SPRING 2024 PRICE £2.00

No. 106 ISSN 0266-6065

The Library Campaign

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Registered charity (England & Wales) No. 1102634

Elected Officers

Laura Swaffield London

Andrew Coburn Essex

Members of the Executive Committee

Geoffrey Dron Bolton, Bob Goodrick London, Barney Allan Middlesex,
James Fish Wigan, Isadore Auerbach George London

The following organisations send representatives to attend steering group meetings:

Unison,

Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP).

Look back in ... er ...?

2024 is an anniversary year. So we’re taking a look back – to 1984 and to 1964. In both cases, there are there are things be pleased about, even in the dire situation libraries face in 2024.

1984 is the year that The Library Campaign got started. It was a different world in many ways – fascinating to look back on.

We might have hoped that, 40 years on, there would no longer be any need for a campaigning organisation like TLC. But here we are, still needed but anyway still going strong. People still love libraries. Many still work to keep them going – with new tools such as internet access and social media.

1964 Act

1964 was, of course, the date of the Public Libraries & Museums Act. At the time, it led to a golden age of development for libraries. We still rely on it today – if only for sheer survival. It still gives libraries special status as the one cultural service that local councils are obliged by law to provide.

Today most public services have been badly hit by needless austerity. There’s little doubt that some councils would welcome the chance to cut their library provision to nothing. Look at Birmingham, which plans to completely to cut its grants to nearly all its cultural jewels. It can’t (quite) do that to libraries.

Of course the Act has taken a bashing over the past 60 years. We tell the story in this issue. The lawyer who drafted it, Francis Bennion, is the man who literally wrote the book about interpretation of statute.

So it’s deeply ironic that government’s failure to define ‘comprehensive and efficient’ has led England into a mess of judicial reviews, case law and arguments. Things are better in N Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They have clear national standards. Obviously they don’t protect against all cuts. But they sure help.

We see no sign that anything is being developed for England that will do that job. We might have to do something about that…

So – is there anything to look forward to?

Well, this issue features the Sanderson report. It is just a collection of ideas – some bright, some not so much. We’re not aware of any library sector body that agrees with all of them (including us).

New national strategy

However, it is a sign of life up there in the DCMS. It has sparked debate.

And it is just the precursor of a national libraries strategy for England. It is promised for summer. We are as cynical as anyone about strategies, blueprints, ‘visions’ and the like. But it is certainly better to have one than not. We’ll see.

And this issue also contains the largest piece of research TLC has ever done about our own members. The findings were sometimes surprising, but always heartening.

Our members have clever ideas, useful skills, informed views – and a strong commitment to public libraries. We think we can build on this in future.

So we want YOUR views and ideas. Write to us, email us, come to our conference in June!

THE LIBRARY CAMPAIGNER
SPRING 2024, No.106

EDITOR: Laura Swaffield DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Owain Hammonds
CONTRIBUTORS: Francis Bennion, Tim Ewart, Good Things Foundation, Terry Hanstock, Libraries Connected, Netloan, Lord Parkinson, Baroness Liz Sanderson, UNISON, Voices for the Library, World Book Day.
COVER PHOTO: Bethany Laird/Unsplash

4 HOW THE LIBRARY CAMPAIGN BEGAN
Terry Hanstock co-organised the conference that started it all.

5 TLC CONFERENCE 2024
Join us in London – or online!

6 1964… AND AFTER
The late Francis Bennion drafted the 1964 Public Libraries & Museums Act – and didn’t like what happened to it…

7 TLC’s TILT AT THE 1964 ACT
By 2014, today’s (non) developments were all in place.

8 OUT OF CONTROL
UNISON tots up the damage to libraries since 2010

9 NEWS

12 WHO USES LIBRARY IT?
Netloan’s annual analysis shows ever-increasing demand.

13 WHAT USES LIBRARY IT?
Netloan lists bodies that rely on library IT to deliver their services.

14 DO COUNCILS GET IT?
Netloan says councils could better involve their library IT services.

15 BUT – BOOKS!
Isadore Auerbach George on libraries’ most precious asset.

16 A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES
Baroness Liz Sanderson in praise of libraries.

17 SANDERSON AT A GLANCE
… so what does her new report say?

18 SANDERSON SAYS…
The full report - digested.

21 TLC SAYS…
A library users’ view of Sanderson’s ideas.

22 2024 UNIVERSAL LIBRARY OFFERS CALENDAR
Events and resources you can use

24 WHAT YOU TOLD US
Our questionnaire told us a lot about our members, and what Friends groups do.

30 HOW TO PUT CHILDREN OFF READING
The World Book Day team got some salutary insights – from children.

32 LIBRARIES – THE DRAMATIC TRUTH
Tim Ewart loved being a librarian. But he had to leave. Here’s why.

34 DIGITAL NATION UK 2024
The Good Things Foundation pictures the current digital divide.

36 JOIN US! The more TLC grows, the stronger we get.

How The Library Campaign began

The public library service of 1984 must seem like a golden age compared with today’s desperate state of affairs. However, those of us around at the time thought differently.

Thanks to the Conservative government’s policies of reducing public sector expenditure and limiting the decision-making powers of local authorities, library services in many parts of the country were making cuts. Book funds in England and Wales, for example, had reduced by 19% since the Conservatives came to office in 1979.

Dissatisfaction with the Library Association’s ineffective response to what was happening1 saw library workers establishing their own grassroots organisations. The first Libraries Open and Free (LOAF) group was set up in Hertfordshire in 1979. Sheffield LOAF followed in 1981. By 1984 the time had come for something on a larger scale.

With the backing of local councillors2 Sheffield City Libraries advertised a national Cuts Conference to bring together like-minded individuals concerned about reductions in library expenditure. It was scheduled for 4 February 1984. Sheffield Town Hall was made available – a wise choice, as the conference attracted some 250 delegates – library workers, trade union officials, authors, councillors, library users, and four chief librarians.

The opening session was addressed by the academic, John Stewart3, who provided a detailed account of the state of local government. Participants then divided into smaller discussion groups, and their findings were reported back to a plenary session.

The highlight of the afternoon was a rousing and inspirational speech by the author and journalist Paul Foot4. He exhorted delegates to build on the enthusiasm and ideas generated on the day.

He backed up his own enthusiasm by donating the Public Lending Right payments for his latest book to form the basis of an initial fighting fund. His generosity was matched by those present. A total of £200 (over £600 in today’s money) was collected.

The conference voted to establish an independent and more political campaigning group, one that would act as a focus for the more radical elements that were known to exist.

Following the success of the conference a national co-ordinating group was set up with representatives of Sheffield City Libraries, NALGO5, Sheffield LOAF, Hertfordshire LOAF and the Save London Libraries Campaign6. The names and addresses of conference delegates formed the basis of a mailing list to publicise its existence (no concerns about data protection in those days…)

A promotional leaflet was produced and interested parties were invited to add their names to the list.

Thus began The Library Campaign…

Notes

1 The Library Association (now CILIP) was fearful of losing its Royal Charter and charitable status by being seen as too ‘political’. Alan Beevers (the first editor of TLC’s magazine The Campaigner) summed up its official line: ‘The Association is well aware of the financial difficulties which local authorities are experiencing…[It] would not suggest that libraries should be exempt from expenditure cuts but firmly believes that they should not be expected to take more than their proportionate share of any economies.’ (in Coleman, Pat et al The struggle in libraries Critical Social Policy 4(2) Winter 1984, pp.89-97, at p.93)

2 Sheffield Metropolitan District Council, as it was then, was one of the local authorities forming South Yorkshire County Council. Referred to as the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire by detractors and supporters alike, it was abolished in 1986. Sheffield in 1984 was still ‘Old Labour’ and a promoter of Municipal Socialism.

3 Professor John Stewart (1929–2023) Founder and Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies, University of Birmingham.

4 Paul Foot (1937–2004) His books include The Politics of Harold Wilson, Who killed Hanratty? and Red Shelley. Investigative journalist with Private Eye and the Daily Mirror. Long-standing member of the Socialist Workers Party. Inspiration to this day for the annual Private Eye Paul Foot award for outstanding investigative journalism.

5 NALGO (National and Local Government Officers’ Association) was the main trade union representing local government workers at the time. In 1993 it merged with two other public sector unions to form UNISON.

6 The aftermath of the conference saw other local groups being set up. Rotherham, Renfrew, Cheshire, Nottingham, Leicester, Liverpool, Bolton, Essex and various London boroughs were amongst the first.

NB: Andrew Coburn adds: Paul Foot’s Public Lending Right contribution was preceded by his listing all his books and how much they had earned him. The only one that gave him anything was Who killed Hanratty?, about the unjust hanging of James Hanratty for the ‘A6 murder’ in 1962. All the political ones – zilch. 

T Inspiring venue – Sheffield Town Hall

T Inspiring sponsor – Paul Foot

1964 ... and after

I was delighted to be asked to draft the parliamentary Bill that became the Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964. I saw that the task gave me a valued opportunity to draw up the blueprint for an enhanced library service in England and Wales, fully supported by the government and local authorities.

We all have happy memories of public libraries, dating from our youth. Many a child has found refuge, help, enlightenment and companionship in their public library.

Wise and skilled librarians put us on the right track, and led us to the most helpful, instructive and entertaining books.

I saw an opportunity to further this great work, and eagerly grasped it. I had a vision of expanding library services, making them readily available to all who needed them (including youngsters not yet aware of treats in store).

Libraries should be handy for dwellings or bus routes. Wherever necessary, books should be taken to readers in the form of mobile libraries. There should be a sufficient supply of books of all types, suitable for all ages.

My new drafting assignment filled me with enthusiasm as I set to work. I was determined to write the Act in plain English, making every word count.

I ought to set out my qualifications before reviewing the Act now, so here goes. I have spent more than 60 years in the field of legislation as draftsman, practising barrister, Oxford University law teacher and researcher, CEO of a leading professional body (the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) and author.

I have written three books on legislation, and many articles.

The books are: Bennion on Statute Law (Longman, 3rd edition 1990, 373 pages); Bennion on Statutory Interpretation (LexisNexis, 5th edition 2008, 1,579 pages); and Understanding Common Law Legislation (Oxford University Press, 2001 & 2009, 221 pages).

