The changing role of libraries in our communities
If you had to think of a space that was at the heart of your community, what would it be?
A school perhaps, or an arts venue; maybe a church or a community hall. You might even choose a library.
Since 2010, local authorities across the UK have had to manage massive cuts to their budgets due to widespread reduction in funding from central government. While this has prompted cutbacks to services across all council functions, libraries have borne the brunt of particularly drastic cuts in some areas, with at least 780 libraries across the country forced to close.
Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide library services, but with the demands of health and social care increasingly eating up large chunks of their budget, cutting libraries may appear to be an easy win. However, data from a 2019/20 survey shows that while just over a third of adults had visited a library in the previous year, 72% of people in England think that libraries are an essential or very important service to the community, with a further 22% regarding them as fairly important, showing a disconnect with central government policy, delivered via local government budget cuts. Over the last decade, there have been numerous consultations and campaigns across the country that suggest communities want to keep their libraries, in some cases resulting in a switch to volunteer-run services as an alternative to closure.
In fact, data gathered in 2020 showed that there were more than three times as many volunteers as staff working in libraries, with many now entirely volunteer-led. While some libraries had been earmarked by the council as volunteer hubs, with the removal of paid staff, others have changed their model due to an outcry within the local community when a library is threatened with closure, with local people stepping up to save the facility.
The decision-making process that has led to some councils setting up volunteer run libraries is an interesting one. While senior staff may have identified a way to meet cost-cutting targets, perhaps through data highlighting those libraries with lower footfall, or reducing provision within a set geographical area – i.e. one library in the area survives while another faces closure, with that community expected to travel if they wish to continue using the service – consultation with local people has shown that there is a demand for the service under threat. At Telescope, we believe the voices of service users and frontline staff are vital when it comes to making decisions on policy, and the outcome of library consultations is a good example of why it’s important to listen to communities, rather than make decisions that exclude and disenfranchise them from the services that have an impact on their lives. The need for a new operating model allows for the possibility of co-production in council services, bringing existing organisations or even individuals in to plug a gap in service delivery, but also giving them a voice in how that service is run and how it can meet the needs of its community.
However, volunteer run libraries are not a panacea. They still face the same challenges around usage, and the use of volunteers has left many librarians facing redundancy, with a shrinkage in the number of paid roles available. Librarians often hold specific higher-level qualifications and have spent many years honing both their skills and their familiarity with a wide range of information and reading material. If we think of librarians as holders of knowledge, how much has been lost due to the reduction in services?
Community hubs
“The very existence of libraries affords the best evidence that we may yet have hope for the future of man.” T.S. Eliot
When we talk about libraries, we think about books and literacy, but they have come to serve a wider function, often offering services that were once fulfilled by different branches of the local council, or that have arisen in response to a need within the local community. Many are now even referred to as ‘community hubs’ rather than libraries, particularly those run by volunteers. This operating model varies between councils, with some retaining overall management of the facility, which is staffed by volunteers, and others completely handed over to community management. South Tyneside Council has several volunteer run libraries that are operated within the community, using a CIO model or run as a registered charity. These models can offer a template for the way in which other services might operate, bringing the local community into the management of the services they want and use, finding new ways to generate funding and income that creates an accessible and sustainable provision. Telescope is working on a strategic review project with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and libraries will form an important strand of that work.
The rise in energy bills over the winter months saw many libraries take on a new role, as ‘warm banks’, a place where local residents who were unable to afford the cost of heating their own homes could spend some time in a warm, comfortable environment, with the option to socialise with others.
Libraries offer sessions to help older people combat loneliness and isolation. They run mother and baby groups, job clubs or activities designed to improve health and wellbeing. Some even get involved with local food banks. They give those without internet access or a home computer the opportunity to stay connected online and pick up digital skills, both of which are vital in today’s world. Some libraries even hold local archives, which are vital for those interested in historical or family research.
While the central purpose of libraries may have shifted from reading and literacy, it’s clear they are vital hubs within our communities, a place that can catch people who may be at risk of falling through the cracks. It becomes more vital than ever that these places survive.
The importance of information
“And besides, libraries aren't just about books. They are one of the few public spaces we have left which don't like our wallets more than us.” Matt Haig, Notes on a Nervous Planet
A decade ago, the author Neil Gaiman gave a speech for the Reading Agency, which served as a plea for the preservation of libraries in the UK. He described libraries as “a repository of information” and a “place of safety, a haven from the world.” In an increasingly unequal society, libraries give everyone a chance to access books and the internet, with all the knowledge and opportunities those things contain.
In the USA, school libraries – and some within the wider community – have been affected by demands to ban certain books, restricting access to knowledge. With such campaigns prone to travel across the Atlantic, it’s not hard to imagine that one day our own libraries may face calls for restrictions on the materials they provide. But despite this politicisation of knowledge and the potential knock-on effects for libraries, they still remain vitally important as an access point for those struggling in society.
Since the pandemic, visits to libraries have increased by 68%, although libraries have seen a marked drop in income. Despite this, around half of libraries no longer charge adult late fees, responding instead to a need within their communities, where the cost of living is increasingly punitive. Libraries are so important precisely because they offer much needed services for free, but with budgets tight and return on investment vital to their survival, alternative funding models are a key area for councils to explore. And this links to a broader issue impacting our society, in education, in employment and in the environment, that is, how we define value beyond simple financial calculations. Just because something does not generate a large financial return, that doesn’t necessarily mean it has little value. The social and educational impact of libraries is immense and should not be overlooked when it comes to budget allocation. In fact, a recent study for Libraries Connected found that library services in England generate social benefits with a value of at least £3.4 billion per year, which is a return on investment of more than six times library running costs.
With libraries serving an important role in our communities, especially in areas of deprivation, it’s more crucial than ever that we hold onto them as a symbol of hope, a place where people can come together to learn or access information and services that might otherwise be closed to them.
