Local Authority Annual Library Plans (Appendix One).

1.1

Mission Statement

"Short form" mission statement putting, in succinct terms, the aim of the service or, where appropriate the Department which includes the library service.

1.2

Subsidiary aims/extended mission statement

This section should be used, where necessary, to extend the mission statement

2.1

Profile of Local Authority characteristics

This section should give a demographic and topographic picture of the authority. Demographic information should include trend data from local sources and the profile of statistical data (e.g. ethnic make up, age profile, migration between city centres and suburbs, day time population,) and a socio-economic analysis. The future implications for service delivery of demographic trend data should be noted for inclusion later in the plan. A map at the appropriate level of detail could usefully supplement the brief topographic description.

2.2

Corporate Objectives

The library service does not exist in isolation. Those Local Authority objectives to address the needs of its population that impinge upon the library service should be stated.

2.3

Linkage to Corporate or Other Plans

Any plan for an individual service must relate to the overall Local Authority planning process. The document should make clear where and how the Library Plan fits into the council wide process and the status of proposals and initiatives in relation to the approved corporate plan and budget forecasting arrangements. Similarly there will be, from time to time, proposals for plans in related areas of activity and the relationship to and any overlap with these plans might usefully be clarified.

2.4

Organisational Relationship with other Council Services and Departments.

A simple chart(s) showing the council departments and/or committee structure will suffice to establish how the Local Authority structure is defined, and where the Library Service fits in.

2.5

The Scope of the Library Service

A simple breakdown of the range of services included within the ambit of the library services should be given for each tier of libraries. A grid presentation should be used to show the range of services provided and related user groups. This section should not include a detailed description of services.

Each relevant section should show the steps being taken to promote social inclusion, the community role of libraries, and their contribution to the social and economic well being of the community. The contribution made by libraries to the wider objectives of underpinning lifelong learning and the modernisation of Local Government Services should be included where relevant.

3.1

Access

This section should cover the policies on access agreed by the Authority including the location of libraries in relation to population, the balance between fixed and mobile libraries, and opening times and frequency of visits respectively. Co-operation on access to services with other library authorities should be set out here.

3.2

Lending Services for Adults

This section will indicate the key points of any written policies, standards or guidelines relating to service provision. It should include a brief description of the range of services provided.

3.3

Services for Children

Similarly the plan should include a summary of services for children, giving similar information as above. It will focus on special services for children, including encouragement of children to read and specialist activities. Links with the Schools Library Services can be detailed. As above, the key points of written policies and standards should be shown.

3.4

Services for Special Groups

This section will address particular services for those who have access problems, and those who require special materials, for all types of library services. Also to be covered are ethnic groups for whom services are specially provided e.g. for those learning English as a second language and/or materials in their native language. There may also be other groups for whom particular services are provided. In each case key points of policy should be identified and information given as to how the service is provided and delivered.

3.5

Reference, Information Services and Specialist Collections

Key points of any relevant policies and standards should be given. The section should cover particular client groups, the range of services provided, relating this to community size and where the services are located. This section, in particular, will need to cover service delivery through ICT. Support for research through the maintenance / development of research collections should be referred to, including, where relevant, Archive Services and local studies.

3.6

Services to Businesses

Again this will largely be additional to services detailed under References and Information Services. It may include specialised commercial or business libraries in some authorities. Links established with Chambers of Commerce or TECs might be included.

In some circumstances co-operative provision with business organisations or the provision by commercial organisations of IT services may be relevant.

3.7

ICT

Public access to ICT as an aid to communication, lifelong learning, self development and computer literacy is of growing importance. Policies on access to ICT for the public (e-mail, Internet, personal computing, learning centres, networks such as NGfL) should be defined and the services described.

3.8

Agency Services

The services provided to schools, prisons, hospitals etc. should be identified. This should include information on service levels, availability, and how the service is funded.

3.9

Other Council Services

This should cover any services that are additional to those included under other headings that are particularly orientated towards supporting other council departments e.g. LGIS. It will also cover joint initiatives and any particular relationships that derive from joint planning or the council's corporate plan.

