Contact: Richard Ward (tel: 01962 826621) [email protected]

1. Introduction

1.1 This report sets out the transformation that the Library and Information Service has undergone since the Audit Commission light touch re-inspection in February 2003 and more recently how managers and staff are responding to Framework for the Future, the government's ten year plan for public libraries. It also explains the background to the Annual Library Plan process.

1.2 During 2003/4 the Library and Information Service underwent a radical restructure to provide a more proactive, flexible and community responsive approach to service delivery and development. The new structure came into being on 1 September 2003. At the same time work began on an ambitious two year programme of library refurbishments, extending opening hours and engaging with the public both in and outside libraries. Moreover the service is playing a key role in the development of the Discovery Centre concept locally and is at the forefront of library policy enhancement nationally.

2. Assessment and Business Planning

2.1 The Library and Information Service was assessed as providing a "good two-star service that had promising prospects for improvement" following a light touch re-inspection in February 2003. The inspectors made a number of recommendations to help sustain improvement. These practical pointers have since informed the planning and delivery of the service restructure and subsequent business planning processes and plans.

2.2 Framework for the Future, the government's long-term strategic vision for the public library service was published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in February 2003. It concentrates on public libraries' roles in developing reading and learning, digital skills and services, community cohesion and civic values. Six months later the Framework for the Future Action Plan 2003-6 was published by the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries. This Action Plan sets out ten strategic objectives supporting the improvement of services to customers. As this a national plan for the development of libraries it makes sense for these objectives to underpin the current Library and Information Service Business Plan and the work underway in all Hampshire's libraries.

2.3 Because of the Authority's excellent status there is no longer any requirement to produce an Annual Library Plan. Whilst the reduction in the bureaucratic overhead is to be welcomed it does mean that Members do not have the formal opportunity to consider a report describing the many and varied activities of the service - hence, in part , this report.

3. Brighter, more attractive libraries

3.1 Whilst Hampshire has, in the main, an excellent network of library buildings some of them had become shabby over the years and were in need of refurbishment. A two year programme is underway funded in part by transferring money from the revenue budget to capital and supported by a matching amount from resources controlled by PBRS. Amongst the libraries being refurbished are:

Fleet Library - scheduled to reopen on 14 June 2004 with extended opening hours.

Farnborough - refurbishment will be completed by mid October 2004.

Yateley - work due to begin mid June 2004.

Chandler's Ford - work due to start early August 2004.

Grayshott - refurbishment start date to be finalised but expected to be during the summer.

A full list of the all the library refurbishment and buildings related activities is given in the Appendix.

4. New Libraries and Mobiles

4.1 The Authority's impressive record of providing new libraries continues with the new Alton Library which is planned to open later this year. It will have extended opening hours and library users will find more books, a new teenage area, double the number of public access computers with free internet, a meeting room for community use, a museums display and playstation games for hire.

4.2 Preliminary discussions have taken place regarding proposals for new libraries as part of the Whitchurch Community Facility Scheme and Bursledon Community Centre extension.

4.3 Winchester Prison, where the library service is provided by the County Council under contract to the Home Office, now has a new and more attractive library which will officially be launched in July.

4.4 Investment is also being made into the fleet of mobile libraries. Two new 36 feet vehicles with satellite access to the Internet, and several low van chassis vehicles will be in service early in 2005 as a result of a review of Mobile Library provision.. These vehicles will offer an improved service including ICT access for the first time.

4.5 Planning is underway to make the re-invigorated mobile library service available for evening and weekend use, and to ensure that the service visits non-traditional sites at times which potential users will find convenient.

5. Discovery Centres

5.1 The County Council is recognised nationally as leader in the development of the Discovery Centre concept as a way of re-awakening people's interest in their library services. This work is not without controversy but both intensive market research, and experience from the other authorities where similar projects are going ahead shows that the concept of bringing libraries together with similar public services is the correct course of action. One of the key ways in which the programme will be measured is to see how successful they are in widening people's access and use to them.

5.2 Work on the Gosport Discovery Centre is well underway - builders are on site and a temporary library service is being provided from the Gosport Museum site. The Discovery Centre is due to open in Spring 2005.

