HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Report

Committee:			Culture and Communities Select Committee
Date of meeting:			9 July 2009
Report Title:			Vision and Strategy for Hampshire Library & Information Service, 2009-2014
Report From:			The Director of Culture, Communities and Rural Affairs
Contact name:		Nicola Horsey
Tel:	01962 845423			Email:	[email protected]

1. Executive Summary

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.

1.2. 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.

2. Contextual Information

2.1. 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 2008/09 nearly 7m people visited Hampshire's libraries.

2.2. 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.

2.3. 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.

2.4. 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.

3. Key Issues

3.1. 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.

3.2. 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.

3.3. 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.

3.4. 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.

3.5. 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.

3.6. 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?

4. Vision and Objectives

4.1. 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. The objectives are:

· 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. LIS is committed to encouraging more people to read for pleasure.

· To strengthen and develop effective partnership working within Culture, Communities and Rural Affairs, 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 LIS's 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 LIS's 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.

4.2. 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

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

5. Future Direction

5.1. In the future LIS will meet the needs of the communities of Hampshire by 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.

6. Conclusions

6.1. The Vision and Strategy for Hampshire's Library and Information Service was endorsed by the Exec Member for Recreation, Heritage & Communities on 23 April 2009, and approved by Cabinet on 29 June 2009.

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

Links to the Corporate Strategy

Hampshire safer and more secure for all:	no
Corporate Business plan link number (if appropriate):
Maximising well-being:	yes
Corporate Business plan link number (if appropriate):
Enhancing our quality of place:	yes
Corporate Business plan link number (if appropriate):

Other Significant Links

Links to previous Member decisions:
Title	Reference	Date
Exec Member Decision Day	665	23 April 2009
Cabinet	746	29 June 2009
Direct links to specific legislation or Government Directives
Title		Date

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents
The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report. (NB: the list excludes published works and any documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.)
Document	Location
None

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 p22.

VISION AND STRATEGY FOR HAMPSHIRE'S LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICE, 2009-2014

1. Scope and Purpose

This Strategy sets out the vision and direction for Hampshire's Library and

Information Service (LIS) up until 2014 for county councillors, the corporate management team and library staff. The document outlines the current provision of Hampshire's LIS, attempts to define the likely role and offer of libraries in the longer-term future and then focuses on what needs to be put in place over the next five years.

This document is the first step, it describes the direction of LIS. Further work is already underway to develop more detailed plans for implementation.

2. Background

There have been libraries serving their local communities in Hampshire for over 150 years when the country's first municipal library opened in Winchester in 1851. However, the current county-wide library service really came into being in 1974 when it included the two cities of Southampton and Portsmouth. Following local government re-organisation in 1997, the two cities became responsible for their own library service; the result is that Hampshire's LIS now covers the administrative county of Hampshire.

Today we have a thriving and much loved library service with in excess of seven million visits per year to our libraries. We are also fortunate in having strong support from Hampshire County Council's councillors and senior officers.

The full context for this Strategy, including the national context, corporate and departmental aims, diversity, projected developments and changes in demographics, climate, environmental and technological changes are outlined in detail in Appendix 1.

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. See Appendix 2 for more details.

3. LIS Today - Provision

3.1 Current provision

Hampshire runs 51 libraries and two Discovery Centres in Gosport and Winchester. The libraries vary in size from large 2-3 storey buildings in towns and shopping centres to very small libraries in market towns and large villages. Opening hours vary a great deal too, seven libraries are open 50 or more hours a week whilst 15 libraries are only open for less than 20 hours a week. 15 libraries are closed at lunch time.

In addition LIS has two teams of staff who work in local communities, one focusing on adults and the other encouraging parents and their children to use libraries to the full.

The provision of books to meet the broadest range of reading needs is at the heart of the LIS; fiction, reference, large print and audio versions, along with DVDs, CDs and electronic games which can be hired. In addition, there are specialist collections (including Naval, Railways and Jane Austen) and books in 23 different languages, books supporting the teaching of basic literacy and numeracy and Books on Prescription which are self-help manuals prescribed by local GPs. In 2008/9 we spent in excess of £2m on purchasing new stock.

577 computers, with free internet access, known as the People's Network, are available for public use in every library.

Whilst libraries, traditionally, have organised events on their premises, these have grown considerably in number and scope over the last few years and are an effective way of getting non library customers through the doors.

Hampshire's Discovery Centre programme was developed six years ago to transform libraries by providing a wide variety of services in one place. Existing library services are at the core of Discovery Centres and other services, such as museum/art exhibitions, IT facilities, a café, events programme and so on, are developed according to local circumstances, including providing opportunities for continuing adult education for both formal certificated courses and more recreational learning. Winchester Discovery Centre had over 500,000 visits in its first year of operation (November 2007-November 2008), a 55% increase on the previous library visits. Issues also increased by 20% in the first year. Visits to Gosport Discovery Centre increased by 49% in its first year of opening (2005/06) and have remained at about the same level since then. Also, the profile of visitors to the Discovery Centre in Gosport now more closely matches the profile of the local community.

