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Libraries Review

Overview of Issues from Literature Review – April 2007

Background
This review of library and information services is being undertaken in a context in which public library services appear to be in a state of decline. Indeed there is almost universal agreement in the literature that there is a continuing and steady decline in the use of public libraries. Hampshire Library Service, in common with many other services has attempted to address the decline in part by looking for innovative solutions. The Gosport Discovery Centre is the product of innovative thinking and attempts to provide a locally relevant service. Some fear that such innovation is tantamount to ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’, however it is also argued that it is important for library services to recognise that changes in society may require services to evolve, “The make-up of communities is changing, and libraries must make sure they keep up with those changes, with new needs and expectation”, (Government response to the third report of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Session 2004-05: Public Libraries)

“Libraries are an important, valued council service, with the potential to contribute to priorities for learning, inclusion and e-government…But, despite growing demand for books and information…traditional library services are in decline” Building better library services briefing, Audit Commission 2002

“…the snapshot of library services revealed by our evidence is unsurprising. There were pockets of excellence but, overall, there were equal proportions of satisfactory and less than adequate services across the country. The data submitted to us showed that overall spending was up but, within this total, spending on books was down; as were loans of books and overall visitor numbers. We regard a situation in which core performance indicators, and gross throughput, are falling – but overall costs are rising – as a signal of a service in distress. This must be reversed.” House of Commons: Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Public Libraries – Third Report of Session 2004-05, Volume 1, Summary (10 March 2005)

The LISU Annual Library Statistics for 2006 note in their summary of key findings that:
• The greatest increases in total expenditure per capita of the last year have been in Wales, Scotland and the English counties
• Overall, materials for public use represent 12% of total spending, £2.26 per person
• Over £602 million was spent on library staff in 2004-05
• Over £95 million was spent on books in 2004-05
• £23 million was spent on audio-visual materials
• £6 million on electronic resources
• There has been a further fall in total book stock to 108 million for the UK, 74% of which was for lending, the rest reference and reserve. This averages 1.8 per head of population, compared to 2.2 per person ten years ago.
• Proportion of children’s books has increased to 30% of the total
• 12 million books were added in 2004-05, representing 11.2%, falling short of the 14.9% target set by the Public Library Service Standards.
• Children’s issues have increased by 2.1% in the UK, the first increase in 8 years
• Northern Ireland issues risen by 6.6% where lending stock has increased by 11.9%
• The number of visits overall has increased for the third year running and is now 2.5% higher than five years ago

The latest library statistics therefore both confirm a general decline in book lending, but may contain some positive signs for libraries. The picture provided is not simple. It is, for example, probably too easy to draw a conclusion from Northern Ireland that increased book stocks result in increased issues; there are undoubtedly other factors as well, such as those identified below, however increased book stocks may have a part in what may be a reversal of a decline in lending.

Key Issues identified in the Literature

In 2002, the Audit Commission produced ‘Building Better Library Services’, a report (or collection of reports) based on the experience of inspecting public libraries. Although slightly dated in terms of some of the data and trends cited in the reports, they provide a useful framework for considering key issues that feature in almost all critiques of public library services:

• What do people want from their library service?
• Availability of book and information services?
• Accessibility: opening times, location, physical access
• Improving the experience: making libraries a welcoming space
• Raising awareness

In addition, there is a clear expectation that the Audit Commission believes that it is critical that services are user-focused and that services actively engage with their users. Another key issue must therefore be that of user or public engagement and knowing/understanding the community that needs to be served.

Another issue, identified in the Audit Commission report(s), but commented on more extensively in other papers, is that of efficient and effective management of libraries. The focus of the present review, however, is primarily on questioning whether the approach that the public library service of Hampshire has adopted, could or should be reviewed in order to meet the expectations of users and potential library users.

Finally, relevant to the provision of public library services, must be the recognition of general, and sometimes more community specific, or demographic factors that may impinge upon the lives of those who do, or might use libraries. These factors, while relevant, may not be within the gift of library services to change, but need to be addressed as a matter of strategy. Such factors might include:

• Disposable income
• Purchasing of books
• Competing leisure pursuits
• Home access to technology and information
• Demographic issues such as locality specific
o Income levels
o Educational levels
o Work/life aspirations

Library services need to be responsive to community contexts, matching services to public expectations, however, ideally it could be argued that library strategies should, in part, have the capacity or flexibility to engage proactively and appropriately with distinctively different communities. Reality, however dictates that currently the County has responsibility for the service in Hampshire, while some would probably prefer more central government control.

