Memorandum submitted by the Audit Commission
The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog
responsible for ensuring that public money is spent economically,
efficiently and effectively. We are active in local government,
health, housing, criminal justice and fire and rescue services
and consequently have objective evidence on the overall impact
of public services on users. In addition to making sure that taxpayers
receive value for money, our aim is to provide impartial information
on the quality of public services. We also act as a force for
improvement by providing practical recommendations and spreading
best practice. We are committed to working in partnership with
other regulators and to ensuring that our own activities also
represent value for the taxpayer.
Further details about the Commission can be
obtained from its website www.audit-commission.gov.uk
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. The Audit Commission welcomes the focus
of the Committee on public libraries and is pleased to submit
evidence to this inquiry. There has been considerable debate about
public access to libraries and their role in the 21st Century.
We believe that this inquiry will make a vital and necessary contribution
to improving library services.
2. There has been a notable improvement
in library opening hours and we see evidence of local authorities
consulting more with the local community and piloting different
service delivery options. However, we are concerned about access
to library services. We have found that few of these services
have been fully accessible to all members of the community—for
example, barriers created by physical access, languages, signing
and interpretation.
3. We believe that libraries should focus
on their unique selling points around information stewardship
and community-based outreach to promote reading and literacy.
The key to increasing the public's use of libraries is to develop
services that are more responsive to diverse and emerging needs.
For example, access to the internet for informal and formal learning,
access to a wider range of information, music, and specific schemes
such as Summer Reading and study support. (Appendix 1 contains
some examples of what some councils have done to increase the
use of public libraries.)
4. The legislative framework for library
services continues to lack clarity in some respects. There is
still ambiguity over what constitutes "comprehensive and
efficient" in the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.
The mechanisms for enforcing standards are unclear. There may
be a role for more explicit guidance and support from national
and regional bodies and direction from government to ensure that
a consistent level of core service is provided.
5. The work in progress to develop impact
measures for library services, involving a range of key stakeholders,
is an important development and we look forward to these being
a valuable addition to the revised Public Library Service Standards
in due course.
INTRODUCTION
6. The Audit Commission's submission to
this inquiry is based on its knowledge of the public library sector
through: its inspection role and its work with Department of Culture,
Media and Sports (DCMS); non-departmental public bodies such as
the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and its regional
agencies on developing performance management frameworks for libraries,
and promoting improvement within the sector.
BACKGROUND
7. We have undertaken approximately 86 inspections
of library services, over half of all library authorities, and
in addition a number of inspections which included libraries alongside
other cultural services since 1999 in England and Wales. The inspection
score for library services (or, in its absence, leisure services)
is currently the major component in the Comprehensive Performance
Assessment (CPA)[6]
score for library and leisure block.
8. From an analysis of inspection reports
we conclude that our categorisations of library services have
placed over half in the fair and poor categories, although we
have also concluded that between 50 and 60% have promising or
excellent prospects for improvement.
9. We have published two major reports on
library services in recent years (Due for Renewal in 1997
and Building Better Library Services in 2002). The 2002
report summarised the findings of the first 36 inspections we
had undertaken. Our findings in later and more recent inspections
continue to support these conclusions and we have registered other
examples of libraries fulfilling wider roles. Some of these features
are described in Appendix 1 (attached).
10. Building Better Library Services,
which gave rise to two detailed checklists to challenge services
(Appendix 2b), has subsequently been drawn upon and reflected
in the DCMS Framework for the Future report and in other
publications, such as Overdue.[7]
Our conclusions in the Building Better
Libraries report remain valid and the basis upon which councils
and library services should address improvement. We believe it
offers a sound basis of evidence for the Select Committee inquiry.
ACCESSIBILITY OF
LOCAL LIBRARIES
11. Our reports have frequently commented
on the impact of budget cuts or other organisational constraints
on opening times and on issues of physical access.
12. The Audit Commission has promoted joint
use of buildings, usage of other outlets not owned by the council
(such as post offices), revision of mobile routes, and better
usage of 24 hour on-line booking. The majority of library buildings
are in historical locations; not all authorities have reviewed
whether or not these are the best locations. Furthermore, some
authorities have been slow to close libraries that are no longer
serving a purpose and to rationalise provision. Nevertheless there
are examples where authorities have taken steps to rationalise
services, reduce numbers of buildings, and reinvest resources
to improve remaining facilities.
13. The physical access to libraries or
library services provided remotely must be accompanied by the
library services having the items and facilities to satisfy customer
needs. Few library services that have been inspected by the Audit
Commission have been fully accessible to all members of the community—physical
access, languages, signing and interpretation. In some cases libraries
still lack plans around improving physical access—often
part of a larger issue within the council. This issue has become
more pressing with the new legal obligations imposed by the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995. Many inspection reports found that some
library facilities did not meet the requirements of the Act. Plans
and investment were not always in place to bring the facilities
up to the required standard.