LIS also runs libraries in Winchester Prison and Haslar Immigration Removal Centre which it is paid to do by the Home Office.

Nearly all Hampshire's primary and secondary schools pay to belong to the School Library Service which enables the schools to develop their library resources to support the whole curriculum. This includes providing training, information and advice to school librarians, arranging author events around the county and organising Hampshire book awards for children's authors and illustrators.

LIS operates 28 vehicles to deliver books to libraries, rural areas, schools, residential homes and housebound residents.

3.2 Customer Trends

In common with many library services across the county, visits to Hampshire's libraries have decreased by 6% (2003/04 to 2007/08) whilst the number of issues have decreased significantly by 24% over the same period. However, in the last two years, if our two Discovery Centres are taken into account, our total visit numbers have increased, bucking the national trend.

Similarly, visits to and issues from our mobile service have declined over the past five years, but the service remains very popular with those who rely on it.

Usage of the People's Network computer terminals in the libraries increased significantly in 2005/6 when we installed additional terminals, and has remained steady since that time.

The current recession is already beginning to result in an increase in usage of our library services as people who have been made redundant are referred by JobCentre Plus to their local libraries to compile their CVs electronically and look for jobs on-line.

3.3 Virtual Use

Over the last few years LIS has spent time and money putting more reference material on-line. This offers customers access to the most up-to-date sources ranging from the Encyclopaedia Britannica and WHICH to the British Standards on-line. The use of these on-line resources trebled during 2007/08 and is likely to continue increasing at a significant rate for at least the next two to three years.

Library users are increasingly using the web for day to day transactions with reservations nearly doubling in 2007/8 and renewals increasing by 42%.

3.4 Customer Expectations

In recent times we have all become accustomed to have instant 24/7 access to facilities and information which has raised expectation of services from all providers. This clearly has an impact on the expectations of our library users and non-users, including for example, opening hours and speedy delivery.

4. LIS Today - Organisation

LIS is the largest service within the Recreation and Heritage department employing nearly 800 staff (450 full-time equivalent posts). The vast majority of staff are employed providing front line services in our libraries and mobiles. Other staff provide support and outreach services, administration and strategic management for the Service. Almost without exception, our staff are passionate about the Service and their role within it, which is a really positive attribute for the Service.

The School Library Service is largely co-located in LIS's headquarters with satellite centres in four public libraries. The service is, however, managed independently of the public library service and receives income directly from participating schools.

Many of our staff have been in the Service for the long time and there is relatively low turnover. The age profile is weighted towards the over 50s, most of whom are women.

5. LIS Today - Capital investment

As part of its long-term aim to transform its public libraries, the County Council has invested over £3.1m during the last six years (2004-2008) to refurbish 22 libraries, see Appendix 3.

In addition to the refurbishment programme, we have opened two new libraries and two Discovery Centres since 2003, at a total investment of £10.8m.

During 2009 and 2010 a further £2.15m will be spent on refurbishing nine more libraries, with a particular emphasis on improving the facilities for adult learning. The Community Libraries Lottery programme is providing £1.245m toward the cost of this work.

Other capital investment over the last six years has been to increase the number of People's Network computers at a cost of £383,000.

6. LIS Today - Financial model

The LIS has a total budget in the current year of approximately £19 million of which nearly £13 million are staff costs.

This budget has come under increasing pressure during the year as a result of:

· Impact of the new pay structure

· Increased cost of utilities

· Decline in income from fines, charges, DVDs etc.

· Implementation costs of the new Library Management IT system

· Unforeseen costs related to the Winchester Discovery Centre

We need to think radically about the financial stability of LIS and not use the Book Fund to meet some of the budget shortfalls.

7. The Future of Libraries

This Strategy has considered the current policy context for libraries and, in particular, the position of LIS today. The key strategic question that now needs to be asked is where do we want the Service to be in the years to come? Answering this question requires us to look into the future and take an informed view of the library of the future. There is a national debate and government review currently underway, but much of this appears to be focused on things that Hampshire is already implementing in its two Discovery Centres and across much of the Service.

Fundamentally libraries have always been about providing free, open access to information for everyone in a safe, neutral environment. Historically this has primarily been through a stock of books (reference, fiction and non-fiction) held in a public location and managed by a team of librarians. While many libraries have also provided additional services, such as supporting reading groups and pre-school activities, there has been no significant change in the way in which the service has been provided.

Meanwhile the world has changed significantly; rising living standards (notwithstanding the current recession), lower book prices and the internet all mean that the old model is increasingly less relevant. Libraries are often seen as dull, dusty and boring. The time to reinvent the library is long overdue, not least because the core purpose of access to information and the benefits that provides to individuals remains as important as ever.

We believe that our Discovery Centres are leading the way and we should build on their success within the constraints of the current economic climate.

In Hampshire we believe that, in the future, LIS should have the following characteristics:

· Community Focus Libraries will be at the heart of local communities with each site/solution responding innovatively to the local context. The lending of books and the encouragement of reading will remain at the heart of our Service. We will enable greater devolution of management to allow each site to respond to local community needs within its budget and the LIS's overall framework, enabling more focus on collaboration with local organisations and community engagement, including the practical involvement of volunteers.