What do people want from their library service?

The literature appears to show that people tend agree on the main characteristics of a library, for example:

1. “Libraries need to provide the books and information services people want – or people will have no reason to come.
2. The services need to be easily accessible, in terms of opening times and location – or many potential users may be put off using them.
3. The need to provide a welcoming experience for the user, in terms of the environment and how easy services are to use – or people will choose to go elsewhere.
4. And, people need to be aware of the full range of services on offer and how they can get them.”

Building Better Library Services (Acknowledge – learning from audit, inspection and research), Audit Commission, par.55,

The above are generally true and obvious principles that echo the framework that is adopted for this review. It should be noted that these principles have their origin in the approach to library audit that has been adopted by the Audit Commission, and they also must reflect the learning that has come out of that process.

Cambridgeshire Library Service, currently rebuilding the Cambridge Central Library, describes what type of facility it plans for its ‘flagship’ library (Cambridgeshire County Council’s Cambridge Central Library, Outline Concept document, 2006)
“…customers will use the library to:
• Browse and select books, music and films for relaxation and enjoyment
• Obtain information – particularly to support their formal and informal learning requirements
• Access the internet, use email and the ICT learning packages provided in the Learning Centre
• Use the ‘one-stop shop’ facilities for information about local and national public facilities and services
• Exploit the study and learning facilities
• Attend library events including lectures, talks and film shows in the lecture/meeting room
• Enjoy the coffee shop

Prior to finalising the design of the building, library users and potential users were asked what factors they considered to be important for the new development. The following were identified as most valued by the public:

• Central location
• Quality and range of book, music and audio visual stock
• Staff helpfulness and friendliness
• Information services
• Café
• Self-service machines

The intention is for the new library to meet or exceed these aspirations of the public for the service, albeit the new library will have a slightly smaller footprint. A quick analysis of the public consultation results simply confirms other work, ie. that location, good books and resources, and a welcoming venue are together the basic elements of a good library experience.

Summary – what people want from their library service
It would appear that, on the face of it, what people want from libraries, or the more innovative re-branded ‘discovery centres’ are not too different from what is now tending to be provided in newer or re-developed libraries such as Gosport, the Norwich Millennium Library, or the new Cambridge Central Library or Winchester Library, both currently under construction.

New buildings and substantial renovations may have a positive impact on the public, if their views have been accurately assessed, by virtue of the fact that the buildings are likely to be welcoming with good facilities. Focusing on such buildings may distract the observer from the usually large number of libraries for which English County authorities are responsible. The impact of new builds and major refurbishments may therefore have only a limited impact on the wider system. Nevertheless, affordable refurbishments on a rolling programme are possible with good planning.

The question remains, if at least in newer buildings, the expectations of the public are apparently being met, whether such ‘solutions’ will have more than a little or limited impact on reversing the general decline, acknowledging however, that such builds are in a small, albeit higher profile minority. Do the success criteria reflect the interests of a rapidly changing society, ie. are they right? Is it necessary to look more closely at what is implied by the framework adopted here, such as, what is it about books that can make a library more attractive?

Availability of book and information services

Books

“Unlike many of the other services that are provided by councils, they (public libraries) are used out of choice rather than necessity”, (Building Better Library Services (Acknowledge – learning from audit, inspection and research), Audit Commission, par.4, 2002. It goes on to say that people visit libraries for a purpose, or possibly several purposes, since they are not mutually exclusive, such as for information, recreation and advice. If people cannot get the information they are seeking, or the type of book they want to read, then they will be less inclined to see libraries as satisfying their needs.

The Audit Commission makes the following observation, “Books and information are the heart of a good library service...While inspectors have found that the majority of councils are providing a good range of materials for some specific target groups...56% of inspectors have raised concerns over the quality, condition and range of stock available to users in general” Building better library services (Briefing), The Audit Commission, par.11, 2002.

