all change: responses to the public libraries crisis in england 2010 to 2013
DESCRIPTION
Includes reductions in usage, closure of libraries, protests, campaigns, co-location, outsourcing and the Government response. Produced for the Assocation de Bibliothecaires Francais conference in Lyons, June 2013.TRANSCRIPT
44%
Visits drop andfrom 340 million 2005/6 to 315 million
2010/11
300 less libraries
1999/00 to 2010/11
Decline before 2010fewer borrowers 2000/1 to 2010/11
146 libraries closed 2010/11
201 closed 2011/12Source: Cipfa
293 under threat out of surviving
4265 in May 2013Source: PLN
28% cut to overall council budgets over 2011/15
Source: BBC 2010
Another 10% cut expected 2015/16
Source: LGA 2013
The biggest cuts to peace time council budgets in modern
history
Local protestsSpontaneous
Big petitions
Demonstrations
All ages and political views
Impact on elections?
Local protests
National protests
Voices for the Library librarian group but otherwise individual librarians silent for
fear of being disciplined
CILIP speaks out but chief librarians implementing cuts are also senior members of it
UNISON trade union fighting cuts everywhere
WI limited impact so far
Speak Up for libraries umbrella group
“Hollowing out”Shorter opening hours
(third less in Hertfordshire, no protests)
Less books
Less staff
Vicious circle of decline
“We’re not closing them”
Volunteers
“In some areas if people don’t want to safeguard them it will
be very difficult, it would perhaps suggest that they don’t want their libraries as
much as we thought.”
Nick Harris, Head of Culture, Southend Council, May 2013
Volunteers
Bradford volunteers one year after taking over their
library
5% nowSome kind of volunteer involvement
170Volunteer-run libraries by end of 2012
12% soonin “near future”
All figures from Arts Council England, 2012
Legal1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act
says library provision must be “comprehensive and efficient”
No clear definition and No court victories using the Act
DCMS refuse to intervene in each and every case. Councils learn to
be more cautious, sometimes.
3 campaign “victories”2011/2 3 campaign groups win. 1 council
stops closures, 2 others change things slightly and go ahead anyway.
All others fail.
Government
Ed Vaizey
Minister with responsibility for
libraries
Two letters written to local authorities to be aware of legal responsibilities
No interventions of any kind
£6 million over two years for Arts projects (cf. total libraries budget of c. £1 billion
Providing better data so library services can be compared
Report by end of 2013
Libraries are “thriving”
Big spending on big libraries
Birmingham
£188mStarted January 2010
Manchester
£170mStarted January 2010
£50mStarted Summer 2010
Liverpool
112 other libraries new or refurbished
2011 to 2013
inc. Hive £60m and Canada Water £14m (started 2009)
Co-locations Sharing the building with other services or providers in order to save costs or to
boost the usage of both.
Arts, Citizen’s Advice Bureau, community centres, council services “one stop shops” / customer contact centres, dance, day care centre/flats for those with learning difficulties, florist, health, housing, housing
office, leisure centres, Mental health services, museums, older people’s housing, parish councils, pharmacy,
police, post office, registration of births, marriages and deaths, retail, theatre, unemployment advice/training, volunteering, schools, tourist information, universities.
Costs c. £6,000 for each machine
Replaces from one half to one paid person per library
Extend services or cut staff?
Popularity with users is questionable
everywhere?
“Non-Profit” organisations running libraries on behalf of the council, normally with leisure centres too.
The private company Laing has succeeded in winning the contracts in four authorities,
GLL two, LSSI none.
Merging library services
“Tri-Borough”
3 councils combine
£1.2 million saving
151 Authorities
36 jobs cut as services merged
Linking with government
“National Offers”
1. Health
“Books on Prescription”
2. Reading
“Summer Reading Challenge”
3. Information
Linking with government
“National Offers”
4. Digital: Government Services will all be online including benefits. All libraries have computers, unlike a
sixth of UK households.
All unemployed need to frequently register online
E-Books are having significant impact on usage. National strategy being formed
ConclusionWhat we are looking at
now is the
of libraries under conditions of great stress
Questions?For details of the owners of images please contact Ian Anstice at [email protected]
forced evolution