· Customer Led Our libraries will offer services that are customer led, offering a more personalised offer and facilities that respond to the particular needs of different customer groups. We will use the Library Management IT System to improve our understanding of customers' needs and our relationship with them, rather than just the organisation of books. We will provide access to information in new ways and in environments that meet the customer expectations set by modern retailers.

· Discovery Service There will be a greater focus on family and adult learning, helping people to find and develop their skills. In particular we will address the needs of vulnerable and disabled people and their carers. We will provide innovative ways for individuals to discover information, discover skills and discover themselves. Importantly we will sign post other related services beyond our boundaries. Libraries will respond to the government's agenda including offering basic/essential skills development and the delivery of more informal learning and leisure programmes.

· Shared facilities Through greater joint working in the provision of facilities and services, we will endeavour to create genuinely public buildings which everyone is welcome to use. In particular, we will work in partnership with other community providers such as Children's Centres, District Councils, the Registration Service and the Primary Care Trust. In future new libraries should be co-located with partner organisations, stand-alone libraries are unlikely to be an efficient way of delivering all our services.

· Maximise the use of technology to reduce the time spent dealing with simple transactions and processing tasks. Self-service systems will become critical to both reduce transaction costs and to free up staff resources to provide "discovery" services and improving interactions with customers.

· E-revolution We will embrace the e-revolution, currently e-books and e-readers, and in the future, the next generations of technology. We will create capacity for this both financially and in terms of human resources, working with the library movement nationally.

In ensuring that our libraries clearly demonstrate the characteristics outlined above, we will always hold on to the core values of a Library Service, which are quality of service, integrity, trustworthiness and equality of access, (all are welcome). These values both energise staff and build trust with customers and must underpin any changes that we implement.

8. Vision and Objectives

In order to embed these characteristics throughout LIS we have developed the

following vision and objectives:

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

In order to meet this vision our objectives are:

· 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.

9. The Next Five Years

Our immediate focus will be on providing a strong and sustainable basis on which we can build and develop our services, allowing us to respond flexibly and rapidly to the needs of the people of Hampshire.

We have therefore identified the following nine key areas for change, each of which is described in more detail below:

1. Develop knowledge and understanding of our existing and potential customer base to improve communication with our customers.

2. Involve local communities and other interested parties in the planning and management of library services.

3. Establish partnerships and collaborations with other parts of Hampshire County Council and external organisations, within existing resources.

4. Develop new services and income generation activities.

5. Provide capital investment in buildings and technology.

6. Undertake an audit of all our existing libraries and library services to identify best practice and opportunities for improved efficiency and effectiveness.

7. Provide regular performance information to individual libraries for local decision making.

8. Train and develop staff to enable them to respond to changes in roles and responsibilities.

9. Take the lead on the development of library services.

1. Develop knowledge and understanding of our existing and potential customer base to improve communications with our customers.

The Hampshire LIS is currently undertaking a profiling exercise which compares the profile of the LIS's current customer base with the population in the catchment areas of each library. This will help to identify which people, in terms of their demography and geography, are using the services provided at the library and which are not. We also need to `map' the customer experience when accessing and/or using the service. (What is it really like to use the service? How easy/difficult is it to use? What are the barriers? And so on).

This work will provide a baseline for further market research to improve our understanding of local needs across a range of areas including:

· Opening hours

· Book and other stock

· Learning opportunities

· Barriers to access

· IT provision

· Other local needs not currently met by the library or other providers

We also need to be better at capturing basic information about our customers, including their age, race and disabilities. Profiling work started in 2008 and is ongoing.

2. Involve local communities and other interested parties in the planning and management of library services.

The LIS is eager to gain greater involvement from local communities in service planning, delivery and stock selection and, to this end, has recently established Community Panels in five libraries. We will review the success of these panels and, learning from them and other library services, develop appropriate mechanisms for on-going dialogue with our local communities.

We intend to involve local communities where appropriate in developing their libraries including management arrangements. We will review examples elsewhere in the country and develop models that are appropriate for Hampshire.

This work is ongoing.

3. Establish partnerships and collaborations with other parts of Hampshire County Council and external organisations, within existing resources.

We recognise the benefits of improved relationships working both at a county-wide and at a local level.

We will undertake a series of consultations with our colleagues in Hampshire County Council, in particular Adult and Children's Services, Adult Education and the Registration Service, to identify opportunities for economies of scale, improved customer access and more personalised services, and shared services. The Building Schools for the Future¹ initiative offers potential opportunities for shared location as part of a wider community hub.

We will also investigate further opportunities for shared benefits from closer working with the three local unitary authorities (Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight) and adjoining counties. This will be facilitated once our new Library Management IT system has been fully implemented as the four authorities will be using compatible systems enabling, for example, greater sharing of books, joint purchasing and a single membership scheme.

