Future Proofing Library Skills Nick Stopforth Head of Doncaster Libraries and Culture Society of Chief Librarians Digital Offer Lead
- NOW - FUTURE - DRIVERS FOR CHANGE - SKILLS
NOW
To future proof our services and our profession: We must maintain our core business and our ethos a USP
But: - Be experts in marketing our value and our worth - Improve our use of data and evidence (understand and demonstrate - Position ourselves with government, corporate priorities, business and the third sector effectively - Generate income / invest in resources and skills which meet user need
Headliners
Context National Picture The Deficit - The public sector became 25% smaller in financial terms by April 2014. - Potentially a further 25% by April 2018. Localism - Devolution to Councils and Society - Local political leadership member-led Accountability - Accountable to communities, not Central Government
Context Libraries In England since 2006 Book issues have fallen by 9.3% Visits have fallen by 11% Net expenditure has fallen by 6.4% Total fte staff reduced by 20.5% Since April 2013 491 service points reported closed, likely to close or move to community management
What s the size of the challenge? our model shows a likely funding gap of 16.5 billion a year by 2019/2020, or a 29% shortfall between revenue and spending pressures. We have also modelled the funding available for individual services within the projected resource constraint. On the assumption that demand in social care and waste are fully funded, other services face cash cuts of more than 66% by the end of the decade. Assuming that capital financing and concessionary fares are also funded in full, the modelled cash cut for remaining services rises to over 90%... Reductions on this scale would be highly likely to leave councils vulnerable to legal challenge. Many of these service blocks have statutory elements which may not necessarily be prescriptive but have already proven to be highly-contested, such as spending on libraries and road maintenance. Local Government Association
Libraries: Part of the Solution, not the Problem Building the Place Support for the Vulnerable
LGA Funding Outlook for Councils 2010/11 2020 Support for the Vulnerable
Libraries: Part of the Solution, not the Problem Support for the Vulnerable Building the Place
Are we facing a biblioclasm? 19th-century imagining of the burning of the Library of Alexandria. Image courtesy Ambrose Dudley/The Stapleton Collection/The Bridgeman Art Library
And the good news.. At least 24 people visit a library and 17 books are borrowed every second. We are the top rated service in the public sector for satisfaction. We supported 2 million people online in 13-14. A strong network, with 43,365 computer terminals providing more than 60 million hours access per year There are 22,000+ volunteers within the public library network. Flagship investments, with many more will be re-furbished, re-sited and their service extended. This year has seen record numbers of children completing the Summer Reading Challenge: 839, 622
FUTURE Where will you be in 5 years time? What will your service look like?
Knowing the future Where do you fit on the dashboard?
Knowing the future Richard Watson s Future files: five trends that will shape the next 50 years 1 Ageing 2 Power shifts Eastward 3 Global connectivity 4 GRIN Technologies 5 The Environment
Knowing the future
Did we know the future 10 years ago?
Is this a future? Photo by Tom Rossiter from the book Building Ideas: An Architectural Guide to the University of Chicago; Photo courtesy Bexar Bibliotech/Facebook; Photo courtesy Mitch Altman/Flickr; Photo courtesy Marc Hall/NC State University
DRIVERS for CHANGE
Some Policy Direction and Drivers The Public people s needs and lifestyle choices Corporate priorities Technology, media, consumerism etc. Legislation CILIP work on quals, BPK and digital literacy / advocacy
and Policies Envisioning the Library of the Future (and wider alignment with arts) Independent Review of e-lending Independent Review of public libraries Care Act Localism Act Public Libraries and Museum Act!!
What do our communities want? Communities want to be: Healthy and well enough to enjoy life. To be connected to friends and family To be able to afford the lifestyle that they believe they and their family deserve.
The Universal Offers Think innovatively, acting collaboratively and managing creatively to ensure the sustainability and future development of our services. The Universal Reading Offer The Public Information Offer The Digital Offer The Health Offer Funding for a fifth Universal Offer announced September 2014 The Learning Offer N.B Also ASCEL Children s Promise Aiming for consistency, quality, efficiency Wide range of strategic partnerships, Aim is to be more Future-ready
The Universal Offers What they do for us: A vision for the future Demonstrate our contribution to those wider public policy objectives Develop strong advocacy messages Provide a shared platform for developing new initiatives Share costs and resources
Digital Offer
Information Offer
Reading Offer
Health Offer
SKILLS Future-proofed
Where are we now? Expert brokers to information Curators of culture and knowledge Stimulating literacy development across books, information and digital content Holders of the only non-stygmatising, welcoming, free, democratising spaces on the high street
Digital Example
Digital Example Digital engagement 3.0.. Digital Leadership Horizon Scanning Online Training Videos and use of MOOCs STEM & computing curriculum Big Data for generating revenue Wifi and PSN standards and compliance Supplier / procurement negotiations and standardisation
Where do we need to be? To future proof our services and our professionalism: Maintain our core business and our ethos But: - Work hard on the good news stories - Be experts in marketing our value and our worth - Improve our use of data and evidence (understand and demonstrate - Position ourselves with government, business and the third sector effectively - Generate income / invest in resources and skills which reflect user need - Share great work regionally, nationally implement locally
Questions Contact: Nick Stopforth email: nick.stopforth@doncaster.gov.uk twitter: @nickstopforth