5.3 The re-location of the Winchester reference library to a refurbished and extended lending library on the Jewry Street site is at the detailed planning stage. In partnership with the City Council this Discovery Centre project will provide a real Cultural Centre for the city. There has been extensive public consultation and overwhelming support for the concept. Within the Winchester Cultural Centre, in addition to the modernised library incorporating the reference library from the North Walls site, will be a top quality Art Gallery, museum displays provided in partnership with the City Council, a multi purpose meeting room, teaching spaces, IT suites, and refreshment facilities. The scheme details are being refined by detailed consultation with users and potential users.

5.4 Progress is also being made on a major extension for Romsey - which will provide a much improved library on Discovery Centre principles and preliminary planning is underway for a Discovery Centre at Havant.

6. Longer opening hours

6.1 It is vitally important that libraries are open at times that are convenient for users. This does not mean that every library should be open from early morning to late night every day of the week but that each library is considered in its local context and improvements or changes made where appropriate. Opening hours need to be more flexible but a balance has to be struck between responding to immediate opportunities and achieving a settled pattern of opening which is easy to remember.

6.2 The annual Public Library User Survey has emphasised the importance placed upon improving hours by users, and the service is responding to those demands. Building on the start made last year 2004/05 will see opening hours at 17 libraries increased. In total there will be an extra 75 hours of opening time per week. The full list of libraries with added opening hours is given in the Appendix.

7. Books, reading and learning

7.1 The library service re-structure referred to in paragraph 1.2 was designed to free professionally qualified librarians from the day to day routines involved in running library buildings. Arranged in eight Service Development Teams (SDT) across the County the librarians are working in partnerships to develop a wider range of reader and learning activities and events within libraries and through outreach in the community. These include :

· Family Friendly Reading Rollercoaster - this will take place in all libraries and mobiles to encourage more people to use libraries over the summer months. As part of the social inclusion agenda to make services more open to all the people in Hampshire, parents and carers bringing children will be able to take part and on completion will receive concessions for entry to other Recreation and Heritage amenities and also be entitled to 2 for 1 offers in libraries. Print disabled children ( i.e. those children unable to read ordinary books) will be entitled to free loans of music CDs, DVDs, videos and CD-Roms .

· More library reading groups are supported including four groups for visually impaired people at Winchester, Petersfield, Alton and West End Libraries - two more will be launched during `Make a Noise in Libraries Week' ( w/b 19 July 2004 ).

· Launch of an online reading group plus Turn the Page, a reader development website ( http://www.hants.gov.uk/library/turnthe page/index.html )

· Storybook Dads - the Librarian HMP Winchester will be starting this scheme funded by the Prison. Prisoners will not only read children's stories for their families but also be able to digitally edit the recordings and insert sound effects.

· Frogmore Children's Fund project - a three year project between library staff, Frogmore Infant School, Yateley Town Council and Yela Bus Scheme which aims to support children in risk of failing academically through poor parental support. Children are provided with the experience many have not had before i.e. visiting Yateley Library, being read to individually or in small groups and enhancing life skills. On return to school each child receives a book to keep funded by Children's Fund monies. Volunteer storytellers were recruited from local groups such as U3A, WEA and The Yateley Society.

· Bookstart - a partnership with Health Visitors to encourage library and book use by providing Bookstart packs for all babies 8-9 months old ( approximately 13,000 per annum in Hampshire ). This sceheme is particularly valuable amongst families where reading and library use is not a natural activity.

· Traveller project - working in partnership with North Hampshire Traveller Forum, library staff have been visiting Traveller sites in Yateley and housed Travellers on the Forest Bus. Children and adults regularly borrow books plus enjoy storytelling sessions.

· Silver Surfer Week ( May 2004 ) - in addition to Internet taster sessions held in many libraries over the past year, this event in May attracted 288 members of the public to events at 22 libraries; 1 residential home and a meeting for sheltered housing tenants. Many of those attending signed up for further courses and taster sessions.

· `Step up' essential skills courses hosted at Basingstoke and South Ham libraries.

· More Hog the Limelight events in libraries than last year.

