Memorandum submitted by the FRILLS service,
part of Camden Information Services
This submission relates to the trend by central
Government and others of using the Internet as the sole channel
for information provision to the exclusion of printed material.
The FRILLS service was set up in 1992 by the
then Arts Ministry to offer a subscription service supplying free
information booklets and leaflets to public libraries throughout
the UK. The service supplies 800 titles covering health, education,
legal rights, welfare benefits, consumer, employment, disabled
rights etc. Most of these are published by government departments.
A key aim of the service is to make widely available information
to enable people to access services, exercise their full rights
and play a full part as citizens. The service has subscribers
in 90 library authorities throughout the UK and has monitored
a significant level of concern and strength of feeling among libraries
on this issue.
This concern is over a trend for government
departments and others to cease publication in hard copy and publish
on the internet only. The Department of Trade and Industry is
one example—most of their consumer titles will no longer
be distributed in printed form.
This causes the following difficulties:
— Information is available to fewer
people, particularly those without internet access and the skills/assertiveness
to access and request information.
— Libraries are forced to bear the
cost of printing, or to charge for what was free information—this
is significant when booklets run to 40 pages or more. Costs are
being shifted from central government to library services.
— Libraries' staff do not have time
to find information on the internet.
— Libraries do not have the printing
capacity.
— Information enquiries take much longer
to answer and drop in number.
We believe the solution is to continue to publish
in hard copy and enhance access by also publishing on the internet.
12 November 2004
| 
