NEWS
CILIP calls for collaborative approach for progressive services
CILIP has called for a new approach to public library regulation and delivery – demanding an end to “the ongoing battle between local and national government over pub- lic services”.
The move comes on the back of huge reductions in government funding stretching out for more than a decade, which has led to reductions in local ser- vices and closures. However the call is about more than finances, with CILIP Chief Executive Nick Poole saying the future has to be part of a wider collabo- ration on how services are delivered. He said: “It’s time to move out of the era of fragmentation and into better steward- ship of our vital library network, put in place new and progressive regulation, and bring an end to the ongoing battle between local and national govern ment over public services. “This is why CILIP is calling for a new
CILIP members receive medals at ceremony
TWO CILIP members picked up their recently awarded British Empire Medals at a ceremony at the Tower of London. Zoey Dixon and Chris Garnsworthy were
both made Members of the British Empire in the New Year’s Honours list at the start of the year. The pair were invited to the ceremony where other Honours recipients also received their medals, presented by London’s Lord Lieutenant, Sir Kenneth Olisa, OBE. Chris said: “We are both great advocates
of the power of public libraries and had the opportunity to share our work with numer- ous award recipients and dignitaries alike.”
Chris Garnsworthy and Zoey Dixon. June 2023 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 5
Library Compact between central and local Government and library leaders – a new social contract which demonstrates how we will work together to address big societal challenges.” Public libraries hold a unique place in
local communities and are increasingly important partners in delivering services beyond the traditional – certainly their roles are drastically changed from 1964, when the Libraries and Museums Act came into force. And as Nick points out: “The act was neither designed to be qualitative or progressive in its delivery. It specifies how the government will support good libraries, but does not define the standards by which a good library is measured. After more than a decade of public sector spend- ing cuts and austerity, the insufficiency of the Act as enabling legislation has been cruelly exposed.” Subsequent acts around equalities – both general and public sector specific – are now
more likely to be used to shape progressive services. This workaround is out of date, and should be addressed, giving local authorities more clarity about service standards. Prisons could prove to be a source of inspiration, but as Nick says: “In the prisons sector, Mandatory Service Rules set out a legal framework for service provision and although they override local self-gov- ernance, they set out clearly a framework for measuring effectiveness and success. While nobody wants to ‘bind the hands’ of Local Government, if the price of local autonomy is fragmentation and inequality in provision, we need better regulatory mechanisms to guarantee services. “A more tenable (and collaborative)
alter native would be a progressive Library Compact that follows the Dutch model where the Government and libraries come together to agree how to address specific societal challenges, instead of regarding libraries as dependencies.”
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