· Music Fusion - a series of storytelling and music making experiences for children at Havant and Waterlooville Libraries run in conjunction with Music Fusion and the Traditional Arts Project as part of the Havant Arts Festival ; taster sessions for a series of workshops to be run in the libraries over the summer.

· BBC People's War project - partnership working with Museums colleagues produced events in museums and People's Network sessions in adjacent libraries for those people wishing to add their memories to the BBC website.

· Activities supporting the Orange Prize. (http://www.hants.gov.uk/library/ turnthepage/orange/index..html )

· Wessex Children's Book Fair - in response to demand the Book Fair in November will take place in library and school venues around the County from 22- 26 November. An audience of 5000 is expected for the big Gala Day on Saturday 27 November.

· Reminiscence sessions related to D-day.

· Games workshops for teenagers.

· Marvellous Meals promotion with Museums.

· The Children's Laureate, Michael Morpurgo and best selling German children's writer Cornelia Funke appeared in front of a full-house at the Theatre Royal, Winchester in June 2004..

· In March 2004 there was a significant book event when 1300 children and adults from schools all over Hampshire met Anthony Horowitz, the recipient of the new Hampshire Book Award and one of the country's leading writers for young people. Anthony Horowitz visit was arranged by the School Library Service.

Other initiatives include :

· WiFi project - installation of a WiFi hotspot at Lyndhurst Library to enable members of the public to connect to broad band Internet using their own wireless-enabled laptops or a laptop available in the Library from the end of June. Another laptop will be purchased and loaned to the Lyndhurst Community Centre for the use of groups there. This project is funded by a grant from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and is being carried out in conjunction with HCC IT Services. The point of WiFi is that no physical cable connection is needed between the computer and the internet.

· Successful bid for a SEMLAC grant to look at how libraries can support small businesses in Hampshire via HATRICS.

· Co-South - successful launch of the Co-South cooperative with Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight with the forthcoming introduction of a new more effective system for searching across library catalogues and interlibrary loans.

· Electronic Resources purchasing - e.g. Times Digital ; Xrefer. Increasingly reference sources are being made available electronically rather than "print on paper" and consortium purchasing can lead to significant savings.

· Matrix accreditation - 19 libraries were awarded the Guidance and Accreditation Board Matrix standard for the provision of information, advice and guidance services for learning and work. Hampshire was one of only nine public library authorities to successfully gain accreditation, putting the Library and Information Service at the forefront of information provision in lifelong learning.

8. New ways of working

8.1 To sustain improvement in service delivery, the business planning process has been revisited to produce a costed and measurable Business Plan linked both to corporate aims and strategies and to Framework for the Future.

8.2 Marketing is recognised as being central to developing and sustaining usage of the Library and Information Services and will be integrated with planning service developments and delivery. To kickstart this change in working, a team of consultants has been commissioned to work with library staff to develop a Marketing Strategy and Marketing Communications Plan. Precedent Communications Ltd are scheduled to deliver this work by the end of August. The next step will be to develop a Marketing Plan.

8.3 Local empowerment is key to the new way of working introduced by the restructure. To facilitate this, certain budgets are being devolved to local managers to ensure maximum flexibility in using and developing resources for service improvement.

9. Who's in charge? - A report by Tim Coates

9.1 In April 2004 the Libri Foundation published "Who's in Charge" a report written by Tim Coates. Mr Coates is a well known library campaigner holding forthright and trenchant views about the decline (as he sees it) in public library use and what should be done about it. His report drew upon research Mr Coates undertook in Hampshire. Although undoubtedly successful in the amount of publicity it generated the report was nevertheless heavily biased and was based to a large extent upon misinterpreted data. Nevertheless the report has several major themes

· the central importance of the book and the relatively low level of expenditure upon books nationally as a compared to the overall expenditure upon libraries.

· the need to increase opening hours - in his view so that all libraries are open from early morning to late night.

· the ability of library authorities to increase opening hours at no added cost by putting all staff on what he calls the "opening rota".

· the need to refurbish library buildings and to get away from shabby and ill-decorated premises

· planning budgeting and monitoring performance should follow private sector models with mainly quantitative targets set backed by qualitative measures derived from "mystery shoppers" and user groups

· the desirability of each library managed as a stand alone unit run by a manger with highly devolved powers and control over all the resources expended on their building

· the need for stronger leadership at the professional, managerial and political levels.