I now analyse some key provisions of the 1964 Act (actual words of the Act are in italics).

nature of service A comprehensive and efficient library service.

compulsory components Books and other printed matter, and pictures, gramophone records, films and other materials, sufficient in number, range and quality to meet the general requirements and any special requirements both of adults and children.

readership All persons whose residence or place of work is within the library area of the authority or who are undergoing full-time education within that area. [Together the library areas cover the whole of England and Wales.]

duties of government (1) To superintend, and promote the improvement of, the public library service provided by local authorities in England and Wales. (2) To secure the proper discharge by local authorities of the functions in relation to libraries conferred on them as library authorities.

That is the bare bones of it. I haven’t space to include more detail about the Act’s contents. But I need to stress three points about understanding the legal meaning of Acts of Parliament.

(1) Every person to whom an Act of Parliament applies is under a legal duty to comply with it.

(2) A mere literal compliance without the substance will not suffice.

(3) Implications may need to be drawn on.

An Act of Parliament consists of express words and implications. Thus for example it is implied by the 1964 Act that library authorities will fulfil their duties properly, will provide suitable buildings that can accurately be called libraries, and will employ sufficient trained, experienced, paid staff, not relying unduly on volunteers.

Many library authorities are proposing drastic reductions in expenditure, though the government has only conducted two public inquiries (Derbyshire 1991 and Wirral 2009).

This is an inadequate compliance with its statutory duty.

Francis Bennion died in 2015.

T In 1940, Bennion was waiting to be old enough to join up. The ‘phoney war’ was already giving way to devastating bomb damage. Much later, he recalled: ‘For me the most striking image was the sight of the Inner Temple library split from top to bottom by bombing which occurred in the early morning of 19 September 1940. Through several storeys, thousands of law books tumbled down in sudden exposure to the open air. A seed was sown in me that day, though at the time I did not know it. After the war I became a barrister…’

T Francis Bennion in 1965.

TLC’s tilt at the 1964 Act – and after...

Yes, it’s 50 years old and showing its age a bit – the 1964 Public Libraries & Museums Act.

This finally made providing (and promoting) public libraries a legal duty for councils, not just an option. And it gave the relevant government department a duty to oversee their quality (and improvement).

Solid stuff.

Much later, there was good news – for a while… In 2001 (under Secretary of State Chris Smith) the DCMS issued official Public Library Standards for England.

These were quite detailed – including professional staff, spend on stock, number of ICT terminals, hours open, and even how near everyone should be to their local branch. And much more.

Every council had to report how well it was meeting each Standard, every year. And you could check every council’s performance on the DCMS website. It had a very salutary effect.

It worked – so they junked it in 2008.

There were various reasons. Some councils didn’t like being shown up. Others thought the standards were too hide-bound, might stifle innovation, ought to be more about outputs. No doubt there were other arguments behind the scenes.

But there’s no doubt about what was lost. In the DCMS’s own words at the time: ‘The aim of the Standards was to help create a clear and widely accepted definition of a library authority’s statutory duty to provide a “comprehensive and efficient service”, and set for the first time a performance monitoring framework for public libraries.

‘Since then there has been a significant increase in library opening hours, improvements to stock and ICT provision, an increase in user satisfaction and visits.’

They still have Standards in Wales and Scotland, and they still work. Library quality and usage continue to improve nationwide.

But the English standards were revised (mostly downwards) and finally junked. The result is the nightmare we are living with today.

Second chance

There was a second chance that the government also muffed. The one and only time the DCMS used its – actually quite draconian – powers to hold a full-scale public inquiry was at Wirral in 2009. 

Wirral aimed to close a lot of libraries, and local people protested long and hard. Sounds familiar….

The DCMS was lobbied to intervene by CILIP (the librarians’ professional body) and MLA (the quango then in charge of libraries). That sounds very UNfamilar these days.

There were days of public hearings in the Wirral. The ensuing report, by Sue Charteris, was a masterly updating of the real meaning of the Act. It took in legal and other developments since 1964 – especially councils’ duties to promote equality, protect vulnerable people and take account of deprivation. Very useful. More relevant today than ever. Widely praised.

…and they junked it!

Her report found Wirral was clearly in breach of the Act. Wirral was notified – and overnight dropped its closure plans.

But the government wimped out of endorsing the report in any official way. Because the ruling had scared Wirral into reversing its cuts, there was no need to take matters any further, said the libraries minister, Margaret Hodge.

It was just a Wirral thing… OK?

Conclusion

The 1964 Act has some holes in it these days. But the main message is this – it won’t matter what any Act says if DCMS declines to do much to get it implemented. And that’s where we are today…

Out of control

Last year, UNISON sent out a Freedom of Information query to councils, to ascertain the extent of the damage that has been done to their library services. This sums up what they got back.

We gathered information on how many public libraries were provided by ‘top tier’ councils in 2023 compared to 2010.  As you might imagine, there has been a massive reduction in the numbers – our questions didn’t explicitly ask for the number of library closures that took place.

We also reached out to the UNISON branches that have seen the biggest decline in public library provision over the 13 years.

The findings show that there has been a marked fall in the number of public libraries. There has also been a shift to more external organisations (trusts, private organisations and charities) running library services on behalf of councils. 

Library research

Our main findings are based on these two simple FoI requests to councils:

• How many libraries were run and staffed by your council in 2010–11?

• How many libraries were run and staffed by your council in 2022–23?

If we ignore whether the libraries were run and staffed directly by a council or outsourced, there were 4,064 staffed public libraries in 2010-11 compared to 3,193 staffed public libraries in 2022–23. That’s a fall of 871 libraries. 

If, however, you exclude libraries that are now indirectly run, the number of libraries directly run by councils has dropped from 3,893 in 2010 to only 2,607 in 2022–23.

The research also found that in 2010, there were 21 libraries run exclusively by volunteers that had once been part of the council’s statutory provision. By 2022, that figure stood at 317.

In Hampshire, for instance, 25% of libraries have closed. In Walsall, 61% of public libraries have been lost.

If we look at the number of council-run libraries vs the number of outsourced public libraries over that time period, the numbers are starker.  In 2010-11 only four councils did not deliver library services directly (Glasgow, Angus, Dundee and South Lanarkshire). These four councils used a mix of trusts and charities to provide the services. 

In 2010-11 these organisations ran and staffed a total of 81 libraries on behalf of the four councils. The other 201 top tier councils ran and staffed 3,983 libraries between them.

By 2022–23, a total of 32 councils had completely outsourced the delivery of their library services. A further two (Fife and Lincolnshire) had a combination of in-house library and outsourced provision. These organisations ran and staffed 588 libraries on behalf of the local councils in 2022–23. 

In 2022–23 the other 175 top tier councils (including Fife and Lincolnshire’s in-house provision) ran and staffed 2,607 libraries.  The number of libraries directly run and staffed by local councils fell by 1,376 between 2010-11 and 2022–23.

Overall 137 councils (68%) saw a reduction in the number of staffed libraries in their area (either direct provision or indirect provision) between 2010 and 2023. Of these, 33 councils (16%) had a reduction of 10 or more libraries. Only 54 (26%) saw no change in the number of libraries (although they may have experienced staffing cuts, opening hour reductions etc).

Twelve councils (6%) saw a very small increase in staffed libraries. But these instances must be viewed with scepticism. ‘Staff’ may not mean professional library staff.

We also asked the following questions:

• How many libraries that were once part of your council’s statutory provision were run exclusively by volunteers in 2010–11? The grand total was 21.

• How many libraries that were once part of your council’s statutory provision, were run exclusively by volunteers in 2022–23? The grand total was 317. 

As we all know, volunteer-run libraries are not equivalent to staffed libraries.

DATA TREASURE TROVE

Here’s a whole new way to find out about your local area. Government agency the ONS (Office of National Statistics) has spent a year developing ‘Explore Local Statistics’. It calls it ‘a brand new way to explore 57 datasets from across government right down to a local authority level’.

It covers all four UK nations. You can search by postcode, local authority, ward, region, Parliamentary constituency or other area names. And compare all kinds of factors with other areas…

Datasets include lots of aspects of: household income, house prices, school attendance, economic inactivity, participation in education at all levels, health, life satisfaction, digital connectivity, active businesses, housing, crime, public-funded spending, changes over time and census information. And more. There’s even quizzes about each area.

It’s fascinating to explore. And very useful.

https://explore-local-statistics.beta.ons.gov.uk

LIBRARIES CHANGE LIVES

From 24 to 28 June CILIP is running a Libraries Change Lives campaign. There will be, it says, ‘a public platform where libraries, library staff and library users can evidence the value of this statutory service – both locally and nationally – to the leaders of tomorrow.

‘[It] culminates in an event in Parliament where representatives and allies from the sector will meet senior governmental advisors and decision makers face to face.’ That has to be good. 

Find out more: https://www.cilip.org.uk/page/libraries-change-lives

FUTURE GAZING

CILIP has published a report looking into possible futures of library services. Called Come Rain or Shine, it looks at a range of possibilities for library services (principally public libraries) depending on various scenarios.

The writers drew upon some existing future gazing reports including some from abroad (USA, Australia etc.) to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

The summary is: ‘We might hope and work towards one kind of future; we must also prepare for other futures which are just as likely, even if they are not what we want.’

So, they look at a future where climate disruption and misinformation increase, but also the opposite. They consider the effect of wages and the NHS continuing to suffer, but also improving over time.

The report is an interesting read. Whether it will be helpful depends on what the future brings, but also on whether library services adapt to the various possibilities. The opportunities identified in each section give scope for that, but of course there is no lever to ensure it happens. 

To help think it through, there is a toolkit. It has apparently been piloted in a couple of library services. Like the report, this can be downloaded free of charge.

https://www.cilip.org.uk/page/future-libraries

CAMPAIGN CATCH-UP

Here’s a small selection of recent highlights and lowlights from our monthly e-newsletter.

We have now created an archive of all our previous newsletters. So you can catch up right back to the first issue in autumn 2022. The link is also a place for new subscribers to sign up: https://librarycampaign.com/newsletter

CAMPAIGNS WORK!

We’re now in an age where stupid cuts are knowingly made by local councils – because austerity gives them little choice. So is it still worth campaigning for (library) common sense?

