INTERVIEW
What’s on the cards for ACE’s new heart?
What can public librarians read into Arts Council England’s 10-year strategy? In an interview with Information Professional’s Rob Mackinlay, Sir Nicholas Serota explores why it’s diff erent this time.
ARTS Council England (ACE) has recently published its fi rst 10-year strategy with public libraries built-in from the start. Let’s Create – launched at the end of January – sets out the concepts of the strategy, but the nuts and bolts delivery plan has yet to come. Speaking to Information Professional Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of ACE, said: “The diff erence now is that libraries sit at the heart of what we’re planning.” However, librarians will still be asking if the strategy is one that realistically recognises what libraries are, what they do, and where their potential lies.
Alignment
Public librarians are not in consensus on many aspects of the services they provide so there are a number of moving targets. What ACE off ers is a process to keep itself aligned. “When ACE took on the respon- sibility for libraries in 2011/12 its compe- tence was being taken on trust,” Nick says, “There wasn’t any proof that it could care for libraries in the way that libraries need caring for. That’s one of the reasons why the task force was established – to ensure that the Arts Council honoured the responsibil- ity.” He said that while the Task Force will be wound-up this month, the Arts Council will continue managing its ongoing work/ projects for a further 12 months, alongside former Task Force partners.
So the handover will be gradual but he says it will still be an “important milestone” on the Arts Council’s road to shouldering responsibility for public libraries. Once that handover is complete the lines of commu-
24 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
Rob Mackinlay (@cilip_reporter2,
rob.mackinlay@
cilip.org.uk) is Journalist, Information Professional.
nication with the sector will include ongoing dialogue with Libraries Connected, as well as the work of ACE’s own Director of Librar- ies, Sue Williamson. Then there is ACE’s 14-strong National Council which is respon- sible for making sure it achieves its objectives and which includes Ciara Eastell – former Chief Executive of Libraries Unlimited. “So, there are voices to speak up for libraries,” Nick says. “Not that everything is divided into art forms – it isn’t – but obviously we need the intelligence and competence to make the right decisions and we are now equipped in a way that we were not eight to 10 years ago.”
Identifying outcomes
The strategy sets out three outcomes: creative people; cultural communities and a creative and cultural country. Public libraries sit in the second outcome – cultural communities – but engagement with the other two appears to be necessary. The strategy section of Let’s Create says: “The second outcome brings the
March 2020
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
