1. ASCEL Conference 2012. Public Libraries and the emerging national offers.

2. Tony Durcan Society of Chief Librarians, and Newcastle City Council.

3. My perspective: the public library offer;
clear and focussed services the public library service can offer everywhere;
the national offers and particular customer groups;
a challenge for ASCEL? 3 3

4. Libraries’ Universal Reading Offer

5. Rationale: looking beyond the age of austerity.
building on growth and public demand for lively, engaging offer with reading groups, challenges, author events;
keeping things moving forward/ continued innovation;
focusing on doing fewer, bigger things together – economies of scale and sharing best practise;
keeping partners on board and investing; delivering free resources and capacity and profile;

6. Vision
reading for pleasure enhances people’s literacy, life chances and quality of life. It is vital for our prosperity;
libraries aim to be a force for social change through reading. They bring people recreation and pleasure, learning and literacy, health and wellbeing;
libraries will work collectively to develop their contribution to everybody’s reading life;
libraries will work with the public to co-deliver reading.

7. Shared library reading offer to the public
- New strategy combining libraries’ efforts to develop reading
- One of four SCL “national offers”; reading, digital, information and health
- Developed with lead charitable partners The Reading Agency
- Strategy tied to local government improvement through Local Government Group logic model
- In England, integrated in Arts Council’s development plans for libraries
Health
Digital
Information

8. Prioritised shared toolbox to deliver baseline offer to public
Chart shows how different strands in the strategy work together to create a shared offer across the library network.
The five prioritised calendar spikes have emerged from consultation process – five focal points in year for a shared library network push on reading
There will be an additional enhanced menu of activities, capturing other nationally brokered programmes used by under 60% of authorities, and additional calendar spikes e.g. literary prizes

9. Shared evidence base and advocacy strategy
Advocacy messages drawn from evidence base and shaped for each outcome area, e.g. health:
Reading improves health and wellbeing.
Reading is stress busting. Research shows that reading can reduce stress levels by 67 % (University of Sussex).
An ageing population means levels of dementia are predicted to rise by 61 % by 2026 (Kings Fund). Reading can help prevent the onset of dementia by 35% (New Eng. Jnl Medicine).
Social activities based on reading (reading groups/ author events) combat isolation and bring people together.
Libraries have a key role to play.
Libraries offer important health and well being services to the public and health partners: health information, therapeutic reading and social/recreational reading activities.
There are at least 10,000 library linked reading groups.

10. Next steps  
Focus on resources, training, advocacy, regional priority setting, fundraising
Toolkit for first “hook” – health and well being – piloted October/November.
Government advocacy: November LGA think tank; Cabinet Office support; January No 11 event.
Used as planning tool in library joining pilots.  
Used as basis of strategic approach to SCL regional priority setting; Bridge discussions; fundraising through Grants for the Arts .
Partnership development, e.g. mass commitment to World Book Day is leveraging extra support.
 Work progressing on integrating all four SCL national offers, and links to ACE’s Envisioning work .

11. The Public Library Health and Well Being Offer Advocacy Tool Kit11

12. Library Health and Well-Being Offer to Partners and the Public
- New strategy describing libraries’ health and well-being contribution
- One of four developing SCL “national offers”; reading, digital, information and health
- Developed with lead charitable partners The Reading Agency, piloted with 61 authorities
- Strategy tied to local government improvement through Local Government Group logic model
- In England, integrated in Arts Council’s development plans for libraries
Reading
Digital
Information 12

13. The need.
Pressures on health system caused by an ageing population and long term conditions becoming more common.
Stark health inequalities; people in poorest areas die 7 years earlier with higher rates of mental illness, disability, harm from alcohol, drugs and smoking.
2 million people in the UK living with sight loss, by 2050 this figure will double.
By 2021, 2.2 million over 65s will be housebound or socially isolated. 13

14. The need 1 in 6 people experience mental ill-health each year.
1 in 5 older people in the community, 2 in 5 in care homes, suffer depression.
People with long term conditions e.g. diabetes and heart disease, 3 times more likely to suffer mental health problems.
Third of people with depression and half with anxiety disorders have no health service support.
Levels of dementia predicted to increase by 62% by 2026.
Psychiatric Morbity Among Adults Living in Private Households in Great Britain, Office of National Statistics, 2000
Long –Term Conditions and Mental Health: the Cost of C0-Morbities, Centre for Mental Health/Kings Fund, (
Mental Health Briefing,
Paying the Price: The Cost of Mental Health Care in England to 2026, The Kings Fund, 2007. 14

15. The Public Library Health Offer
A key moment for libraries to contribute to local authority health solutions as part of the commissioning landscape.
Public libraries health assets include:
a network of local community hubs;
non-stigmatised, non-clinical community space;
community outreach expertise, access to vulnerable people and local knowledge;
expertise and support;
supported on-line access;
health related self -help reading programmes, services and resources, referral and signposting and social and recreational activity;
volunteering and community engagement opportunities.
Mapping Public Library Activity in the Areas of Health and Well Being, Hicks et al, MLA, 2010 15

16. The Power of Reading and Libraries.
Public libraries are experts at reading; a cost efficient , self-help, early intervention and prevention health tool delivering:
health information and learning;
creative reading with therapeutic and mood boosting benefit;
social opportunities e.g. reading groups acting as a social connector, breaking down isolation;
contributing to the wider determinants of health and well being e.g. learning and literacy. 16

17. Evidence Base
Developing library health and well being evidence base linked to universal reading offer:
Supported by local and regional case studies and evidence of impact.
But evidence gaps and a need for new evaluation tools/shared approaches.
Further work to develop public library health advocacy messages. 17