The answer is – yes, yes it is. Latest examples include South Gloucestershire. Here, a planned £473,000 “saving” has been reduced by £200,000, after “clear opposition from the public consultation process”. That means more hours open, and less damage to the bookfund. Still an overall loss of 40 hours across 12 branches, but an achievement all the same.

In Haringey, London, the council issued an over-hasty, under-publicised consultation about its whole budget – all its activities. Local umbrella group FORE (Friends of Reading & Education) worked hard to publicise it. Result – over 80% of all the replies were about libraries! So the council has rowed back on some of its cuts, and vows to negotiate properly over the rest. Much still to do then, but a start.

Redcar & Cleveland council plans to cut £400,000 from libraries. This means reducing opening hours, closing up to five – and turning two into “community-run centres”. Friends of Laburnum Library has a petition and has successfully made its case to the local MP and many councillors – though not its own ward ones! Already the library has won a ‘stay of execution’, at a meeting where the council admitted it has no business plan – and councillors must discuss and decide on any that appears.

Most recently, local elections in Redditch saw the Conservatives lose power in a massive swing to Labour. A major plank in the latter’s campaign was opposition to the council’s highly unpopular plan to demolish the flourishing library.

WHAT WE’VE DONE

The Library Campaign has fired off a letter to Birmingham City Council (and copied in DCMS – the ministry responsible) warning that the possible loss of 25 libraries cannot fail to breach the legal duty to run a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ service. We cannot do much more until their formal consultation finishes and they have made a decision on the responses.

We have also been closely involved with the campaigns in Croydon, Haringey and Redditch, writing letters and sending evidence and Freedom of Information queries. And given advice to a number of other campaigns.

WHAT FRIENDS AREN’T FOR

Kirklees has long been one of the better services, winning awards for its innovative ideas and even opening the odd new library. It has long, also, relied on volunteers to supplement the staff at some of its 24 libraries. This is good practice, expanding the service and bringing in extra skills.

Now, however, Kirklees plans to save over £1 million by cutting 47 jobs and – you guessed it – handing over eight libraries to be wholly ‘community-run’ (though with council support).

The eight have been chosen because they have strong ‘Friends of’ groups and other local organisations.

One furious local councillor pointed out that his local volunteers had ‘made it very clear they were not interested in community managed libraries when they agreed to support them…

‘Kirklees is now back-tracking on that commitment to try to make an easy saving and it feels like a betrayal of all the effort that the community and the library volunteers have put in.

‘Who will trust Kirklees to step forward when you are then punished for doing so?’

Friends groups met to discuss this and the meeting organisers, the Mirfield group, were strongly opposed: ‘We don’t have the skills, experience or time to manage the library. But it’s not just about Mirfield, it’s about all the other libraries.

‘We just need to see exactly what their proposal is. If their proposal is a consultation around the feasibility of Mirfield becoming community-managed, then we are quite happy to talk to the council about the feasibility because it’s not feasible and we have got loads of reasons why.

‘But if it’s a conversation about Mirfield Library going to be community-managed, then we don’t want to talk to them about that because it’s impossible.’

SMALL WONDER

A bit more money for libraries is always welcome, and so is recognition of how vital they are to any decent society. So it’s nice that Libraries Connected (LC) is the chosen partner (among three) to administer the ‘culture’ bit of one of those ‘tackling loneliness’ one-off projects from the DCMS.

But… the three share just £5m from this £29m pot, and it must go to 27 ‘designated’ areas. LC’s suggestions include ‘employing a volunteer co-ordinator, providing additional pre-school activities, offering games for older people or extending opening hours to provide social activities’. That’s very much Friends’ territory…

One good thing: the 27 areas were centrally selected according to need. There was no bidding process, wasting resources and energy and creating more losers than winners as these things always do.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/about-the-know-your-neighbourhood-fund

STAFF TOP WISH LIST

Outgoing CILIP CEO Nick Poole ran a poll on X/Twitter about what should be the priorities if a government were to reinvest in local libraries. From almost 500 respondents, rebuilding staffing came highest in people’s wants – well above having shiny new tech. 

‘Rebuild staffing’ is well put (as opposed to ‘hire more staff’). Since 2010 there has been an almost 50% reduction in government spending on UK libraries, which has already impacted on staffing levels. Over the past year we’ve witnessed a number of libraries with staff on strike over issues such as low pay.

GOOD NEWS

F Bolton has opened its refurbished Central Library after 16 months’ work (£4.3m, from the Towns Fund). It has a new mezzanine floor, business centre, café, colourful children’s area and gloriously restored original (1938) features including lots of parquet flooring.

F Rhymney library, Caerphilly, has been refurbished with upgraded IT, office spaces and meeting rooms – as requested by local people in a survey. A new ‘state-of-the-art, vibrant learning space’ is to become ‘a focal point to continue supporting the Welsh language and culture’. Partly funded by the Welsh government’s Capital Transformation Fund.

F Brighton & Hove has spent two years restoring the Grade II* listed library at Saltdean Lido. It’s part of a big project to return the whole lido to its 1930s glory, with poolside café, Art Deco ballroom, gym, workspace and more. The council has supplemented its £2.5m spend with money from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (£4.2m) and Historic England (£215,000) and even a crowdfunder by local people.

GILGA-WHAT?

A titbit from an online drop-in with the LibraryON team – the folks slowly developing a much-needed website for England’s libraries. The name itself (some don’t like it) could have been different. Past ideas, it seems, have included Libravate, Onlinebrary, Discoverarium, and… er, Gilgamesh. The first was dreamed up by ChatGPT. The others by ‘creative agencies’. So be grateful for the name we’ve got.

To join LibraryON’s mailing list, email: [email protected]

Who uses library IT?

The results from the 2023 survey highlight the importance of library services in supporting digital skills development. Key indicators of in-person activity show that post-Covid recovery in service use has continued, with additional drivers leading to greater service take-up.

Here are some of the key findings:

• Libraries provide vital digital support, with PCs and internet remaining important for users. Almost 80% are seeing increases in support needs for employment-related queries, benefit applications, other government services, or basic digital skills.
• Nearly 40% of libraries are seeing increased in-person IT activity. Some of this is just continued general post-Covid recovery, but it is not the only reason for increased demand (see chart). For instance, 25% of services are experiencing greater PC or print use due to self-service, partnership working, digital council services or new libraries opening.
• As well as offering digital skills help directly to users, libraries are increasing their role as a partner venue for classes and drop-ins, eg, council money advice, adult learning classes, and employment-related groups.
• Most libraries have a cost-of-living crisis support offer, over and above their regular services. Around half stated they continued to promote their warm spaces this winter. Half actively signpost to other council support services for money advice and support. At least 25% partner with outside agencies to give financial and budgeting help, with drop-in sessions at the library.
• The average PC session time offered to adult library users is 120 minutes. In over 40% of libraries, users are able to extend their initial session time for free. In under 15%, users can pay for more PC time. 20% of libraries offer unlimited time on PCs, either initially or by free extensions if no-one else is waiting.
• Printing is a key part of providing a useful, modern library service. 95% of libraries feel that printing is essential or very important for meeting users’ needs; nearly 90% rate it essential or very important for supporting jobseekers and benefit claimants.
• Over 90% of authorities recognise printing as an important source of library revenue. 70% review their prices annually.
• 60% of libraries are seeing an increase in wireless printing requests: nearly 40% have seen this increase significantly, and 40% plan to invest in wi-fi printing in 2024.
• Nearly 80% of services are helping customers sent to them by numerous council departments. Some are seen as the main point of contact for council services generally.

*https://www.lorensbergs.co.uk/research/public-libraries-2023-netloan-customer-survey-results

View from the
library frontline

“Customers want instant troubleshooting help rather than scheduled IT training e.g. ESTA visas, plane tickets, tenancy agreement printing, online forms, issues with email and printing.”

“We’ve had a 30% increase in IT buddies sessions, assisting with basic IT skills.”

“There was a significant increase in support given for applying for government or council services when the Ukrainian refugees came.”

“Health is something we advertise. Health professionals run some digital sessions, we have links on our website. Out Joint Service Centres linked to GPs will sometimes signpost to us to use our digital and non-digital resources.”

“All our [library] sites get requests to access online forms for benefits. Our larger sites have always been very busy with such activity.”

“Recently there are more fears/concerns from customers about scams and phishing.”

“We have more people printing wirelessly.”

Do councils get IT?

Libraries are perfectly positioned to enable communities to thrive while learning to live with a ‘digital by default’ local services model.

Libraries provide vital interventions for those who would otherwise be digitally disadvantaged, eg, lacking access to email, online opportunities and social networks.

This safety net includes a network of public spaces, computers, wi-fi, printers and qualified staff throughout each county, city or borough.

It’s quite a lot for councils simply to forget to take into account.

Yet it’s a frequent complaint of library services that other council departments fail to recognise the full value of what they provide.

Of course this can be very demoralising to library staff, as their commitment and expertise is being ignored. It’s extremely wasteful in resources, too, leading to duplication of effort.

Worst cases

In some of the worst cases, existing library service competencies are freshly replicated by other council areas.

Unfortunately it means libraries are not having the funding they deserve to make them even more effective. With the right recognition and investment, their infrastructure, expertise and reach into local communities would have an amplifying effect.

At present it seems not enough library services are sufficiently considered by councils when working to improve digital inclusion. This came through from our discussion findings and customer survey. Only a minority of libraries – around 25% -  are regularly involved as a matter of course.

How can they ensure their contribution is recognised and valued as part of a council-wide strategy? It needs to happen formally, and from the start. If not, it’s vital to publicise achievements and boost awareness.

Here are some examples :

Department partnerships: A number of library authorities in Wales are working well with adult and community learning, which appears to be a very successful fit. In one, the library itself has become an established adult learning venue and a neutral space to ask technical questions.

Leading with training: The pandemic placed an emphasis on digital training. This has encouraged some councils to think of libraries for pushing the skills out to where they are most needed.

One council’s digital inclusion strategy stemmed from ensuring its own staff had the skills for hybrid working from the early days of the pandemic. Although it has its own distinct digital skills team, the library is fully involved.

The team’s work extends across the council and encompasses library services and staff. Library staff are embedded ‘digital champions’ who help others and customers.

Within the library, digital champions can be booked to help library users.

The library is publicised by the council as the place to access digital help face to face.

Council digital strategy: Libraries need to get stuck in from early days. In one library authority, when new digital service directors are appointed the library starts working with them right away.

