NEWS
CILIP guide launched for ‘controversial materials’ advice
A NEW Guide to help librarians and library staff to manage poten- tially controversial materials has been created by CILIP, with fund- ing from Arts Council England. Managing Safe and Inclusive Public Library Services: A Practical Guide is a comprehensive update of an earlier document, 2008’s Guidance on the Man- agement of Controversial Materials in Public Libraries. The new document builds on this piece of work to help deliver up-to-date and relevant advice for those working in public library settings. Yvonne Morris, CILIP’s Projects and Programmes Manager, wrote the lat- est guidance, which will be published in September. She said: “The original MLA guidance was published against a backdrop of public concern about radi- calisation and extremism. As we come to renew this guidance in 2023, we do so in the context of renewed concerns about freedom of expression, online harms and the marginalisation of entire communi- ties because of their identity. Both sets of issues highlight the central challenge
for librarians and library staff wishing to deliver safe, trusted and inclusive services for the communities, including learning communities in schools and prisons.” Yvonne points to changes to legislation in the intervening 15 years, including the broad changes brought about by the Equalities Act 2010 which has enshrined protections for people with protected char- acteristics such as religion, race, sexuality and sex. [YM1] “Our professional practice has moved on too in the last 15 years,” adds Yvonne. “Librarians and library staff are able to draw on a significant body of knowledge and expertise when seeking to develop ser- vices and stock that are broad, balanced and inclusive while addressing the issues of systemic bias and prejudice. “These positive developments have hap- pened in parallel with an increasing polari- sation of our public realm. The challenges of misinformation and hate speech mean that librarians and library staff are operating in an environment that is both more challeng- ing and more exposed than it has ever been. “What has not changed, however, are the
fundamental principles that lie at the heart of our professional ethics. The library must maintain its focus on intellectual freedom and freedom of expression as core pillars of our democracy.”
The guide has been developed in consulta- tion with library workers and leaders in pub- lic, school and prison libraries and provides a core set of ‘key principles’, drawn from CILIP’s Ethical Framework (
www.cilip.org.uk/ ethics) to provide library staff with a clear ‘decision-making framework’ when dealing with complex and challenging issues. It also suggests how these principles can be applied in four specific contexts:
l The development and management of library stock;
l The provision of public Internet access;
l The appropriate use of public spaces (including meeting and event spaces);
l The provision of publicly-accessible events and activities.
The new guide will be looked at in more detail in September’s issue of Informa- tion Professional.
Report finds public library funding crisis in Wales
PUBLIC libraries in Wales face a funding crisis, according to a cross party report from the Senedd’s Local Government and Housing Committee.
Before producing the report the commit- tee heard from CILIP’s Amy Staniforth, who explained how public libraries make a positive impact in local communities. The report found that both libraries and leisure centres in Wales were struggling for finances, and called for immediate action to help local authorities continue running effective services.
July-August 2023
Committee chair John Griffiths said: “The true value of such facilities to com- munities often becomes more apparent when the services are under threat. “For the past decade, councils have found it challenging to maintain their existing local leisure and library services. A sustained period of austerity, diminishing budgets, a global pandemic and more recently, rapid inflation and unprecedented increases in energy costs have forced councils to reas- sess their service provision. “Leisure and library services have often felt some of the steepest cuts to budgets
and changes to the offering, especially as public leisure services are provided on a discretionary basis.” As well as calling for financial support, the committee also recommends that the Senedd looks at whether it should strengthen legislation around library provision. It makes a further 15 recom- mendations, covering long-term finan- cial support to helping local authorities achieve carbon neutrality for services and buildings.
The full report can be read at https://
senedd.wales/media/3fdmwwiv/cr-ld15967-e.pdf.
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