At a local level we will develop and maintain relationships within local communities and with other service providers to identify how closer working might benefit all parties. This could include collaborating to innovate working practices.

4. Develop new services and income generation activities.

Again, we will develop our new services on a countywide and local level.

At the county level we need, on an ongoing basis, to undertake research to investigate potential new services arising from developments in technology. We will need to develop a better understanding of what is, or will be, available using new technology, how it might be incorporated into our services, staff skill requirements, the financial implications and the likely demand from our customers.

At a local level we need to identify services to meet local needs, for example learning and development opportunities. Each library will undertake a needs analysis so that we can make appropriate decisions whether to develop materials centrally and provide locally or for the individual library to take action to meet their local need. Within this we will identify additional personalised services for our customers and potential customers.

We will also review our current fines and charges to find an equitable balance between the free provision of library services and charging appropriately for additional elements. We will continue to develop our programme of events and our retail offer and seek to identify new ways of generating income.

5. Provide capital investment in buildings and technolog.y

The LIS has an existing capital investment programme for the refurbishment of its buildings which we will continue to implement to ensure that all our libraries are not only water-tight and more energy efficient, but are also bright and welcoming for their customers. However, the current economic downturn has reduced the available funds for capital investment.

LIS currently spends around £580,000 on heating and lighting all its buildings and a further £80,000 on diesel for the vehicles. We will install meters in all our buildings as soon as possible, monitor our utility bills and set targets to be monitored against. We will also work closely with colleagues in our Property Services department to ensure priority is given to making our library buildings as energy efficient as possible.

We are also committed to using local suppliers as far as practicably possible.

We will investigate the opportunities to develop our network of Discovery Centres in appropriate locations, reflecting the cultural needs of the local community and based on a sustainable Business Case in advance of any funding decisions. Any new Discovery Centres must be `future proofed' to deal with changes in technology and climate change and built in as sustainable a way as possible. Operationally, all the services in Discovery Centres must be fully integrated and a robust Business Plan agreed before opening.

We are working on developing a public library tariff for developer contribution in areas of future housing development. This will add to our capacity to meet future library needs in these specific locations.

We are currently investing in a new Library Management System that will, when fully implemented, support online trading with our suppliers, streamlining procedures, saving staff time and cutting costs.

During 2006-2008 there has been a huge growth in the development and use of Web 2.0² web sites, from Facebook to Flickr, more and more people are working, socialising and sharing information on-line. This Web 2.0 technology provides the opportunity for LIS to find out more about its customers and interact with them in a positive way on-line.

As explained earlier in the Strategy, the use of Hampshire LIS's online resources has risen dramatically during 2008. As these resources become increasingly important it is essential that a two way dialogue is built up between the LIS and its customers.

The LIS is working on setting up social networking groups on key websites, as well as developing an online forum for customers to provide feedback on the Service.

In addition, the second generation of the `People's Network' will be developed to support the use of these media.

We are also currently developing a business case for investment in Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) across all our libraries in order to:

· Provide self service so reducing queues

· Release more staff time to provide customer support

· Improved stock management and availability

· Potential of increasing opening hours

· Increased staff productivity

We believe that RFID is an essential tool through the use of which we can

significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our services and, with approval of our business case, we aim to implement RFID across all libraries by the end of 2012.

6. Undertake an audit of all our existing libraries and library services to identify best practice and opportunities for improved efficiency and effectiveness.

A review of existing statistics suggests that there are variations in the way libraries are operating and the return on investment achieved. We will therefore undertake an audit of every library to identify these differences and the underlying causes in order to identify best practice and opportunities for improved efficiency and effectiveness across the service.

Alongside this audit we will also review:

· the mobile service (public, community, housebound and school mobiles)

· the outreach work of the service

· the School Library Service

· the support services (stock procurement and deployment, business processes and support to branches)

· the management structure and processes

7. Provide regular performance information to individual libraries for local decision-making.

In order to offer a service that responds flexibly to local needs we believe that budgets need to be delegated to the local level with the ability for library managers to make decisions on how best to apply their local budget within clear central guidelines.

The first step towards this has already been taken, with each library now receiving budget information for monitoring purposes. We aim to ensure that libraries receive monthly financial updates so that they are able to make informed decisions at a local level. Regular performance information will enable local staff to take action in response to local needs. The appropriate training and support will underpin all of this.

8. Train and develop staff to enable them to respond to changes in roles and responsibilities.

We recognise that a motivated and well trained staff is a critical ingredient in delivering a high quality library service. Changes in roles and responsibilities resulting from our developing services will be identified and updated on an ongoing basis. We will undertake a training needs analysis to ensure that we fully identify the knowledge and skills we will need in each library as we move forward, and any gaps and mismatches in our current staffing team. This will enable us to develop a training programme designed to ensure that we are able to step up to the challenges of our Strategy.

We will also provide training and development for local partners and volunteers who work with us in the delivery of library services.

