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July 30, 2006
Libraries in Northern Ireland to double expenditure on books
DCAL, the Northern Ireland culture office has published a report on the immediate future plans for the public library service ("Delivering tomorrow's libraries")
This follows a long and well conducted review and consultation
The document calls budget for book purchasing to rise to £3 per person. (The figure has already been raised by additional government expenditure to £1.50 per person in 2006-7 and is targetted to rise to £2.50, in 2008-9).
This new figure will achieve the level called for in the Kaufman Select Committee report of last year, and if the new high purchase discounts now being offered in England are achieved in NI then this will come close to the figure I called for in "Who's in Charge".
If this rise were implemented across the UK it would raise book purchasing from £95m per annum to £190m per annum. It is a tremendous improvement. The money is to come from re-allocation of existing taxpayers funding of the service.
The document calls for a new emphasis on service to customers and a shift of resources to achieve that and the appropriate re-training that requires. It follows up the strategic move last year that will place all the library service of Northern Ireland eventually under one management structure of responsibility
The document lays out a set of library standards which are far clearer and much more comprehensible to the public than those in operation in England. The advantage of them is that for in the community surrounding any library it will be possible for local people to see if their library achieves the standards laid down by government. The current "Public Library Service Standards" in England do not make such an understanding possible.
For example small libraries are asked to open at least 7 hours a week outside the normal 9-5 working day.
This is an excellent, clear and cleverly compiled document and plan, which should be copied by Scotland, Wales and England immediately. It shows the kind of leadership for which we have been looking. It is very good news for the libraries of Northern Ireland.
Posted by Tim Coates at July 30, 2006 11:19 PM