18. New Library Health Offer Tool
Successful ACE LDI bid for shared Books on Prescription/mood boosting books scheme integrating information and creative elements of library health offer.
Offering self-help reading prescriptions combined with mood boosting creative reading recommendations and social reading opportunities.
Piloted across 61 authorities in 2012, roll out in 2013
Providing quality assured delivery model, shared resources, economies of scale, raised profile and joined up learning.
Department of Health endorsement supporting local health partnership development.
Shared evidence and advocacy including new clinical research opportunities e.g. Nottingham University/National Institute of Health Research impact of reading proposal. 18

19. Next Steps.
Pilot use of the public library health offer advocacy toolkit in 2012 with 61 authorities.
Evidence gathering and feedback autumn 2012, prior to national roll out.
Pilot new library health tool, BOP/creative reading scheme in January 2013.
National roll out in 2014. 19

20. Public Libraries Information Offer
SCL in partnership with ACE.
Pilot project to demonstrate public library capability.
National information accessed locally.
Quality assured.
Supported access.

21. National Information Offer Pilot Project Aims
Enhance public libraries’ role:
as trusted information hubs in their local communities;
in developing skills and confidence of users accessing and using digital information resources;
in developing the role of library staff as digital champions and trusted intermediaries;

22. National Information Offer Pilot Project Aims
to develop public library collaboration with local and national partners;
to indentify models of best practice that can be used to develop a model for a ‘universal’ public libraries information offer.

23. National Information Offer Pilot Project
Six month project.
Involved over 60 library authorities.
Range of national and local partners.
Followed a national survey of public. libraries to identify priority information areas.

24. Priority information areas identified.
Careers and job seeking: users reported difficulties using websites, creating CVs and filling in online application forms.
Health: finding good information and contact details for sources of help was reported as a problem.
Personal financial information: customers reported a need for simple, free information.
Benefits advice: many had difficulty finding easy to use information and contact details of other agencies.

25. National Information Offer pilot outcomes.
Supports role of public libraries in assisted digital services.
Demonstrated high levels of trust that citizens put in information accessed. through libraries, mediated by library staff.
Users value the resources offered, find them helpful and relevant, and welcomed the support of library staff.

26. National Information Offer pilot outcomes.
Mix of local and national resources is necessary to meet users needs.
Public libraries are ideally placed to broker the gathering of appropriate information resources at the local level.
Partnership working added real value to the public library’s provision of online information and support.

27. Assisted Digital Services definition.
Services for the “coulds” (those identified as being capable of using digital services if offered such support, but not currently doing so) to overcome barriers to them accessing online information and services.
Development of their capacity to do so on their own in future.

28. Assisted Digital - Libraries’ role
Existing national network – over 3,000 service points across 151 library authorities in England.
Local access points – for government services online, 98% providing evening and weekend access with 59% providing access on Sundays.
Trusted places and people – Librarians trusted second only to doctors; frequently used by ‘hard to reach’.

29. Assisted Digital - Libraries’ role
User focused – holistic approach to customers; reach across social spectrum.
Digital champions & trusted intermediaries – 91% offer people support online; experts in handling information.
Strong local and national partnerships – able to link national service delivery with local support.

30. Next steps Four strands of work: Advocacy; Research;
workforce development;
infrastructure and content development.

31. Public Libraries Digital Offer

32. Public Libraries Digital Offer – is it clear?
SCL in partnership with ACE, TRA, publishers, GoON UK etc…
making sense of our digital opportunities, and strengths…and articulating them clearly;
not a stable state landscape;
an offer in its own right, but fundamental to the success of all others;

33. current reviews of e-lending;
the remote access issue;
single digital presence;
the 24 hour library;
Enquire;
the digital library.

34. Public Libraries Digital Offer – our big chance.
Digital by Default – libraries’ role;
the future of the People’s Network;
digital inclusion;
how do we claim the ground?

35. National offers and people and groups?
The Children’s Promise.
Can it be articulated in relation to each national offer?
Could it be the template for our public messages about the National Offers?

36. So why national offers? clarity; customers and partners; efficiency;
advocacy……
…and to help avoid….

37. To help avoid this?
“This age of austerity will end; we have to think about the future. Let’s not implement cuts in a way that ends up with a uniformly grey, dull offer to the public, without any real social impact. We must hang on to the sparkle in the new look reading service we’re creating. There is evidence of a huge public demand for our reading groups, author events, rhyme times, reading challenges, festivals. The new strategy we’re proposing is about us all putting our collective energy into a few really big things to keep the sparkle going” Tony Durcan, Chair of the Books and Reading Group, Society of Chief Librarians
Its wonderful to see the fruits of everyone’s combined efforts and investment- children’s issues have risen for 7 years running, SRC continues to grow alongside other shared programmes delivering quality resources to readers of all ages and national partnerships are adding huge value to the local reading offer.
We have come a long way but we are facing a huge challenge. These assets are being seriously threatened by local authority cuts which has led to a big bit of thinking as part of our shared work plan with SCL about the best way to work in tough times to keep up the momentum of libraries’ brilliant reading work. We have been working with SCL Books and reading group chaired by Tony Durcan, represented here virtually, on how we safeguard the sparkle and impact of the public library reading service in tough times. We’re calling this the national or universal reading offer and think it’s the next big staging post on the reader development journey. It is, as Tony says, a national strategy focused on working together to do a few really big things better. Its part of a suite of interlocking SCL offers focused on 4 key areas digital, health, information and reading. 37