It helps to have a formal written strategy with outcomes and stakeholder accountability. In Ireland, their strategy The Library is the Place includes a focus on digital skills and financial literacy as part of its Skills for Life programme. Each action has timescales, named stakeholders, and identifies which departments libraries will work with.

Training: Library staff training is a challenge. Keeping up with technology changes is one key area, including internet, apps and devices. Another is staying up to date on their council’s digital service delivery.

Without prior warning or training, staff can be surprised when users are signposted to them. Training needs to be ongoing and encompass all parts of the council.

Success here is helped by having a conscious and shared customer-focused culture. One authority has regular meetings with different services. Heads of Service actively participate.

Another library authority maintains a network of partner voluntary organisations. The library knows where advanced digital skills support is available, so they can signpost users on after providing initial help.

A third authority sees the library as the skills beginner, or initial contact point and assessor. From there users can move on, for example by being signposted to a local college.

Would it help to have some non-library staff at the library for in-person working? It can be expensive if they are not fully used during all opening hours. But a part-time arrangement leads to other issues. Customers come in at any time, and often need help right away. The same problems occur with the use of volunteers.

Good signposting is all the more important, so at least users are provided some initial information and support.

You could say the best approach is ensuring all library staff always have access to the right digital skills and service training, so there is always someone ready and able to help.

Things go wrong when there are cuts to front-facing council services and libraries aren’t trained to fill the gap, or fully consulted. When this happens, libraries are inundated, ill prepared and too stretched to dedicate adequate time to each customer.

Some of the people being referred aren’t always able to use digital services in the first place, with their lack of basic digital skills or other barriers not recognised.

Libraries don’t always and instantly have the necessary resources or time. Often users need far more support than the library is able to give them.

Continual push

We sometimes see a gap between what the council is imagining libraries can provide, and what libraries can actually do.

Although it’s positive for councils to send people in need of help to libraries, more work and preparation is required for it to be fully successful.

For most libraries, a continual push is required to ensure they remain front and centre in public service planning. Good communication is central to success, and works best when there is early involvement.

For the most part, libraries are ambitious for what they can achieve, and passionate about their work. With the right communication and resourcing in place, they can play a key role in realising every council’s aspirations for its citizens.

A world of possibilities

Our public libraries sit unassumingly at the heart of our communities, a world of possibilities behind their doors.

Their ethos remains as true today as when the first purpose-built library was established in 1857. They are there to share knowledge and information, to help bring about opportunities and to make sure those opportunities are freely available to all.

The routes by which that knowledge can be passed on are obviously more varied nowadays. You can still pick up a book – and books must always be at the heart of every library – but you might also download an audio version or order an e-book.

Alternatively, you may wish to browse the newspapers or magazines online, use one of the library’s computers or simply plug in your laptop or borrow a tablet and take advantage of the wi-fi that you may not have access to at home.

Opportunity

In terms of opportunity, there are countless ways in which today’s libraries can help people achieve their potential. They might provide employment advice, adult literacy support or any number of different language classes.

There are libraries with Business & Intellectual Property (IP) Centres which can provide assistance to business owners, entrepreneurs and inventors. Others have nurses on site with a link to the GP’s surgery so that basic health checks can be carried out.

There are social groups designed to tackle the stigma of men’s mental health, code clubs for children and libraries where young people can borrow a FIFA standard football for free.

Each programme is there to serve a particular purpose or reach a certain demographic. But they all have a common goal, which is to improve people’s lives and help build a better, stronger, community.

No matter who you are or where you are from, you can walk into any library in the country and ask a member of staff to help you. And if they can’t help you themselves, they will be able to point you to someone who can.

In return for all of this, you’ll be asked for precisely nothing. There will be no charge; in some instances, you won’t even have to give your name and address. You will never be asked to justify yourself or explain, any more than you want to, why you are there. You will simply be welcomed in, offered help if you need it and left alone if you do not.

There is no other institution today, be it public or private, which can say the same.

Enthusiasm

So why then are our libraries so often overlooked and under-appreciated? Why do they struggle to be heard at a national and local level? What can the government do to best support them and ensure they are properly recognised as one of the most valuable community assets we have at our disposal?

I have visited libraries across England to see how our libraries are delivered, be that directly by the local authority, outsourced via commercial enterprises or through community groups or a mix of options.

I have spoken to hundreds of people working at all levels within libraries, and have been struck by their enthusiasm and readiness to adapt to changing circumstances in order to deliver the best service possible.

Library staff have a profound understanding of the needs of their users. Libraries are too often seen as old-fashioned or out of touch, when in fact they are weathervanes of their communities, reflecting and forerunning societal trends, good and bad.

In-depth

I have met with sector organisations, campaigners, volunteers and representatives from local and national government.

I have looked at international examples and… held a series of nine round tables which have taken an in-depth look at the many ways libraries support communities in cities, towns and villages across the country.

While the recommendations that follow are my own, they are based on the insights of all those who have kindly agreed to take part, either in person or via written submission.

The findings will inform a new Libraries Strategy that will be developed by the Department of Culture, Media & Sport.

T Baroness Liz Sanderson

You will never be asked to justify yourself or explain, any more than you want to, why you are there. You will simply be welcomed in, offered help if you need it and left alone if you do not. There is no other institution today, be it public or private, which can say the same.

The Library Campaign met Liz Sanderson personally, attended one of her nine round table meetings and sent extensive evidence and ideas in writing. To read in full what we said, see pp.14–17 in our Campaigner magazine, issue no 105, on our website: https://www.librarycampaign.com

Sanderson at a glance

WHAT’S NEXT?

This is the gist of the minister’s welcome letter.

Your report… will form a vital contribution to our work in developing a new public libraries strategy this autumn. That strategy will develop many of the points you have raised, but I am writing to let you know my commitment to take forward:

F A national data hub to collate better evidence of the role libraries play in our society. My officials… are working closely with sector bodies (including Arts Council England, Libraries Connected and the Local Government Association) to chart a way forward.

F A national branding campaign to raise awareness of our libraries. I have asked my officials to explore further work with the Arts Council.

F Closer involvement of the British Library. I am grateful for your reflections on… the lack of obvious ‘front door’ for those wishing to engage with public libraries. I agree with you that the upcoming review of Arts Council England may offer an opportunity to look at this…

F An expanded library membership. I am keen to see what DCMS can do in this regard – and, in particular, to pick up your reflections on how DCMS can work with the Department for Education. I am also keen to explore how we can pursue work towards a universal library card.

F The creation of a Libraries Minister and a more joined-up approach within Government. I already… introduce myself informally as ‘Libraries Minister’. I will… continue to press for more engagement from other Government Departments – for example, [via] three cross-Government roundtable meetings per year. I will hold the first of these during the first quarter of 2024.

We are already active in a number of other areas highlighted in your report; in particular…our commitment to analytical work to understand more from the data that we do have… I am interested in updating work to identify library services which have bucked previous trends of declining use and to examine whether they share any characteristics which would be useful to learn from and share.

I agree with many of the other recommendations… which are principally for the sector, rather than for Government, to consider – for instance, a change to the timing of Libraries Week.

Sanderson says ...

1

NATIONAL DATA HUB

This is an easy one. There have been complaints for decades about the current annual data collection by CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountability). TLC covered the problems in our Campaigner magazine (issue no 93, page 7, on our website).

Complaints

‘The situation is now at an impasse, says Sanderson. ‘Numerous complaints were raised… about the usefulness of the data, which many believe is too basic to give a rounded picture of the services they offer, cannot measure “success” and yet is time-consuming to collect as it has to be done manually. Many services were also not prepared to pay CIPFA for the data which they themselves had provided…

‘Some local authorities have begun to use data analysts to “interrogate” the data they have of their own accord, but many do not have such a capability and it must be a national resource.’

Library organisations are already working towards a ‘hub’ that could take existing data from library management systems at the touch of a button, and could be used with other existing data ‘platforms’ to pinpoint issues such as social value.

Why bother?

It would be up to local councils to get on board.

Why bother? Sanderson says: ‘It is a fact, largely unrecognised, that libraries help meet a range of government objectives spanning several different departments. In time it would be hoped that an important loop can be closed, whereby libraries are able to attract sustainable funding from those departments which benefit from their work.’

2

NATIONAL BRANDING

Sanderson says: ‘The most repeated request was for an advertising campaign, but when asked, “Okay, but what’s the message?” no-one could agree on an answer. So, while I completely accept the value of targeted campaigns around certain offers such as the Summer Reading Challenge, I do not think a generic campaign would have the desired result.
‘Far more beneficial, to my mind, would be a national branding campaign.

‘Our libraries are all around us and yet they simply aren’t “visible” in the way that other institutions are. We know our local GP surgery because we instantly recognise the NHS sign. If you need to find a pharmacy in Europe, it’s easy because of its distinctive green cross…

‘When I asked why this suggestion [when made in the past] had not been taken forward, I was told that branding is the domain of local authorities and it would therefore be difficult to agree a national strategy. I don’t accept this is a reason not to try.’

Query: if people aren’t told what libraries do, how much point is there in labelling them?

3

BRITISH LIBRARY

Sanderson lists all the many library organisations that play various roles. It makes for ‘a complicated landscape with no obvious “front door” for those wishing to engage with public libraries’.

She then focuses on ACE (Arts Council England). She strongly praises its current staff, and its growing understanding of what libraries actually do.

But she adds: ‘As the national development agency for creativity and culture, ACE should be given credit for taking on responsibility for libraries when it wasn’t an obvious fit… However, it should be said that questions have been raised about the lack of a clear development path for libraries.’

She notes that ACE gives grants for ‘innovative’ library projects, but there is no real carry-through once the projects end. They are not part of a coherent national framework.

‘It is not,’ she says, ‘that I doubt ACE’s commitment to libraries; rather that libraries have a different set of objectives to the other art forms in ACE’s purview. It would be helpful therefore to have a better sense of ACE’s strategic ambition for libraries.’

Meanwhile the British Library has ‘no formal role in the public libraries sector’. Yet it runs Public Lending Right, and the LibraryOn project to develop a national library website, a co-ordinated chain of business centres in libraries, and more.

‘Clearly the British Library is already playing an important strategic role in the library sector. With their agreement, I believe there is a further opportunity to take on a convening role that could be of huge benefit to public libraries.’