14. Our inspections have registered improvement
in opening hours and this is reflected in other published information.
Local authorities are also consulting more on opening times and
piloting different options eg extended opening hours on Sundays.
It is important that a "one size fits all" approach
is not imposed so that services can meet local needs and aspirations.
15. Our 2002 report highlighted the fact
that less than 60% of library visitors who were seeking a specific
book were able to find it. We also reported that book stock tended
to reflect specific groupings, eg older people, therefore libraries
reinforced the relative narrowness of the client age group: those
people who can find the books they want continue to use the service,
those who don't go elsewhere.
16. In partnership with DCMS and MLA, we
have resourced the development of a "quality fiction and
poetry" self assessment tool which should provide the means
by which councils can hold themselves to account (and to be held
to account by others). The purpose of this is to demonstrate the
degree of appropriateness and range of the book stock. We are
exploring the feasibility of using this tool as one of the factors
in the future CPA culture block to assess performance.
17. In contrast to the adverse comments
on book stock in our reports, we have registered increasingly
positive performance by councils and library services in the provision
of internet access supported by the People's Network investment.
INCREASING THE
PUBLIC USAGE
OF LIBRARY
SERVICES
18. Our 2002 report and checklist emphasised
the importance of providing services and facilities which customers
want; expanding the customer group, focusing on improving library
experiences; and to be less inward looking and "existing"
customer focused—to explore the needs of the non-user and
the past users.
19. But an important consideration is that
although "books" are significant in meeting the needs
of library users, and reflect the traditional view of the library
service, there are other products that are of public interest
and increasingly meet public need. For example, access to the
internet for informal and formal learning, access to a wider range
of information, music, and specific schemes such as Summer Reading
and study support. In short, a feature of modernised library services
is responsiveness to different and emerging needs, not just adhering
to traditional book lending services. We believe that participation
in library services should be measured through a variety of mechanisms
not just footfall into buildings.
20. The introduction of cheaper books in
supermarkets and the wealth of information available on the internet
will continue to impact on usage of traditional services. In Building
Better Libraries, we recommended that libraries should be
focusing on their unique selling points around information stewardship
(helping people find the information they need whether from traditional
or electronic sources), providing books and information that people
want, outreach to promote reading and literacy, and raising awareness
among the public.
FUNDING OF
LOCAL LIBRARIES
AND THE
BALANCE OF
SPENDING
21. Spending on books and printed materials
has dropped relative to the levels of spending on electronic information
sources and technology. (CIPFA Public Library Actual statistics).
22. There are undoubtedly efficiency gains
to be made in public library services through changing the way
"back room" functions operate. This is particularly
true of the procurement of library materials and inter-library
loan systems. There has been some debate but to date, progress
has been limited. The procurement of book stock (both contributing
to high processing costs as well as higher acquisition costs),
which is currently undertaken by individual library services,
is likely to be the focus of future work by the Audit Commission.
We anticipate that the Audit Commission will review these arrangements
during the coming 18 months.
23. Overall, spending on library services
has reduced in real terms and libraries are often seen as softer
services by councils faced with making tough budget decisions.
However, some gained budget increases in order to meet the public
library standards but these were often one off increases and spending
is not as well informed by performance information as it should
be.
PERFORMANCE LEVELS
AND INFORMATION
24. The potential to drive improvement in
the library service through the use of performance information
is considerable, however, local and national performance management
systems are not extracting as much out of the data as they could
and should. Data available is neither always well used nor targeted
to demonstrate performance levels in some key areas, this is an
issue for councils as well as all key stakeholders. It does not
currently lead to the sort of public reporting where local performance
is readily used as the comparative baseline for improvement and
for which lines of accountability can be identified. Of all the
activities within the culture sector, the library service lends
itself to most scrutiny of performance data.
25. The Audit Commission has relied in the
past primarily on inspection scores over the past two years to
grade councils in the libraries and leisure block for CPA. In
future, we will be seeking to place a much stronger emphasis on
performance data. We intend to access a richer data set for CPA
2005 and to add to this data profile in the future. This will
provide the opportunity for better public reporting.
26. However, the data is often too focused
on process—measuring rates of performance or levels of book
stock. There is a place for this information as a measure of the
effectiveness of the service but it lacks a qualitative perspective.
In order to get a clearer picture, we need more information about
the impact of library services—how the services are contributing
to quality of life and outcomes for their communities.
27. We have worked with DCMS on the development
of the revised Public Library Service Standards. We have supported
the principle of streamlining the previous standards to make them
more meaningful. However, in our response to the Government consultation,
we felt that standards lack necessary breadth. For example, except
for a satisfaction measure, there are no service standards on
services to children and young people or the elderly who are key
target groups for councils. Consequently, we believe that the
service standards are necessary and represent an improved focus,
they are unable to contribute as fully as they should to assessments
about service delivery in these critical areas.
