Co-locations
A Members report was produced in November 2006 entitled ‘Future Provision of the Library Service’. As a result of consultation with all 4 townships and the Community Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee (O & S), recommendations were:
- The possibility that Smallbridge Library be co-located with the new Hamer School be explored
- Agreement in principle to co-locate Darnhill Library with the local community centre at a location to be decided
- The co-location of Balderstone Library, previously reviewed in principle, be reviewed once the future of Balderstone and Springhill Schools has been resolved
- Wardle and Smithybridge Libraries to be retained, but the position be reviewed following the opening of the proposed Littleborough Joint Service Centre
- Alkrington Library be retained but the position be reviewed following the opening of the proposed Middleton Joint Service Centre
Devolution of Townships
The Council is planning to devolve the running of some services, including library services, to individual Township Committees. This has implications for the service for budgets, staff management and some aspects of service delivery.
Big Lottery funding
A significant feature of the Government’s 10-year vision for libraries, Framework for the Future, is the modernisation of library buildings, to make them welcoming and attractive. There is a need to maintain and refurbish library premises in Rochdale.
The Big Lottery Fund’s Community Libraries programme invited bids for capital funding for buildings with the theme of community engagement, in March 2007. Rochdale Libraries, after completing an appraisal of all library buildings, submitted a bid for a major extension and refurbishment to Darnhill Library, focussing on adult learning, young people and community arts. Successful bids will be awarded in September 2007.
CPA – increasing visits to libraries
The service currently meets 8 out of 10 Public Library Service Standards. The service expects to meet a further standard – PLSS 8, % of under 16s satisfied with libraries – when the Children’s PLUS survey is carried out in September 2007.
There is an urgent need to increase visits to Rochdale libraries, in order to meet PLSS 6, visits to libraries per 1,000 population. A separate ‘Strategy for Increasing Visits to Libraries’ was prepared in late 2006, and is referred to on part 4 of this plan.
People’s Network
The People’s Network is a key government initiative and a requirement of all library authorities. Its core aim is to provide citizens of all ages with free access to online information and electronic resources.
Continual development is highlighted below as a budget pressure.
Cultural change
The service was one of the first to be the subject of a Peer Review by the IDEA, supported by the MLA, in 2006. A key recommendation of the Peer Review Action Plan was to implement cultural change throughout the service, for which funding was allocated.
Infrastructure change
The Dynix Library Management System was originally designed in the 1980s and was bought in 1989. The system has reached the end of its predicted lifespan. There is an urgent need to specify and fund a replacement Library Management System to enable greater interoperability with other systems and to provide a greater range of e-enabled services in-library and online.
A great deal of library service work goes on beyond the library buildings, with outreach work within the community and mobile operations such as the Mobile Library and the Doorstep Home Delivery Service. These services are currently not linked to the Library Management System and work in continuing in this area.
Budget issues
- Inability to purchase e-learning/on-line resources due to the existing financial arrangements for the book fund. Majority of the budget treated as capital purchases
- Lack of a dedicated training budget
- Revenue costs of IT replacement programme
- Replacement of the Library Management System
- Urgent need to upgrade the People’s Network
- Lack of funding for statutory consultation and customer satisfaction surveys
- Purchase and implementation of EDI for stock procurement improvements
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