NEWS: People's Network

Government responds to People's Network report

The Government has asked the Library and Information Commission to establish an Implementation Committee for the public libraries IT network.

The committee was announced as part of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)'s long-awaited response to New Library: The People's Network.

The paper also announced that the existing DCMS-Wolfson Public Libraries Challenge Fund is to be refocused to fund what it calls 'Libraries of the Future' in England, and that the Scottish Office has provided £250,000 in this financial year for a similar fund on a pilot basis.

Funding disappointment

No new money was pledged to the networking of public libraries. While this is not exactly unexpected, the Government has been at pains to stress the financial strictures under which it is operating ever since the report was delivered, it will still be disappointing to a public library community which was hoping that Secretary of State Chris Smith would somehow produce some additional financial encouragement.

The Government does undertake to 'establish a framework which challenges the private sector to contribute and participate in the provision of the network', which includes exploring with Oftel, the regulatory body, and the telecommunications industry 'the scope for securing reduced connection and ongoing charges for libraries'.

It also suggests the possibility of creating a formal link between what it calls the 'roll-out of the public library network' to 'the arrangements under consideration for the development of the National Grid for Learning in schools'. This may allay some of the fears of members of the library community who have been dismayed by media coverage which has increasingly focused on Government plans to connect schools, and neglected the library role.

Such a link would, the paper claims, have significant attractions. 'Economies of scale between the schools and libraries elements of the Grid would help to drive the unit costs down to affordable levels; and the private sector would be invited to make only a single investment in an interconnected learning network.'

Not to mention avoiding the danger that libraries, increasingly suffering the knock-on effects of local authorities' priority on education, would also end up in competition with the formal education sector for IT sponsorship.

Libraries will look with envy, however, at the £100 m being made available to fund equipment in schools. While libraries are eligible for a share of the training budget, they are left very much to their own devices to supply both hardware and software.

Secretary of State Chris Smith, speaking to the Record, put the emphasis on the number of library authorities who are already investing in technology.

'While they might have been very pleased if we had come up with money for equipment, their own priorities lie with training and with making content available.'

He rejects notions that local authorities may be encouraged to put their own funding where it may stand more chance of being matched by the Government, preferring to emphasise co-operation between the sectors.

'The more synergy that there is, and with unitary authorities that becomes all the more possible, the more bulk buying can assist the library service alongside the education service.'

Strong voice

He said that what he saw as libraries' 'increasingly strong voice within local authorities' would be aided by 'a real push from Government on the importance of libraries' in the National Grid for Learning.

The report reiterates the Government's commitment to making £50 m of National Lottery funds available for the digitising of content for the National Grid for Learning, and confirms the announcement made at the LA/DCMS's New Opportunities for Libraries Conference (April Record p. 171) that the LIC will be given a strategic role in identifying priorities for the programme on behalf of the New Opportunities Fund (NOF).

The LIC's role in working with the Teacher Training Agency and the British Educational Communications and Technology agency (Becta) on coordinating the deployment of the £20 m made available through the NOF for training librarians in IT.

LIC Implementation Committee

Beyond this the role of maintaining momentum on the notion of the People's Network will be given to the new LIC Implementation Committee, which is being given responsibility for the areas of work which the original paper envisaged falling to a Public Library Networking Agency.

These are to lead and coordinate, to act as a focal point for discussions with the private sector and with Government, to market the concept of public library networking to be responsible for the management and channelling of central funds and to establish a programme for developing new products in content and services, network infrastructure and staff training.

'We are more interested,' said Chris Smith, 'in putting something in place rapidly, because I'm much more interested in getting progress on the ground than in seeing grand bodies being established.

'Let's get this small group up and running and then see if we really need anything over and above that. If we do, we'll put it in place. There is no point in creating bodies simply for creating bodies. If you can get a few more computers in a few more libraries and a few more librarians able to use them, that's obviously preferable.'

Matthew Evans, the Commission's Chair, welcomed the response. 'When we costed out the component parts of the network,' he commented, 'we recognised that this was going to be a scheme that needed a lot of resources, resources that we hoped would come not only from central government but local government, the lottery and the private sector.'

He hailed the response as 'a very important first step. First of all, they have given their backing to the plan and secondly, monies have been put on the table for content provision and for training.

'Now the all-important work of implementation starts.'

A launch event is to take place for senior librarians on the 29th of this month.

Web sites

Full text of the Government's response www.culture.gov.uk/new-library.htm

Library Association's response is available at www.la-hq.org.uk/oiala.html

Library and Information Commission's response is available at www.la-hq.org.uk/oialic.html

Feedback or comments on the contents of the printed
Record or on the Record Web pages are welcomed

© The Library Association
Last updated: 17 April 98