We anticipate that training needs will include:

1. Ways to deal with and embrace change, known as change management skills

2. Financial budgeting, monitoring and control for library managers

3. Use of the RFID system

4. Customer care

5. ICT skills - refresher and upgrades

9. Take the lead on the development of library services.

We will actively participate in the national review of libraries, working with relevant government departments and cultural agencies to influence national outcomes. We have already hosted a conference in February 2009 to set the agenda for the future of library services, working with colleagues from other councils with high performing library services.

We have also set up a group with a number of other large library authorities to compare performance and to drive up standards.

10. What Happens Now?

In the short-term we have identified seven priority development projects for 2009 with the following aims:

· To identify how LIS can increase the benefits of shared facilities and services

· To identify and assess prospects for LIS to maximise income generation

· To develop a strategy to maximise the opportunities to develop e-resources to improve and modernise services

· To establish a clear picture of current library provision to inform future plans for service delivery

· To identify how LIS can achieve the greatest return from its fleet of mobiles and vans

· To establish a clear picture of current support and development services to inform future planning

· To identify how LIS can increase flexibility through its staff

By the second half of 2009 we will have produced detailed plans for each of these projects with clear milestones, responsibilities and timescales ready for implementation.

The next stage will be a detailed business plan that will define how we intend to re-organise and strengthen our services with the over-riding goal of putting the maximum resources into books and the front line.

Once this Strategy has been approved we will put in place a communications plan aimed at involving our customers and potential customers and gaining buy-in and support for our vision.

11. Conclusion

In the future our libraries 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.

We will achieve this through listening to our 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.

We will ensure a long-term and sustainable future for LIS by managing our resources efficiently and effectively; maximising our spend in libraries and the services they offer.

APPENDIX 1

CONTEXT FOR THE VISION AND STRATEGY

1. National Context

Principal local authorities have a statutory responsibility `to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service' - as set out in the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.

In 2003 the Government's vision for public libraries was set out in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's `Framework for the Future'. As well as emphasising their role in promoting reading, improving literacy and enabling access to lifelong learning, libraries were seen as important community hubs and key access points to online services. There was also an emphasis on updating library buildings to make them more welcoming, flexible and attractive.

In October 2008 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced a further review, `The Library Service Modernisation Review', the findings of which will need to be incorporated into this Strategy when they are announced.

2. Corporate Context

Over the last few years the financial and legislative environment in which the County Council finds itself has presented more challenges to the way its services operate. Increasingly, there is a need to ensure that all services are focussed on our Corporate Strategy, which currently has three core objectives:

· Hampshire - safer and more secure for all

· Maximising wellbeing

· Enhancing our quality of place

Hampshire's LIS has an important role to play in maximising wellbeing and enhancing our quality of place by providing opportunities for everyone to access information, broaden their horizons and so on. The LIS provides a personal service to people unable to leave their homes (often the elderly and frail) and to those in residential homes, too. The mobile library service operates throughout the rural areas of Hampshire, providing a service to isolated communities. Library buildings are often located in the middle of towns and larger villages, adding to Hampshire's local distinctiveness and diversity - its sense of place.

In March 2009 the Audit Commission announced that Hampshire County Council was rated as a Four Star authority and said to be `Improving Strongly'. `Driving Success', the County Council's Corporate Improvement Plan will be key to monitoring and driving performance improvements across the County Council. It has three priority areas, which are:

1. Increasing customer/community focus - providing better access to services, letting people choose which services they want, getting a better understanding of the local communities and involving local communities in service planning and delivery. Hampshire LIS will build on its current knowledge of its users to ensure it establishes and maintains a clear understanding of the needs of the communities it serves.

2. Reducing Inequalities - between those who are relatively well off and those living in the economically deprived areas of Hampshire with relatively high levels of deprivation, low levels of educational attainment, health inequalities or those excluded in the rural areas with the rest of the population of Hampshire. This also includes children in care and disabled people. Hampshire LIS will review its current provision in these areas and identify actions to support this initiative.

3. Improving our capacity to deliver - this is internally focussed and is all about changing the way we work, being more efficient and working more with partners. LIS will work much more closely with other County Council services to deliver our shared objectives. We will need to examine and innovate our working practices and processes - a catalyst to doing this could be the installation of digital stock management and self-service technology in our libraries.

Equality and diversity underpin all that we do.

LIS is also well placed to play a significant role in the following corporate strategies and priorities by delivering on some of their objectives.

Children and Young People's Plan 2009 - 12

Hampshire's Children and Young People's Plan is currently being finalised but there are clear priorities to which LIS can contribute including:

· Providing opportunities to learn that raise children's aspirations, encourage excellence and enable them to achieve beyond their expectations

· Providing vocational, leisure, and recreational activities that provide positive opportunities to experience success and build resilience.

Rural Strategy

At the time of writing this Strategy the Rural Strategy for Hampshire is still being developed. LIS will support corporate initiatives to provide services to rural communities through its fleet of mobile vehicles and other means as well. Work on this will develop during 2009/10.

Customer Access Strategy

This strategy is also in the process of being written. With over 7,000,000 visits per year our public libraries and mobile units will play a key role in the implementation of the strategy.

