Memorandum submitted by Knowsley Metropolitan
Borough Council
You have invited written submissions from interested
individuals and organisations. I have enclosed a report for your
perusal, an examination of Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Library Service. This has been undertaken by Elected Members in
Knowsley, and has examined all areas of service. The report has
been considered and endorsed by the Council's main Cabinet, and
also by the Education, Training and Culture Scrutiny Committee.
It reflects a number of themes pertinent to your inquiry into
the current state of the service and its future development, that
is applicable nationally.
I submit this report in the hope that it contributes
further in assisting the Culture, Media and Sport Committee evaluate
the purpose and contribution of library services to local, regional
and national agendas.
REPORT OF THE LIBRARY WORKING GROUP
1. PURPOSE OF
THE REPORT
This report presents the main findings of the
Library Working Group, a sub-committee of the Education, Training
and Culture Scrutiny Committee, set up to examine the main areas
of policy and practice of the Council's Library Service.
2. RECOMMENDATIONS
Members are requested to note the main findings
and endorse the recommendations of the Library Working Group.
The recommendations are wide-ranging and are captured in a whole
section of the report at 4.0 Key Issues/Key Findings. The findings
and recommendations of the Library Working Group were further
scrutinised and endorsed at the Education, Training and Culture
Scrutiny Committee on 6 October 2004. It was agreed that the Report
be subsequently referred to Cabinet for approval.
3. BACKGROUND
The Library Working Group was commissioned at
the Education and Culture Scrutiny Committee meeting of October
2003, to evaluate and scrutinise the Library Service, and to report
on the key development areas to ensure continued success for the
service. The membership of the working party comprised Councillors
EA Baker, T Grierson, RS Maguire, AK Moorhead, I Smith, GA Wright
(Chair) and officers from the Department of Leisure and Community
Services.
A sequence of meetings took place between November
2003 and April 2004. The key issues and main findings are reported
below.
4. KEY ISSUES/KEY
FINDINGS
4.1 Supporting lifelong learning and community
development
4.1.1 Services to Schools
The work of the School Library Service (SLS)
underpins Knowsley's Educational Development Plan priorities of:
raising self esteem, aspiration and achievement; promoting inclusive
approaches to learning; learning in the early years; developing
a learning community. It provides quality services by offering
a comprehensive Service Level Agreement to:
— Supply quality resources to support
the National Curriculum and encourage improvements in literacy
and numeracy.
— Provide advice and consultancy from
trained and experienced members of staff on all library and resource
based issues.
— Provide training courses for teachers,
dedicated library staff, and parent and pupil volunteers on managing
a school library and its resources.
Challenges
Each school in Knowsley is offered a Service
Level Agreement per academic year which covers resources and time.
Currently 46 primary, eight secondary and eight special schools
have SLAs, equivalent to 77.5% of schools:
— Falling roll numbers in schools highlighted
by the School's Commission report will affect the income SLS receive
from schools.
— Attracting the schools who do not
currently have a service level agreement to opt in.
— Maintaining current high standards
in items that are loaned to schools.
— To be aware of and exploit local
and national strategies and developments eg "Building Schools
for the Future"—advice on the design and role of library
and learning centre developments within schools.
— Developments in ICT—implications
for resource provision and support.
Strategies to meet challenges
— Partnerships are being developed
with key agencies such as New Deal for Communities, Sure Start,
and the City Learning Centres to ensure Libraries' contribution
to developing their agenda is known and valued.
— Marketing to non participating schools.
— Establishing closer links with the
Department of Education and Lifelong Learning eg liaising with
School Improvement Officers, consulting with Head Teachers.
— Benchmarking with other local authorities'
services to ensure developing service provision and value for
money.
— Continuous customer evaluation.
Recommendations to Education and Culture
Scrutiny Committee
The Library Working Group noted that the School
Library Service represented value for money and provided a good
cost effective service. Concern was raised at the number of schools
that were not using the service and whether they were using their
resources in a prudent manner. It was recommended that:
— encouragement be given to schools
to sign up to the Service Level Agreement;
— examination of what the schools that
had not bought into the service were using the funding for;
— the Education Department look at
the opportunities regarding the delegation of funds, including
the possibility of ring-fencing the funding.
4.1.2 Supporting adult and family learning
Learning and training is a key theme for Knowsley,
and Leisure and Community Services are supporting this agenda
through a series of formal and informal initiatives that contribute
to educational, personal and social development.
The initiatives developed by the Library Service
are designed to contribute to raising educational attainment and
to supporting the Educational Development Plan, the Early Years
Plan, and the Adult Learning Plan.
The Library Service considers providing study
and homework facilities as a core service. It underpins the learning
agenda for adults, children and young people by meeting their
educational and recreational needs, contributing to raising educational
standards and serving the educational needs of the schools. Facilities
provided include:
— access to information in a variety
of formats;
— access to ICT resources—each
library offers free access to PCs, Microsoft Office packages,
networked CD-ROMs, Internet and subscription websites;
— space and appropriate furniture to
enable study;
— materials to produce their work;
— printing and photocopying;
— trained staff to assist with locating
and interacting with information;
— access to online learning eg Learndirect,
European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL); and
— open learning packages.
