- Empowering recommendation
Public and educational libraries in communities or defined geographic areas should establish co-operative arrangements to improve services to their users.
Action
DfEE will fund a small number of more broadly focused demonstration projects
between libraries, learning providers and others, to develop co-operative
arrangements and to improve and expand their services to users (including
both earners and potential learners). Learning Partnerships, local authorities,
the LSC at national and local level, Ufi, the Higher Education Funding Council
for England and the library authorities will be among those invited to
participate. As part of this exercise, consideration will be given to the
practicality and value of bringing together and co-ordinating the various library
and learning related plans produced by local partners, including the learning
plans of Learning Partnership and Local Authority Annual Library Plans.
The exercise will also inform the further consideration of what might be done to
encourage providers of library services to establish co-ordinated purchasing
arrangements within a community. The overall demonstration projects initiative
will be developed and steered by a group led by DfEE and DCMS and
including representatives of both the library and learning sectors.
- Empowering recommendation
Cross-sectoral funding arrangements should be established. Funding for libraries in all sectors should include an element which is measured against progress towards closer cross-sectoral community partnerships.
Action
DfEE and DCMS will invite representatives of Local Authorities, the LSC at
national and local level, Ufi, the Higher Education Funding Council, the library
authorities and others to participate in a working group. The group's purpose
will be to consider appropriate flexibility of funding, taking into account the
financial regime within which the library community operates and the new
framework for post-16 learning encompassing, for example, the Learning and
Skills Council and Individual Learning Accounts. It will also to look at
establishing co-ordinated purchasing arrangements between providers of
library services within a community.
The demonstration projects mentioned earlier, to build on and develop good
practice in the establishment of co-operative arrangements and to improve
services to users between local partners concerned with libraries and learning,
will inform this process.
- Empowering recommendation
Public and educational libraries in any community or region should draw up 'access maps' to enable users and learners to reach resources or assistance in other libraries on a managed basis. Consideration should also be given to making provision of school library and information services a statutory responsibility.
Action
We will review what UK-based research exists on the links between educational attainment and school library use.
Working with key partners like OFSTED, the Library Association, the School Library Association and the Association of Senior Children's and Educational Librarians, we will consider what levers exist to support the development of school libraries; for example, a quality assurance framework linked to peer review, and models of co-operative working between school libraries and LEA School Library Services. Subject to resources becoming available, we will fund some pilots to raise awareness of what works best.
- Empowering recommendation
Training of librarians, resource managers and teachers should be co-ordinated and should include ways of developing mutual support. Objective and quantifiable performance measures should be set for all these collaborative strategies.
Action
DCMS propose to establish a working group to define the nature of the training that is required, and to explore the scope for developing common training modules and skill sharing arrangements, both at initial entry level and as part of career development planning. The working group should have regard to the work which Resource is undertaking to develop a cross-sectoral education and access standard. With regard to education and training, work will be carried out in liaison with Cultural Heritage NTO and Information Services NTO.
Should the working group conclude that common training modules represent the way forward, DCMS would need to establish a system to provide quality assurance, and steps would be taken to identify a suitable vehicle for delivering the training programmes on the ground.