Personalisation and the universal offer

The Universal Offer is our offer to the citizens of Hampshire to help them live a fulfilling, safe and independent life. It is ensuring that Hampshire is a good place for vulnerable and disabled people to live, and offering "the little bit of help" to enable those people to manage their own health and wellbeing.

LIS will play a key role in enabling people to access the right information, providing appropriate activities to meet their needs and signposting other services. A pilot is currently being planned for Basingstoke library.

3. Recreation and Heritage

For the last seven years LIS has been part of the Recreation and Heritage Department, which includes the countryside service, museums, archives, outdoor centres, arts, sport, tourism, community support, adult learning and the River Hamble. LIS is the biggest element of the department, consisting of 52% of the Department's expenditure.

The Department's aims are:-

· Promoting access, inclusion and participation

· Stewardship of the county's cultural heritage

· Supporting lifelong learning

· Achieving economic benefit

· Reinforcing sense of place and community identity

In 2007 Hampshire County Council's cultural services achieved a four star rating in the Audit Commission's Comprehensive Performance Assessment. Of the ten indicators used in the assessment, seven were about LIS, showing how important the performance of the LIS is to the whole department.

4. Diversity in Hampshire

Hampshire is a prosperous county where 1.27 million residents in over 502,000 households enjoy a wide range of opportunities, good health, an outstanding environment and excellent services. However, there are significant disparities and inequalities between different areas of the county, and various challenging trends will affect quality of life in the future. These include:

· demographic changes leading to an ageing population, smaller households and increasing ethnic diversity

· changes to the economy, including the current recession and global competition

· housing growth and affordability

· traffic growth

· climate change

· lifestyle trends, including the increasing impact of alcohol misuse, obesity and patterns of consumption and waste

· risks of social exclusion and deprivation in certain pockets of the county and for particular groups. ³

Many of these trends are discussed in the Strategy.

According to the 2001 census, Hampshire has an ethnic minority population of 2.3%, but there has been an increase in the past seven years, in particular migrant workers from the EU. Within the overall totals, Asian or Asian British form the largest groups. Today, Hampshire is an ethnically diverse county where 90 different languages are used as the first language in the homes of Hampshire school children. In 2008 7.1% of school pupils were shown to be from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Approximately 15% of the population is considered as disabled and there are over 4,500 children and young people with special educational needs in Hampshire and over 5,500 children and young people with disabilities.

5. Hampshire 2009-2026

In order to address the medium and long term planning issues and to ensure that the LIS takes account of the major housing growth initiatives and the projected changing demography and diversity of the county in the future, the following factors need to be taken into account.

Development

Hampshire will have seen significant development by 2026. South Hampshire is identified as a Growth Point for housing in the South East Plan, with 80,000 new homes planned during the period 2006-2026 (50,000 of which are to be built in districts neighbouring the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton). At the same time, in the north and east of the county, Basingstoke will be providing 18,900 new homes and the redevelopment of surplus MoD land in Rushmoor and East Hampshire could result in large numbers of new homes in Aldershot and Bordon. Elsewhere in Hampshire, Andover is also earmarked for significant development.

Notwithstanding the planned developments in the county, Hampshire remains a predominantly rural county - some 85% of the county is classified as rural according to the 2004 urban/rural classification. Nearly a quarter of Hampshire residents are living in rural settlements (towns, villages, hamlets and isolated dwellings). For these communities, access to services is a big issue, especially for those without transport.

Demog raphy

Currently Hampshire has fewer people aged 15-19 than the national average and more in the 55-64 age range. Projections over the next 20 years suggest that there will be proportionately fewer people of working age supporting a larger group of older people. This latter group is likely to be more active than their parents at the same age but, living longer, are likely to require more support from the statutory services than their parents. Equally, the current trend is for increasing numbers of people to work flexibly from home.

The current (2008) population projection to 2026 for Hampshire shows an increase of 115,800 people or 9.2%. In the same period there will be a small decrease in the under 15s, accompanied by a decrease in the proportion aged 30-44. There is projected to be a substantial increase in the over 65s with almost a doubling of the numbers aged over 85. By 2026 some 23.4% of the resident population will be of pensionable age. In 2001, there were 114,000 unpaid carers in the county, this figure is considerably higher today.

What does this all mean for LIS? First of all we need to plot future population growth, set against our existing libraries and mobile provision and their catchment areas. The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council has set a space standard of 30m.sq. of public library space per 1,000 population and we will use this to assess if our current libraries are large enough to cater for the projected growth in population.⁴ There may well be the need for some new libraries in the future and we may also need to change our mobile provision in some areas. Conversely we also need to take a rational look at some of our existing libraries and ask ourselves if they are needed to meet future demand or if there are alternative ways to deliver library services. This might be through co-locations, re-locations, the opportunities that may exist via the Building Schools for the Future initiative and so on.

6. Climate Change and Environmental Issues

The Government announced in October 2008 that, by 2050, the UK's CO2 emissions will be reduced to 80% of 1990 levels. It is not yet clear how the Government intends to meet this target, but it is known that the Carbon Reduction Commitment will apply to the County Council and targets will be set. This means that, by April 2010, the County Council will need to purchase carbon credits at the start of each year, selling these or buying more depending on how well it has performed against its carbon reduction targets. With 55 buildings and 28 vans and mobile library vehicles, LIS will play a significant part in the County Council's commitment to reduce its carbon emissions.