Homework support is available every day in each
library, and the Library Service actively participates in national
learning events such as Adult learners Week, and Family Learning
Weekend.
Challenges
Public libraries are supporters and enablers
of lifelong learning in all its guises. Key challenges are:
— Ensuring provision is complementary
to other learning centres in Knowsley.
— Developing on-line learning which
meets the needs of our communities.
— Effective evaluation which demonstrates
impact ie quality as well as numbers attending.
Strategies to meet challenges
— Investigate the introduction of additional
courses eg digital photography.
— Provide a range of activities for
Family Learning Weekend and Adult Learning Week.
— Comply with the new guidelines for
Learndirect.
— Improve participation in Skills for
Life and Skills for Families initiatives.
— Provide access to tailor-made online
learning opportunities eg Read IT.
— Using the Inspiring Learning Framework
to develop more meaningful impact assessment.
Recommendations to Education and Culture
Scrutiny Committee
The Library Working Group welcomed and endorsed
the work of the Library Service. Members stated that the service
should ensure:
— That distance learners had contact
with staff.
— That courses were advertised widely
including promotion to small businesses.
— That services were benchmarked against
other Local Authorities.
4.1.3 New mobile facility and outreach team
Outreach is a newly formed team supporting individuals
and groups across the community. The team incorporates the Mobile
library and the Housebound service. Together they deliver books
and resources to those young and old, who for whatever reason
experience difficulty in accessing a branch library. The staff
are held in high regard by customers as evidenced in comment forms.
The service visits villages such as Cronton,
Tarbock, Knowsley and other outlying areas in the borough, but
is looking to expand these routes on the arrival of a new Mobile
vehicle later in the year. The Outreach team has worked with partners
in New Deal for Communities and the Education Department to set
up and run community libraries in four local schools.
Challenges
— Retaining existing customers while
trying to attract new ones.
— Increasing levels of participation
in community events.
— Implementing innovative ideas to
further increase Mobile library usage.
— Amalgamating Housebound and Mobile
services without causing undue disruption to customers.
— Providing resources for new Mobile
and Housebound vehicles.
Strategies to meet challenges
— To take the library out into the
community in order to reach potential users and hard to reach
groups.
— New, smaller Mobile will give a wider
coverage of the borough, enabling new routes to be developed,
and their effectiveness regularly evaluated and revised accordingly.
— Staff are actively encouraged to
be proactive and to input their ideas via the library Promotion
Group meetings.
— Customer feedback is constantly sought
and acted upon, including surveys on potential new routes.
Recommendations to Education and Culture
Scrutiny Committee
The Library Working Group endorsed the work
of the Library Service in taking the service out into the community
in order to reach potential users and hard to reach groups. It
was recommended that:
— Revenue funding was available for
the proposed new service and has been identified within the libraries'
revenue budget.
— The new Mobile facility would enable
further progress to be made in meeting Public Library Standards
set by the Government.
— Residents groups, through their contacts
with the community and various networks, could assist in promoting
the take-up of services.
4.1.4 Widening access
The Library Service is a statutory service of
the Council. Public Library Standards have been formulated by
the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Service currently
meets 19 out of a total of 26 defined Standards, and is working
towards meeting the remainder. Two key areas for improvement are:
PLS 1 "Proportion of households living within
specified distance of a static library"
PLS 3 "Aggregate opening hours per 1,000
population".
Challenges
— Create at least one additional library
space.
— Increase library opening hours.
Strategies to meet challenges
— The proposed new library facility
in the Tower Hill Primary Care/Community Facility will increase
accessibility.
— Increased opening hours across all
libraries are being implemented in October 2004.
Work with the Institute of Public Finance has
confirmed that it would not be economically viable to serve the
many isolated pockets of the community with a static service.
By incorporating mobile library routes, IPF calculate that 99%
of the Borough's population can be counted as able to access library
services by residing within a one mile radius of a service "outlet".
We have consulted our customers with regards
to what they feel are best opening hours for the service, and
are negotiating further changes with staff.
Recommendations to Education and Culture
Scrutiny Committee
The Library Working Group endorsed the proposal
for the Tower Hill library space.
Education, Training and Culture Scrutiny
Committee additionally endorsed the possibility of investing in
permanent additional library space within the Tower Hill library
facility.
4.2 Reading and stock development
4.2.1 Supporting reading and ensuring adequate
resources
The Library Service contributes to the development
of reading by:
— Supporting the work of adult basic
skills classes through the provision of venues, stock and staff
support.
— Creating welcoming and friendly environments.
— Provision of deposit collections
in eg Community Centres, College basic skills units.
— Selecting attractive, accessible
resources that provide for all ages, abilities, interests and
gender.
— Engaging in initiatives for young
children to encourage a love of books and reading such as Book
Start, Story and craft sessions for under fives, after school
activities, and summer reading schemes.
— Organising events to promote reading
and to encourage families to participate in activities together.