The House of Commons select committee indicated that one cause of dissatisfaction with the quality of books for loan, could be due to lack of investment in book stocks, “A substantial increase in the percentage of funding spent by each library authority on books should be a priority”, Public Libraries, House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Third Report of Session 2004-05, par44, 2005. The assumption here is that libraries need sufficient funding to allow a reasonable range of books and enough copies to satisfy demand. The debate would then have to focus on where in the range between ‘ideal’ and ‘inadequate’ the ‘reasonable’ area ought to be, given funding always has limits. Indeed, the choice to provide more funding for books will inevitably mean less funding will be available for other things.

“We believe that there are, in practice, two key debates which are only confused by conflation. The first is over the core function of public libraries and embraces, but goes beyond, the 'books versus IT' question. We are in no doubt that, while libraries are about more than books (and newspapers and journals), these traditional materials must be the bedrock upon which the library services rest, no matter how the institution is refreshed or re-branded in the light of local consultation. The explosion of relevant new technologies has to be embraced by institutions but this should be done in the context of their key functions to gather, order, present and disseminate, challenging, as well as relevant, material and information for their local communities.” Public Libraries, House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Third Report of Session 2004-05, par35, 2005. The paragraph goes on to note, however, that libraries do not buy copies of Encyclopaedia Britannica anymore because it is only published now electronically, thus drawing attention to changing world of books and publishing to which libraries have to adapt.

Range of books
If people go to libraries with the express intention of being able to select and borrow a particular type of book, then they will be dissuaded from using the service if the range of books is inadequate to stimulate and keep their interest, Audit Commission inspectors found, “that many councils are neglecting a wide range of material which has been shown, when well promoted, to have widespread appeal…Inspectors also found that many library services’ stock are significantly biased towards older people, and hence unlikely to attract other potential users”, (Building Better Library Services (Acknowledge – Report), Audit Commission, par.35, 2002. Within their spending budgets, library services have to make choices. Those choices, it is suggested in the Audit Commission report, have the potential to attract and kept users interested, or further accelerate the “overall decline in use”. But, the range appropriate to one community, may not be appropriate to another. Knowing the user base is an essential ingredient in getting the match between libraries and their communities close. How do libraries engage with their communities, and how good are library systems in assisting them to know their customers’ preferences?

Quantity of books
The literature often refers to book stocks, particularly fiction, in terms of number of volumes and/or value. From a user’s point of view, the relevance of quantity is particularly pertinent to the ease or difficulty the person has in finding and borrowing a copy of the book. A good range of books needs to be combined with an appropriate number of copies to allow borrowers a reasonable chance of a loan when (or near the time) that they want it. Failure to provide enough copies of books will dissuade people from using the library; the question then may be, how many is ‘enough’?

Information Services
Acknowledged in the literature is the undoubted shift with respect to some reference materials and databases, which in some cases can only be accessed using computers, for example, Catherine Blanchard, former President of the SCL, is quoted by the House of Commons report, “The issue is around the role of libraries at giving us…knowledge. Books are only one medium…no library service buys the Encyclopaedia Britannica any more because they only publish it electronically.” But as with all such issues, it hinges around the question of balance; what resources should be provided in electronic form and which as books? Each library could justifiably have its unique mix. [policy issue?]

Summary – availability of books and information services

For borrowers and potential borrowers, the issue of book availability is at one level an individual matter since the borrower wants to know that their genre preferences will be reflected in a reasonable range to choose from, and that adequate numbers of books will mean that the chance of borrowing is relatively high. At another level, councils or public library authorities control funding and have to decide upon priorities for funding amongst a range of competing demands. Clearly the two levels are related.

As the Audit Commission observed (see above …………), the issue for some library services may be what reader groups they appear to be targeting. Targeting primarily older people may support current borrowers, but not encourage younger potential borrowers; as the Commission also notes, “…many councils are neglecting a wide range of material which has been shown, when well promoted, to have widespread appeal, such as cult and fantasy fiction, 20th century American and world fiction and 20th century classics.” Some readers, may, however have other preferences, which again demonstrates the importance of knowing one’s customers. For library services, the implication is that they need to proactively find ways to get that knowledge, including making effective use of library management systems.

Accessibility: opening times, location, physical access

Accessibility is primarily about convenience and opportunism. In common with the retail sector, libraries are aware that in order to attract higher numbers of people into their buildings, they need to be where people are in higher numbers. For example, major retailers open new stores where other popular retailers are present. Libraries are best situated in areas where good numbers of people come, not tucked out of the way.

