Libraries the solution to ‘Levelling Up’ success, say campaigners
THE Library Campaign has urged the government to deliver on its “Levelling Up” promise by using the public library network. The campaign group points out that libraries across the country are already delivering range of services, training and activities that bring huge benefits to local communities. The campaign cites new research from the Cambridge University’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy which points to the lack of value in some of the major infrastructure schemes.
The report says: “There is an ingrained bias in government towards large-scale infrastructure projects. But interven- tions that seek to restore dilapidated town centres or support local initiatives may be far more socially and economically beneficial than many policy-makers appreciate.”
It goes on to say: “‘So much of the policy debate around levelling up in the UK has focused on headline-grabbing projects like HS2, the extension of 4G and 5G networks and upgrades to major roads. However, these projects represent only one mode of infrastructure, and their efficacy depends to an important – and often unheralded – degree upon the capacities, health and pro- ductivity of the communities and citizens they are designed to connect.” Speaking during CILIP’s Libraries Week celebration in October, a Library Campaign spokesperson said: “Luckily for Boris John- son, this is National Libraries Week, and Libraries UK-wide are showcasing some of the many things they are doing right now to foster education and social cohesion – giv- ing people the tools they need to level up, wherever they are. “But he needs to know one thing: librar- ies’ potential is endless; their budgets are
not. They cost less than one per cent of council budgets, but local authorities have been hit hard by austerity cuts. It’s time to level up where it could really get results.” l
www.librarycampaign.com
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October-November 2021
INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 13
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