Libraries For All: Social Inclusion in Public Libraries

Section 4:
The Social Inclusion Policy

4.1 This section sets out what we believe to be the basic components of a comprehensive social inclusion policy for public libraries. The policy objectives set out below are a framework for action, not a solution to social exclusion. They represent elements of good practice, rather than a rigid blueprint for action. We must ensure that they are developed, implemented and monitored, not only with the active involvement of socially excluded people, but also as part of an overall social inclusion strategy within the local authority.

• Social inclusion should be mainstreamed as a policy priority for library and information services.
  Mainstreaming means putting a principle at the heart of policy making or the development of services. Social inclusion issues should underpin all aspects of library provision. This applies both where services are being enhanced, and when there is pressure to reduce or cut library services.
• Library authorities should consider what specific services need to be tailored to meet the needs of minority groups and communities.
  Public library and information services should be available and accessible to everyone. To help to realise this goal, libraries should provide services to specific groups of citizens, such as older people and people with disabilities, to help them overcome their exclusion and enable them to be more active and informed. 
  
  

  SHROPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL: TAILORING SERVICES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF MINORITY GROUPS: SHROPSHIRE COMMUNITY CARE MOBILE LIBRARY

  Shropshire County Council provide a specially adapted mobile library to serve elderly and disabled members of the community. This vehicle visits 120 day centres, residential and care homes and sheltered accommodation throughout the County Library area, on a five-week rota. Purchase of the vehicle, which can be lowered to provide ground-level access, was sponsored by the Rural Development Commission, and the publishers Alderscroft, and Mills and Boon. It is mainly stocked with large print and talking books, and has a computerised library catalogue. The library also provides small deposit book collections at the residential and care homes, and supports care workers in their further education studies.

 

• Library authorities should consult and involve socially excluded groups in order to ascertain their needs and aspirations.
  It is important that where authorities propose to offer services to overcome social exclusion, the groups concerned are involved in planning, introducing and monitoring the service. This is more than just asking them what they want; it is involving them in all stages of the process. In doing so, authorities will be acting in the spirit of the Modernising Government agenda, ensuring that the service delivers what socially excluded people actually need.
   
  

  ISLINGTON LIBRARY SERVICES FOR BLACK AND OTHER ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS

  Islington Library Service liaises closely with fifty different ethnic minority groups within the Borough, Outreach librarians talk to the groups to ascertain their library and information needs, and involve them in the selection and acquisition of materials. Acting in partnership, the library supports the groups in promoting their ethnic culture, runs education programmes such as ‘English as a second language’, and trains the co-ordinators in information provision. Library material is translated into fifteen key minority languages. The outreach librarians have a regular visit programme to the groups to provide ongoing support and review needs, and the head of the library service has a twice-yearly consultation meeting with representatives from the black and other ethnic minority communities.

 
• Libraries should be located where there is a demand, but should build upon existing facilities and services wherever possible.
  Libraries have an important role to play as a public space, often acting as a focal point within communities. An important feature is their non-intimidating and neutral nature, and this can be helpful in providing information and services for socially excluded groups. The existing network of library buildings is not always conveniently placed to attract socially excluded people, but the provision of new facilities requires long term planning and, often, additional resources. Much can be done in the meantime to meet local need, drawing on the adaptability afforded by mobile library facilities and other outreach services. Facilities to meet the need of socially excluded people may not need to be in dedicated library buildings at all. There is plenty of scope for linking library services to business, community or other facilities in the locality.
   
  

  SEASIDE, EASTBOURNE: NEW METHODS OF LIBRARY PROVISION

  In Seaside, a deprived area of Eastbourne, the local library was being used by only 5% of the local population, and was located in a large building with maintenance problems for which East Sussex library service had tried to find other uses without success. After consultation with the local community, the service was reorganised. It is now provided from five locations, each within five minutes walk of the old library building and each aimed at different target markets with opening times to suit. A staffed library is already in operation in St Aidan’s Methodist Church, which fits around regular religious use of the building. Other outlets include a residential care home, a local pub and a local branch of a national bank. In addition, a mobile library will serve the area.

