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May 3, 2008
Elections make no difference
Somewhere in the local government election results we should find the clue to the way that the public library service will improve. We entrust our local politicians with the service. We say frequently that ministers do not have the sway or power to effect change in local councils.
But there is nothing in the elections of this week that can bring change. The public library service is not operated under the management of local councillors, it is driven by a shared view of local government officers and senior librarians. They decide the drift and the priorities. They decide whether the focus is on books or not on books, they set the balance of expenditure between overhead and public service.
They are not accountable to any effective management or body. They are not under any control in the name of the people or even local communities. They have no leaders who will explain what they do or intend to do.
It doesn't have to be like that-- and it is not in a healthy state because of it-- but it is. For all the ten years I have watched the service operate they have effectively ignored or sidelined any political attempt at improvement, whether it be of purpose or of efficiency. The service takes money from the public without making a case for its need.
Who will tell the library service what to do? Who will speak for the public? Who will make these 'officers of the state' listen?
Posted by Perkins at May 3, 2008 10:56 AM