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February 15, 2007
What Elaine Fulton thinks
Here, if you read on, is Elaine Fulton's latest paper on the question of public libraries in Scotland. There is nothing in what she says that I recognise as being what the people of Scotland would want from their libraries. On the contrary it seems to be based on what the managers of the libraries in Scotalnd enjoy doing, which is not the same thing at all. Certainly it asks for more money to be given to an operation, which, if its results were shown, is not very well managed at present.
Book issues in Scotland fell by 4% last year and book collections fell (in quantity and probably in quality) as well. She doesn't mention those things. Nor does she mention the local councils in which the service has almost ceased to exist. In fact her paper does not seem to be based on any factual information at all except the brief statistics that apparently lead her to ask for just £10m.
I'm not sure her argument would stand scrutiny in the Dragon's Den- or the Loch Ness Monster's lair, for that matter. I hope the English aren't paying for all this.
Issues Paper for Cross Party Group on Reading and Literature
Background
The Scottish Library and Information Council is the advisory body to members and Scottish Ministers for all library and information services in Scotland; public, schools, universities and colleges. I am here to speak to the whole sector. Public Libraries alone consistently serve 60% of the population in Scotland to borrow books, use free internet access, research, participate in community activity etc.
The problem for libraries for all kinds is where they sit, given the range and diversity of the services they provide, all too often seen book lending which is one element of what libraries of all kinds provide.
Comprehensive Spending Review
In preparing to contribute to the Comprehensive Spending Review, we have identified issues and pressures on services, which will be pertinent for party manifestos.
Since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament libraries are under increasing pressure to:
• Support the knowledge economy, through the provision of quality information resources, both printed and digital
• Support, contribute and deliver lifelong learning through the provision of resources in different formats, supporting learning providers and delivering informal programmes themselves e.g in particular in using ICT in learning – Basic Computer training, Information Literacy. Libraries are 15% of the learndirect Scotland network. Libraries have been supporting learning for over 154 years.
• Contribute to the social inclusion agenda, by working with hard to reach groups and through offering at the most basic level free access to books and the internet through to supporting the needs of migrant communities
• Supporting and offering programmes which support digital inclusion. A number of projects in public libraries, more information can be found at http://www.slainte.org.uk/files/pdf/pnet/gates/gatesreport04.pdf
• Supporting, promoting and offering opportunities to participate in culture, largely through reading, however public libraries hold the community memory and heritage in their local collections, they offer opportunities to build, they lend CDs and DVDs of music, film and theatre. Through reader development programmes which until now have been funded by SAC, we have been able to grow the number of readers in Scotland and widen reading choices, by focusing on the user. These programmes increase boorowing of promoted titles by 150% and we have evidence from a programme in Glasgow that it has increased library issues over all by 20% and library membership by 12%.
• Library services are able to contribute to the public health improvement agenda. We have a couple of schemes promoting biblio-therapy and books on subscription, which have proved popular and successful in Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire. Renfrewshire have established a special information service with McMillan Cancer, where the library is co-located with the health centre. Wales already have a national books on prescription promotion which is funded nationally.
• Libraries can provide support to regeneration. Some libraries are in the wronf place to serve their communities, they should be considered when looking at regeneration as they provide a welcoming public space which is valued by the community. The Finnish describe this as the living room of the community. They can also support the skills development agenda, provide ICT support to small businesses through free internet access and provision of excel, access etc databases and training to support it.
A key priority for SLIC is co-operation, collaboration and co-ordination. Under that agenda we look at key areas which we can support the issues above through
• The provision of a technical infrastructure, which is standards based to support information exchange and resource sharing
• Exploration of different delivery models e.g joint use facilities
• need to ensure there a sufficient resources, funding, quality professional and non-professional staff, good buildings
• The shared services agenda is increasingly important, but SLIC believes it needs to be more than saving money, it needs to deliver the services the user wants.
• Funding is a key issue for all services, for example
Public Library
Materials Funds £15.9M - Scottish Library Association Public Library Expenditure Statistics 1995/96
Materials Funds £12.7M - CIFPA Public Library Statistics 2004/5
Change: reduction of £3.2M or 20% drop, excluding inflation
If combined CPI of 17% is taken into account the library materials fund for Scotland should be increased by £10M to return to 1995/96 levels. That said we would no spend the money in the same way should that level be restored
SLIC has developed several embryonic services since the publication of Enabling Seamless Access, in 2000. What we need is investment from the Scottish Executive to fund
• Nationally funded/services to support local agendas
• Increase resources to participate in national programme to meet the needs of their communities
Possible Actions
• Public Information Network, with a technical infrastructure which offers equity of access and supports individuals and communities to develop ICT skills. It should be underpineed by the principle of free access to the internet and provide for replacement of PCs in our public libraries on a 3 year rolling programme. It should consider national subscriptions for an agreed range of electronic resources, shared searching services across all library services through scotlandslibraries.com
• Funded National reader Development programme for all, which reflects existing provision and core funds the National Readership Development Programme, developed by SLIC and CILIPS(previously funded by SAC)
• Building Audit and replacement programme( linked to shared services. Ireland has run such a programme for over 25years and Big Lottery are supporting a £80m programme in England)
Elaine Fulton
Director, Scottish Library and Information Council/CILIP in Scotland
1st Floor Building C, Brandon Gate,
Leechlee Road
Hamilton
ML3 6AU
e.fulton@slainte.org.uk
Posted by Tim Coates at February 15, 2007 4:04 PM