Libraries’ Universal

Reading Offer

“This age of austerity will end; we have to think about the future. Let’s not implement cuts in a way that ends up with a uniformly grey, dull offer to the public, without any real social impact. We must hang on to the sparkle in the new look reading service we’re creating. There is evidence of a huge public demand for our reading groups, author events, rhyme times, reading challenges, festivals. The new strategy we’re proposing is about us all putting our collective energy into a few really big things to keep the sparkle going”

Tony Durcan, Chair of the Books and Reading Group, Society of Chief Librarians

Shared library reading offer to the public

Reading- New strategy combining libraries’ efforts to

develop reading- One of four SCL “national offers”; reading,

digital, information and health- Developed with lead charitable partners The

Reading Agency - Strategy tied to local government

improvement through Local Government Group logic model

- In England, integrated in Arts Council’s development plans for libraries

Health

Digital

Information

Vision

• Reading for pleasure enhances people’s literacy, life chances and quality of life. It is vital for our prosperity

• Libraries aim to be a force for social change through reading. They bring people recreation and pleasure, learning and literacy, health and wellbeing

• Libraries will work collectively to develop their contribution to everybody’s reading life

• Libraries will develop as hubs drawing communities together to bring reading alive, physically and digitally

• Libraries will work with the public to co-deliver reading

Libraries’ reading works help local

authorities achieve key outcomes

Economic impact and

value for money

strong and safe

communities (including

participation)

Health, well being and

quality of life

Learning, skills and

employability

Facts and figuresIn 2010-11:• 314,550 million people visited UK libraries• Libraries lent 300.2 million books • Library websites received 114,765 million visits - a rise of nearly

80% in the last four years.

Strategy focuses on growth areas caused by development of more vibrant reading offer:• Children’s book borrowing has risen for the last seven years • Libraries’ Summer Reading Challenge grows each year – in 2011 it

involved 780,000 children• The adult literacy Six Book Challenge grew by a third between 2010

and 2011• There are 10,000 library linked reading groups

Rationale: looking beyond the age of austerity

• Building on growth and public demand for lively, engaging offer with reading groups, challenges, author events

• Keeping things moving forward/ continued innovation

• Focusing on doing fewer, bigger things together – economies of scale and sharing best practise.

• Keeping partners on board and investing; delivering free resources and capacity and profile

Strategy elements • 100% of authorities offering agreed baseline elements of contemporary reading

service, defined in LGG Logic Model framework • Deliver a minimum universal offer locally by using national toolbox • Aiming for 80% -100% of authorities using prioritised tools in national toolbox of

programmes, partnerships and calendar spikes • Prioritised tools are those currently used by at least 60% of authorities • Baseline offer enhanced by use of additional toolbox with national, regional and

local initiatives • National partners committed to helping deliver the offer • Shared evidence bank and advocacy statements showing social impact • Shared approach to workforce development • Innovation strands: digital, health, public involvement • Strategic framework for voluntary sector partners to express offer to libraries, feed

in impact evidence etc. Toolbox approach draws in key partners eg Share the Vision, Booktrust, National Literacy Trust

Logic Model framework

Toolbox to deliver offer efficiently

Toolbox to plan local reading offer

National

Regional Local

Reading

Offer

• Baseline reading offer delivered by using mixture of local, regional and national work

• SCL has prioritised programmes and partnerships currently used by 60% of library authorities

• Aim to achieve a minimum of 80% of authorities using the prioritised elements of the toolbox – fewer, bigger things together to generate economies of scale.

Prioritised shared toolbox to deliver baseline offer to public • Chart shows how different

strands in the strategy work together to create a shared offer across the library network.

• The five prioritised calendar spikes have emerged from consultation process – five focal points in year for a shared library network push on reading

• There will be an additional enhanced menu of activities, capturing other nationally brokered programmes used by under 60% of authorities, and additional calendar spikes e.g. literary prizes

National brokerage/coordination

Library Services

Creative industry partners and pledges• Strategy secures

involvement of national partners by showing libraries can work to scale network-wide

• Depends on capacity in service to deliver reading services

• BBC, 40 Reading Partners publishers, World Book Day, World Book Night etc.

• Strategy leverages pledges (e.g. library joining form in WBD schools packs; big name opening new libraries)

Publishers/BBC/

Commercial Partners

Library Services

Library Services

££££ ££££

Shared evidence base and advocacy strategy

Advocacy messages drawn from evidence base and shaped for each outcome area. E.g. health: Reading improves health and wellbeing • Reading is stress busting. Research shows that reading can reduce stress levels by

67 % (University of Sussex) • An ageing population means levels of dementia are predicted to rise by 61 % by

2026 (Kings Fund). Reading can help prevent the onset of dementia by 35% (New Eng. Jnl Medicine)

• Social activities based on reading (reading groups/ author events) combat isolation and bring people together

Libraries have a key role to play • Libraries offer important health and well being services to the public and health

partners: health information, therapeutic reading and social/recreational reading activities.

• There are at least 10,000 library linked reading groups

Innovation

Strategy encompasses development plans and communities of practice for:• Public involvement: MyVoice pilot in 18 authorities/4 regions; ASCEL

“co-production” project funded by Arts Council as part of Library Development Initiative (LDI)

• Digital: two digital development projects with publishers funded by Arts Council as part of Library Development Initiative

• Health: health offer strategy work led by TRA; Mood Boosting Books scheme rolling out; development of new national Books on Prescription funded by Arts Council as part of Library Development Initiative

Next StepsFebruary/March• 24 Feb: SCL Books Group finalises vision, calendar, FAQs etc. • After 7th March SCL Exec: invite all library authorities to sign up to principles and buy into prioritised

programmes and partnerships (not contractual/financial). • Simultaneously invite regions (SCL, ASCEL, reader development fora) to experiment with the approach to plan

for 2012/13 and beyond.• On going discussions about fit with SCL’s other offers – do they all add up to 3 year development strategy?

March/September • Identify authorities to help shape wider local authority sign up involving the Cabinet Member for libraries,

including in new shared service arrangements e.g. Tri-borough • LGG think tank • Progress report/ workshop at SCL seminar, May • Develop systematic links to Arts Council’s Library Development Initiative, and bid to major new ACE funding

streams• Further development of evidence base and advocacy messages • Pilot Universal Reading Offer training course and develop underpinning web resources

September • Implement local authority sign up with Cabinet Members (covering 2013-15, to be reviewed end 2013) • Possible LGG conference on future of libraries and reading

Next Steps: sign up• Designate senior level champion as point of contact • Signal if you want to be among the authorities consulting with

Cabinet Members on the approach • Use the Offer framework to plan for 2012/13 and beyond, as far

as possible • Use the SCL prioritised tools, partnerships and calendar spikes as

part of your local offer • Feed in local and regional evidence , linked to URO evidence bank • Feed back in August on implications and strengths/weaknesses of

the approach • Prepare for local authority sign up in September for 2013-15

Next steps: Arts Council funding

Big network bids to take the strategy forward• Library development initiative (four linked bids

secured) • Touring• Creative people and programmes (places with

least cultural opportunities) • Digital innovation (Space)