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VITAL > Final Report: Background and context
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CONTENTS

2. Background and context

2.1 Introduction

Public libraries in the UK have been using information and communication technologies (ICTs) as far back as 1960 (Line, 1997), from online searching of databases to library management systems and, more recently, online public access catalogues (OPACs). Library staff have, therefore, become familiar with ICT-based systems for administrative purposes and, to some extent, with the use of ICT as a tool for answering users' queries (although it is worth noting that this second area was not widely developed in the public library sector until recently). It is probably the case that, certainly until the mid-1990s, only a minority of public library users would have experience of using computers. Since that date, however, public access to ICTs has grown rapidly in society and many people have started to use PCs in their work. During the second half of the 1990s particularly, developments in ICT provision, notably with the introduction of Internet access, have started to change the landscape of public library services within the UK (and elsewhere) with direct access to information sources, initially to an OPAC, becoming widespread. Increasingly the ICT-based services include Internet access. However, the picture remains very uneven, and to date little hard evidence has been produced as to the value of such services to their users. Equally, little evidence is available about non-users and the reasons why investment in public library ICTs does not always attract the use which is predicted.

2.2 Internet provision

Public libraries in the UK, then, began to introduce Internet access for members of staff and for the public during the mid-1990s. Such developments were, however, concentrated in a fairly small number of innovative authorities, and access - when it was provided - was often limited to library staff. Public access to the Internet, where provided, was usually a charged service and there was (and remains) some nervousness about allowing unlimited access, with some librarians installing blocking software in an attempt to prevent access to 'undesirable' content - an issue considered further in the next chapter. Budgetary and other constraints led to very slow development of these services in most authorities, although a few forged ahead rapidly. Croydon, for example, already known for innovative ICT developments such as CDROM networking, was one of the first to introduce end-user Internet access, doing so during 1994-95 through a British Library funded project (CLIP) designed to investigate the potential for such access in public libraries. Public Internet access within Croydon has grown enormously since then; Internet access is now available in all libraries in the borough, as well as in other community-based locations. The success of the CLIP project (Batt & Kirby, 1996) led to the establishing of Croydon Online, which is both a website providing information and services and a networking project which has formed partnerships with local organisations to extend access and provide innovative services (for example, in the areas of health and work) for the borough (Eve, 2000).

The example of Croydon has been replicated in other authorities throughout the UK, though provision and growth of services have taken place at different rates, leading to an inconsistency of provision within the country. This picture is changing, however, with the co-ordinated roll-out of infrastructure, training and content creation programmes currently being funded by the New Opportunities Fund (NOF), and overseen by the People's Network Team (www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk).

What can be identified with certainty is that the rate of deployment of end-user ICT-based services is increasing rapidly. A 1995 public library Internet survey (Ormes and Dempsey, 1995) revealed that whilst 53% of public library authorities in the UK had some form of Internet connection, only 3% of individual service points offered access to the public. Just three years later the number of workstations with Internet access for public use had risen from 39 to 321, though the aim of making access in all service points available had not yet been achieved (Batt, 1998). More recent (2000) figures from the People's Network Team indicated that 89% of UK public library authorities had Internet access on at least one site, but only 21% of authorities had access throughout all sites. 41% of authorities had free Internet access in at least one of their libraries (People's Network Team, 2000). By April 2001, the position had advanced again, with 95% of authorities providing Internet access in at least one site and 32% access at all sites. In total, 6826 Internet access terminals were being provided at that date (People's Network Team, 2001).

These developments have been led by a significant shift in policy making within the public library sector, and have fed back into the decision-making processes at national and local level. At the same time, it has to be admitted that there has been something of a bandwagon effect, with libraries installing PCs and Internet access without fully articulating either the reasons or the implications of so doing.

The implications and potential of expanding library provision to cover access to and delivery of electronic services has in recent years been reflected both by policy documents and statements from the UK public library sector, and by government. These policy developments are not unique to the UK, of course, and are mirrored internationally, particularly in the developed world. However the UK context is considered next.