— Supporting the delivery of the Literacy
Strategy in schools by providing tailor made resource packs for
Key Stages 1, 2 and 3.
The Library Service is customer focused with
stocks reflecting the needs, wants, interests and abilities of
the community. It is based on customer consultation and patterns
of use, with consideration given to resources for:
— People with disabilities.
— People with learning difficulties.
Selection is co-ordinated centrally, ensuring
economies of scale, and using the latest electronic selection
and ordering technology. Selection includes input from staff and
library users.
Challenges
— More effective marketing especially
to lapsed users and teenagers.
— Competing with other pastime pursuits
for people's valued "leisure" time.
— Finding new partners to support our
agenda, and maximising existing partnerships.
— Ensuring policies continue to evolve.
Strategies to meet challenges
— Increase take-up of the Creative
Writing competition and creative writing groups.
— Encourage customer feedback through
interaction with staff, via stock suggestion cards, email and
telephone.
— Extend and increase book promotions
in libraries.
— Update and redesign online reader
development training.
— Extend service beyond libraries for
those who are unable to access stock collections within buildings.
— Work closely in partnership with
others who are trying to develop and extend reading habits to
new audiences.
Recommendations to Education and Culture
Scrutiny Committee
The Library Working Group endorsed the policies
and practices of the Library Service. It was agreed that:
— The policy for the selection of books
ensures that resources are free from racial, religious or political
bias.
— It is important that the resources
give value for money, with an emphasis on the importance of the
request service and inter-lending arrangements between local authorities.
— Customer consultation is a very high
priority in order to ensure that libraries are stocking resources
that customers wanted.
4.3 Access to information
4.3.1 The Information Service
The role of the Information Service is to collect,
disseminate and provide access to information for all who live,
work, study in, or visit the Borough, and act as the first point
of contact for people seeking information on whatever subject.
Information is provided in a range of formats
and makes full use of the Council's Community Information Network
to provide:
— Free access to relevant, quality
assured websites.
— Access to community information databases
eg Citizens Advice Bureau electronic information service.
— Reference collections of printed
material at all service points.
— Assistance and advice from trained
staff.
Increasingly, information services are delivered
electronically. The Library Service is currently contributing
to e-Government initiatives including Customer Relationship Management,
and Enterprise National Workflow programme.
Challenges
— Keeping pace with the change of ICT
development.
— Present mobile library cannot yet
deliver online services.
— Cannot presently offer 24/7 access
to library resources via current Library Management System.
— Managing Internet filtering.
— No electronically enabled PC management
system at present.
Strategies to meet challenges
— Funding for a new Library Management
System has been agreed as part of an overall e-Council project
linking Departmental Leisure ICT systems to the Council's Customer
Relationship Management system.
— The Service is presently developing
projects to introduce touch-screen kiosks and e-books.
— Partnership developed with the City
Learning Centres through a jointly-funded post to devise content
and develop joint working projects across the two services.
— ICT online availability planned as
part of new mobile library service.
Recommendations to Education and Culture
Scrutiny Committee
Members welcomed the developments the Library
Service was making, including the piloting of e-book services.
It was endorsed that:
— The new Library Management System
will bring enormous benefits to the service, making it web enabled
and making the service more pro-active with customers.
— The pilot scheme to assess the potential
use of e-books could provide useful information to schools about
children's reading.
— The new Library Management System
would provide considerable scope for accessing online journals
and e-books via home, school or office access.
5. RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS
5.1 Financial
The major financial implication is the requirement
to meet Public Library Standards.
5.2 Human
There are no human resource implications.
5.3 Information Technology
A replacement Library Management System is currently
being implemented, and will integrate with other Departmental
and Council systems
5.4 Physical Assets
Plans are in place to improve access to Library
Services with the development of a Library Access Point as part
the new Tower Hill PCT facility.
6. RISK ASSESSMENT
The Library Service is required to meet all
Audit Commission Public Library Standards.
7. IMPACT ON
POPULATION GROUPS
The Library Service aims to serve the relevant
needs of all population groups in Knowsley. The Library Position
Statement sets out policies and development practices for meeting
the expressed needs of those who live, work, study, or visit the
borough. These needs have been evaluated through research and
extensive customer and community consultation. Local targets have
been set to evaluate how the service meets the needs of people
with disabilities, ethnic minority communities, socially excluded
people, and children.
8. COMMUNICATION
ISSUES
The Library Position Statement is the means
by which current performance and development trends is reported.
The LPS will be communicated to:
— Members through Scrutiny Committee,
Cabinet and Full Council.
— Staff across the Department.
— Members of the community.
9. CONCLUSION
In a borough like Knowsley, which faces major
social and economic issues, the Library Service places a particular
priority on meeting and supporting the needs of people facing
social exclusion. The service is committed to ensuring that the
gap between those in society who have access to reading, information
and ICT and those who do not is narrowed by providing high quality,
accessible library and learning facilities.
Knowsley Library Service has developed a reputation
for innovative and imaginative service development and this report
highlights some of those achievements, and future challenges.
12 November 2004
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