Archived decisions

Item 9

Written Statement: John Hicks

Issues Affecting Public Libraries

The first public libraries were set up in the mid nineteenth century by northern industrialists with two objectives in mind: firstly, to encourage the development of a literate workforce; secondly, to provide a morally uplifting alternative to alcohol. The latter doesn't seem so relevant today but the former objective remains appropriate. I believe very strongly that libraries exist to provide opportunities for learning (in the sense of broad, cultural and personal development, not just support for courses) and to encourage the reading habit. They ensure equality of opportunity for all who wish to use them.

Over the latter half of the 20^th century, public libraries became linked with a mantra that described their purpose as "education, information, recreation". The last of these has been highly damaging to the perception of public libraries by key decision makers. They are now often see as primarily lending fiction to senior citizens and their wider role in delivering the Council's objectives and specifically, within the learning environment, has tended to get lost. Moreover, as a result of this triple focus, public libraries have become all things to all people. At a time of ample budgets that was a great strength; in the current financial climate, it is a great weakness.

Public library services must be much clearer as to their purpose (as I say, my view is that it is to support learning and encourage reading) and equally clear about their primary target groups. Of course they should remain open to all, they are after all, public libraries but they need to focus their activities in terms of work and development programmes. Personally, I see these groups as children, teenagers, older people and people with disadvantages, whether they be social or physical.

We also need to be aware that the way people access information is changing through ICT. Research projects (e.g. by Define Research, published 2006 by DCMS, MLA and the LASER Foundation) have shown that for many young people under the age of 34, public libraries are irrelevant as a source of information. They can obtain what they want through their pc, mobile phone, blackberry, etc. Many traditional reference titles are now only available on-line. This trend is increasing rapidly, albeit access is by subscription. Public libraries need to act as gate openers, enabling access particularly amongst those who need help to find what they want. Surveys have shown that many people using the internet believe the information they find to be all that is available; even more worrying, some 70% thought that what they found would be accurate!

Because increasingly some material is only available on-line, libraries will need to have books and computer terminals. But books are of key importance because libraries have a niche market that includes out of print titles. For most of the 1990's we assumed that the fall in borrowing reflected the rise of book buying. Recently, however, there are signs that the book market is beginning to decline, or at least level off. Waterstones recently announced the closure of 30 branches; the whole of Books Etc is up for sale. This probably reflects Internet buying through Amazon and others, but hand in hand with this has been the growing success of small, personalised bookshops. What effect this will have on public libraries remains to be seen, but borrowing by children rose 5% last year, although adult borrowing is still in the doldrums.

The rise in borrowing in Northern Ireland appears to be linked to better book stocks, which is a direct result of the NI Department for Culture, Arts & Leisure imposing on library services a minimum spend on books per head of population. Unfortunately, in England, DCMS is not in a position to do this as it does not fund public libraries directly. And there in lies a huge problem for public libraries: DCMS is the policy department but DCLG is the source of funding.

The DCMS policy paper "Framework for the Future" was published in 2003 and envisaged the direction until 2013. It saw the role of public libraries as being three fold: to promote reading, to support digital learning and to act as community focal point. It was a step forward at the time but those roles are so broad that they are capable of almost any interpretation. Framework is already in need of updating and more precise direction. We are currently in the midst of a consultation period on the DCMS/MLA paper called "Blueprint for Public Libraries". We are also in the midst of consultation on proposals to change the Public Library Standards. In effect this change means abolition and their replacement by aspirational targets. Along with many others, I think this is potentially damaging to public libraries, particularly in those Authorities where the Council does not place a high priority on the service and will be able to fund it (or more correctly, not fund it) accordingly. For every one like Hampshire, which has for many years supported and financed its service, there are numerous examples of Councils who have either not been able to do so, or not wanted to do so.

One of my current interests is the linkage between the library and its community. There are many examples of Friends groups but this is not what I have in mind. I would like to see local consultative groups involved in discussions on the development of new services, in advising on opening hours or supporting specific events. We need to tie the library service much closer to the priorities of local people and to involve them in planning its development. I think we have to accept that this would be an advisory role since decision making should not be removed from elected Councillors and the managers acting on their behalf. That is relevant to maintaining public accountability but we need more public involvement and we need to ensure that it is representative of the community at large.

Finally, as regards buildings, it is important that they are bright, accessible and in good locations. They also need a wide-ranging stock, attractively presented. But libraries don't always need (and in the case of part time branches, should not be) separate buildings. Co-location is a better way to provide the service, and in some places (e.g. community centres, health centres, learning centres) the use of technology such as swipe cards, RFID and self-issue, can enable use without library staff on duty. You may be aware that the new Worcester Central Library is going to be an integrated facility (not just co-located or shared resources) with the University of Worcester. I think this is relevant to the concept of the public library as a learning agency.

We also need to be conscious that the library service is not just what happens in the library. The staff should also be working outside with targeted communities based on profiles of community need.

John Hicks

Kentwood Associates