WIREDGOV

Library future lies in customer focus and strategic vision

The consultation about the future of library services should be used as a catalyst for innovation and strategic improvement, the MLA said today.

The MLA vision is for a modern library network, locally delivered. The outdated concept of library "members" should be replaced with a recognition that users are customers, entitled to first class service, online and in buildings.

Responding to the publication of the DCMS Modernisation Review consultation, MLA Chief Executive Roy Clare said:  "Decisions to ensure the library service is as life-changing for the next 100 years as it was for the last, need to be taken with full consideration and public consent, so consultation is essential."

"Meanwhile, it is vital that the immediate work to deliver and improve library services at a time of extreme spending pressure, goes on. The MLA’s staff are out and about across the country, supporting authorities right now with difficult decisions about how to achieve best practice and improvement in times of economic restraint.

"There are too many buildings, and too many decrepit buildings. Opening hours, the range of books, information and services, in physical space and online, must reflect consumer expectations."

"But decisions must never be ad hoc in response to budgetary or other pressures.

"The publication yesterday of the Wirral enquiry is an important milestone. Sue Charteris has completed a thorough piece of work that supports the vital principle that changes to library provision should only take place after strategic thinking and proper process that takes full account of the variety of public need and wishes."

The MLA emphasised the need for library services to take a giant leap into the digital age. An announcement on the MLA’s action to achieve a faster digital network public library users is planned for later this week.

"The internet does not respect council boundaries, and neither should a customer focused national network," Roy Clare added.

The MLA’s position paper, published by DCMS in the consultation paper, is below.

PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICES – THE MLA VIEW

ENTITLEMENT and OPPORTUNITY

People are entitled to local public library services delivering to local needs, free at the point of delivery, as part of a national network.

A network fit for modern consumers – fulfilling the democratic right to books, information and personalised advice in a digital age.

Everyone is entitled to be a customer of public libraries. The habit of reading and learning starts early and extends throughout life. Libraries create and develop a love of reading and have the capacity to change lives by inspiring people to learn and to develop new skills.

QUALITY and SCOPE

The quality of services is rightly a matter for elected councillors, but the scope must be defined nationally and accredited. Performance is best assessed by local consumer response, informed by best practice.

Leading library services already work in partnership with each other and with a wide range of other organisations; the rest need to be shown how to catch up with the best.

However, a single national library authority, responsible for all public libraries, would jeopardise the progress being made in many places and would throttle local delivery.

PHYSICAL SPACE

The physical spaces that are provided depend on patterns of local demand; some places merit buildings on a vast scale, but neighbourhoods and communities need attractive provision that reflects what local people want.

Currently there are too many buildings and too many decrepit buildings. Local political leadership has to recognise that buildings do not equal services; buildings can be closed to improve services.

Opening hours, the range of books, information and services must reflect consumer expectations, derived through engagement with the community.

DIGITAL SPACE

Digital technologies present the biggest opportunities. The 24/7 public library already exists, but most local authorities do not promote or market it.

The internet does not respect Council boundaries, and neither should a customer focused national network.

The digital space that is provided for modern consumers must provide a 24/7 complement to physical services. The principles of on-line library delivery can match the speed and character of commercial offers.

A nationwide, publicly-searchable database of library books and other products should be provided. Faster broadband access and greater capacity are available; local authorities can use existing educational networks like JANET, which can also provide access to additional high quality on-line resources.

SHARED DELIVERY

Library services ought to be an integral part of local delivery, synthesised with services for adults and young people and supporting education for personal, family and community development.

Delivery partners vary by location, but typically include other branches of the local authority, plus schools, colleges, universities, museums, archives, surgeries, nurseries and centres for children and for adult day-care.

MARKETING and NON-USERS

Councils need to do more to market their books and information services, both physically and digitally.

Research indicates that people are pleasantly surprised when they go into a library, which suggests a lack of prior knowledge of what is on offer.

More than half the population never use a library; many non-users are potentially new consumers. Their perceptions and attitudes need to be understood, locally and nationally, and used to drive change.

STAFFING

An accent on consumers demands new skills and more rounded leadership. Qualified librarians are needed alongside experts in learning, digital and customer services, complemented by greater use of volunteers for specific tasks.

Council-wide volunteering programmes can improve service delivery to communities, involving people and helping them to share and develop skills and experience, with benefits for employment and the economy.

GOVERNANCE

Various models of governance are available, offering a variety of business plans and professional and funding partnerships. Councils can choose between out-sourcing; strategic commissioning and charitable trusts, with the latter known to stimulate improvement and creative thinking.

Not all these options suit all locations; choices are best made locally. Revenue-generating activities already exist and can be encouraged where they do not compromise the principles of ‘free services for all at the point of delivery’.

LEGISLATION

The governing Act (1964) does not reflect modern local government, nor the accent on localism, nor the push for quality and innovation through new ways of working, with partners and shared services.

The legislation should be recast with the concept of ‘membership’ replaced by openness to all, for personal, individual development, and with expert services characterised by welcoming experiences and new business models.

NATIONAL ORGANISATION

A single national body can provide advice and guidance on best practice and innovation; collate evidence of outcomes and impact; oversee self-assessment and accreditation; and support improvement led by local government.

The MLA, recently-restructured and reorganised, now doing more with less, is equipped to undertake this role. It needs only to be mandated accordingly.

EFFICIENCY and VALUE

Public investment in libraries pays dividends in terms of benefits for individuals, the community and the economy. Results are reflected in performance indicators, the CAA and public audit of VFM.

There has never been a greater need for local public library services.