28. Similarly the standards have a limited
coverage of service efficiency. None of the measures assess whether
the service is providing value for money (VFM). This is a critical
and important area in order to demonstrate improvement. We have
emphasised the need to address VFM issues and to enable these
to be added to the basket of service standards in future years.
29. Additionally, we believe that the standards
should be a tool for improvement. As such, greater clarity is
needed about what sanctions or support are available when standards
are not met.
30. Work is progressing on "impact
measures" for public library services and we remain committed
to contributing to their development. Much is asserted about the
contribution of library services to improved outcomes but this
is often anecdotal and based more upon belief than evidence. The
impact measures which we hope will be the basis of work in 2005-06
will go some way to using research and levels of activity at council
level to contribute to an assessment of effectiveness.
EFFECTIVENESS OF
THE LEGISLATIVE,
STRATEGIC AND
ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK
31. The existing legislative, strategic
and administrative framework for public libraries lacks components
that would make it fully effective. Despite the introduction of
public library standards and the ensuing improvements to many
library services, there is still a lack of clarity over what constitutes
"comprehensive and efficient" in the 1964 Public Libraries
and Museums Act. It is also unclear what steps DCMS would be able
to take if it found that a library authority was not providing
a comprehensive and efficient service.
32. It is right that public library services
should be provided locally by councils as this enables them to
focus on local people. However, there may be a role for more explicit
guidance and support from national and regional bodies and direction
from government to ensure that a consistent level of core service
is provided. We might define "core service" as the lending
of books and other materials; the provision of an effective information
service using both traditional and IT based sources; promoting
reading to adults and children; supporting and promoting learning
opportunities; and providing access to information technology.
Each of these areas could be provided in a way that is more customer-focused
and ensures VFM. In addition to these core services, public library
authorities need to have the flexibility to provide additional
and often innovative services either directly or in partnership
with others to meet the needs of local people.
33. The Audit Commission welcomes the publication
of Framework for the Future in 2003 which is a step in
the right direction and clearly sets out the Government's views
on the role of public libraries. However, some have voiced concerns
that the impetus of Framework has been lost or subsumed
in other messages—for instance numerous projects have been
set up to deliver improvements and solve problems but with limited
apparent outcomes reported to date. The sector is disparate and
the culture of seeking consensus at times restricts decisive action
in pushing change through quickly. This is however tempered by
a lack of response to consultations on important developments
such as the revisions to the Public Library Service Standards,
for example only one third of library authorities responded to
the consultation on this.
34. The revised service standards do not
fully measure whether public library authorities are providing
a "comprehensive and efficient" service. This has been
dealt with above in the section on performance management.
35. Our experience is that some of the MLA
Council regional bodies know their library services well but,
largely because they are relatively new, others do not. The variability
limits the agencies' ability to provide support and guidance to
public library services, collect and share good practice and to
highlight areas where improvement is needed. The role of the regional
agencies is unclear in many of these areas limiting their effectiveness.
RECRUITMENT AND
TRAINING OF
LIBRARY STAFF
36. A significant issue is the lack of leadership
and advocacy skills at senior management level within public libraries.
This impacts on how much councils are able to understand and challenge
the contribution and value of public libraries (and also on the
funding they are prepared to invest) and on the quality of service
that they provide. It also impacts on a service's ability to work
in partnership across its departments and externally.
37. The issues around leadership and advocacy
are likely to become more pronounced in the future as there is
evidence to suggest that fewer people are choosing public libraries
as a career. It also needs to be recognised that a high level
of technical competence as a librarian does not necessarily equate
to a good service manager and leader. There needs to be an acceptance
that library leaders of the future do not need to be professional
librarians (though they will need competent librarians to support
them). Through our work we have seen little evidence of succession
or workforce planning within the sector, and young people graduating
from professional librarianship courses are entering other professions
and sectors rather than joining the public library service.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
AND INSPECTION
REPORTS
38. Recent publications, for example Culture
at the Heart of Regeneration, 21st Century Libraries—Changing
Forms, Changing Futures and in Better Public Libraries
as well as in our recent inspection reports have concluded that
forward looking services have been able to seize the opportunity
to rise to the challenges of falling usage and competition from
the high street, and re-focus their activity.
39. Some highlighted findings of recent
Audit Commission inspection reports are set out in Appendix 1.
6 Comprehensive performance assessment (CPA) is about
helping local councils in England improve local services for their
communities. CPA looks at how well the council delivers their
services, for example education, social care and housing. It also
considers how well the council is run, as this will impact on
how they deliver their services in the future. Back
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Demos 2003. Back
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