4

MORE LIBRARY MEMBERS

Everyone surely agrees that this is what we want! Sanderson, however, focuses on just one angle – how about a universal library card, for children and for adults?

Scotland already has its Every Child A Library Member programme (ECALM).This provides library membership for all children at three key stages: birth registration, nursery, and primary school enrolment.

Sanderson has a detailed account of what’s been tried in England. Well worth a read. Some have come up against tricky issues such as data protection. Some people have worried that different library management systems would not be compatible. However, where library services have joined together into consortia, this has been overcome.

She outlines a scheme launched back in 2009: ‘The brainchild of Tony Durcan, the former President of the Society of Chief Librarians, the scheme was brilliantly simple – it allowed visitors to borrow books from any English, Welsh or Northern Irish public library, just by showing their existing library card as proof of address. This built on decades of informal inter-library service co-operation…

‘The scheme was greeted with genuine excitement and led to national print and broadcast coverage but as people moved on and priorities changed over time with the onset of austerity, it disappeared from view, so much so it didn’t come up once throughout the course of this review until very recently.’ Aargh!

Active readers

This ‘could be resurrected, very easily, by a simple information campaign. While I appreciate that this may be for the sector to pursue, government should explore the possibility of a single card in the future.’

She also outlines hopeful developments with Bookstart, BookTrust Storytime and Summer Reading Challenge, which are starting to make good contacts with obvious partners such as schools.

‘DCMS should look at ways of aligning the different models and identifying the best ages and access points to provide every child with a library card. This could provide an important platform for encouraging not just children into libraries but also parents and caregivers who might otherwise struggle to engage with the service.’

She makes, though only in passing, the important point that ‘auto-enrolment really needs to be supplemented by a continuing programme of activities if children are to become active readers’.

That surely applies to adults too. Yes, there’s much more to increasing membership than just issuing cards…

5

MORE VOLUNTEERS

Sanderson is very clear on one point: ‘There is a valid concern that in an era of difficult financial constraints, volunteers have often been seen as a way of replacing trained staff, rather than being used to bring important, additional, value to a service… job substitution will lead to services becoming unsustainable over time. ‘Where possible, volunteers should only be used to support experienced, qualified staff.’

That said, of course there is a role for volunteers – as Friends groups know. Sanderson sees possible growth points in various projects with the NHS (apparently the Covid volunteer app is still live), schemes to combat loneliness – even (with vetting) people on probation doing community service.

CMLs

The home library service, often staffed by volunteers, is under-valued, she says. ‘Well trained volunteers have a very significant multiplier effect on health and social outcomes for a relatively small investment.’

More controversially, she speculates that: ‘Any expansion of the volunteering network should consider the involvement of community managed libraries (CMLs), organisations which have provoked controversy but are now an established part of the library landscape.’ She doesn’t say how.

Volunteer-run CMLs are often ‘well-used and much-loved cornerstones of the community’. She does not cover their effectiveness as actual library services.

But there is a warning: ‘As they become more established in terms of their infrastructure, I agree with others who worry that CMLs could be used as a back door to closure with initial funding from councils to support them tapering off over time.’

Meanwhile, there is such a thing as ‘volunteer fatigue’, in CMLs and elsewhere. And, of course, ‘it’s important to remember that recruiting and managing volunteers still requires expertise and resources’.

6

A LIBRARIES MINISTER

There is already such a minister – currently the very on-message Lord Parkinson, who initiated the whole Sanderson project. Crazily, the word ‘libraries’ does not even appear in the job title (Arts & Heritage).

Whatever the title, there’s a vital job to do. Various government departments came to Sanderson’s ‘round table’ meetings around the country. But when they attended, ‘for which we were extremely grateful – they were often surprised to hear about the number of ways libraries contribute to their specific policy area…

‘The work of libraries can support the priorities of several departments from health to education to the Department of Work & Pensions and the Department of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, but is often not seen as a core delivery channel for any of them.
‘As a result, despite the assiduous efforts of the DCMS team, it can be difficult to gain traction across government.’

Government silos

There, in a nutshell, is a problem that has plagued libraries for years despite many attempts to open doors.

A named minister, ‘while not a cure-all, [is] one way to improve the situation’. He could commit to running three ‘round tables’ year, with relevant departments, which could ‘help break down the government silos which are currently such a challenge to the library sector’.

It’s worth a try. And Lord Parkinson is already committed to doing this.

7

A LIBRARIES LAUREATE

We already have a Poet Laureate and a Children’s Laureate. Both current post-holders, Simon Armitage and Joseph Coelho, both happen to be ‘passionate supporters of libraries’.

‘It is precisely because of this support,’ says Sanderson, ‘that I think it would be possible to create a Laureate role for libraries in their own right.

Influence

‘There would be tremendous value in a high-profile, distinct, voice for libraries; someone who the media could automatically turn to and who could advocate on behalf of libraries…

‘Whatever role the library has played in a potential future Laureate’s life, it needs to be someone who is able to speak freely and has the authority to influence the public debate.’

Few would argue with that.

8

RE-TIMING LIBRARIES WEEK

This is another no-brainer. Libraries Week, the national promotion run by CILIP, is currently in October. That’s when Parliament is in recess. Many MPs are away from their constituencies, often at party conferences. Other, better-timed, events such as World Book Day attract plenty of MPs.

‘As we know, libraries are one of the most valuable community assets we have, yet it seems to me that the links between MPs and their libraries are not always as strong as the ones with their local schools and hospitals for instance.

‘Given the myriad ways that libraries can help an MP’s constituents… raising awareness of the services they offer would be of huge benefit to libraries and parliamentarians.’

Few would argue with that, either. Over to CILIP!

T A round table meeting

T Looking up to hopeful developments...

T Liz Sanderson with Lord Parkinson at an Islington library

TLC says…

… yes and no! Here we focus on two Sanderson proposals that we have something to say about.

1 NATIONAL DATA HUB

Yes please!

The library profession is all about (1) collecting high quality information and (2) making this freely available to all. So it is astonishing that public libraries haven’t long ago got their act together on the use of the data they own. 

Library users and campaigners need access to data as much as staff and managers. We all have the same interests. We all want better services. We all want to know what each library service is doing, and what it is spending. We want to make comparisons. We want to learn from the services that are doing well.

Meanwhile every service already has a lot of information inside its computerised management system.

The current annual stats are collected by CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy). The services (now a minority) that contribute data have to enter it manually. They are already six months late when they first appear. And they cost a fortune to access.

And what questions do they ask anyway? There have been endless happy debates about the details. Councils have different systems (e.g. for charging costs shared by all departments). So sometimes it’s impossible to get consistent data.

Library users

Do crude numbers always tell the full story? For instance, if council A spends less on books than council B, maybe it just got a better deal and should be praised for efficiency. How do you measure online engagement, activities, added value via ‘partnerships’ and other features of modern libraries?

Can any of this information be related to the 1964 Act? Can you measure what a service is actually achieving – improved literacy? health? social cohesion? – as opposed to what it is providing – books, buildings, staff…?

Above all, though, we want anyone who collects data across library authorities to be clear why they are doing so, what use will be made of the data and how they will enable others, not least Friends and library users, to use them. That has to underpin any decision on what gets collected and how.

We want library users and campaigners to be part of that discussion.

And we want all councils (finally) to get together and back whatever new scheme is devised.

2 NATIONAL BRANDING

We’re not so sure about this….

Sanderson argues that nobody can agree on what an ad for libraries should say. So it’s not worth trying. Instead, consistent ‘branding’ – a sign on all libraries – would at least make them visible. Like the green cross that marks out pharmacies in Europe.

That’s not how we see it at TLC!

Signage looks like maximum cost for minimum impact. You’re talking about thousands of substantial physical objects. They have to be designed, agreed, manufactured, delivered, installed and probably maintained. And maybe even advertised as a thing to look out for!

Killed off

Many library services have already had the sense to put decent signage on their buildings.

And there’s a very awkward question to ask – what is a library anyway? With the uncontrolled growth of ‘community-managed libraries’ there’s no telling what a particular building contains. It may or may not have IT, or trained staff, or links to council/national resources, or… So who will sort out what qualifies for branding?

Finally, there’s no point ‘branding’ libraries if people don’t know what libraries offer.

This brings us to advertising. We think it’s more than a good idea. It’s crucial.

Some might argue that a library can do anything for anyone – making it hard to find a simple central message. Others might say different libraries do different things – ditto.

But ‘libraries are for everyone’ is the core message. And there are plenty of things they all offer, which could be pushed. Many still don’t know about online books and journals. Some people don’t know that libraries are free, or that children are welcome. Even the range of books is under-promoted (see page 15).

National advertising has been done before.

In 2006, The Reading Agency ran a splendid Love Libraries campaign with a website, campaigner resources, projects, awards, celebrities, mugs, T-shirts… It was handed over to the then libraries quango, MLA.

And it was simply killed off.

For the 2008 National Year of Reading, libraries were just a (central) part of a huge national multi-media campaign. A core message was ‘Join your library – everything you could wish to read, for free’. One result – 2.3m new people joined a library!

Then it was all over.

What’s more, advertising is being done in plenty, right now.

On X/Twitter you’ll see posts from the Arts Council or individual champions such as Bobby Seagull. Some local library services also post clever video ads. More again on youtube.

CILIP sometimes does great individual posters and campaigns, plus of course all it does for National Libraries Week (and, more recently, its new Libraries Change Lives campaign).

Excellent material

Libraries Connected has annual awards. It also mounts some splendid campaigns, such as its recent autumn promotion of libraries as the way to get young children ready for school.

Walk into a cinema and you might see an ad for the British Library’s local business support service.

And its LibraryON work to develop a national website seems to have taken off into the stratosphere, with all kinds of online promotions.

Plus BookTrust, The Reading Agency (look at the Summer Reading Challenge!), World Book Day (and Night) – so many individual promotions about things that all libraries do.

Why can’t all this excellent material be gathered into a coherent national framework, focused at specific times? It would be a resource for individual library services to latch on to.

Isn’t sharing information and resources what public services are all about?

Libraries in particular!