The House of Commons’ Select Committee noted, “All libraries, however, whatever their location, should be set core minimum standards of provision...all in a welcoming and safe environment at the hours that their users want”, Public Libraries, House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Third Report of Session 2004-05, par38, 2005.

The Audit Commission report also commented, “… To reverse the decline in use highlighted in Chapter 1, the challenge is to cater to a wider audience...These services need to be easily accessible, in terms of opening times and location – or many users may be put off them.” Building better library services, Audit Commission, par55, 2002

Where there is a choice, libraries clearly should be situated where they are visible and readily accessible, but it should also be remembered that such locations typically attract premium property prices for rent or sale. Such sites may not always be available to councils.

Opening times

Opening times are closely linked to location, for example, busy areas in town centres are typically busy while shops are open, but become quiet when they are closed. Convenient opening hours for libraries will often be similar to those of opening hours of the areas in which they operate.

Physical access

In common with other high street organisations and local authority buildings, libraries are responsible to ensure that people are not barred from using the service because of difficulty of physical access.

Summary - Accessibility: opening times, location, physical access

Library services, according to the Audit Commission and the House of Commons Select Committee, and other observers, cannot afford to ignore any changes within their power to get more people through the doors of libraries. Pedestrian-busy locations and convenient, possibly extended, opening hours are important tactics in the battle to win back library users. Ensuring good physical access and that people know about it are also important to maximise opportunities for people to enjoy libraries.

The Audit Commission observes that in many cases councils have failed to realise or respond to local demographic shifts in population characteristics, “Inspectors have also commented on the poor location of some libraries in around one-third of councils – particularly where local demographic changes have left libraries far from the communities that they were built to serve, or where lack of parking or local transport acts as a barrier to access.” There are also, often significant changes in where people go to shop.

Improving the experience: making libraries a welcoming space

Innovations in libraries often seem to be accompanied by new builds or extensive refurbishments. It is possible that whilst improvements in the physical building can add to the pleasure that people experience when visiting, other less obvious changes may affect the continuing use of the library, “…for example, improving internal signage or using attractive ‘bookshop style’ displays…A number of councils now shelve reference and lending books together so that users do not have to search in two places” .” Building better library services, Audit Commission, par45, 2002.

The Central Cambridge Library now under construction, for example, will have a smaller footprint than the old library. If more services are to be provided as a matter of innovation, the use of space will be a challenging design issue, but certainly one of the features that the public wanted in the library was a café, the space for which will be at the cost of space given to other library services.

Many newer libraries aim to be very customer friendly. Provided the public has been effectively engaged, authorities can be reasonably sure that their priorities reflect those of the community. The prospect is raised, however, that a division may become apparent between what some current users want, and what other current users and potential users may be looking for in a library, “Consultation with young people has found that they see libraries as too quiet and formal…” Building better library services, Audit Commission, par48, 2002, but “quiet and formal” may be what other users prefer. ‘One size’ is therefore unlikely to ‘fit all’.

One challenge of design may therefore be to design-in areas that appeal to different classes of user; will the smaller footprint libraries provide the space?

Summary - Improving the experience: making libraries a welcoming space

Councils are recognising that the public is expecting libraries to be furbished to higher standards and that they should be welcoming and easy to use. Some libraries, such as the ‘Ideas Store’ in Whitechapel has a café, crèche for learners, and leaning spaces and rooms. The Norwich Millennium Library, is itself part of the Forum, a larger complex that houses ‘learning organisations’, café, restaurant, and a Heritage Visitor attraction, as well as the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library, the busiest library in the country.

Increasingly libraries are being seen as a service that integrates well with other council and voluntary services related to sustaining communities and providing opportunities for learning.

[suggests that the ‘whole’ is possibly greater than libraries, therefore policy context for councils wider than libraries – possible connections??? Eg. Sure Starts, young mums/parents, benefits offices, CABs, etc. etc.]

