Bobby Seagull, Nick Poole, Steve Potash, Lord Bird, Gill Furniss MP help launch the report at the House of Parliament.
“However, the current pattern of declining investment in public libraries is putting this return at risk. Services which cannot deliver the same level of service, or which are ‘hollowed-out’ are not able to implement the activities which generate this return.”
This “halo effect” is not a simple
financial calculation, but is measured in key areas of society including health and well-being; business and enter- prise; learning, skills and education; and poverty prevention and social mobility. Libraries themselves can act as a catalyst for place-shaping – helping to create an anchor for investment.
The notion that a vibrant library can bring more to a neighbourhood than just the services it offers is gaining traction. A report from UKCES in 2015 saw the potential that library buildings could bring. By providing meeting spaces along- side the traditional access to information, libraries could become hubs for local small businesses and entrepreneurs. As these businesses become more established there is the potential to create new enterprise zones spinning out from library hubs. In rural areas this effect can be even more important because libraries can act as a “digital anchor” by being better connected to the internet than surrounding areas.
Education, skills and learning Moving on from the mantra of “Edu- cation, education, education” libraries are already well-recognised for the role they play in education, skills and learning. They provide access to formal and informal learning opportunities – from early-years reading initiatives through to supporting school, FE and HE students with research and information literacy skills, to supporting adult learners through lifelong learning opportunities. The impact that libraries have on people’s learning experience – whether formal or informal – is well-researched and evidenced. Many of the seeds that are sown early in life have a continued impact as children grow. Those who read for
October-November 2019
Launching the Report is, from left, Lord Tope, Bobby Seagull with manifesto and Gill Furniss MP.
pleasure and visit the library are more likely to achieve the expected literacy levels. As people move through the education system library use provides other tangible benefits, delivering services that support different needs throughout education. The report points out that “without long-term sustainable funding, public library staff cannot support the range of learning activi- ties which their users demand. They cannot build relationships with local schools and if their staffing is hollowed-out, will not be able deliver specialist educational activities which extend and enhance learning”. Digital skills and access to the internet are looked at together in the report. Despite the rise of the smartphone (and connected de- vices in general) over the last 10 years, there is a still a marginalised minority of people who are not connected. This can be through lack of resources or lack of digital skills – both areas where libraries offer support, either through training or by providing free wi-fi connections. Digital skills are increas- ingly important with many government services accessed online. Consumers can of- ten find better deals online compared to the
high street, and so there is a wider impact on those who cannot access the internet. Steve Potash of Rakuten OverDrive says it supports the calls for funding, because: “[We are] dedicated to ‘a world enlightened by reading’ and works every day to aid the essential mission of libraries and librarians to promote literacy, education, and digital skills. We urge politicians to get behind this Case for Support to secure the long- term future of this critical sector.”
Health, Wellbeing and social care This is a key area for local authorities, with adult social care costs now the biggest single item on any local authority budget. Current trends show that more than a third of a council-controlled budget is spend on providing care for adults (36.9 per cent, according to the ADASS Budget Survey 2018). Local authorities have also taken a greater role in providing health care in their regions through the creation of clinical com- missioning groups (CCGs). Public libraries are rising to meet these challenges – The Reading Agency’s Reading Well: Books on Prescription project has put trusted
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