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February 1, 2010
Lack of leadership costs money
BIC has published its latest appraisal of compliance with the standards specification of the national E4 libraries project-- these are those local authorities and suppliers using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification on library books) and EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
What it says is that most suppliers either comply with standards or are committed to complying. But out of more than 200 library authorities in the UK, only 10 have yet signed up and have achieved accreditation. The programme is now over 2 years old.
I don't think anyone effectively explains to councils and library authorities why it is so expensive to allow councils to operate their own physical and electronic specifications for supply of goods and systems. Not only does any supplier have to be able to respond to orders requiring any one of two hundred processes and all the associated communication, but within the councils themselves, each council is set up to maintain, specify and tender for its own specifications. Each council library service has its own experts and systems staff to define these specs and monitor performance against them . There is, however, no need at all for any variation between councils of any kind. The cost of meeting these varying specs is huge. Consortia working has had a small effect on the workload but there is little evidence that it has reduced costs in councils.
For any one council it appears that they are doing what they have always assumed it is their job and role to do- to maintain their own catalogues and systems in their own way. They don't see the broader picture - and no one ever describes it to them. The wastage has been estimated at £200m pa -- about £50m is the cost of library suppliers production facilities, and the other £150m is the attendant repeated structures within councils to which suppliers are responding.
In particular nearly all the general Book supply to public libraries has now reduced to just three suppliers- these are the national wholesalers Bertrams and Gardners and the independent Peters (who specialise in Childrens' books). In addition there is a small amount of academic supply which comes from UK and US major wholesalers The market has become non competitive and the evidence of this is that as book discounts have risen to retailers, even in the past 12 months (because of retailer discounting to the public) - discounts to libraries, which are generally fixed by contract for 3 years have barely risen at all. In other words, yet again, the local government purchasing mechanism is producing poor value and the library sector has failed to notice and address the issue.
This problem is library specific. It will not be addressed by national initiatives of sharing council management, because it is the library profession who are allowed to specifiy what they believe is the work that needs to be done. They have no inclination to address this question- bluntly there is no incentive for them to do so. They need to be told what to do (by their employers).
We are continuing to throw huge amounts of money away and it seems ridiculous to hear pleadings fom Central quangoes about hard times and to watch libraries being closed and services reduced when this question has been sitting unaddressed for years. We need some leadership.
In this specific instance what leadership means is
- a professional appraisal of the issues and the costs
- a discussion with those responsible for both the service and its budgets (ie local councillors that hold the public libraries in their portfolio)
- a clear and evaluated proposal from those in a position to make one
- A concensus among a group of councils with agreement as to what to do, with a timetable. Someone takes responsibility answering to the public for the expenditure of their money.
- A firm hand on progress to ensure each of the appropriate parties does what they have agreed and that the results are what was foreseen
- Completion.
- Public and professional clarity throughout
Posted by Perkins at February 1, 2010 9:57 AM
Comments
I recognise the importance of what Perkins says, but hope people will take on board the following points:-
It is a waste of good human resources to make library staff in these back-office roles redundant. I fear that the introduction EDI might well be used by the lazy as an excuse not to plan imaginatively and only slash jobs. Also, as these staff are redeployed, that should not be a pretext for getting rid of library assistants with a wealth of experience who are already working in the front line. An ageist approach to hiring and firing is to be deplored -- mature library staff have valuable knowledge and we, the public, value them.
It is my earnest hope that funds freed up will be invested in the front line and allow branch libraries to be attended by humans, not machines and plinths, by virtue of the following:
significant improvements in opening-hours;
older libraries refurbished;
new community libraries opened;
good service to the public and respect for the role of experienced staff being made the focus of policy.
Posted by: Shirley Burnham at February 2, 2010 12:53 PM
I agree with you Shirley. Any library project in a library authority- whether it be Swindon, Dorset, Devon or all the libraries of London, should be about improving the service for the public who want it and need it.
These exercises in efficiency are only part of the work that needs to be done. Readers should visit the Hillingdon libraries website again, to see the extent of the imprvements in the individual community libraries as they come on stream. It is wonderful to see and the libraries themselves are most agreeable.
Posted by: Tim Coates at February 2, 2010 2:10 PM
Perkins is right, but overlooks one point: contracts come to an end. I have heard of discounts of up to 47.5% of RRP being offered to the big library consortia, and of 40% being offered to a single, modestly-sized local authority. It is quite clear that as the national book fund is being wittled away, the big suppliers are slugging it out in a price war. Of course, to get these exceptional discounts, librarians must sacrifice much of their autonomy in the matter of stock selection, etc, which does not bode well for the future of the profession.
Posted by: Florence at February 6, 2010 12:03 PM