2.3 UK public library policy developments

In 1995, the Library and Information Commission (LIC) was established to advise government on policy development and provide a co-ordinating role across sectors. One of the first tasks for the LIC was to examine the potential ICTs have for the public library sector, leading to the publication, in 1997, of the vision statement, New Library: the People's Network (Library and Information Commission, 1997). The report begins by quoting from two previous publications: Reading the Future (Department of National Heritage, 1997) and New Britain: my vision of a young country (Blair, 1996) both of which predict that the role of the public library will be central to the development of ICT-based services, in terms of access to both information and to future learning opportunities. The impact predicted for public libraries was the necessity for "re-equipping (libraries) and reskilling their staff so that they can continue to fulfil their widely valued role as intermediary, guide, interpreter and referral point" (Library and Information Commission, 1997).

Recommendations of the New Library Report, which are not reviewed in detail here, come under five headings:

Dempsey (1998) identified content and services as the core of the New Library proposals and predicted that public library services of the future will serve:

For the immediate future, perhaps the most significant of New Library's recommendations were the establishment of a dedicated network, interconnecting all public libraries, and the setting up of a Public Library Networking Agency to implement a programme for developing content and services, network infrastructure and staff training. These initiatives were designed to create a step change in public libraries' use of ICT-based services to ensure the delivery of network-based services through every branch.

Although produced independently, the Audit Commission report of the same year, Due for Renewal (Audit Commission, 1997), also recommended that a focus on technological developments would be a way for public libraries to open up access to their collections and services. The report identified five areas for public libraries to concentrate on: partnerships, use of ICT, costing of services, stock management and service planning. It provided further backing for innovation and development, and helped ensure that New Library achieved due recognition from all sides.

The enthusiastic response to the New Library report from government (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1998), which included a pledge to provide £20 million for staff training and a further £50 million for the creation of digital content, led to the setting up of a number of task forces, concentrating on the implementation of the vision for a public library network, covering content creation, infrastructure, and training. The results of the task group considerations were published in a companion document, entitled Building the New Library Network (Library and Information Commission, 1998), which set out a detailed strategy for implementation of the network, including funding possibilities. The report also suggested that a body to oversee the implementation would provide the strategic focus needed; subsequently, the People's Network Team (http://www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk) was established, initially as part of the LIC, and now working in the newly created Resource: the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries. The People's Network Team is responsible for providing guidance and support to UK public libraries in the area of ICTs, and also co-ordinates and advises on the funding opportunities available.

The challenge and opportunities facing public libraries, articulated in New Library, have been identified by a number of organisations representing the sector, both internationally (e.g. UNESCO, 1994) and at European level (e.g. PubliCA, 1999), emphasising public library roles, particularly in the more formal provision of lifelong learning and access to electronic information and services. Within the UK, the LIC (before being merged into Resource) produced a number of policy statements and recommendations covering the role libraries have to play in delivering lifelong learning (Library and Information Commission, 1999) and in tackling social exclusion (Library and Information Commission, 2000a). Resource has held a conference on the Empowering the Learner Report (Library and Information Commission, 2000b) and DCMS and DfEE have produced official responses. Many of these developments in policy direction have taken place against a backdrop of significant governmental activity in similar areas, and we next briefly examine that area.

2.4 UK government policy objectives

Since the Labour government took office in May 1997, a series of policy statements and initiatives have been launched which not only provide a challenge for today's public library service, but, significantly, have indicated that the government expects the service to play an integral part in broader societal development, and is willing to provide some funding for this. The major policy directions are articulated in the statement Our Information Age (Central Office of Information, 1998) which set out the government's plans to exploit the benefits of the information age for all citizens in the UK. The key areas outlined in this paper and backed up by numerous other documents and initiatives, were:

As stated in Our Information Age (paragraph 32), libraries are well-placed to contribute to the achievement of the government's key objectives, by providing facilities for those who do not have access elsewhere and acting as community information centres:

Libraries also have a major part to play in widening access to essential services for those who could not otherwise afford them. Just as public libraries brought knowledge to many through books in the 19th century, they can do so through information and communications technology (ICT) in the 21st century.