2024 Universal Library Offers calendar

The good news is that these themes are nationwide, giving you the chance of some national publicity to ride on. LC (Libraries Connected) has picked out some events that relate especially well to what libraries do. Its ‘Universal Libraries Offer’ checklist sums this up as: culture & creativity; health & wellbeing; information & digital; reading; children; sight impairment.

Even better news: many have wonderful ideas - and resources for all ages that you can download and use. You can, of course, use them any time. We at TLC particularly recommend the resources for British Science Week (experiments!), Shakespeare Week (games!), Safer Internet Day (mostly videos or online) – all of which are out of date - but still available. There’s still time for Empathy Day in June (never more needed!).

Pick something that reflects your group’s interests. And, of course, check with your library service to see if it highlighting any of these events itself, so you can work together.

Best news of all: if you get this list at LC’s website, you can click on any item and get full details! https://www.librariesconnected.org.uk/page/universal-library-offers-calendar

NB: Details for some of these events aren’t immediately available. Dates that are only provisional are in italics.

January

27 Holocaust Memorial Day

27–4 February National Storytelling Week

February

LGBT+ History Month

1 Time to Talk Day

5–11 Children’s Mental Health Week

6 Safer Internet Day

10 Chinese New Year

21 Mother Language Day

March

Women’s History Month

7 World Book Day

8 International Women’s Day

8–17 British Science Week

18–24 Shakespeare Week

April

1–7 World Autism Acceptance Week

2 International Children’s Book Day

22 Stephen Lawrence Day

22 Earth Day

23 World Book Night

May

Local and Community History Month

1–7 Deaf Awareness Week

6–12 Dying Matters Awareness Week

13–19 Mental Health Awareness Week

13–19 Dementia Action Week

JUNE

Pride Month

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month

High Vis Fortnight

National Crime Reading Month

Loneliness Awareness Week

Summer Reading Challenge launch (Scotland)

6 Empathy Day

8–16 Great Big Green Week

10–16 Carers Week

JULY

Disability Pride Month

Summer Reading Challenge launch (England and Wales)

13–28 Festival of Archaeology

South Asian Heritage Month

AUGUST

1–7 World Breastfeeding Week

7 National Playday

12 International Youth Day

SEPTEMBER

East and South East Asian Heritage Month

8 International Literacy Day

Heritage Open Days

13 Roald Dahl Story Day

23–29 National Coding Week

OCTOBER

Black History Month

Libraries Week

Family Learning Festival

Get Online Week

3 National Poetry Day

4–6 Fun Palaces weekend

7–13 Dyslexia Awareness Week 

10 World Mental Health Day

18 World Menopause Day

NOVEMBER

National Novel Writing Month

Movember

Self Care Week

World Nursery Rhyme Week

Talk Money Week

DECEMBER

Winter Mini Challenge launches

1 World AIDS Day

2–6 National Grief Awareness Week

18 International Migrants Day

Health Information Week has now moved to 20–26 January 2025.

What you told us...

Thank you! We know you’re all busy, so we appreciate all those who found time to fill in the form. We’re extra-grateful to those who wrote comments. The replies were thoughtful and helpful.

There were 51 responses – a pretty good % response rate, as questionnaires go. Reasonably representative. But we must bear in mind that more of you didn’t respond than did, so the results aren’t the last word. And not everyone answered every question.

So what did we find? (We have anonymised all replies.)

TLC individual members

Rather to our surprise, 62% of respondents are not members of local Friends groups. Most TLC members are in it to give general support to libraries, and get information on the library scene. Quite a few are librarians or ex-librarians.

When we asked about the benefits of membership, the answers focused on concepts such as value (of libraries) and wanting to support the funding of libraries (via TLC). The focus is on our dealings with government policy and the law.

In touch

One answer emphasised ‘the benefit of being in contact with other individuals who value our public libraries as much as I do’; another valued ‘contact with government/library organisations’.

A third said: ‘As with all local amenity groups, I should like to think the campaign is represented at decision making arenas.’ (We are!)

Another simply said: ‘It’s important to show support.’ There were many comments to this effect.

And another noted: ‘I am not a member of a group per se, but have joined local council meetings, marches, etc.’

This paints an intriguing picture of a community of individuals who have a lot in common, and like to be in touch. They think libraries are interesting, and value having TLC’s links to the decision-makers.

They believe in libraries passionately, and hate what they see happening to them.

Potentially, TLC members make up a solid body of informed, committed people who all support libraries. Maybe we can build on this. Any ideas?

TLC group members

On the other hand, of course, TLC members who identify as Friends groups represent more than one person. In some cases, hundreds.

So we reach a lot of people, depending on how you pass on our information and ideas around your Friends committees and members…

Friends groups value the ways in which TLC can help, advise and advocate for local campaigns. Some joined to get help when they needed it – and then stayed.

One said: ‘I joined about seven years ago when the libraries in my county were under extreme threat and the support and information from TLC was very valuable – it continues to be so.’

Threatened

Maintaining membership could be from continued interest or a wish to support us (thank you!). Or it could be caution about the future.

One group said: ‘We have been successful and I don’t think we will have a problem in the future.’

But another said: ‘[Our local] library was threatened. I was launch chairman. Now taking a back seat. There is a move to relaunch the group but as there is no perceived threat I think it will just maintain a holding brief.’

And another said: ‘Following a Lottery Fund grant the library had to show continued community support. Later the library was threatened with reduction as part of a local regeneration project.’

Another group maintains membership ‘to keep local library open, despite repeated threats of closure’.

Why join a Friends group?

Why do people join a Friends group? No surprises here. People join local Friends groups to support their local library – and/or to have a good time.

Many mentioned talks and meetings. ‘Excellent monthly meetings, and good chance to socialise with other local people,’ said one. Another said: ‘The group is very active and constructive. It offers excellent monthly talks and provides local information.’

A personal or local touch was valuable. One respondent praised the ‘good refreshments at each meeting’! Another noted that the monthly talks focus on ‘either local topics or by local speakers, including writers of whom there are quite a few in the area’.

Scope for action

When we look at what Friends groups actually do (see page 27), an interesting picture emerges. A good number have, quite simply, saved their library – and they are justly proud.

If need be, they would do it all again.

But where the service is not currently in danger, there’s still plenty of scope for action. Friends groups switch quite naturally into running activities.

It’s clear that these activities, as well as being enjoyable, benefit the library service. Talks and events encourage potential new users through the door. Friends can fund some extras, and can run things that hard-pressed staff don’t have time for. They bring life into the library, and the library into the community.

About Friends groups…

Friends groups keep an eye on council plans, and keep others informed. Quite simply, they are interested. They stand ready to defend service standards if they are at risk.

And, of course, new groups spring into life where new threats emerge. TLC is happy to advise. Our website has been described as ‘a treasure chest’ and ‘pure gold’!

Where problems don’t (yet) exist, they contribute a lot to the service offered by their local library (see page 27). What they do varies enormously.

The thing they have most in common is that Friends can concentrate on things that are fun!

They are not burdened by major fund-raising, building repairs or having to run core services. They can leave that to library staff – whom they value and support. And staff appreciate this.

Altogether, staff-plus-Friends offers a practice model that many services could benefit from. Friends add value, without compromising the provision of a full professional library service.

Local councils are coming under unbearable pressure to make cuts. This model offers an alternative to rushing headlong into making libraries volunteer-run – more realistic, more sustainable.

What Sanderson says about us

The new Sanderson report (see pp.16–21) gets it. As it will form the basis of future government policy, this is valuable.

It says: ‘Friends and User groups across the country… tend to operate on a hyper- local basis but they are also the most vociferous defenders of the service and a key part of the library eco-system.

‘Sector organisations may want to consider how they could work more closely with The Library Campaign…

‘As their Chair, Laura Swaffield, says: “Some library services work with us willingly but Friends’ groups are sometimes perceived as a nuisance, sometimes even a threat.

“But libraries are better used and better protected where they exist.”’

There’s a job to do in getting across the real value of Friends groups to library services. Without, of course, compromising their independence.

What does your Friends Group do, or has it done in the past?

F We contribute £1,000 annually to replace the annual library manager’s book fund that the council withdrew.

F We put on monthly author talks and quarterly full- day events, with enthusiastic co-operation from the staff.

F Our members have also been setting up and supporting the local heritage centre, which now has impressive new premises.

F We are told about the various events that are going on, to do with children especially. We are involved in funding some of these. When the events have been funded from, say, the main library fund we are often asked to provide refreshments or invited along. If our help is required they do try and chose dates to suit us.

F We fund activities and equipment and resources. We run the volunteers (staff are all volunteers except one paid employee). We sometimes have joint events.

F Main role now is organising volunteers to help in the library.

F Some joint running of events. Consultation over plans for refurbishment and other buildings issues.

F Activities largely on hold at present, but we have run several competitions and paid out several thousand pounds for carpets, books and renovation.

F We cover talks by famous people sometimes, and gardening and local subjects on architecture.

F We raise money through coffee mornings selling drinks and home made cakes. The money is used to put on events for children in the hope it will encourage more children into the library. We help fund things like bubble machines, rugs etc for the Rattle and Rhyme group for babies and toddlers. We also provide craft equipment for craft sessions. We give prizes for The Reading Challenge. We also sometimes provide refreshments for author talks and other events.

F Monthly talks.

F The group has recently contributed to the installation of a lift to enable people with disabilities and those with baby buggies to access the library more easily. It has also paid for redecorating the library.

F We support libraries in general and the local library when it needs our input.

F Our talks are generally well supported, partly because of the publicity from the library service’s regular bulletins.

F We have partnered with our local village parish council, who now fund the £5k annual contribution that we previously had to fundraise ourselves.

F We have partnered with a local garden charity, who have planted fruit and veg for a community Edibles garden for all to help themselves.

F In our heyday we were very successful in raising money. Our committee had excellent contacts with prominent people in town. Only problem was a lack of interest among schools generally. Not sure why…

F We welcome people to the library with a tea stall two or more times a month, which is much appreciated. Our events bring in local people who have not visited the library before.

F The library building is owned by the NHS, who give us a free rein with their building. We can alter it – we have created a garden and are looking into carrying out some external alterations.

F We won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2019. We have been given/offered large amounts of money by local residents because they value what we do.

F We have much to take pride in achieving. In particular, the fact that we have held the library community together in times of crisis

– not just from threatened closure but also all the challenges presented during the Covid pandemic.