 
• Opening hours should be more flexible and tailored to reflect the needs and interests of the community.
  Opening hours should be `family friendly’ and convenient. Restrictive opening hours are a major barrier to social inclusion. In particular, library authorities should consider the benefits to the community of more extensive weekend opening of libraries, including on Sundays, even if this means that opening needs to be more restricted during the week.
   
  

  ESSEX LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICE: EXTENSION OF ACCESS TIMES: ESSEX LIBRARIES SUNDAY OPENING

  Between October 1998 and June 1999, Essex County Council ran a pilot scheme to open five libraries on Sunday afternoons. This initiative was linked to the National Year of Reading. A customer survey was undertaken to evaluate effectiveness of Sunday opening, this showed that on average 384 people visited each library on a Sunday and the vast majority had chosen to go then simply because they had more time to do so. Around a fifth used the library on Sunday because it meant that the whole family could come together. Sunday opening also appeared to attract a greater proportion of younger and middle aged people than opening hours during the week. Following the success of the scheme, Essex County Council approved funding to open one library in each District Council area every Sunday. From October 3 1999, twelve libraries including the five pilots will be open on Sundays.

 
• Library and information services should develop their role as community resource centres, providing access to communication as well as information.
  It has been suggested that although they are based in the community, some libraries give no sense of community ownership, management or accountability. As a consequence, libraries may fail to engage many people who could make the best use of them.
  
  Correcting this will help to ensure that library services become embedded into the local community. They should be regarded as a community facility, rather than simply a council service. Opportunities should be taken for libraries to support other kinds of community need, and in doing so become more joined-up with other local authority services.
   
  

  LIBRARY SERVICES IN THE MOSS SIDE MILLENNIUM POWERHOUSE

  The Powerhouse is a new youth centre being developed in the Moss Side area of Manchester. It will provide a library and information centre (which will also provide careers advice) together with an ICT suite, music and arts studios, fitness centre, sports hall and performance area, café, creche and residential wing. This has involved the library service in a partnership approach with other Council services, private companies and community groups. A young people’s librarian has been recruited who is also trained in youth work. The aim is to involve the local community in stock selection and marketing the library facilities.

 
• Library authorities should consider the possibilities of co-locating their facilities with other services provided by the local authority.
  In order to promote their role as community resource centres, library authorities should investigate what options are open to them for integrating some elements of their service with other services in the community. For example, co-locating with leisure facilities would enable the users of both library and leisure facilities to become aware of, and to benefit from, a range of services they might not otherwise have encountered. There may also be scope for dual use libraries in conjunction with local schools.
   
  

  TRAFFORD LIBRARY SERVICE: CO-LOCATING LIBRARIES WITH LOCAL SERVICES

  Trafford library and information services has integrated three of its smaller libraries into existing and well-used facilities in nearby locations. Lostock branch library combined with a school library to create Lostock Community and School Library in December 1998. The following January, Greatstone and Bowfell libraries opened in local leisure centres. Both of the libraries co-located with leisure facilities use self-issue computer terminals, a significant innovation for Trafford, which enables the service to remain open when unstaffed. The new locations and extended opening hours are very popular with young people, and the number of users has increased.

 
• Libraries as the local learning place and champion of the independent learner.
  Libraries are major learning resource centres. They should ideally develop this role to include the provision of homework facilities. For the community as a whole they should focus on developing facilities for informal and self-directed learning.
   
  

  PEACEHAVEN: THE LIBRARY AS A LOCAL LEARNING RESOURCE CENTRE

  Peacehaven Library, located in the Meridian Shopping Centre, is a modern facility which contains almost thirty computer terminals. The library provides a homework club with six sessions a week, each of two hours duration. The convenient timing of sessions together with the range of computer equipment available, has encouraged as many as 40 children to attend some sessions. ICT training is also provided for the public through a partnership between the library service and Lewes Tertiary College and backed by local employers. An additional community benefit is that the Tertiary College now holds a range of adult education courses at the library.