3.10

Wider Community Use

Policies on access to, or use by, the community, information agencies and education providers of library facilities for other activities should be stated, especially any developments to increase the community role of the service.

4.1

Finance

This section will set out the overall level of expenditure involved in providing the service and examine the trend of growth or reduction in expenditure in real terms. In particular it will consider the prospects for maintaining or increasing net expenditure in the light of the Council's financial strategy and government constraints. The section should consider the broad disposition of expenditure between the three main components - staff, buildings and materials - and look at past trends and prospects for the future. This may be best illustrated graphically. 

(The section should separately describe the policy and practice on income generating services the charging policy and the opportunity to introduce new services funded by new sources of income).

4.2

Buildings

This section should review the buildings used by the library service against the agreed access policies of the authority identified in section 3.1. The adequacy of the buildings to meet current user expectations and trends in library provision should be considered together with security of tenure, the state of repair and furnishing, and any prospective liabilities in this regard. Where provision for replacement, renewal or major repair has been made or is required, this should be stated.

The plan might consider asset value (either in capital or rental terms) particularly where the library service occupies very high value premises and the value might be better deployed elsewhere within the service. Exceptional maintenance liabilities should be noted.

4.3

Mobile Libraries

The plan should note the age and serviceability of mobile libraries and note the availability, or not, of funds to replace vehicles. The plan might also consider the balance between fixed and mobile libraries and the cost and service implications of adjusting that balance.

4.4

Staff

This section will need to consider the adequacy of staffing both in terms of numbers and the level of training and experience. Statistics may be given of staff turnover and the profile of age, length of service and professional qualification, together with information about specialist skills and experience. The policy and practice on staff training and development, staff deployment and performance management should be given in the plan. Any incipient or foreseeable problems should be noted. A chart showing the management structure of the service should be included.

4.5

Books and Materials

The plan will need to give information on the overall standards of stock provision agreed by the authority and the adequacy of the range and subject material of the book and materials stock. It will also consider the age and condition of the stock and note any shortcomings. The plan should give details of the service's approach to the conservation of its historic stock. The policy for acquisitions should be given (taking into account the demise of the NBA) and a view taken on the adequacy of the books and materials fund.

4.6

IT Systems

The IT systems in use to support lending services, stock management and cataloguing services, are an important resource. The plan will wish to consider the present and medium term adequacy of those systems, continued software support and the maintenance of dedicated hardware. This needs to be balanced against programmed replacement or upgrading of systems and the installation of new systems. Weaknesses in this area should be noted.

4.7

ICT Services

As for stock management and other 'housekeeping' systems, the hardware, software and networks used to support the public use of ICT services should be identified, together with their present and medium term adequacy, especially in relation to the Public Library Network. Weaknesses in the long term adequacy and support should be noted.

4.8

Partnerships

Details of formal schemes of co-operation or partnership with other library and information providers (e.g. LIPs) should be given, including membership of Regional Bureaux. This should include partnerships with both public and private sector partners identifying the costs and benefits to the authority.

5.1

User Surveys

Where user surveys have been carried out the principal results should be summarised for this section. If not self explanatory, some commentary should be added to interpret the data and to identify the main sources of satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

5.2

Public Consultation Exercises

The nature and subject of any public consultation undertaken should be given, together with a summary of the response/feedback. Any broad lessons to be drawn from the exercise should be identified.

5.3

Market Research

The purposes and nature of the research should be given, and the main conclusions should be summarised.

5.4

Complaints and Commendations

A simple table setting out the numbers of complaints and commendations received, preferably showing a period of three years and with a breakdown by subject matter.

5.5

Quality Assessment

This section should indicate how the authority sets out to assess quality in its services and the principal conclusions from that assessment. Include references to areas of research being undertaken or proposed.

A presentation of historic information spanning at least four years including the last financial year will provide a basis for identifying trends and comparing performance. This will be based upon the indicators included within the profile supplied to all authorities, but may include further indicators available locally which are useful in supporting the plan.

Indicators are grouped into four sectors:

1. Deployment of the Service
2. Use of the Service
3. Responsiveness of the Service
4. Resources employed on the Service.

N.B. Socio-economic information about the characteristics of the authority might more approximately be shown in Section 2.1.