F It was us that was successful in applying for the Poet Laureate to come to the library during the first year of his Library Tour in 2021. We have ‘twinned’ with our namesake in the USA (Pennsylvania). It is a key member of our group libraries network.

F Of course I am proud that out of 22 threatened libraries, 20 have survived. Five were given statutory protection, and that was far more than the original plans of the council.

F We try to challenge the council over damaging decisions and mis-application of resources. Our greatest victory was in 1999–2020, preventing closure and ensuring restoration of the building.

F Our campaign was a success, as a new library was built.

F When the group started in 1997, we had a very small, inaccessible library that would be crowded if

there were four people present. We lobbied for a more suitable library and helped identify a location. We agreed to help fund the new library and raised £10,000 towards it. For many reasons nothing happened but six years ago our wonderful new library opened in the new community centre. It is open plan, sharing an area with cafe-type seating and reception which can also provide refreshments. There is also a separate room used for a variety of activities and a sports hall. As a result the library is accessible whenever the building is open. as there is a machine for borrowing and return. Whenever I go there others are using it, including many children. But it is only staffed for 18 hours!

F I was talked into joining as I am a library user…

F I was a founder member of the local Friends, which was created when the council threatened to close 30 libraries in 1997.

F We founded and have continued to run the group since 1999, when three local libraries were under threat.

F We regularly challenge the council and its library service decisions. The introduction of so many community libraries has resulted in Friends/users groups being distanced from greater influence.

F As a former library staff member, I have an interest.

F To support and protect the continued provision of a full library service.

F To support the library’s activities and the future of the library.

F To support the local library that was in danger of being closed.

F I joined because the Friends at my local library were the individuals who were prepared (and still are) to ensure its continued existence even when the library authority saw no need for it to remain, ie, it would have to close or leave the statutory system.

F To protect library services from cuts, including de-staffing of libraries.

What about TLC?

As we’ve said – it is quite striking how little outside help Friends need! Members don’t want a lot from TLC, except at times of crisis.

Several were kind enough to make this clear: ‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those at TLC for everything they do;’ ‘Happy with what you provide’; ‘You do such a lot already’; ‘Keep up the good work.’

Yes, we wish we could do more… but frankly we can’t.

As one member said: [TLC can do] ‘nothing, unless it can recruit many more active members to do the work that would be involved.’

Another said: ‘I appreciate that TLC is a volunteer led organisation which provides a focal point for the many library users and indeed non-users, who support libraries and wish to fight cuts and closures to the service.

‘Of course one wishes more could be done to protect libraries but this must be within the scope of the resources that can be galvanised to achieve this.’

Too true. We are always on the look-out for offers of help…

Meanwhile, there are some asks. One member would like ‘a bit more information re any input that TLC has with DCMS, ACE, CILIP and Libraries Connected, e.g. can we be told when you have had meetings with any of these bodies or when someone from TLC has attended meetings organised by any of those bodies.

‘I know things get reported in the magazine and more recently in the newsletters but would it be possible to produce and send out by e-mail some summary “papers” quickly after such meetings?’

Well, we do report on the big events. But our regular meetings with library bodies tend to be informal, touching-base, exchanging-ideas affairs. Where we get concrete information we pass it on in our various media.

Another member wants ‘more tools to drive usage, more on tech, more on engaging young people’. Noted.

Finally, a member urges: ‘Take on the government to enforce the law on public library provision. I realise that this may lead the government to change the law but at least the debate around it would raise the issue in the minds of the public.’

We try, we try.

WHY DID YOU JOIN TLC?

F I’m one of the local Friends group.

F For support and information at a time when the Friends of our local library were pushing for a new town library – achieved!

F I like libraries and work with the sector.

F When our local libraries were under threat, we formed a Friends group, which is also a member of TLC.

F Access to knowledge is a basic human right in which libraries play a crucial role.

F I’m worried about the state of public libraries, especially local studies libraries.

F To support your campaign to keep our libraries open.

F I’ve spent almost all my working life in libraries, so I know how vital adequate funding is.

F After 20 odd years the library and information service has fragmented and faded from what the intentions of the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act were. There is little government or political support or recognition of the many values of the service, its stock and its professional staff.

F As a one-time librarian and a lifelong user of public libraries, I believe that the role of libraries in education, information and recreation remains as vital today as ever, although naturally the ways in which these are delivered is constantly evolving. Furthermore libraries are increasingly important as safe and welcoming community hubs in the face of rising levels of isolation and deprivation.

F Our UNISON Local Government Branch has library workers amongst our members and reps.

F As a former library staff member, I am committed to the library concept.

F I want to do anything I can to support local libraries. I am a member of the Friends of my local small library.

F I strongly believe in the importance of public libraries.

F I’m a retired local authority librarian who believes in the value of libraries and is dismayed by their closure and cuts in funding.

F Save libraries.

F To defend the reduction of public library services over the years by the Conservative government.

F Our library was under threat about ten years ago but we managed to fight off the council after forming a Friends group.

F I’m a retired professional chartered librarian, worked in public libraries for 30 years. I joined to keep abreast of news and developments in the sector and to see what opportunities there may be to reverse the downward trend in local library provision.

F I joined at a meeting some time in the 80s or 90s. I worked in a government library but wanted to show support for the public library system. Now I am retired and immobile I can no longer get to my local library, which has no easy transport links, but rely on a neighbouring borough.

F News of other library campaigns.

F To support public libraries to continue to offer services to the widest possible local community. Whilst I currently work in an academic library, I remain a member of the public library and had my first library assistant work in public libraries.

F I was a founder member. It was the only thing like it at the time.

F Myself and many others have benefited from the work of public libraries. Even though retired I still try and keep in touch with the sector. I hate what the present government has done to the public library service.

F Supporting an organisation that supports

library groups and building a community.

F I have always valued libraries and have been a regular user wherever I lived. I’m very concerned about the attack on libraries locally and elsewhere, and wanted to support your campaign.

F I have been a library-goer since the age of six. I go at least once a fortnight – I am a big reader and passionate supporter and advocate for the library system.

F To help stay informed and support libraries. I am a retired librarian but no longer have contacts within my local library service.

F I worked in public libraries for a decade before jumping ship to HE, but I’m still a passionate believer in the value of public libraries.

F To be able to be in contact with others all over the country who are seeking to uphold the existence

of a good public library service, with paid qualified staff, accessible and welcoming buildings and well-selected book stock, free for all to borrow.

F To read about libraries and potentially make new friends.

F As a retired librarian I believe in an accessible, high quality, free public library service for all.

F I believe in the concept of keeping libraries public and open to all .

F To keep up-to-date with the state of public libraries and to support public libraries and campaigns towards saving and improving public library services.

F I’m a retired librarian, and this is a way of keeping in touch with library matters.

F I’m not a member of a Friends group. I work in public libraries in Adelaide (South Australia) but I lived in the UK until I was 30. I’m interested in the difference in funding, perception and services between UK and Australia.

How to put children off reading

New research shows that one in five kids feels judged for what they read. A quarter are made to read things they don’t want to.

The sad truth is that fewer children than ever are choosing to read. Reading for pleasure improves life chances, and World Book Day is all about children. So this year we have heard from them – in their own voices.

World Book Day conducted research with funding from The Mercers’ Company. We partnered with Beano Brain, to speak directly to children aged seven to 14 about their feelings around reading for pleasure.

The feedback is loud and clear. Many of the 1,000 children we spoke to told us they feel judged and embarrassed about reading – and this quickly puts them off.

If children feel shamed at an early age about their reading ability, or about their reading choices, they are less likely to read for pleasure, losing out on the benefits it brings to their wellbeing and educational success. Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success.

Children are sending a clear message that adults need to understand the barriers they face, and let go of expectations and judgements around reading, giving them choice – and a chance – to grow up as enthusiastic readers.

“Adults think proper reading is… non-fiction, thick books, books with only words.” World Book Day focus group respondent, 2023

“When you get older, the excitement of it all gets taken away from you. I don’t think I’d be able to read through a whole book now like I used to.” Boy, 14, non-reader, Beano Brain research 2023

Children feel they have no choice

Lack of choice is the primary issue for children when it comes to reading for pleasure. They feel they are not being given the freedom to choose the books they want to read. The research revealed that over a third of children say they cannot choose what they want to read at home (34%) or at school (35%).

One in four children say they’re encouraged to read things they simply don’t want to. One fifth (21%) say they can’t find anything they want to read at home. This increases to a quarter at school (25%).

Many children feel confused or overwhelmed when it comes to choosing a book (23%), creating further barriers to enjoyment. Many children say they would prefer their parents to stop reading to them, because they think their parents wouldn’t approve of the book they want to read.

“I would rather read by myself – my parents don’t enjoy the books I want to read.” World Book Day focus groups respondent, 2023

“We only have set times that we are allowed to read in school. I like reading when I’m on my own, not when I’m forced to read, because it puts me off.” Girl, 11, non-reader, Beano Brain research 2023

The experience of feeling judged is also impacting children right across the age group. Over one child in every 10 say they feel judged by their reading ability at school (15%) and at home (16%), while twice as many – one in five – feel judged by others on their reading choices, both at school (20%) and at home (18%).

“I didn’t tell my teacher that I didn’t like that book in case she thought it was a bit rude and told me off.” Boy, 10, light reader, Beano Brain research, 2023

“There’s really no point in reading. I was really bad in primary school, I couldn’t do anything the teacher said.” Boy, 13, non-reader, Beano Brain research 2023

Adults have an essential role

The positive role that grown-ups can play in a child’s reading journey was also clearly described by the children we spoke to.

Two in five children think reading is best when they feel they’re good at it (40%), while 30% say it’s best when they feel confident and encouraged. Over a quarter of kids say they believe they would enjoy reading more if it was made more fun (30%) and there was less nagging from grown-ups (28%) to do it.

Over a quarter (28%) said reading is best when they can talk about reading and books with friends and family. 18% said being read to regularly at home would help them enjoy reading more, alongside seeing parents read themselves for fun (17%).

However, only a quarter (25%) say their parents relax by reading in the home compared to scrolling on their phone (56%), watching TV (52%) or watching their phone or tablet (40%).

“Adults usually tell you to read, but then they don’t read and go on their phones. My teachers and my dad do that!” Girl, 11, non-reader, Beano Brain research, 2023

Children know best!

