The Bookseller.com

24th July 2008

Clare hoists the flag for libraries

16.05.08 Benedicte Page

Museums, Libraries and Archives c.e.o. Roy Clare this week urged libraries to throw off the “mournful” image of a sector in decline and celebrate the excellence and leadership demonstrated in some areas of the service, as he launched the MLA’s new five-year action plan, “Toward 2013”.

Clare also argued that local authority chief executives must exercise strategic vision, with the courage to close underperforming libraries if needed to create a better service. He promised that a new MLA emphasis on research and analysis would offer them the independent evidence to do so: “Among some ward councillors there’s a perception that their re-election stands on keeping libraries open, and that reduces strategic vision; some aggregation of services is a good thing,” he said.

The MLA’s wishlist for digital development includes faster broadband connection and a single micro-chip membership card for all. Clare said: “I live in Essex and can’t use my library card in Suffolk 10 miles away. A national membership card won’t happen overnight, but if the Oyster card in London can be used for several different purposes, a micro-chip card for all libraries should be possible.”

The action plan will see the MLA encouraging new approaches to the public library service, including the relocation and rationalisation of libraries, longer and more convenient opening hours, and new partnerships with the private as well as the public sector.

The MLA also promises to invest in research and publish its results, to show the impact libraries have on reading and learning and advocate a stronger recognition of the contribution they make. A programme of regional seminars will help promote best practice in public libraries.

“It’s possible for the sector to feel browbeaten by library closures and statistics that show library issues down,” Clare said. Instead, he believes there should be a recognition that great libraries are already at the heart of their communities: “There’s innovation in lots of places, and not just in the London Borough of Hillingdon—Henry Higgins is a robust and very good leader, but he is not unique.”

Clare said that “the rest need to catch up with the best”, and promised the MLA would help, identifying best practice and sharing it, including putting together single-sheet summary case studies for publication on its website. “Nobody wants some quango to tell them what to do—the experts in libraries are on the front line. But we are going to be saying, ‘This is what Kent is doing really well on new community libraries’, for example.”

Benedicte Page libraries MLA Home Roy Clare

Comments on this article