library service across the country.” A replicable model
And while he talks about a national library network, William is clear that this does not mean a national library service which he says is not something either local authorities or local communities want. But he does believe a replicable and adaptable model that each library authority can make its own is something that would be appreciated.
He said: “If we can make this work in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, then one of the first things we will do is go to the Local Government Association and chief executive conferences and show them this story; show them how it is done and help them see how they can achieve it.
Technology and partnerships could provide new ways to deliver health checks.
the country where libraries lead some kind of co-location of all kinds of services within a community, and they are packed out. There’s a sense of community and that is what we are trying to do in Cambridgeshire.”
A unified national library network However, the ultimate goal for William is to create a set of templates that can be implemented nationally.
“We are not just doing this for Cam- bridgeshire, we are doing this to create a model for all libraries across the country – that is the whole point. With
151 library authorities across the whole country that we are dealing with, they do not have the time, space, resources or imagination to make this happen themselves without help,” says William. “I would like to feel at the end of it, that we have a unified national library network that is an inspiration for the library professionals who run them and for the users. I’d like to see, as I said in my review four years ago, a data solu- tion and for everyone to feel that their local library card is a national library card and that what they can get in their local library they can expect in any other
“It would be hard for this small charity and me, who are already being chal- lenged with 70 libraries, to step that up to 3,000 libraries on our own – but if we can provide a replicable model and a way of doing things, I hope other authorities will be able to copy it.”
William hopes there will be Arts Coun- cil England and DCMS-backing for the project, helping to spread the word and support change.
Sustainability is key
What a new model looks like is yet to be seen and the coming months of engagement and discussions with local communities will be the driving force. Sustainability – both financially and in usage are key, and William says that this could mean some services are provided by local communities themselves. The notion of volunteering and community-led libraries was addressed by the Sieghart report in 2014 and it noted that the most innovative schemes were those that were run in partnership with local authorities and supported by local communities and a professional library workforce. With austerity measures still in place and local authorities working on vastly reduced budgets compared to when the report was published, it is no wonder that direct community involvement is being talked about once more. But William is clear that library professionals need to be closely involved and says community involvement should be more about inno- vation rather than core library services. The aim is for sustainability and profes- sionalism in library services.
It is this need for a practical solution to a mounting crisis that William hopes will unite library services across the country – but he admits the only way to do that is first through success in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. IP
An ambitious but achievable project to reinvigorate public libraries across the country. 18 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL March 2018
Interview Willian Sieghart
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