Decision details

After consideration of a report of the Assistant Director Policy, Partnerships and Communities and after consultation with Executive Members, the Chief Executive Officer agreed that:
i) The revised Library Strategy ‘Your Library, your place’ be recommended to the County Council for approval as part of the Council’s Policy Framework.
ii) The implementation of the revised Library Strategy should involve community libraries and engagement with communities.

*PLEASE NOTE This decision was originally published on or near the date of the decision and so call in no longer applies. It has been re-published as part of the change in committee management system that we use.*
Decision taken by Richard Flinton, Chief Executive Officer, under his emergency delegated powers and in consultation with Executive Members.
To update the Strategy to reflect the current model of delivery in partnership with community libraries and volunteers; the changes that have taken place in the use of public libraries with the development of the virtual library; and the increasing role of libraries as community hubs supporting delivery of wider council services. The revised Strategy sets out a strategic vision for the next ten years, recognising these changes and how the service will prioritise resources and continue innovating to meet the needs of communities in partnership with those communities.
The draft Strategy was well received during the public consultation.
The County Council has a statutory duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 ‘to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons’ for all those who live, work or study in the area. In providing this service, the council must encourage both adults and children to make full use of the library service, and lend books and other printed material free of charge for those who live, work or study in the area. The revised Library Strategy ‘Your Library, your place’ seeks to ensure that the County Council continues to fulfil the statutory duty.

The principal alternatives to adopting a revised Library Strategy are to:
a. Continue with the existing strategy New Look, No Shush!, but this was developed over ten years ago so does not reflect the current model of delivery in partnership with community libraries and volunteers; the changes that have taken place in the use of public libraries with the development of the virtual library; or the increasing role of libraries as community hubs supporting delivery of wider council services.
b. Cease to have a Library Strategy, but this would leave the Council and its partners without a clear statement about the role of the library service.