Children know what they want, and the benefits when it works. World Book Day asked children when reading is best. Autonomy and control were by far the most important factors:

F when they can choose what to read (47%)

F when they can choose when to read (42%)

F when they can choose where to read (37%)

A quarter of children believe they would enjoy reading more if they had more freedom to read in other ways, such as graphic novels/ audiobooks (25%).

Children also appreciate the opportunities reading can offer them. One in four (24%) believe that reading lets them show who they are as a person and what they like doing. Over a third feel that reading for fun makes them feel calmer and say they enjoy reading in their spare time. 30% feel that reading allows them to go to different worlds and learn about different places and things.

“I like to get into my pyjamas and curl up on the sofa. It doesn’t have to be silent but it has to be calm.” Girl, 11, reader, Beano Brain research 2023

Alice Read, a teacher at Buckingham Primary School, Hampton, comments: ‘I have had a child in the classroom and they had the book that they thought they wanted me to see they were reading. Underneath that was the book they wanted to read. They’re hiding them away.

‘It’s important to see that it’s a valuable book. It might be one that’s giving them comfort, their easy read, or has characters they relate to. It’s important as practitioners in the classroom that we’re not voicing our opinion about whether it’s a book you “should” be reading.’

Cassie Chadderton, CEO World Book Day, comments: ‘Children are telling us themselves why they don’t enjoy reading. They are judged on their reading ability and choices, and it’s putting them off.

‘As grown-ups, we can help make reading more fun for children by encouraging them to choose what to read, and how they want to read it. When we do, many more children will have the chance to enjoy reading, and grow up with the life-changing benefits this brings.’

Libraries – the
dramatic truth

I don’t think it’s possible to overstate how essential libraries are to society.

To the people that need to use them, they are irreplaceable. They are the oil that allows the engine of the disadvantaged to continue ticking over, despite constant attempts to stall it. They are a bastion of tolerance in times of struggle, a lighthouse of hope in times of hopelessness, and, much to the occasional frustration of the staff, they often have a publicly accessible toilet.

That’s a very dramatic opening, isn’t it? True, but dramatic none the less. I wasn’t sure it would work: an undeniably accurate statement, followed by a little bit of grandiose pontificating before using a bit of toilet humour to rein it in again.

I considered a few others… Did I want to lead with my own story: an equally dramatic tale about a tired library worker waking up to the complete lack of appreciation for his role during an enforced period of jury service with a group of strangers? The dawning realisation that he felt more warmth for the presiding judge, who took the time to remind him every day how valuable his contribution to society was while he worked on the case, than he did for any of the people who had been making the big decisions about libraries for the previous decade or so?

Social structure

Or perhaps I wanted to open by lambasting this absolute travesty of a government. By picking apart these self-serving bottom-feeders, for whom accountability is a foreign concept (and we all know how they feel about foreigners). Those whose raison d’etre is the dismembering of a social structure that was designed to help the more disadvantaged members of society cope with the onslaught of life.

Or perhaps I wanted to open with a bold proclamation about how amazing libraries are, and how the constant lack of appreciation from central government, and threat of closures/actual closures from local government, will only lead to more and more library workers leaving the field, meaning that what’s left of the service becomes the very thing it is currently treated as?

Almost …

As if …

It were planned …

Of course, the key word in the opening that I did use, the word that gets overlooked and misunderstood by too many of the people directly involved in the conversation about the future of libraries, is the word need.

Need

You can’t fully grasp the need for access to computers to enable you to fill out the online-only forms that decide whether or not you qualify for a benefit (not sure exactly what the benefit is), if you’ve had multiple computers at home for the last few decades, and the closest you’ve come to needing financial aid is buying your second car on hire purchase.

You won’t understand the need that single mothers with no extended family have for dedicated mother/toddler groups, if you still meet up with the members of your National Childbirth Trust group once a month, even though the children are now in secondary school.

Likewise, the need that some people have for courses to teach them how to read, or the need for groups that help introduce you to other people to try and combat loneliness, or the need for somewhere to take official letters you don’t understand and need explaining. These will all be completely alien to you if you’ve not encountered them before.

And that’s okay.

Life is unique. We all come from different places, we’re all packed full of different experiences, and we shouldn’t judge people for their ignorance …

As long as they try to recognise it and make allowances for it …

As long as they are attempting to make sure we have the correct infrastructure in place to cater for said circumstances …

As long as they aren’t ignoring people that do have the relevant expertise and stopping them from contributing to the decision making process …

Truth be told, libraries aren’t the answer to many of the questions they are regularly asked. They’re a plaster, a sponge being made to soak up the failures of the current system by the people who are causing the failures.

In a well-run society, libraries wouldn’t need to offer free access to computers. They wouldn’t need to provide warmth and shelter for people with nowhere else to go. Library staff wouldn’t need to know quite so much about the housing and benefits systems, because those systems would work. But here we are.

Vocation

It was June 2017 when I handed my notice in, around a week after I’d finished jury service. After almost 13 years, and a handful of restructures (restructures which facilitated appeals for offers of voluntary redundancy in an attempt to minimise or ward off the need for staff to apply for their own jobs), and several applications for my own job, I finally made the decision to step away from a vocation I loved.

I’d started off as a Saturday assistant in a branch library in 2004, before moving on to a temporary, full time job in the main borough library about three months later. Very different experiences, but both fun.

It was as I was coming to the end of my temporary contract there that a job at the mobile library came up. Mobiles was different, everybody said so. Even within the library service, it had a reputation. It was the black sheep, the odd body, the embarrassing uncle at family parties. People looked furtively from side to side before they spoke its name. I loved it.

I love my current role, too. I work in the construction industry (my journey from libraries to the construction industry is quite unique!), though in my role I’m not on work sites every day. The job involves speaking with people and building relationships – primarily so I can try and foresee any potential issues that may arise from our work before they impact on people. But it’s also so that when those problems do arise, and they will, there’s a pre-existing relationship in place that we can work from. Essentially, it’s another form of customer service. I use a lot of the skills I picked up in libraries: empathy is a key component of the role.

Bouquets

Even now, though, over six years later, I still miss going to some of those housing estates and schools; the adult training centres and sheltered accommodations; the care homes and respite care centres. I miss the sense of satisfaction I used to get driving a 33ft long vehicle along narrow estate roads, cars parked on either side of me, a colleague in the passenger seat covering their eyes and saying they couldn’t watch before I pulled up at the stop and opened the doors to gasps of amazement and bouquets of flowers cast my way from waiting borrowers. My memory is a bit hazy on that last bit. I may be confusing it with a dream.

I miss covering the home library service, visiting the elderly and those with permanent or temporary mobility/health issues in their own home and helping them to receive or maintain a service that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to access. I miss the gratitude the users had for you braving the bad weather to make sure you got there.

I miss the reading group for blind and partially sighted people that I ran, listening to the books instead of reading them, and thus coming to appreciate the impact that a narrator’s voice can have on the telling of a story.

I miss the people.

Working in a library is authentic. You have real experiences with real, often vulnerable, people. You help someone who has been out of work for years to use a computer so they can write a CV, then get to shake their hand when they come in and tell you they finally got a job.

Or you meet children with difficult home lives that visit the library each week, often alone because nobody cares enough to come with them. They start talking to you about books and school and what they watched on TV and anything really, just so they can talk to someone who shows them a bit of warmth. And you watch those children grow up and turn into a young adults, not really needing the library any longer but wanting to come and see you every now and again to catch up.

Or you meet an old lady at the top of her road every week to carry her bags full of books, walking arm in arm to the library van, talking about Jean Claude Van-Damme films or the Mills and Boon books she reads. Then you answer the phone in the office one day to somebody who asks for you by name… it’s the lady’s neighbour, calling to let you know that she passed away during the week, but she always looked forward to those walks…

Real, tangible impacts on the lives of others.

I get to spend a bit of time on the other side of the counter in my new role, using a local central library as a meeting space. The staff, as I expected, are wonderful. Nothing is too much trouble. A time or two, I’ve been indulged in some nostalgic chat about working in libraries, made to feel ‘part of the team’ again.

Cuts

In fact, it was overhearing a conversation between two members of the public while I was in the library that prompted me to write this piece in the first place.

Sitting at a table in the middle of the room, I heard two people talking about the threat of cuts to the library service. £1.5m needed to be saved from the budget within the next few years. It was like a hammer blow. A rush of emotions hit me at once. Anger, frustration, shame, disbelief, fear, relief, guilt. It really was the same old story: cuts inevitable, staff being offered redundancy. I could honestly have written it myself.

One of them had attended a council meeting at which a local politician had stated that no libraries would close. But rather than greet this announcement with joy, speculation was rife about what exactly the statement would mean, both for the library service and the library staff.

How could they go from needing to save £1.5m to not touching the service at all? They couldn’t. They wouldn’t. Even though I wasn’t a participant in the conversation, and the two people talking didn’t know I existed, I felt like I was with them. I was part of the conversation – I was involved. We were on the same page.We’d seen this before. We knew they would say one thing and do another. They’d just be duplicitous about it.

I know what it’s like to have the service you work hard to provide be treated as an afterthought; to see a well-used library service decimated with cuts and job losses and then be told to carry on ‘as you were’ by faceless politicians who only step inside a library when there’s an election around the corner.

I know what it’s like when home library service users have to face up to the fact that there is a real possibility they won’t see you again – the one person a month they get to engage with for more than two minutes at a time.

Value

Or when elderly residents who will be completely cut off from the rest of society because they don’t have any family, struggle on to the library van with their handful of books and ask you what they can do to help.

I know what it’s like to have conversations with colleagues about how they don’t know if they can face another year of competing against each other for the dwindling number of jobs on offer. And what it’s like to face up to the fact that you’re probably going to be leaving this incredible institution because you can’t handle the rhetoric any longer.

I contemplated a number of dramatic endings for this piece. Perhaps the jaded jury worker finds renewed value in himself and stays in libraries, taking the fight to the powers that be and opening their eyes with The Scales of Truth and Social Value™. Perhaps the politically savvy commentator goes viral and inspires an appreciation of libraries, the like of which we haven’t seen for generations.

But in all honesty, I think the truth is dramatic enough.

We need to stop undervaluing the essential services that underpin the lives of others, just because they don’t underpin our own. We need to stop undervaluing libraries.