Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report :

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1) Summary of Decision Area:

1.1. The Strategy set out the proposed long term vision and direction for Hampshire's Library and Information Service (LIS) and the key areas for change up until 2014.

2) Issues Covered in Report:

2.1. The Strategy outlines the national and local context within which the LIS operates and describes current provision in Hampshire. It goes on to propose a long term direction for the future of the Service and then focuses on what needs to be put in place over the next five years to continue the transformation journey. It also provides a specific response to the recommendations made by the Culture and Communities Select Committee in January 2008.

3) Recommendations:

It is recommended that the Executive Member for Recreation, Heritage and Communities:

3.1. Endorses the Vision and Strategy for Hampshire's Library and Information Service and recommends that it goes forward to Cabinet for approval.

3.2. Approves use of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council's space standard of 30m² of public library space per 1,000 population to assess whether the current library provision will cope with the projected increase in population.

MAIN REPORT

1) Contextual Information:

1.1. Hampshire's Library and Information Service (LIS) is one of the biggest in the county with 51 libraries, two Discovery Centres, a fleet of 19 mobile libraries, 800 staff and a £19m budget. It is a thriving and much loved Service; during 2007/08 over 7m people visited Hampshire's libraries.

1.2. During the last six years, LIS has gone through some significant changes in terms of major investment in its buildings and mobiles as well as changes to the way the Service is managed. In January 2008 the County Council's Culture and Communities Select Committee received and endorsed a report from the cross party Library Scrutiny Panel which made a number of recommendations. This Strategy takes on board all of the Panel's findings which had not been dealt with during 2008.

1.3. The Vision and Strategy has been written for County Councillors, the Corporate Management Team and staff. Nearly 200 LIS staff were involved in a series of consultation meetings as the Strategy evolved. The full Strategy is attached to this report.

2) Key Issues:

2.1. The two Discovery Centres have been very successful in terms of increasing the number of people through the doors and the number of book issues. But, outside the two Discovery Centres, LIS has seen a continual decline in visits and issues in the libraries and mobiles, going back over ten years.

2.2. At the same time, the income generated from the loan of CDs, DVDs etc has declined, whilst the costs of providing the service have increased.

2.3. Traditionally, LIS has tended to operate as a stand alone service, but this has changed in the last few years. The Strategy sets out the role LIS can play in meeting some of the targets of key corporate agendas, highlighting the need for more partnership working in the future.

2.4. The projected increases in population in parts of Hampshire over the next 20 years and the changes in demography are key issues for the future development of LIS.

2.5. LIS needs to demonstrate that libraries are at the heart of local communities and that local communities are involved in the planning and development of their local library. The Strategy set out how LIS intends to do this.

2.6. Other key issues are the need to ensure that LIS is prepared for climate change and technological changes; how does LIS meet the ways people can access information in the future?

3) Vision and Objectives:

3.1 The vision for LIS is:-

"A creative service at the heart of Hampshire communities which prides itself on meeting their evolving needs for reading, information, learning and enjoyment."

This vision is underpinned by a set of nine strategic objectives and nine key areas for change in the next five years:

· To increase use of library services by those who live, work, study or visit.

· To increase use of library services by priority groups and in priority areas.

· To broaden the appeal by providing physical and virtual services that respond to the needs of the local community through new customer led and personalised service offers.

· To increase access to books, information and learning for local people and communities to develop their skills, knowledge and confidence. We are committed to encouraging more people to read for pleasure.

· To strengthen and develop effective partnership working within Recreation and Heritage, Hampshire County Council and with strategic external partners in order to develop new services, share resources and increase the opportunities for participation by local people.

· To involve local people in shaping and delivering our services to meet or exceed their expectations.

· To support and train staff to develop the creative skills and flexibility necessary to effectively deliver a continuously improving service.

· to ensure long-term financial sustainability through the most efficient and effective use of all our human and financial resources.

· To strive to be the best, at the forefront of innovation and providing leadership to the rest of the public library sector.

3.2. In essence, the whole thrust of the Vision and Strategy is towards:-

· Improving access

· Widening participation

· Improved partnership working

· Improved understanding of local needs and greater community engagement

· Greater flexibility in responding to local needs

3.3. Underpinning all of this is the need for a financially sustainable service.

4) Outline of Options:

4.1. Option 1:

To do nothing was not an option, LIS needed to have such a document to map out the next stages in the transformation of the service. Also, LIS had been requested to produce a Vision and Strategy by the Culture and Communities Select Committee.

5) Conclusions:

5.1. In the future, LIS will meet the needs of the communities of Hampshire, offering a wide range of innovative opportunities for individuals to develop their skills, access the information that they need and gain enjoyment from reading throughout their lives.

5.2. This will be achieved through listening to customers and communities, developing flexible and effective mechanisms to meet their evolving needs with a skilled and motivated LIS team, working in partnership with others as much as practicably possible.

5.3. The Strategy identifies a long-term and sustainable future for LIS by managing resources efficiently and effectively; maximising spend in libraries and the services they offer.

6) Recommendations:

Please see Executive Summary for recommendations.

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

IMPACT ASSESSMENTS:

1. Equalities Impact Assessment:

a) A full Equality Impact Assessment was done as the Strategy evolved and shows that the overall impact will be to bring significant improvements in usage and access, particularly for disadvantaged groups, including older people, families with young children, carers and people on low income.

2. Impact on Crime and Disorder:

a) None directly.

3. Climate Change:

a) How does what is being proposed impact on our carbon footprint / energy consumption?

· A comprehensive sustainability impact assessment has been applied to the Vision and Strategy which comes out with a score of +8. LIS carbon footprint/energy consumption should decrease in the future if measures set out in the Vision and Strategy are implemented. These include:

(i) Installing water, gas and electricity meters in all library buildings.

(ii) Co-creating libraries with other providers, rather than providing libraries in stand along buildings.

(iii) Working with colleagues in Property, Business and Regulatory Services to install energy efficient boilers with thermostats etc and to work towards providing library buildings that are at a reasonably constant temperature, whatever the temperature is outside.

b) How does what is being proposed consider the need to adapt to climate change, and be resilient to its longer term impacts?

· The need to adapt to climate change is highlighted in the Strategy - see p17.