Have a say on how libraries are run

Devon County Council is inviting communities to work more closely with their library service, to have more say on how their local libraries are run.

The Council announced plans this month that aim to safeguard the futures of all 50 of its libraries, despite having to make significant savings due to reductions in Government funding.

Recent consultation concluded that most people understood the Council's financial challenge, indicating that they would be prepared to support their local libraries more, provided that professional staff were retained to run them.

The Council is looking at examples elsewhere in the country where Councils have successfully transferred the delivery of their libraries to 'mutuals' or 'trusts' that run the libraries on the council's behalf.

In Suffolk, for example, an Industrial and Provident Society has been set up with membership drawn from library ‘Friends’ groups.  Libraries continue to be run and managed by their professional staff with local communities having a greater say in how they operate.  Some libraries have since seen opening times extended, as well as other improvements, while the Council is still making the savings it needs.

Such a move could save Devon County Council at least £400,000 a year in business rates, and mean greater flexibility and freedom for the service to secure additional funding and income which the Council can not access.

So now, Devon County Council wants to hear from communities who are keen to work closely with them.

All communities with a library will get involved over time, but as a first step up to 10 communities are sought as pilots to help shape the new organisation and try out new ways of involving local people.

Applications to be part of the pilot are available on the Council's website, www.toughchoices.co.uk , or by emailing devlibs@devon.gov.uk or telephoning 01392 384315.

Councillor Roger Croad, the Council's Cabinet Member responsible for the library service said: "We'd like to hear from library Friends groups and other groups who have good ideas about involving their local communities more.  We'd like to know how their ideas will increase the use of the library, and are interested to hear whether they have tested their ideas with their local communities.

"We also want to trial some technology that is already very popular in Denmark that allows people to have access to their library outside usual opening hours.   Alongside self service kiosks, this technology will allow people to use the library outside normal opening hours to drop off or take out items.  It's one of the things that people told us that they'd like, in our consultation.

"And we want to start working with these communities towards a new way of running libraries, with the possible creation of a new organisation that could have charitable status, with library staff to run them professionally."

The Council will run the pilot over the next 12 months. 

Applications must be received by Monday 1 December.  Applications will be assessed in early December, with community groups to be informed of the outcome by mid December.  An initial workshop for the selected pilots will take place on Thursday 11 December.