In both new buildings and in our existing buildings, we need to be aware of and plan for increases in temperature and for coping with more extreme climate conditions, particularly sudden and dramatic rainfalls.

7. Technological Changes

Meeting the ways that people can now access information is one of the LIS's biggest challenges for the future. For centuries the only real way to gather meaningful information has been through a book, but then personal computers and the internet came along. There now exists a rich variety of media where individuals can get any piece of information or entertainment they require at the touch of a button.

In 2008 over 80% of Hampshire homes contained personal computers and over 70% had a broadband connection (these figures are increasing rapidly year-on-year). This illustrates how important internet use is in the county and the impact new media is having on our customers, which is reflected in the recent rise in use of LIS's on-line resources.

The implications are huge for the LIS and there are many facets of the 'new media age' that are driving change in the Service; the 24/7 society, growth in availability in on-line services, mobile technology, e-books, rise of social media, viral networking and media downloads all represent real challenges that the Service needs to embrace.

The LIS has to be flexible to move with the times and accommodate the new methods that customers are using to access information.

APPENDIX 2

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE LIBRARY SCRUTINY PANEL

The Library Scrutiny Panel made 16 recommendations and these are set up below, along with the response from LIS, which is in italics.

i) That there should be a formally defined strategy for the LIS, setting out the way forward for the service over the following 5 years. It should directly link into the Corporate Priority of Maximising Wellbeing. It should also consider the principles identified in Framework for the Future, and the outcome of the Blueprint for the Future consultation and resulting suggestions for precision in direction.

This is the Vision and Strategy for LIS. A more detailed Business Plan will follow.

ii) That a progress report is provided to the Panel on the development of the Library and Information Service strategy for January 2009. The Panel expects that the strategy will address all the recommendations made in this report.

An update was given to the Panel on 9 October 2008 and a formal presentation of the Vision and Strategy will be made in summer 2009.

iii) That the LIS strategy should include within its strategy, plans for the ongoing engagement of communities in order to inform planning and the provision of services relevant to the needs, aspirations and wellbeing of localities. It should also consider the potential for extending the capacity of the service and communities as proposed, for example, in the Quirk Review.

LIS's new Communication, Engagement and Research Plan was presented to the Scrutiny Committee on 9 October 2009. A summary of progress to date is set out at the end of this appendix.

iv) That the LIS should set out within its strategy how it intends to develop its role as a major provider of access to e-learning and education resources, including its plan for development and upgrading of the relevant technical infrastructure.

The Strategy acknowledges the important role of technology and presentation of our detailed response will be set out in the Business Plan.

v) That the LIS should strengthen its market research and intelligence, as well as engagement with local communities. It should be clear about how it intends to reach its target audiences, the messages it wants to be heard, and the way in which its future image and branding can be used to greatest effect.

This is covered in iii) above.

vi) That the following are provided to the Panel for July 2008:

· a Communication and Engagement Plan to underpin the involvement of local communities in the planning and provision of services

· a plan for how the LIS intends to strengthen its marketing research

See iii) above

vii) That the LIS should re-consider the `discovery centre' brand name taking into account that this term may not appropriately signpost individuals to the services provided.

The Select Committee was given a full explanation on 9 October about the research that went into the Discovery Centre branding where it was acknowledged that it will take time to get the message across to Hampshire residents. We believe that, due to the success of the Discovery Centres in the early years of their operation, the brand should be given time to mature.

viii) That the LIS should undertake a comprehensive review of efficiency in the service, including consideration of the wider deployment of Radio Frequency Identification systems (RFID) to support self-issues and self-returns of books, and greater efficiency in libraries.

The Strategy identifies a number of projects that have been set up to deliver efficiencies across the service, which will inform the Business Plan. In addition, a business case is being compiled for RFID, setting out the aims, objectives and business benefits. The aim is to complete the business case this summer.

ix) That the LIS should demonstrate how staff, as well as other stakeholders, are to be engaged in the process of developing services.

Groups of staff are involved in the projects (see viii above) and nearly 200 staff have been involved in a series of consultation meetings in early 2009 to develop the Vision and Strategy.

x) That the LIS should provide a clear statement of roles and the range of potential routes for people to progress within the service.

This will follow in the Business Plan.

xi) That the LIS, through engagement with local communities, and better use of demographic research and library systems, should move towards better and more effective targeting of materials, including books, other media, and e-information, driven by local customer needs and preferences rather than a general solution for all. The LIS should aim, in its five year strategy, to increase its percentage spend on books over that period, but based on local engagement, local aspirations and priorities.

The Strategy acknowledges all of these issues, but the detail will be set out in the Business Plan.

xii) That the LIS should make clear its intentions with regard to special collections held in Hampshire Libraries in the context of their five year strategy and to explore options for the better exploitation of these resources.

