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September 1, 2010
Letter to Leaders of London councils
This letter was sent to most of the leaders of the London councils.
Dear Councillor
LLL is the representative body for public library user groups across the whole of London . As chair of LLL I am writing to you, as Leader of your council, in the matter of the forthcoming budget round.
Everybody recognises that councils have enormously difficult tasks in facing the budget pressures that arise from the national need to reduce the deficit of public expenditure over income. If proper priorities are established then the public library service makes no special pleading other than that which it merits by value of the service it provides to individuals and groups in communities. We believe that such value can be improved and have published a charter for how to do that, which I have attached. We look for and request your support and that of your council for the articles of that charter.
In the pursuit of the reduction of costs I want to make some specific requests, which are these
1. Please do not close libraries, reduce book funds or opening hours in community libraries, nor reduce the hours of front line library assistants
2. Please do not approve plans which will rely on untried volunteer schemes to operate the core work of the library service. There are none that are proven to be reliable.
3. Instead please look diligently for savings that can be made in the following areas in your own library service
- Bibliographic and cataloguing services, which nowadays can be provided free by suppliers
- Internal storage and stock distribution within the council when it can be provided at nil or reduced cost by suppliers
- Excessive senior and middle internal management costs in the library service
- Excessive administrative and office activities in the library service, of those not actually working permananently on opening hours rotas of libraries
- Library overhead and associated council overhead costs of any kind.
- Council support services
- Systems development work
4. Please examine these matters thoroughly within the activities of your own council before participating in schemes to share work with other councils. It is our belief that the removal of most of these activities I have listed will have little impact on the quality of service to the public and that they will yield savings far in excess of the targets that are needed and will indeed allow funds to be allocated to make improvements to front line services .
In addition to these requests, which we are making of each individual council, we make the further requests of all the London Boroughs collectively
1. Please adopt as a matter of urgency, standard and identical specifications for physical processing of library materials, systems and data interchange so that there is no longer a need for individual libraries or councils to operate or manage their own specifications for any of these things.
2. Please stop replicating further activities in councils which are of no benefit to the service given in individual libraries to the public. We believe that across London £50m per annum is wasted on needless library activity, which funds should be being used to make improvements
I request that you put both the matter of our Charter and our priorities for savings in front of your council and adopt these measures as soon as possible.
I would be grateful if you could arrange for this email to be acknowledged.
With kindest regards.
Tim Coates
Chair LLL.
Change is Overdue - a public charter for libraries
We are currently in a situation where two thirds of people in the UK read in their free time [1] yet only one third of the population visit libraries [2] .
Why is this the case when libraries offer 24 hr web services, are open to all and provide access, free of charge, to books and an array of other interesting reading materials? Either it is because a public library service is not relevant today or, the more likely, libraries are not meeting the needs and wants of their local communities.
For too long the public library service and its management has been unresponsive to and disconnected from users and potential users. The essential value of public libraries needs to be reinforced at both local and national level and a focused effort must be made to see libraries fulfil their role and maintain their relevance for generations to come.
1. Make the libraries local
Individual libraries, large and small, need to be empowered and resourced to meet the specific needs of their local communities. The individuality of each library cannot be overstated and libraries need the freedom to operate independently.
2. Increase opening hours
In today’s society it is unforgivable that some libraries close for lunch or on certain weekdays. Providing access to library services means opening libraries at times when the community wants them open – late closing and weekend opening should be the norm.
3. Improve library collections
Library collections, book stocks and other resources, have been neglected almost everywhere and they need to be restored, maintained and made accessible. This means increased funding for new stock, replacement stock and giving the public access to special collections.
4. Improve the library environment
All public libraries should be attractive and dignified places to visit and in which to read and study. They need to be kept clean, safe and smart. Standards of interior design need to be raised and building architecture used to best effect. Appropriate local events and activities are important.
5. Embrace technology
While books should remain the focus for libraries, computers and technology can enhance users’ experience. With this in mind, computers and all associated equipment needs to be in good working order and kept up to date. Internet-based services, available round the clock, add value for many users and should be extended and promoted.
6. Liberate the library staff
Service to the public should be of a high professional standard. All staff, long or short term, full time or temporary should be trained for the roles they undertake. Volunteers are welcome for many aspects of the service, but they cannot take the place of skilled librarians in provision of the day to day service to readers.
7.Collaborate and share best practice
Collaboration between neighbouring authorities will make limited resources go further and sharing best practice will mean all libraries are better able to meet users’ expectations. A range of funding sources is available and councils need to explore the options and consult people about proposed change.
8. Don’t waste money
Accurate, meaningful and consistent reporting of library budgets and expenditure will encourage accountability and openness and mean all budget discussions are grounded in facts.
9. Performance feedback
Performance reporting should be timely accurate and clear. Every month councils should report publicly the key usage figures for each library within their responsibility.
10. Engage individuals and communities
There needs to be a substantial genuine effort to build trust between councils, government bodies , library professionals and library users. Local councillors must all be fully and properly informed about library matters and libraries should actively work with their users in managing their libraries.
11. Don't close libraries
Of course sometimes building development means that libraries have to move; library services can be provided more efficiently in newer facilities; sometimes closures can be justified. However residents are distrustful of assurances of improvement and the onus is on councils to demonstrate the benefits of proposed changes before they are made. Savings from library closures will be tiny compared to the animosity generated among library users. Many library users belong to groups sometimes marginalized by society—the elderly, the unemployed, single-parent families—and the negative impact on these people’s lives following library closures can outweigh any cost savings.
12. Make and keep a promise
Public library users call upon councils to commit themselves to achieving the aims of this charter.
[1] Source: Social Trends 39, ONS, 2009
[2] Source: Taking Part, DCMS, 2010
Posted by Perkins at September 1, 2010 8:15 AM
Comments
Hum.
I take it you really don't want to work with librarians in defence of good public library services then?
Combined with your comments in the Quentin Letts thing on radio 4 this sets out a pretty general attack on the role of skilled professionals in organising the library service.
How does your letter correspond to the charter?
Posted by: A Loughton Library User at September 1, 2010 11:55 AM
Very happy and, of course, keen to work with librarians to save and improve the public library service.
Posted by: perkins at September 1, 2010 12:54 PM
Surely the real question is "Are the Librarians prepared to listen to and work with the library users to save and improve libraries?"
Posted by: Martyn at September 2, 2010 7:07 PM