 
• Libraries should be a major vehicle for providing affordable (or preferably free) access to ICT at local level.
  The Government is making a significant national investment in ICT through the New Opportunities Fund. It is important that access to ICT is available to all, including support and training for users. This service could extend to the provision of a personal e-mail address for all who want one. As part of this process, public library authorities should consider whether their charging policies for ICT use are consistent with a policy of mainstreaming social inclusion.
   
  

  SUNDERLAND ELECTRONIC VILLAGE HALLS

  The Sunderland Libraries are opening the doors to ICT for all by developing a network of ‘electronic village halls’ throughout the City. Five have been opened so far and they are based in library buildings, a further education college, a community business centre, and around a community and voluntary group network. They provide free access to PCs and the Internet, a wide range of software for adults and children, and trained staff available to help users. They also run a range of free IT courses, homework support, and support lifelong learning with Computers Don’t Bite, University for Industry, and IT for All.

 
• Partnerships with other learning organisations.
  Public libraries can be a key partner in a consortium of learning networks. They should join with other learning organisations to provide a comprehensive service to the community. Libraries should be included as central players within the membership of the lifelong learning partnerships being developed by local authorities.
   
  

  SEACROFT, LEEDS: BOOKSTART, A SCHEME TO ENCOURAGE PARENTS TO BRING BABIES TO THE LIBRARY

  Leeds Library and Information Services, in partnership with a local cosmetic company, Elida Fabergé, Social Services and the East Leeds Family Learning Centre, runs the Bookstart scheme in the East Leeds area. The scheme covers the four branch libraries of East Leeds: Searoft, Whinmoor, Crossgates and Swarcliffe Since April 1999, every new mother now receives a Bookstart bag from the health visitor on their seven-month visit. The bag contains a leaflet and poster about Bookstart, a questionnaire about the parents’ current use of the library, a wall chart and a board book. When each baby is one year old, the Learning Support Librarian telephones the mother to invite her and the baby to a session of book related activities at Seacroft Library. Elida Fabergé, the sponsors, are keen to encourage literacy among the local community, who form the majority of their workforce. About 60 packs have been given out each month since the scheme began. The aim of the scheme is to promote reading with children, particularly among parents who do not see themselves as natural readers, and to encourage parents to join their babies to the library even if they are not members themselves. The East Leeds Family Learning Centre also runs, in collaborations with Leeds Library Service, a Second Chance School and a joint school library for all the primary schools in the Seacroft and Manston area.

 
• Library authorities should consider whether some services might be more effectively delivered on a regional basis.
  Library authorities should recognise the need to work on a variety of geographical levels. Provision on an authority-wide scale may be too narrow for some purposes. Working regionally on ICT infrastructure issues or minority languages stock provision, for example, may bring significant advantages in terms of effective delivery and economies of scale.
   
  

  GATESHEAD CENTRAL LIBRARY: DELIVERING LIBRARY SERVICES ON A REGIONAL BASIS: THENORTHEAST.COM

  Twelve local authorities are in partnership to provide the North of England’s official web site. Administered by Gateshead Central Library, this is a gateway to over 280 public library service points in the region; and has over 1,500 links to local web sites, from the arts to business, sport to travel and tourism. This project is supported by LIBERATOR, the European Commissions’s DGXIII Telematics for Libraries Programme. The web site can be accessed at http://thenortheast.com.

 

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Foreword by Chris Smith

Executive Summary of Key Policy Objectives

1 Why a Social Inclusion Policy for Public Libraries?

2 The Social Inclusion Context

3 Identifying the Barriers that Keep People Away

4The Social Inclusion Policy

5 Means of Achieving those Objectives

6 The Challenges that Libraries Face

7 The Consultation Process

Appendix A - Bibliography

Appendix B - Terms of Reference and List of Policy Group Members