In Reading the Future: the Public Libraries Review, published at last mid-February, the government gives the clearest indication yet that libraries will get funding to provide access to the Internet.
Other key points include an announcement that the performance of public library services is to be measured and evaluated by the Department of National Heritage and a recommendation that authorities should 'consider alternative methods of service delivery, such as contracting out and the development of library trusts'.
The document does say categorically that libraries 'will benefit' from the money turned to the IT for All campaign but it does not say in what way. The Library and Information Commission (LIC) has been asked to report by July of this year on 'how public libraries can together respond to the challenge of new technology'. Although this represents another research period, the timescale means that the issue is to be looked at again sooner rather than later.
LIC Chair Matthew Evans, speaking at the launch of the document at the new British Library building at St Pancras, observed that it was ironic that they should be asked to prepare a report after the failure of Information for All to secure Millennium funding (see Record p. 121). However, he acknowledge it as 'a tremendous opportunity' and promised a document 'so compelling that government will be unable to avoid the logic of its conclusions'.
Secretary of State Virginia Bottomley expressed the opinion as the Chair of the Millennium Commission that the Information for Allbid was much improved when it was re-presented for the last round of funding. 'But for ambitious projects such as this and the Citizens Advice Bureau's networking project there is the need for first runners.'
Post-millennium funding
Once these pilot projects had helped to establish the parameters of what was possible, she said, she would hope that post-millennium funding 'would be able to support a substantial bid'. She did however add the caveat that this would 'depend on a number of decisions'.
The key issues are still how the private sector can be involved and how services can be paid for. This issue relates to networking of existing digital services as well as to Internet access.
'Micro-charging on some kind of smart card is clearly an option,' acknowledged Heritage Minister Iain Sproat, in response to a question from Bob Usherwood from the University of Sheffield, 'but that would clearly be contrary to the principle of freedom of access. How we resolve this is a very difficult question to which we have not yet found the answer.'
Public Library Plans
From April 1998 each authority will be asked to provide a Public Library Plan, and a 'trial plan' must be produced for April this year.
The plan is that this will cover the six indicators currently required annually by the Audit Commission (issues, number of visits, expenditure - on materials and net - and stock per capita) plus a number of new indicators related to efficiency and access and usage (see below left). Comments on these are welcomed before the formal introduction of the scheme.
However, there is a specific statement that the government 'does not intend to set performance targets'.
'I think it is fair to say local authorities would resent specific targets being set without taking into account the nature of the authority,' said Iain Sproat to the Record. 'But there will be certain fixed information against which libraries' performance can be measured.
The plans will mean that actual performance can be compared to their hopes. There will also be calibration of authority according to type and size so that each can be compared to authorities of a similar profile.'
Asked by the Record if Mr Sproat would envisage the DNH intervening if an authority's performance was particularly poor he replied that he would. However, he did add that 'hopefully the authority itself would take action if this were the case'.
Michael Messenger, speaking in his capacity as Chair of the Advisory Council, pointed out that the work that local authorities have been doing on benchmarking would feed into this process and spoke of mapping 'quartiles of achievement' or separating libraries into four levels of achievements.
On one level this could provide libraries with internal bargaining power, but it can have unforseen effects, argues Ross Shimmon, Chief Executive of the Library Association: 'When times are hard, councillors are reluctant to be seen in the top quartile, because it marks them out as higher spenders.'
Under one of the other recommendations of the report, the functions of the Advisory Council and the LIC will be combined to 'provide a single source of public library advice in England'. This was welcomed by the LA 'on the condition that people with public library expertise are appointed'.
Independent trusts
As widely predicted the document also exhorts local authorities to consider devolving library services to independent trusts. Hounslow has already stated its intentions of becoming the first local authority to devolve its service in this way (full story p. 125).
This model, the report claims, 'would encourage the involvement of local people with experience outside the service without detracting from strategic control by the library authority'.
The Library Association has expressed concern, however, about the lack of democratic accountability of such an arrangement. Local authority representation would be restricted to 49 per cent.
The report also recommends that libraries should review their opening hours, if necessary opening more on evenings and weekends and closing during less busy periods. The use of volunteers is also recommended.
Labour's Shadow Secretary of State Jack Cunningham condemned the report as doing 'little to address the very real problems that many public library services face'. He continued 'Library closures, decreased opening hours and declining book stocks have been facts of life for local authority libraries for the last 18 years'.
This point was echoed by Ross Shimmon who, while welcoming some of the recommendations, said 'The fundamental problem of funding remains unresolved.'
There will be an Executive Briefing for senior public librarians and local authority
councillors at LAHQ on Monday 7 April. Details from LA Conferences. The report is
available free from the DNH (020 7211 6132).
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