Public Libraries: what do you think?

The thoughts of Share The Vision

1. Share The Vision (STV) is a partnership of voluntary sector organisations which produce and lend alternative format reading materials for print disabled people and the main organisations which represent publicly funded libraries in the UK. Since its foundation in 1989, STV has sought to improve access to content and the services of all libraries for print disabled people, not least public library services. STV therefore wishes to contribute its thoughts to this latest review of public libraries in England. In so doing, the needs and interests of these people are always in our mind but our thoughts and comments in response to the three questions posed in the consultation are necessarily of much more general import.

2. What are the core principles of a public library service into the future?

The core principles of the public library service were initially set by our Victorian forebears to provide for the education and enlightenment of the greatest number of citizens via access by the means of self help. They have naturally evolved since the 1850’s beyond self education to include improvement of life opportunities and meaningful use of leisure time but all of these activities are, of course, inextricably linked. Libraries have adapted to reflect changes and developments in the wider society and will/should continue to do so into the future but in our opinion the core principles remain. They are:

  1. Communal provision of access to the widest possible range of information and cultural content in all formats relevant to the different groups of people who comprise the community served by the local library.
  2. Free access to use of all this content whether obtained by personal visit, remote access or special delivery to meet the needs of those who cannot use the services independently.
  3. Adaptation of service delivery models to ensure all members of the community, from the newly born child to the centenarians, can obtain the information and content which is relevant to their specific needs for learning and leisure across their life cycle.
  4. Utilising all of the resources and facilities (physical and virtual) to provide democratic space and opportunity to enable all members of the community to participate in activities which support both personal and community development and well-being.
  5. Ensuring all of these resources and facilities can be used to maximum effect for the greatest benefit of all who choose to use them by providing the essential expert organisation of and guidance in their use.

These are the fundamental core principles which should guide the public library service into the future.

3. Is the current delivery of the public library service the most comprehensive and efficient?

This is a difficult question to answer. Is the DCMS referring to the overall current delivery of public library services in England? If so, then the answer must be no. As public library services are not provided nationally but by local authorities then there will inevitably be variations in service provision depending on the nature and needs of the local communities served by each local authority. The different value and importance accorded to library services by each authority is essentially determined by their resource base. Ultimately, no public library service can be the most comprehensive and efficient possible but we have no means of measuring how near they come to reaching the ultimate goal.

The reason why we cannot measure this is because the DCMS abandoned the former Public Library Standards for England and we do not have any official guidance on what is meant by “comprehensive and efficient.” If the purpose of the DCMS and DCLG in commissioning this independent review and posing this question to the panel is to obtain a meaningful definition then we believe you have been set a very difficult challenge.

We would suggest that a possible starting point for your consideration of this thorny matter is to study the position in Wales which has retained its standards and performance measurement framework. The 4th Framework of Welsh Public Library Standards 2011-14 sets 9 standards and 8 performance indicators. This enables the Welsh Assembly Government to assess how a local authority is performing its statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service, as defined by the standards framework.

http://wales.gov.uk/docs/drah/publications/110223wpls2101112en.pdf

Furthermore, on 13th February 2014 the Welsh Assembly Minister for Culture and Sport announced details of an expert panel which he has commissioned to review how Welsh local authorities’ plans for libraries are measuring up to meeting these standards and to compare the position of library services in Wales with those in the other nations of the UK.

http://wales.gov.uk/about/cabinet/cabinetstatements/2014/libraries/?/lang=en

This might provide more useful information for your own deliberations than anything we can offer, except to say that services to print disabled people have improved considerably in recent years. If they had not we would have failed miserably in our mission but we can say that there is much greater awareness and understanding of the needs of print disabled people and the different ways in which those needs can be met, especially the exciting ways in which digital technology has opened up new methods of enhancing access to content, including remotely via mobile technology.

4. What is the role of community libraries in the delivery of a library offer?

Essentially, all public libraries have been community libraries from the 1850’s albeit with a top down model of service delivery for a long time thereafter. By the late 1970’s there were increasingly determined efforts to create a community libraries model whereby the communities served by the local library were much more involved in the operation of the service via community consultation and use of premises and facilities for purposes related to library services or not strictly library services. These community hubs sometimes involved the use of volunteers to either support the library staff in the provision of library services or to organise other community activities which took place on library premises or elsewhere in the local community using library resources. This community library model did not supplant the library staff but enhanced the relevance and contribution that the local library was able to make to local community life via activities such as homework clubs; access to training in using computers; mother and toddler groups; researching and collecting local history materials; organising community festivals and the explosion of library based reading groups, including groups for blind and partially sighted people which require much more time consuming and detailed planning such as sufficient availability of reading materials in alternative formats and transport. These and numerous other activities involving library staff and members of the local community are what was understood by “community librarianship” until comparatively recently.

The recent change in the definition of and approach to “community libraries” is, of course, entirely driven by the financial austerity imposed on local authorities in the last few years as they battle to cope with greatly reduced finances and increasing needs for and demands on their services. When hard choices have to be made it is easy for some local authorities to forget or pretend that the library service is not a statutory duty and to grasp the opportunity to hand the running of a local library to the local community. There are several variations on this theme but all are driven by the need to reduce expenditure and increasingly local communities are faced with a stark choice; take it over or lose it.

In this scenario various major issues arise, including:

  • How many communities will lose their local library and what will the impact be in terms of lost opportunities for disadvantaged people who are less able to obtain access elsewhere or by other means?
  • How many libraries will be saved by becoming “community libraries” but will they retain their range of services and how long will they survive?
  • Democratic control of libraries via local authorities ensures that the needs of all sections of the community are taken into account but to what extent will the transfer of responsibility lead to disregard of the needs of minority groups such as disabled people, BME people, LGBT people, refugees, travellers etc…in order to meet the demands of the majority?
  • Will these libraries still be public libraries in terms of the 1964 Act and all that implies in terms of their duties and impact on associated matters such as inclusion in Public Lending Right loan calculations?
  • Will the local, regional and national network of inter-lending arrangements still be available to their users so that they can obtain materials not available in their local library or will they be left on their own because it would require a subsidy from elsewhere to supply these materials?
  • Will other cooperative networking arrangements which enhance service delivery to different groups survive these changes?
  • Ultimately, do we want to create a two tier library service in England whose long term social consequences may be more damaging than is acknowledged at this time by policy makers at national and local level?

Ultimately, this financially driven issue is a matter for local authority choice and local community reaction to any decision to offer transfer of control. We do not see how the Independent Panel can change this reality and by the time it reports many of these potential changes in status will have become reality from this April. The total savings which will be made will not be that great in terms of the total savings requirement on local authorities but the loss of services and the impacts on local communities will be disproportionately damaging, especially for the most disadvantaged members of society who are the most reliant on public services.

5. We wish the Independent Panel well in its deliberations but fear that it has been set an unrealistic task of defining the future shape of library services in England when the future is already being shaped by current events outside its control.

6. STV is content for this response to be made available to the public.

7. STV’s membership comprises:

•British Library

•Calibre Audio Library

•CILIP

•CILIP School Libraries Group

•ClearVision Project

•Dyslexia Action

•Library and Information Services Council [Northern Ireland]

•RNIB

•Scottish Library and Information Council

•Society of Chief Librarians

•Society of College, National and University Libraries