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Circulated with permission http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=49kuid=134767896588119 The Real Big Society The remarkable public response to the proposed closure of more than 400 libraries is perhaps a manifestation of the Big Society in action. Hundreds of thousand people are protesting and demanding that councils find another way to make the necessary savings. In particular, people are concerned about the impact that the indiscriminate closure of community libraries will have on the young, the elderly and the vulnerable. These concerns have been widely supported by the national and local media who are dismayed at the failure of leadership by Government and the MLA and the unwillingness of local government to put its own house in order. When a Chief Librarian and Portfolio Holder stand in front of people in a community hall and declare that "there are no alternatives to closures", they are increasingly being told "we don't believe you !" In Somerset, and in some other authorities, campaigners have demanded to see the Library Budget Book and are asking hard questions about how the service is structured, managed and operated to the benefit of their residents, especially those in small towns and communities. Why do we need 151 separately managed library authorities, each with their own chief librarian and support structure ? Why does London have 32 library authorities but just one police authority ? Why do we have today, despite the developments in technology, more bibliographic departments than twenty years ago ? Why do "corporate" costs vary so significantly between authorities and why have these been escalating in recent years ? Many of these issues have been on the agenda for several years. For example, the London Libraries Change Programme has been under way for some four years. The bookshelves of the DCMS and the MLA must be heaving with reports and consultancy studies, but we have seen little action and now we face a crisis. We are now told that the Future Libraries Programme will address some of these issues, but it will only report after many councils have finalised their proposals. In many authorities there are real alternatives to closures, as has been shown by the twenty or more councils that have confirmed that they will not be closing any libraries. Ironically, they include the Wirral Council which faced a Public Inquiry last year after deciding to close 11 libraries. In Somerset, campaigners have discovered that about half of the library fund is spent on corporate and support services. While officers claim that they have an "efficient" and "accredited" support service, it is supporting, amongst other functions, a book fund of just £200k and a total materials budget of £300k. In another council, officers decided to retain their warehouse, rather than save some community libraries. What is astonishing is that the Minister, the MLA board and the Society of Chief Librarians have been remarkably mute, though the MLA chief executive did say that "there is no magic wand" to dealing with these issues. Alas, it is a young mother in Somerset, facing a 20 mile bus trip just to take her children to the library, who must pay the cost of our failure to better structure and manage an essential public service. The key question is whether there are practical alternatives to many of the closures recommended by officers and endorsed by their portfolio holders. Is it possible, despite the cuts, to provide an economically and socially sustainable public library service which meets the needs of the millions of people in our diverse communities ? The answer must be yes, but we will have to do things differently, including restructuring how the service is delivered. The Minister, the MLA board and the executive of the SCL should be sending a very powerful message to council leaders and their chief librarians that there are much better ways to serve the needs of their residents than to simply close libraries. We need to hear them clearly and loudly sending that message so that we can hold our elected members to account. Desmond Clarke From: "Roy Clare" Hello, Desmond, thank you for noting my comment about "no magic wand". Also on the record is my oft-repeated statement that the public locally need to fight for the libraries they deserve; the young mother in Somerset is a fine example. Local authorities are squeezed between the proverbial hard choices; the nation is bust, the library service in some places is in need of modernisation (including some re-distribution of service points and some closures); and yet everyone agrees on the vital importance of reading and free access to media and information....new media and digital services are emerging in a promising way, but the infrastructure is yet to join up and the public are not all ready for full-blown on-line services. Tough options ensue; of course it's a blood-stained episode, and has a long way still to run; many Councils have no choice other than to maintain pressure on costs. The MLA does not have a mandate to lobby publicly, but we are far from "mute" behind the scenes. The present government launched the Future Libraries Programme within months of taking office; the last government took two years to deliver a rather vague and toothless Review. It's not for me to make political points, but in purely practical terms I know which approach I favour. Even if little and unavoidably late, the FLP is provoking the right kind of aggregation and new-think. The second phase will broaden its reach during 2011. My message is consistent: public libraries are for all, not the few; some closures are inevitable and local people need to organise themselves and be clear what they really want. Decisions remain with Councils, who must consult properly and set clear strategies or risk challenge under the Act; charging for library services is not on, but arm's length arrangements may be legitimate options. Digital dimensions need to be brought along as rapidly as possible (Martha Lane Fox's work is relevant and timely). The MLA is still on the ball, hard at work, even while pulling down the blinds and preparing to sell the furniture. I remain confident that the improvement services, expertise and the professional advice we represent will continue to be available in a new form in due course. More anon. Circulate to your list if you wish. Kind regards,