision making, to influence opinions and be independent,
an opportunity for anyone to encounter a free and neutral space
where they are not discriminated against. The importance of knowledge
is beginning to be understood as the country tries to compete
in the global economy. Libraries have often been called powerhouses
of knowledge. In the new economy people and businesses will thrive
with the knowledge they hold and libraries are the obvious answer.
Much space is given in the national press to
declining book borrowing but this is inappropriate and misses
the point of what libraries are about. If we counted all the ways
we provide access to information and look at the quality of that,
including the book borrowing, a very different and more positive
story emerges. Focusing on the full and much wider range of library
activity and the diversity of the user groups is a much better
way to judge the contribution of libraries.
Recognise and champion the true value of Libraries
The appendix has been included (not printed
here) to demonstrate what libraries do and how they are constantly
changing to reflect the current demands of the public, increased
use and response to policy priorities.
2. LEGISLATIVE,
STRATEGIC AND
ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK
2.1 Statutory service
The fundamental underpinning of democracy, including
e-government and freedom of information further endorses the statutory
status of public libraries and the goal of ensuring that every
household is within a mile of a library. The benefits of this
are huge but little recognised and constantly understated. It
was this benefit the Government recognised and used to support
its ambition to give everyone access to the electronic revolution.
Libraries responded by delivering on time, under budget and within
a mile of almost every citizen. This allows access to the democratic
process and service provision by electronic means—the right
of every citizen. Yet the sustainability of this brilliant project
has been left to each Authority often further crippling the library
service. Where is the budget to maintain but more importantly
develop these services so that libraries continue to be at the
forefront of technology ie WiFi hotspots—not for the libraries'
sake but to maintain the dream for the people? The potential of
this network to deliver e-government, basic skills, and to support
the democratic right of the individual is still to be properly
understood.
Public Library Authorities are legally bound
to provide a public library service that is "comprehensive,
efficient and modern" but there is continuing ambiguity as
to what this means in practice, and the national standards appear
to have no true statutory status. In practice, many local authorities
are underfunded through their Revenue Support Grants; there is
no specific SSA for library provision and no general eligibility
for lottery funding. Libraries thus aspire to but simply do not
receive the funding needed to maintain and improve their services.
Libraries underpin the two big departments:
Education and Social Services. They educate and entertain children
and young people for significantly more than the 15% of the time
a child spends at school. Equally the support to those who are
the focus of Social Service care is important. Yet none of the
vast sums of money poured into these two services each year is
accessible to libraries. So libraries are left with the ever-decreasing
scraps and the ingenuity of the library staff. Should we not develop
a funding model that allocates each person with £20 or £30
worth of library service a year? This would give most authorities
budgets beyond their wildest dreams. The reality is that, on average,
people borrow and read about £66 of books a year before you
even start contemplating how much value the Internet gives them.
This actually costs them about £15 per year.
Reinforce and support the statutory nature of the
service
Set clear and unequivocal budget allocations
that require Local Authorities to fund the service properly and
consistently.
2.2 Accessing other funding streams
On the one hand libraries do not benefit from
the power of being statutory at budget setting and, on the other
hand, that status restricts access to other external funding streams.
Lottery funding is closed to libraries and yet they are one of
the best-loved local institutions which the public would be delighted
to see supported in this way. Underpinning the democratic process
in shoddy buildings does not help achieve our potential. The Heritage
Lottery could revolutionise the library presence in the community.
Libraries could deliver Bookstart if they were given the budget
however, yet again, libraries are expected to carry out this work
without additional funding while everyone else covers their costs
from the additional government funding.
2.3 Status within Government
While the Government was quick to use libraries
to deliver its electronic dream it has hidden away its support
in the bowels of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and
it often feels as if they have dropped off the Government's radar.
The influence they can bring to bear on both larger government
departments and the OPDM appears to be ineffectual and poorly
supported. As a result we get weak policy. Nowhere is this more
evident than the recent publication of National Standards. Authorities
were consulted on a set of strong standards that captured the
evidence of the fundamentals of service throughput. The majority
of Authorities were comfortable with what was proposed and so
only a few responded. However, they were completely sanitised
before publication.
Champion the National Library Standards and Impact
measures
Demand free Internet access, counting of all
the visits to libraries for genuine library related or inspired
activity and parity of expectation for both children and adults.
Realign libraries within government to ODPM
where they would be at the heart of Local Government reflecting
our role in democracy.