Raising awareness

The Audit Commission report makes it clear that whilst libraries do engage in promoting their services, nevertheless, “Inspectors have found many examples where this awareness is lacking, for example:…users not aware they can use any branch to borrow or return items…no publicity in branch libraries about central stocks of materials for minorities…only existing users attended a reading group set up by one library specifically to encourage new users to join; and lack of awareness of library opening times or mobile library timetables…” Building better library services, Audit Commission, par49, 2002

It is fairly obvious that information about library services must be provided outside libraries as well as inside them. This puts an onus on councils to ensure that active and proactive attempts to reach communities with information about their services, including libraries should be a major responsibility of council marketing and branding. The Audit Commission report identifies a number of items of information that would be appreciated by users and potential users alike, including:

• Good clear signs to libraries
• Professional looking displays
• Well signed toilets
• Making clear that they stock new bestsellers, and newer, popular books
• Making clear that library books are free

Summary – Raising awareness

The general impression is that raising awareness and marketing of libraries tends to be regarded as a non-core function in library services, possibly unnecessary because ‘everybody’ knows where the library is and what it does. Evidence suggests that a professional approach needs to be taken, possibly marketing libraries as part of a wider community information and engagement programme. Raising awareness must be a demonstration that the council is telling its public that it listens to what people want, and that libraries and other services are delivering against those expectations.

Standards

Public Library services are provided by local authorities and operate independently of each other. In 2001 the Government launched the Public Library Standards against which libraries have since been measured. The 10 standards are provided below:

Public Library Service Standards

• PLSS1: Proportion of households living within specified distance of a static library [County 85% households with 2 miles]

• PLSS2: Aggregate scheduled opening hours per 1,000 population for all libraries [128 hours]

• PLSS3: Percentage of static libraries providing access to electronic information resources connected to the internet [100%]

• PLSS4: Total number of workstations with access to the internet and the libraries catalogue (available for public use through both static and mobile libraries, and other service outlets) available to users per 10k population [6]

• PLSS5: Requests – i. % of book requests met in 7 days [50%], ii. % of book requests met in 15 days [70%], iii. % of book requests met in 30 days [85%]

• PLSS6: Number of library visits per 1k population [6,600 in Counties]

• PLSS7: % of library users 16 and over who view their library service as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ [94% suggested]

• PLSS8: % of library users under 16 who view their library service as ‘good’ {77% suggested]

• PLSS9: Annual items added through purchase per 1k population [216 additions per 1k pop]

• PLSS10: Time taken to replenish the lending stock on open access or available on loan [6.7 years]

These standards, however, are not without their critics, for example, the House of Commons Select Committee makes the following observations, “…we believe this list represents rather limited ambitions which, even so, are not being fulfilled. The top ten standards do not refer to extended opening hours, book loans, access or material for people with disabilities, value for money from the service or free access to the internet (all of which we regard as important). In addition, crucially, the standards that are in place are not backed up with effective mechanisms for ensuring continuous improvement or even simple compliance.” Public Libraries, House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Third Report of Session 2004-05, Summary, 2005.

It is hard not to agree with the criticism levelled at the Standards and how they operate, and it is difficult to see how they are able to inform discussion on how public libraries are to arrest or reverse the steady decline in library use over recent decades. However, the standards do provide “benchmarks for an acceptable level of service provision”, at least according to the ‘Department for Culture, Media and Sport’ (DCMS) and ‘Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’ (MLA) PKF report, par5.4, July 2005.

[Potential Recommendation ??? re meaningful monitoring, given context and challenges???]

Value for Money

The House of Commons Select Committee, under its heading ‘Value for money’ again criticises the Standards for ignoring the issue, quoting evidence given from the Audit Commission statement, “You might expect the public library standards to be derived in some way from an understanding of what is comprehensive and efficient, but if you look at the public library standards they are neither comprehensive nor do they address issues around efficiency and value for money” Public Libraries, House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Third Report of Session 2004-05, par82, 2005.

The House of Commons report, interestingly, observes that few witnesses suggested that public libraries needed more money, rather, they identified that, “libraries were adequately funded but needed running more efficiently” Public Libraries, House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Third Report of Session 2004-05, par81, 2005.

Quoting one witness, the committee reports, “…far too much money is spent on administration and “out-dated procedures of various kinds” and too little is spent on reading material.” Public Libraries, House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Third Report of Session 2004-05, par81, 2005. What are the “out-dated procedures of various kinds”?