This is in hand in the current Business Plan.

xiii) That the LIS should, as a matter of course, consider co-locating new libraries before stand alone buildings. The LIS should show how the co-located elements would mutually expect to gain from the proposed arrangements and what community engagement has been undertaken to inform the development.

Agreed, this is addressed in the Strategy.

xiv) That the LIS should review library hours, engaging with communities to determine the most convenient and regular times for the needs and wellbeing of the community.

This is an on-going process and significant progress has been made during 2008/09.

xv) That the LIS should continue to review the layout of all libraries and discovery centres, to encourage customers to move through shelving and library areas to stimulate interest and `impulse' borrowing, and to encourage customers to sit and dip into books.

This is done all the time and is on-going.

xvi) That the LIS should further improve its customer care training to include a) a strong emphasis on building a customer focused culture, b) good quality customer care training for all staff for particular target groups, including children and young people and c) training for front line staff to elicit feedback from customers, and to ensure that all customer comments and compliments are used to support continuous service improvement.

This is covered in the Strategy.

Summary of Communication, Engagement and Research Plan (from iii) above)

1. Research Plan

a. Community Profiling

All 53 libraries and Discovery Centres have now been provided with a completed community profile. With this market intelligence managers can now easily see which parts of their community they are serving well and which they are not, which will enable them to target their activities at key groups in the individual library's catchment area.

b. Customer Survey

A comprehensive customer survey is currently in the process of being developed. It will aim to measure customer satisfaction in the LIS and discover their wants and needs. The survey will be conducted in libraries in autumn 2009 and the analysis will be done in-house.

2. Benchmarking and Key Performance Indicators

The new Key Performance Indicators have been finalised for 2009/10.

3. Communications Plan Outline

Lapsed Users Campaign

The countywide lapsed user campaign was completed and successfully encouraged 11.4% of the 18,000 recipients of the mailing to start using their library card again. Moving forward the customer retention plan will aim to prevent customers from becoming lapsed. Procedures have been put in place that will help us to keep customer data cleaned and up-to-date and ensure that a regular dialogue is maintained between the service and its customers.

Promotion of the National Year of Reading

Hampshire Poet, Spread the Word, Hampshire Big Read, Celebrating Reading with VIPs, Six Word Story and the Children's Poetry Competition were just some of the initiatives that made up Hampshire's contribution to the National Year of Reading. All these activities have successfully helped to promote the benefits of libraries and reading in Hampshire. Hampshire was even highly commended at a national level for its support of the National Year of Reading.

Library Perception Change Campaign

A new set of aspirational library photography has been produced and is already in use in promotional material for the Service. The new library information leaflets are currently in the design process, these leaflets will aim to maximise the appeal of being a library member and using library services.

Press coverage continues to express the benefits of library membership and recent press releases have extolled the virtues of library use during the credit crunch.

Library Signage

The new library window signage, which clearly advertises the services each library offers, has to date been installed in ten libraries. There is a planned timeline to continue installation across all libraries and Discovery Centres.

Email Marketing

The R&H mailing list has continued to grow and now exceeds 50,000 email addresses and an email strategy for the department has been written. In 2009 we will be developing our email system to enable much more personalised information to be sent to residents who will receive emails that will tell them about what is happening in the libraries nearest to them.

Membership Drive

A countywide library membership promotion has recently been completed. An incentive was provided for new members to join their local library. Local media along with Service Development Officers were used to spread the word.

4. Community Engagement

Community Fora

Community Management Panels have been established and are meeting regularly in five libraries. These panels are helping shape the services provided in their libraries.

Engaging with Customers Online

A Twitter presence for the Library Service has been established which is made up of people actively interested in receiving our information. The nature of Twitter means that the people currently `following' the Service will have many hundreds of `followers' themselves, many with similar interests, helping to spread our messages virally.

A Winchester Discovery Centre Facebook Group has also been established and is being well used by customers to find out about events and activities. (http://www3.hants.gov.uk/edge).

APPENDIX 3

CAPITAL PROJECTS - LISTED BY YEAR

Libraries opened or re-opened in each year ( not the year in which the funding is in the programme.)

	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009 planned
	£000's	£000's	£000's	£000's	£000's	£000's
Aldershot			19			71
Alton		1,400
Andover					118
Basingstoke						475
Bridgemary				15
Chandlers Ford		195
Elson				30
Fair Oak			9
Fareham (ground)			61
Fareham ( first )				41
Farnborough		402
Fleet		96
Fordingbridge			5
Gosport		2,251
Grayshott			4
Havant		5				93
Hayling Island						154
Lee On Solent				116
Leigh Park				2		40
Lydhurst						50
Milford on Sea			11
Odiham		52
Portchester						70
Ringwood			274
Romsey			899
South Ham		86
Stubbington				333
Tadley			2
Totton						40
Waterlooville						773
Whitchurch				400
Winchester				7,250
Yateley	248
TOTAL each year	248	4,487	1,284	8,187	118	1,766
Cumulative Total	248	4,735	6,019	14,206	14,324	16,090