« "Rotating" Stock in public libraries | Main | Why the MLA has failed so badly »
February 17, 2010
Public library information
Martyn writes
"Most of us who are Library users will never know what the CIPFA figures are because they hide them away from the public who pay for them. It is about time that they were published free online".
CIPFA is the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants. They are a private company or charity. They provide training and accountancy functions to civil servants and local government officers of all kinds. Among the many things they do is compile annual data about the performance and cost of public library services. Local councils subscribe to the service and in return are sent copies of the data.
If a member of the public wants to see the spread sheet that contains the data they have to pay over £400. The spreadsheeet anyhow is enormous and complicated and only contains one years data: there is no comparison with previous years. It is very hard to understand or draw sensible conclusions without considerable research. A local councillor who carries responsibility for the library service would struggle to find meaningful information within it.
The 1964 libraries Act requires the Secretary of state to gather such data as is required to superintend the service. Apart from the CIPFA process the minister does nothing else.
CIPFA data on public libraries for April 2008- March 2009 is not yet available, eleven months after the year finished
This operation is hopelessly inadequate and secretive in a public service for which the public pay over £1bn per annum. The DCMS and MLA should have improved the system, but year after year fail to do so. Martyn is completely right.
Posted by Perkins at February 17, 2010 8:44 AM