2.4 MLA
Much of the day-to-day involvement with libraries
has in reality been passed to their quango the Museums, Libraries
and Archives Council. There is huge merit in bringing these sectors
together but again the focus on libraries is not as sharp as it
should be. Huge money is being levered in to support museums where
there appears to be more power and influence with national museums
sitting beside the small Local Authority and private ones. MLA
has done some excellent work here. However, we feel MLA have focused
libraries too narrowly into delivery of Framework for the Future.
This was a reasonable if limited vision of libraries for 2013.
It is limited because it focuses almost totally on the features
of libraries and not on the benefits and it limits its attention
to libraries in isolation. So far responses to requests to broaden
this agenda have not been answered.
Require MLA to take an inclusive and wide ranging
view of libraries and include libraries more in their thinking
on such things as learning. The focus should be on impacts and
differences that can be made not just on National Offers.
MLA is doing a great deal of effective work
to help libraries improve themselves. The huge value of libraries
is recognised and the work on upskilling is vital. New approaches
and new skills are required, libraries are rapidly changing their
staffing profile and looking for new skill sets to support the
new style service.
Overtly support and finance The National Marketing
Campaign which evidences why libraries are such a vital community.
Extend and enhance the leadership training.
The current review and discussions about the
future role of MLA should involve more people and should be more
transparent.
Consult Chief Librarians on future organisation of
MLA, especially at a regional level.
Test the huge cost and negligible benefit of
Regional Agencies.
3. SPECIAL LIBRARY
SERVICES—PEOPLE
WITH DISABILITIES
This is an area missing from the Framework and
where libraries need some help. The access needs of all disabled
people is important and many libraries need financial help not
just to improve physical access but also to purchase relevant
materials and support. Particularly disadvantaged however are
visually impaired people and the print disabled. Great strides
have been made but some crucial changes are needed.
All VIPs should be able to have accessible resources
All publishers should deposit at the British
Library an electronic copy of their publications and British Library
should be charged (and funded accordingly) to make these available
thus producing accessible books so that ALL people can enjoy access
to enjoyment or information.
Services to children
A major opportunity for libraries is the developing
children's agenda, but again the role and value of the service
needs recognising and including in key policies. Children's services,
trusts and inspection should all include a child's access to both
the public and schools library service.
Services to disadvantaged people
The needs of the disadvantaged in our society
are also often only addressed by the library service, ensuring
migrant workers, asylum seekers and other disenfranchised groups
have a communication link and support in a safe environment.
Libraries of regional significance
A number of authorities have libraries that
were built to support a population much bigger than the local
communities. Often in cities these libraries provide specialist
support to business, researchers and inventors as well as those
interested in local and family history. These are centres of excellence
that should be encouraged and receive additional investment.
Local Authorities with libraries of regional significance
should receive additional budget support nationally. There is
also a similar case for those central London libraries whose local
population—and therefore local budget—is small but
whose daytime population and, therefore, library membership is
huge.EFFICIENCIES
Libraries were cited in the Government budget
as a potential source for efficiency savings. Many library authorities
are already leading the way within their councils with the introduction
of electronic ordering, delivery and invoicing, supplier selection
of library materials and purchasing consortia. They have also
been quite radical and reduced a number of traditional library
activities. MLA is leading a national feasibility study into further
advances and national approaches that could further revolutionise
supply for some. There are economies of scale that could be achieved
through better procurement methods but this should then be offset
against the need to provide the resource for a quality service
with good buildings, design and presentation.
CONCLUSION
Libraries as can be seen to offer so much to
so many. Libraries have worked hard with local people to deliver
this. Any hint of local reduction in service is greeted by major
local objection. If Freedom of Information really means anything
we must protect this vital public institution and support it to
change and adapt. We suffer so much from rosy glow memories of
everyone's childhood reading "Swallows and Amazons"
or "Just William". Those days have long gone—we
need overt champions who don't take us for granted. We need advocates
in Government who recognise and are willing to help us realise
our potential. We need rapid and accurate response to the issues
raised such as procurement. Yes, there is money to be saved but
many authorities have already saved it and ploughed it back into
service delivery but because of ineffectual support this issue
has been allowed to run and run.
Over the last few years change in libraries
has been significant, our innovation, partnership working, creativity,
reinvention and sheer determination to continuously improve services
is a good example to others. Only marginal increases in funding
has made a huge difference. It would be helpful if this inquiry
would concentrate on what has been achieved with so little for
so long—in this competitive world government must champion
a service that no longer wishes to "make do and mend"
but realise its full potential with passion and power. We are
ready. We just need resourcing.
November 2004
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