Minutes:
The Committee received a report, set out on pages 59 to 64 of the agenda, together with a supplemental presentation, that set out information on proposals for a Libraries Strategy for Croydon. The Committee was asked for its comments, which would be used to inform the final strategy that would be considered by the Cabinet later in the year.
During the introduction of the report, which was presented by the Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, Councillor Oliver Lewis the following points were noted:-
· Strengths of the library service included the management of the 13 libraries within the borough being brought back in-house, libraries were one of the few universal free services and were already hosting a wide range of events.
· Weaknesses identified included the age of the library portfolio which needed investment to bring back up to standard, the IT equipment was in need of updating and the marketing of the range of services available could be improved.
· Opportunities included some of the sites having the potential for redevelopment as housing, which would include the provision of new library facilities. There was also the possibility of having more flexible opening hours through the use of new technology.
· The challenges to making improvements were that any potential changes to the service could often be met with fierce public resistance and the significant cost of improvement.
Following the presentation, the Committee was given the opportunity to question the Cabinet Member about the proposed strategy. The first question related to the use of data and whether the location of library users was mapped, with a view to finding out those parts of the borough where the service was least used. In response it was confirmed that data was available and used, but this was only dated from when the service came back in house. Having reviewed the data, most parts of the borough were within 1.5 miles of a library or 30 minutes travel by public transport.
In response to a question about the budget available to make library improvements, it was advised that a capital bid would be submitted in 2019/20 for IT improvements and initial refurbishment, but it was highlighted that the service had to live within its means.
In regard to library improvements, it was questioned whether there was any plans to completely demolish and rebuild any libraries. It was highlighted that there were plans in place for a new library in South Norwood. The current building had an inaccessible layout based over five floors, which presented a number of operational issues. As such this building would be demolished and be replaced by a new development, to be built by Brick by Brick, which would include a new library facility on the ground floor and housing above. The new building would also include a community space that could be used flexibly.
There was a general level of agreement amongst the Committee that the strategy should be ambitious and embrace new technology to improve the service. It was noted that the possibility of allowing customers access to the library outside of hours through the use of technology was due to be trialled. However this would need to be fully evaluated to ensure that managed effectively before being rolled out on a wider scale.
The possibility of providing more community space was welcomed, but it was cautioned that the hire charge would need to be affordable. In response it was highlighted that the current charge was £15 per hour, which was relatively affordable. At present the main issue to increasing community use was the current opening hours of libraries. Options were being considered to allow the use of South Norwood Library during the evenings and weekends. If this worked, then the possibility would be considered for other libraries, where it was viable.
The Committee was disappointed to note that the number of book loans had decreased and questioned the reason for this, along with possible strategies being considered to increase borrowing. It was agreed that it was important to continue to encourage reading and another summer book challenge for young people was planned, regular school visits were organised and an investment had recently been made in a pop up library to promote the service.
Although there had been a national decrease in the number of library loans, there were a number of possible reasons which contributed to the decrease locally including a historic underinvestment in the book stock and new technology meant that people were opting to read in different formats. It was advised that the Council would be re-joining the London Consortium of Libraries which would give user’s access to over 6m books. It was also acknowledged that although there were a lot of good events organised by the library service, it was possible that these could be better marketed to make people aware of what was on offer.
It was agreed that although libraries should remain a place to access books, there was often a certain amount of space that was poorly used. To improve the use of libraries thought needed to be given to how best make use of this space and ensure it had a greater flexibility.
It was highlighted that there is a national framework for successful libraries, which was based on delivery of seven different outcomes. In order to inform the strategy, it was suggested that the libraries in the borough should be mapped against these seven outcomes and this evidence should be used as the basis for the new Libraries Strategy. It was also agreed that it would be important to ensure that the Libraries Strategy interlinked with other Council strategies.
Conclusions
Following the discussion of this item, the Committee reached the following conclusions:
1. That library usage had changed from being primarily a book borrowing service.
2. That the seven national outcomes were a useful basis for understanding future provision.
Recommendations
The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to the Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure:-
1. That the national outcomes for library usage should be used as a basis for the strategy, with the service offered being evaluated against these outcomes.
2. That the strategy should be informed by usage data and other available sources of information.
3. That the Libraries Strategy should interlink with other Council strategies and plans.