Introduction
Historical background
Until the mid 19th century, public libraries were mainly funded and provided via
endowments from wealthy individuals or through membership subscriptions. A significant
development occurred in 1850, however, with the Public Libraries Act.
The Act permitted councils of towns with a population over 10,000 to provide a building,
light and fuel and employ a librarian at an annual cost not exceeding a halfpenny rate. This
Act stimulated the rapid growth of libraries across the country, and was extended to
Scotland and Ireland via the Public Libraries (Ireland and Scotland) Act 1853.
Various pieces of legislation were enacted over the next hundred years that further
encouraged the development of public libraries. The legislative background changed,
however, with the Public Library and Museums Act 1964, which superseded previous
legislation in this area.
The Act requires library authorities (i.e. the councils of non-metropolitan counties,
metropolitan districts, unitary authorities, London boroughs and the City of London) to
provide ‘comprehensive and efficient’ public library services. Although the Act specifies
some of the services that must be provided – for example the free loan of books to people
who live, work or study in an authority’s area – there is no precise definition of what
constitutes a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service.
In recent years different governments have developed various policies that have begun to
set out the key parameters of a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service. These policies
are summarized in the following section.
Policy Framework: Comprehensive and Efficient Public Library Services
Public library service standards
After Annual Library Plans and Position Statements of the late 1990s and early 2000, Public
Library Service Standards were originally introduced in April 2001 as an attempt to provide
a set of 26 performance measures through which a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library
service could be measured. In line with the Framework for the Future strategy, the number
of public library standards was reduced to a core of ten in 2004. In 2005 Public Library
Impact Measures were introduced.
National Indicator: NI09
From 1st April 2008 these standards and impact measures were replaced by a National
Indicator for public libraries, one in a set of 198 indicators creating a new performance
framework for local government. The National Indicator is NI09: Use of Public Libraries. Full
details of all the National Indicators may be found on the Department of Communities and
Local Government web site.
Framework for the Future
Published in 2003, Framework for the Future (F4F) was drawn up by the DCMS,
representatives of the public library sector and other key stakeholders. It is the first ever
national public library strategy and it identifies the following key areas where libraries may
potentially make their biggest contribution to the lives of people and the development of
communities:
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the promotion of reading and informal learning;
providing access to digital skills and services (including e-government);
tackling social exclusion, building community identity and supporting active
citizenship.
Included within F4F is an 11-point vision that will be delivered by 2013. The Museums,
Libraries and Archives Council (a strategic body funded by the DCMS) launched a library
action plan in 2008, which may be accessed via this link to the MLA web site. Further to
this, Roy Clare, Chief Executive of MLA, has set out some key factors that define a modern
public library service.
DCMS Modernisation Review
In October 2008, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport announced a Library
Service Modernisation Review to “define the Government’s vision for a modern, world-class
public library service and set out the necessary steps to achieve this vision”. The results of
the review were due to be announced in summer 2009, now postponed until autumn 2009.
Key agencies
There are a number of key agencies involved in the public library sector:
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Museums, Libraries and Archives Council – www.mla.gov.uk;
Society of Chief Librarians – www.goscl.com/;
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals – www.cilip.org.uk;
Department for Culture, Media and Sport – www.culture.gov.uk.