As witnesses called to the select committee, the Audit Commission and the library consultant, Tim Coates, identified the following areas where potential efficiency savings could be made:

• Stock and book procurement
• Training and development
• Enquiry handling
• More staff available for frontline services
• Systems for lending and cataloguing
• Performance measuring
• Management and marketing
• Property management and library design

The ‘Department for Culture, Media and Sport’ (DCMS) and ‘Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’ (MLA) PKF report, July 2005, comments in Section 5 Library Efficiency, that the library standards do not help inform how efficiently libraries perform. It also notes that Framework for the Future, whilst addressing core services provided by libraries, stops short of suggesting how libraries should deliver the policy objectives contained in it. The report goes on to say, “This issue is fundamental when considering efficiency, because without a statement of requirements it is impossible to state that one library authority uses its resources in a more efficient way than another.” ‘Department for Culture, Media and Sport’ (DCMS) and ‘Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’ (MLA) PKF report, par5.7, July 2005.

This observation recognises that efficiency is about the process that produces outcomes, therefore because there is no common set of requirements or agreed outcomes that all library services are being measured against, the review decided to use public perception of how well libraries were meeting their expectations (ie. achieving the outcomes that people want). The report concludes that, “Library efficiency will only ever be an approximation without a clear statement of requirements as to what libraries are expected to achieve.” ‘Department for Culture, Media and Sport’ (DCMS) and ‘Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’ (MLA) PKF report, par5.15, July 2005. A customer satisfaction survey was then used as an approximate basis for establishing ‘effectiveness’, which in turn provided a measure for estimating library efficiency.

Stock and book procurement
The review identifies that public libraries, as book customers, account for approximately 3% of the book market. By contrast, booksellers such as Waterstones have about 18% of the market. Thus even in total, libraries have limited buying power; in addition, because the range of books bought by libraries tends to be wider than that bought by bookshops, deals on individual titles may not attract a large discount. However, the 55% trade discount typically enjoyed by book sellers, is now being shared with customer by online retailers such as Amazon, which introduces another issue with respect to book procurement. The PKF report concludes, “…therefore, it is clear why libraries enjoy smaller discounts than the retailers” ‘Department for Culture, Media and Sport’ (DCMS) and ‘Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’ (MLA) PKF report, par4.9, July 2005.

It should be noted, however, that library suppliers tend to provide ‘value added’ services, sometimes including, for example, special bindings, catalogue information, and even making selections on behalf of libraries as a result of library profiling.

The final report of the ‘Museums, Libraries and Archives Council – Better stock, better libraries: transforming library stock procurement (Phase 2), August 2006, reveals a complex and varied picture of practice nationally. It also seems clear that one of the keys to achieving optimum procurement for authorities is to understand how to exploit the virtues of commonality and working collectively, whilst ensuring libraries are locally responsive. Indeed there is the expectation that libraries will know their ‘customers’, else how will they meet local demand or fulfil user expectations.

Library efficiency

As previously noted, efficiency has to be linked to outcomes, but outcomes are determined by what the local authority has decided that the role and purpose of the service should be. For the PKF review this raises an issue because, “…public libraries operate with a very wide remit, which is to “provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons desiring to make use thereof…and included the Framework for the future objectives of ‘life-long learning and social inclusion’” ‘Department for Culture, Media and Sport’ (DCMS) and ‘Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’ (MLA) PKF report, par5.3, July 2005. Such a wide remit invites many and varied interpretations and approaches to fulfil the remit. The library standards do not allow comment on efficiency, they merely address a quite limited level of service.

Therefore on the basis of the customer satisfaction survey approach referred to above, the PKF report concluded that there was, “no proven correlation between spend and effectiveness” and that the comparisons between library authorities can only be useful in posing questions and areas for further analysis, but not for drawing definitive conclusions about relative efficiency. ‘Department for Culture, Media and Sport’ (DCMS) and ‘Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’ (MLA) PKF report, par5.27, July 2005.

Use of employees

The PKF report draws a primary distinction between ‘front’ and ‘back’ office roles. Whilst the remit of this review does not encompass staffing ‘per se’ it is the case that PKF appear to recommend, as a principle, that library services may need to consider either a different mix of roles or categories of staff, or a more fluid approach that allows back office staff to be ‘released’ to customer facing roles. The report suggests that, “The key impact of this re-deployment must be a measurable improvement in service, for example, longer opening hours or an increase in books or access to information through ICT” . ‘Department for Culture, Media and Sport’ (DCMS) and ‘Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’ (MLA) PKF report, par6.28, July 2005. The assumption might be that if services improve as indicated, for the same cost, then it could be said that the service thereby becomes more efficient.