6.1

Trend Data for Local Authority

The plan should comment on the implication of trends within this historic data.

6.2

Similar Group Comparisons

The comparators chosen by the authority will be included in the profile It is important in this section to identify and explain differences which are significant, and to consider whether they warrant any change of practice or priorities.

6.3

Relationship to National Standards

The plan should comment on the extent to which the library service meets the national standards (when these are published). Further guidance will be issued shortly.

7.1

Service Levels

Previous chapters will have identified areas where service levels are either exceeding or falling short of National / LA policies, the performance levels of other authorities, or customer expectations. If market research has been carried out the appropriateness of present services to non-customers should also be evident. The strengths of the service and areas needing development should be shown, together with sufficient supporting narrative to define the issue concerned.

7.2

Resource Issues

Similarly the resource paragraphs will have identified risk factors and weaknesses within the present arrangements which need to be addressed. Again these need to be listed and defined sufficiently closely to enable solutions or courses of action to be proposed.

7.3

Effectiveness and Efficiency

These will be identified primarily by customer response, local trend data and the comparison of performance over time and/or against other authorities. They may need to be qualified by reference to particular local circumstances but a real attempt needs to be made to identify causal factors that can be considered in formulating the forward strategy.

8.1

IT Strategy

The key points of the overall IT and ICT strategy for the service should be identified covering both computer systems and networks which are management based and those which provide a direct public service, including networks supporting Lifelong Learning. Links to corporate IT and ICT strategies should be identified. The plan should identify proposals for the digitisation of historic and/or cultural material.

8.2

Service Improvements & Variations

As a response to the issues identified in Part A and national standards, the strategy should consider which service improvements or variations are both desirable and achievable within the ensuing three years. Resource implications should be shown, as should an assessment of relative priority. Where appropriate, the consequences of changes to service levels should be expressed in terms of their projected effect on the quality of the service.

8.3

Managing and Utilising Resources

Similarly, in response to strengths and areas for development identified in Chapter 7 the plan should develop a strategy for exploiting the strengths and improving the areas suitable for development in the provision or use of resources (subject to any over-riding constraints). As above, where appropriate, the effect on performance measures and complaints / commendations should be quantified. Cost implications must be assessed.

9.1

Achievement of last annual action plan

The plan, in this section, should review the milestones, specific actions and target dates within last year’s annual plan and note progress or achievement. Where the achievement differs from the plan, necessitating rescheduling (or indeed reconsideration) of the action plan this should also be identified for incorporation in Section 11.1

9.2

Performance Review

This section should examine the latest trends in the main performance indicators, by adding a year’s data to the information provided in the profile, and should compare the outcome for the previous year compared to the targets set in the previous year’s plan. Variances should be identified and reasons given.

9.3

Comparison with National Standards

The plan should include a review of the library service's performance in the previous year in relation to the national standards. Variances should be identified and reasons given. Further guidance will be issued shortly.

10.1

External Influences

The plan should identify external influences that are germane to the development of the library service. This section should summarise the authority's response to the influences. The DCMS may issue guidance annually as to national policy areas or other influences to which library services should respond.

10.2

Local Influences

Local influences, which may be external to the library service, may precipitate a change of priorities or pressure to curtail services. The plan should identify the influences and summarise the library service's response to them.

11.1

Action Plan - Current Year and Next

In the light of the rolling three-year medium term strategic direction stated in Chapter 8, the action plan should be updated to reflect present intentions and expectations. It should cover the current financial year (already half way through) and the next in depth. It should concentrate on specific actions, firm timescales, and specific targets and identified responsibilities. The ‘broad outline costs’ of the previous plan's action plan in relation to the two years being planned need to be firmed up to show reliable estimates of cost.

11.2

Action Plan - Third Year

An outline action plan for year 3 should be created to reflect the medium term strategic direction. This should state the major service initiatives and give broad outlines of costs. It will be firmed up in future Annual library plans.

11.3

Performance Targets - Update

For key performance measures, the intended effect of implementing the action plans should be reflected in the performance targets for the period of the medium term strategic direction. Targets based on national standards should be identified.