Message

And indeed so was I delighted to see the response from Chris Batt. This made it easier to put together my own thoughts and send them off.

Mike

Mike Maguire
Group Librarian S & E Devon
Devon Library & Information Services
tel 01392 384223
fax 01392 384228
mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://www.devon.gov.uk/library/
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This email is of a personal and professional nature and has nothing to do with the business

of Devon Library & Information Services and Devon County Council

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-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Maguire
Sent: 14 September 2005 17:54
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc: [log in to unmask]
Subject: NCC report - Playlist for public services

Dear Ed,

Many many years ago (c.1977?) I briefly & very informally "collaborated" with someone working on an NCC report something along the lines of "the fourth right of citizenship" ... about the right to information - at the time I was researching to write one of the earliest British Library R&D Dept. desk reports about public libraries ... about (public) library services for small communities as it happens.

That experience gave me a high regard for the work of the NCC so you won't be surprised to know that when I came across the concerns regarding some of the statistical bases used within "Playlist for Public Services" in one of our national discussion lists these concerns really didn't go down well with me at all. I mean both the specific concerns regarding public libraries and for the good name of the NCC itself. While there is always room for debate when deploying statistical data, the extent of the mismatch involved here surely goes far beyond any sort of "acceptable tolerences". That a report under your name "escaped" with a factual error about the current statutory basis for public library provision is in itself additionally unfortunate.

So I write both in support of Chris Batt's well tempered response expressing the concern of the MLA and with a sense of dismay and concern that the NCC got into this position in the first place.

I hope you will make an opportunity to issue some sort of statement about this particular report, which I have to say is nevertheless an excellent & perceptive piece of writing & musn't be seen as seriously flawed by the issues raised regarding public library services. In a sense you must also be thinking of how you arrived at this point & how to review the use of statistical material & sources within NCC reports prior to publication so as to to better screen out the possibility of this occurring in future.

I look forward to your reply ...

Best wishes,

Mike

PS I've copied to the email address against your name on the NCC website.

This email is of a personal and professional nature and has nothing to do with the business

of Devon Library & Information Services and Devon County Council

**********************************************

-----Original Message-----
From: Frances Hendrix [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 14 September 2005 15:11
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: NCC report - Playlist for public services

I am delighted to see Chris Batt's response to this matter.

He makes extremely valid points.

What had occurred to me was that a visit to a library, and one to a museum is so entirely different. I suspect that on the whole library use and visits are a routine part of users lives, part of their lifestyle etc. Whereas for probably a majority of museum visitors it is both a less frequent occasion, and probably an event of some sort. e.g "take the kids" in the holidays., "see the Dinosaurs", a short term travelling exhibition,or while in London or any city., a special project etc, or in the vicinity. so the experience and how you rate it is likely to be different and for many the museum experience is less usual and more novel.

I would hope a new approach is now made by NCC to produce fairer and more similar comparisons.

f

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