ICT

ICT does, and should play a major role in:

• Collecting data and providing reports on book borrowing, stock management, customer/borrower behaviour and library use
• Financial management of libraries
• Procurement
• Inter-library loan management
• Provision of access to databases and information stores for public and staff
• Internet and web-based facilities, such as libraries website

Whilst it is not within the terms of this review to assess either the cost of providing and maintaining ICT systems for the library service, nor to evaluate the systems that they have, questions may nevertheless be raised concerning their role or potential role in issues raised.

Conclusion

The challenges facing libraries and library services are not inconsiderable. There is little debate to be had around the steady and continuing decline in the use of libraries and in particular book borrowing. Some libraries have either slowed down the rate of decline, or, in exceptional cases reversed it. Broadly, proactive library services approach the problem by either adopting a book-based strategy, or by taking an innovation route. Either way, enthusiasm and high motivation may in itself be credited with some success. Book based solutions tend to focus more on quality and range of book stocks, while innovative approaches focus more on community demographics and looking for a better match between what communities are looking for and what the library can provide. However, this simplification does not do justice to the complexity of the problem, and where book-based solutions are in place, these are usually accompanied by step changes in improving library environments, awareness raising, and the addition of features such as cafés. In other words, no one factor can be credited with success; the solutions are more holistic.

Critics of library services often point to the decline in library use as being the result of periods of declining book stocks, however, even this argument is complicated. Grindlay and Morris, in their articles on ‘The decline in adult book lending’ seem to show that the decline in library use began before book stocks began to decline, however, it could be argued that subsequent decline in book stocks would not have helped to arrest the decline, but rather increase it. It is particularly important that any strategy or planning decisions are based as far as possible on evidence; evidence of performance, usage and library user behaviour and preferences, and high quality demographic data, else opinion will dominate at the expense of good service to the community.

It is almost certain that decline in the use of libraries and of book borrowing is not just about books in libraries, for example, we are told that:

• People are still reading books (see Statistics on library use and reading habits – www.literacytrust.org.uk)
• People are purchasing more books that they used to according to the BML (Book Marketing Society)
• Grindlay and Morris attribute the capacity of people to buy, rather than borrow books, to greater affluence or spending power

Therefore, if people are still reading for pleasure, then the changing behaviour or preference among people and communities needs to be understood in order to determine what the role of libraries (or discovery centres) could or should be. It is, perhaps slightly too easy for the debate about libraries to become a debate about books when the issues are wider, and the questions more fundamental.

One fundamental question, then, is the first one addressed in this review of issues, ie. the role and purpose of libraries. Derek Jones, former Head of Libraries and Arts Services in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, cites some of the thinking behind the development of,

“… the Caxton Library; and on the walls of it let it be inscribed that the building had been erected by the people of England in memory of William Caxton as a free library for ever, and that it had been erected in the year when taxes upon knowledge had been altogether abolished.” From Derek Jones, London’s first public librarly: the history of the development of the public libraries of the united parishes of St.Margaret and St.John the Evangelist, Westminster 1856 -1900. http://www.derekjones.org/

The history of the development of public libraries indicates that they had a clear social purpose, ie. to provide free access to poorer people who could not afford to buy many books, indeed many would have struggled to buy food, and who aspired to find a way out of poverty. Literacy did, and does provide such a way, and public libraries provided the means. The public library ‘solution’ complemented the demographic and social context of the time. Apart from an appeal to tradition, is it possible or necessary to redefine or reassert the purpose of libraries as the needs and habits of communities change?

The Audit Commission asserted that, “…Libraries need to provide the books and information services people want…”, however this general statement, does not address, for example, propositions such as it has been, “…argued persuasively that libraries’ role should be about reading, as an activity, rather than a focus on books themselves as physical objects for lending.” Public Libraries, House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Third Report of Session 2004-05, par30, 2005. Such questions are fundamental in the sense that the future of library services will depend upon how their role or purpose fires the imagination of, or makes sense to, not only library users, but many who potentially could see libraries as fulfilling a practical role in their lives and in achieving their aspirations.