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October 24, 2008
This is the 24th national review of public libraries in 10 years
The public library world in the UK is one never ending review. Almost every week a council calls for a full review of its public library service, there are many going at present. The one in Brighton is fiercely fought.
Since 1998 the national reviews and ministerial initiatives (each arising from another review) have included at least
-1. 'Due for Renewal' - the Audit Commission
-2. "The people's network"
-3. The Introduction of Annual Library Plans
-4. The Local Government Act instigates Best Value Reviews
-5. The introduction of 20 national library standards
-6. The 2000 Culture Select Committee which called for the creation of the MLA
-7. The revision of the standards to 10 Public Library Service Standards
-8. 'Building Better Libraries' Review and Recommendations from the Audit Commission
-9. 'Framework for the Future of Libraries launched by Tessa Blackstone
-10. Annual LIbrary Plans withdrawn in favour of Annual Position Statements
-11. Public LIbraries included in the Audit Commission Culture Block
-12. The 2004 Culture Select Committee criticises the DCMS for having too many reviews and 'too much chopping and changing'
-13. Andrew Mackintosh launches an efficiency review with the PKF report
-14. First Price Waterhouse report from the MLA recommends 6 regional distribution centres
-15. The Second Price Waterhouse report launches 'Better Stock Better libraries"
-16. David Lammy launches 'Love Libraries'
-17. The MLA conducts a national consultation on Impact measures
-18. David Lammy announces heritage lottery funding for public libraries
-19. The MLA announces new action plan at Smith Institute seminar- the 24 hour library
-20. The MLA launches 'Blueprint for the future'
-21. The Department of Local Govt replaces library standards with one national measure
-22. The MLA closes its regional offices and launches 'The New MLA'
-23 Lynn Brown, MP, announces a parliamentary review of libraries funded by CILIP for £40,000
-(in the same week as these two, Unison, a trade union announces a review of public libraries)
and finally - 24. Andy Burnham announces a DCMS review of libraries
Laugh you might, but we live in democracy in which moving ministers from post to pillar is part of the way governments appear to have to work. That is normal and won't change. Therefore it falls to a senior civil servant: a Permanent Secretary of any integrity and common sense, to understand why nearly all these reviews have failed to make any effective change and to make sure that a new review is a worthwhile endeavour. We deserve better management of government than this. It is ludicrous and should not be tolerated.
Posted by Perkins at October 24, 2008 5:40 PM
Comments
All these bureaucrats are not hip to what's happening on the streets.
Today's Times reports that it's now the thing to say, for example, "wow! that dress is really book"
This has come about because predictive spelling on text comes up with "book" instead of "cool".
So there we have it. People now say "book" to mean au courant or funky etc; they do not say, "wow! that dress is really another quango review panel!"
Posted by: Christopher Hawtree at October 25, 2008 4:42 PM