9.2 Mr Coates has clearly asked the right questions and the national debate his report stimulated is very welcome. It is regrettable, however that he chose deliberately to misinterpret some of the data to which he was given access. For example he believes that Hampshire's library service employs approaching 200 backroom staff. This figure is arrived at by counting all the professional librarians who are working in the Service Development Teams and providing much needed and well-valued services to the public - either directly in libraries or by working in the communities introducing such initiatives as those described in paragraph 7 above.

9.2 Other areas of wilful misinterpretation include his ludicrous figures for the costs of procuring stock where he claims it costs £24 to buy a £10 book. He arrives at this figure by making wild assumptions, and by counting all the staff input needed to manage book stocks over their useful library life. Mr Coates has a bookshop background and believes, erroneously that managing library book stocks can be done in the same way as a book shop buys and sells books.

9.3 Mr Coates also believes that there is no need for libraries to classify and catalogue their holdings. According to him there is sufficient information provided by the publisher to enable the staff to know where to shelve a book, and from whence to retrieve it when it has been shelved. This type of comment betrays his woeful ignorance of the practicalities of running a large library and is an example of how the analogy between bookshops and libraries should not be taken too far.

9.4 However the County Council is addressing the main concern of Mr Coates in a practical and achievable way.

· Duties of professional librarians and non professional staff have been clarified with the librarians concentrating upon those matters which require their expertise. Day to day running of the libraries is in the hands of teams of operational staff appropriately trained and remunerated.

· The decline in use of the service is being tackled through the Discovery Centre concept.

· The appearance of the buildings is being addressed through the refurbishment programme.

· Opening hours are being increased steadily.

· Reductions in the cost of procuring books are continually sought and the temporary reduction in the bookfund will be restored in 2005/06.

· Marketing the service is being addressed as are ways of tightening up performance measures.

9.5 The report has stimulated Andrew Mackintosh, the Minister with responsibility for libraries to call a seminar in London to discuss the best way forward. Hampshire County Council will be represented at that meeting by the Director of Recreation and Heritage and the Head of Libraries.

Recommendation

That the progress made to date by the Library and Information Service be welcomed and submitted to the Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage for his consideration.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

N.B. the list excludes:

1.Published works.

Documents that disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE LOCATION

APPENDIX

Library building related activities 2003/04 and 2004/05

Alton New Library to be opened 2004

Aldershot Refurbished military collection and lecture room, full refurbishment being planned

Andover Preliminary planning for Discovery Centre being considered

Basingstoke Planning for major refurbishment/Discovery Centre under way

Bridgemary Enhanced service whilst Gosport is closed. Surplus accommodation to be disposed of.

Bursledon New library at the planning stage

Chandlers Ford Major refurbishment to start in Summer 2004

Eastleigh Refurbishment planning underway

Elson Enhanced service whilst Gosport is closed. Surplus accommodation to be disposed of.

Farnborough Major refurbishment underway. Temporary library operational in shopping centre

Fleet Refurbishment mainly completed - upgraded lighting/wiring underway

Gosport Discovery Centre being converted - opening planned for early 2005

Grayshott - refurbishment start date to be finalised but expected to be during the summer.

Havant Planning for Discovery Centre well underway

Horndean Remedial works being carried out

Lee on Solent Refurbishment planning underway

Lyndhurst Planning with partners for major service enhancements

Ringwood Refurbishment planning underway

Romsey Major extension at planning permission stage

South Ham Refurbishment works being tendered

Stubbington Refurbishment planning underway

Tadley Major roof works being carried out

Whitchurch Relocated library at the planning stage

Winchester Planning for new Cultural Centre well underway

Yateley Contract for refurbishment out to tender

Libraries with improved opening hours 2004/05

Alton*

Chandlers Ford*

Emsworth

Fair Oak

Farnborough*

Fleet

Hayling Island

Hedge End

Lockswood

Netley

New Milton

Odiham

Petersfield**

Ringwood

Stubbington

Totton

West End

Winchester Lending***

Winchester Reference***

* linked to library refurbishments

** subject to further consultation

*** from September 2004