The Library Association is the professional body representing librarians and information managers in the United Kingdom. Under the terms of our Royal Charter we have a duty to promote high quality library and information services and advise government, employers and others on all aspects of library and information services.

The Library Association welcomes the statement in the Executive Summary ES3 "Good quality childcare isn't merely about caring for children, but about ... a love of books ...."

A National Childcare Strategy should recognise and promote the role of libraries, within an integrated strategy, as a key provider of resources and information to support literacy, life-long learning and community information especially with regard to:

Raising the Quality of Childcare (Chapter Two)

• Libraries are a source of additional developmental opportunities. Activities for under fives, summer reading games, homework clubs, family reading groups, teenage reading groups, Bookstart, are examples of activities central to the public libraries role in raising standards in literacy and reading throughout childhood and encompassing the whole family. (2.3) Library-based activities also provide a forum for parents and carers to meet and , therefore, are an opportunity for "parents and carers to develop their own capabilities and share resources" (2.40)
• Any policy initiatives concerning Early Excellence Centres, Education Action Zones and Early Years Development Partnerships should include and highlight the role of the public libraries as early years resource providers, specialists and advisers for parents and carers about sharing books with babies and toddlers and childcare information. (2.15 - 2.16)
• Many public library services work in partnership with other agencies, such as LEAs, health visitors and the Basic Skills Agency to provide services to carers and children. Public Libraries are able to offer staff expertise, resources and a welcoming environment in their support of family literacy schemes. They have a complimentary role in supporting parents and carers through parenting education programmes, including support for parents and carers of children with special educational needs. They take the lead in outreach programmes, bringing the library and its resources into the community and homes: Bookstart schemes, for instance, introduce parents to the joys of sharing books with babies and are often run in partnership with the Health Authority and sponsored by local businesses. (2.15 - 2.17)
• School Libraries also support after-school activities such as Homework Clubs and Literacy Schools with resources. Some libraries in schools are dual - use community libraries and as such are a bridge between formal and informal learning involving the whole family. (2.15 - 2.17)

Making Childcare more Accessible (Chapter Four)

• Any strategy for improving childcare information should include the extensive information network of the public library. Information on computer data-bases as well as leaflets, pamphlets and books concerning the needs of parents and carers in the local community are accessible from every public library point and mobile library. Information is also available from 'village information points' in rural areas and increasingly on the Internet as The National Grid for Learning is established, as well as library outreach programmes. (4.11)
• One of the aims of The National Literacy Strategy is to reach parents in the workplace. LaunchPad, an initiative which aims to promote the value of libraries to children, has received National Year of Reading funds to create a library-based project called Reaching Parents in the Community. Workplace libraries also have a role in disseminating information to employees about childcare facilities and local services. (4.12 -4.13)
• Management of information is crucial to ensure currency, accuracy and availability. Librarians are trained information specialists. The public library ethos is to make freely available local information which is up-to-date, unbiased and feeds into the wider information network. Community information data-bases in public libraries already provide a 'one-agency' approach to information provision.
• An integrated strategy including an envisaged national 'signposting service' should involve public libraries and so avoid unnecessary and costly duplication of resources and effort (4.11).

Delivering the Challenge (Chapter Five)

The Library and Information Services Council report - Investing in Children: The future of Library Services for Children and Young People (1995) - had as a first recommendation the development of an integrated strategy at local authority level for delivering library services to children and young people through public, school and schools library services. They also recommend that the library service should form one part of a "multi-service Charter for the Child". Many public library authorities, in partnership with LEAs, schools library services, schools and other bodies, have been working towards implementing these key recommendations and setting down frameworks to achieve the vision of a "holistic" service meeting the needs of children and carers wherever they are.

The experience gained, as well as the value of the services provided, mean that libraries will have a significant contribution to Local Childcare Partnerships and should be seen as key players from the outset.

Public libraries, without exception, provide library services to children and young people from the ages 0 -14. Libraries hold selections of picture books and other materials for the very young, as well as information books, recreational reading material, fiction and non-book materials for older children. Storytimes, book-based events, homework clubs and holiday activities are some of the activities commonly undertaken by library services. There are teenage sections too. Specially trained librarians, experienced in working with children and young people, are available to help parents and carers. National statistics show children are borrowing more material from public libraries year on year.

Schools Library Services (SLS) exist to develop quality library provision in schools and provide a wide range of resources and services for individual schools in a Local Education Authority. Resources are selected and stocked specifically to support the National Curriculum and other curricula undertaken by schools. In addition, SLSs are staffed by personnel trained and experienced in the needs of schools, the curricula requirements and in supporting the work of teachers e.g. working teachers to establish the framework for baseline assessment schemes.

The Library Association, July 1998