Each of the above policy areas is next considered in this context.

2.4.1 Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning has been defined as "a deliberate progression throughout the life of an individual, where the initial acquisition of knowledge and skills is reviewed and upgraded continuously, to meet challenges set by an ever changing society" (Brophy, Craven and Fisher, 1998). It is seen by governments throughout the world as an important contributor to national prosperity, particularly as we move from an agricultural and manufacturing society to one based on information and knowledge. The UK government has taken this issue very seriously, with a raft of green and white papers and various supportive initiatives.

Connecting the Learning Society (Department for Education and Employment, 1997) set out proposals for the development of national ICT connectivity, including the networking of all schools and other public sector institutions such as libraries and museums by 2002. The National Grid for Learning (NGfL) would be established to provide educational content and services, developed by private-public partnerships:

A key role for libraries would be to act as a public access point to the Internet and to have skilled staff to guide people in the use of new technologies and to "deliver education and learning in its broadest sense" (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1998). Libraries would also be called upon to provide resources to support lifelong learning and to act as access points to resources relating to government and citizenship: to be a "key resource in the increasingly competitive cultural and service industries of the global information age" (Library and Information Commission, 1999a).

The Learning Age: a new renaissance for a new Britain (Department for Education and Employment, 1998) set out the government's principles by which the demand for learning would be stimulated and delivered. These included:

The paper set out the government's plans to establish the University for Industry (UfI, now known as LearnDirect), to create a nationwide open and distance learning network providing access to high quality learning packages, available at work, at home or in learning centres, using leading edge technology. The aim was to establish 1000 learning centres by 2001, locating them within schools, public libraries or community centres.

The following year, Learning to Succeed: a new framework for post-16 learning (Department for Education and Employment, 1999) outlined the government's vision:

To build a culture of learning with will underpin national competitiveness and personal prosperity, encourage creativity and innovation and help build a cohesive society.

The paper set out the scheme for creating a Learning and Skills Council, which would work with others, notably the UfI, the Campaign for Learning, and broadcasters to "champion lifelong learning for all" and to encourage the development of "learning businesses".

The BBC, which already broadcasts a range of educational programmes and provides supporting materials through its website, has adopted the challenge of delivering lifelong learning as one of its key tasks (Dyke, 1999):

If we can deliver our vision the BBC will have made a major contribution to the learning society. If we don't, millions could be left without an education and, as a result, without a role and without a future.

The Learning and Skills Council is complemented by a network of local councils, in order that a focus on local planning and provision, and the addressing of disadvantage via targeting can be effectively managed. There are currently myriad schemes and opportunities at local level which provide and facilitate access to lifelong learning, including ICT learning centres and local learning partnerships.

2.4.2 Social inclusion

Social inclusion/exclusion and access issues have long been a key theme in debates about the emerging "information society". The National Working Party on Social Inclusion (INSINC) set out to examine the impact of ICTs on local communities and investigate how technology could be used to achieve greater social inclusion in an Information Society. Their report, The Net Result (INSINC, 1997) stressed the potential of ICTs to tackle social exclusion and disadvantage, but emphasised also that the "factors which give rise to social exclusion are mainly economic…[requiring] social policy…to continue to confront and to overcome economic disadvantage". Recommendations included:

In December 1997, the Social Exclusion Unit was set up by the Prime Minister, with a remit to help improve Government action to reduce social exclusion using 'joined up' approaches. The Unit set up 18 Policy Action Teams (PATs) to work on solutions to a range of interlocking problems (such as high levels of unemployment, crime and ill-health, and poor education) characteristic of poor neighbourhoods. A number of reports have been issued, including one looking specifically at the role of ICTs in fostering social inclusion, which indicates that libraries are important providers of ICT services and can therefore assist in "closing the digital divide" (Policy Action Team 15, 2000). The report recommends an increase in uptake of ICTs for providing community based facilities, and sets a target for April 2002 for ensuring that deprived areas have at least one public access point. These facilities should be provided in "places where people naturally congregate", libraries being a prime example (Policy Action Team 15, 2000:58). The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has produced a document focusing on the role of libraries in developing a "socially inclusive information society" (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1999:23), and suggests that libraries promoting ICT services to local communities in a number of ways, such as:

Such initiatives, it is argued, would place public libraries at the forefront of action to promote social inclusion.

2.4.3 Modernising Government

The White Paper setting out the Government's programme for modernising Government ( Cabinet Office, 1999) focused on five key commitments, including the use of new technology to meet the needs of citizens and business. It envisaged that libraries would act as one access point for these services. In the first Annual Report on the Modernising Government programme, the Minister of State identified the following key points (Cabinet Office, 2000):

The driving forces behind the initiative were restated in the same Report as follows:

The relevance of these issues to public libraries themselves is obvious: what is not perhaps as clear is the extent to which public libraries will be able to seize the opportunity to become the delivery point of choice for a variety of government services.

2.4.4 Provision of ICT infrastructure

The programme to deliver access to ICTs, for learning opportunities as well as to access information and services, has included a number of initiatives, and has been supported by a series of funding programmes, several of which apply to public libraries. One of the earliest was the Wolfson Libraries Challenge Fund, run in conjunction with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which in 1999-2000 provided just under £3,000,000 for ICT infrastructure projects, with a similar amount in matched funding from successful authorities. One of the participants in the VITAL project, Birmingham, was a successful applicant for Wolfson funding in 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

The Government's initial response to the proposals in New Library promised financial support in the form of £20 million for basic ICT training for all library staff, as well as a fund of £50 million which would be available, via a bidding system, for the development of digitised content. These schemes were funded by the New Opportunities Fund ( NOF), and implemented with the assistance of the (then) Library and Information Commission. During 1999, the Community Access to Lifelong Learning (CALL) fund was announced, also funded by NOF. The programme contains three strands, which provide capital funding to:

The last strand is currently being implemented on an allocation basis by the People's Network Team; this will do much to even out provision of ICT facilities throughout the UK (for further details on the specifics of the allocation of funding, see http://www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk/project/allocation.html). In recognition of the fact that some library authorities have already achieved significant progress in this area, a challenge fund has been created for those more advanced libraries, to encourage innovation, particularly in the areas of sustainability and provision in rural areas.

In addition to the CALL funding, public libraries are eligible to apply for funding under the DfEE sponsored Learning Centre initiative (Capital Modernisation Fund), which is designed to create learning centres in areas of social deprivation. Around £250 million is available for the establishment of 700 learning centres. As these monies are aimed at organisations not already receiving similar funding, public libraries are not able to apply for infrastructure funding from the scheme, but are eligible to apply for funding for improvements to buildings housing ICT Learning Centres, if these are in the specified areas of social deprivation.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has also donated funding ($4 million in total to date) for 46 ICT training labs in libraries based in deprived areas, providing also two PCs in a further 320 libraries in deprived areas. This money is being rolled out alongside the CALL People's Network funding.

2.5 Conclusions

The environment in which the modern public library is operating is emphatically one of extensive and rapidly increasing use of information and communication technologies. Government has the expectation that ICTs will be used to deliver an increasing range of its services, while the commercial sector is offering more and more of its products in the same way. Users of services, whether or not they are users of public libraries, are becoming increasingly ICT-literate, although there is a significant proportion of the which is suffering exclusion for a variety of reasons.

The potential role of the public library has been recognised in a range of government initiatives and funding is starting to follow policy as libraries become equipped with the hardware, software, network access and staff skills needed to enable them to play a full part in these changes. However, to date there is little evidence as to whether this investment in public libraries is generating value for money and having an impact on the citizens which it is intended to benefit. The VITAL project was designed to play a part in gathering initial indicative evidence and, more importantly, developing and testing methodologies to enable public library authorities to undertake this work themselves. Within the context of Best Value and the new Public Library Standards, such studies will undoubtedly be an essential part of their management strategies in the future.

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