A New Chapter –

a fresh direction for the

Island’s libraries

A consultation document

4 January – 7 February 2011

 A New Chapter – a fresh direction for the Island’s libraries
Frequently asked
questions (FAQs)
Q I have heard my local
library might be
closing. Is this true?
A No decisions have been
made about the Library
Service, but the
proposals set out in this
document show the way
that the council can
continue to provide a
library service in a more
cost-effective way.
Q Why is this
happening?
A The national and local
government financial
situation is very difficult.
The council is receiving
much lower amounts of
money from the
government and is not
going to increase
council taxes. There is
less money and the
council has to make
some difficult decisions
about how it balances its
books. Everything the
council does is affected
by this. The council has
had no choice but to
take the difficult decision
to reduce the amount it
spends on libraries.
Introduction
The Isle of Wight Council has a statutory duty to
provide a public library service, through the Public
Library and Museums Act 1964. People use the
service for many reasons: to borrow books, DVDs and
audio material; to access computers, the internet and
email, which otherwise they wouldn’t be able to afford;
to seek help with their wide ranging enquiries; and to
carry out research. Libraries offer a wide range of
activities for all ages, from ‘baby rhyme time’ to internet
courses for older people.
Over the past few years people have changed the
ways they use libraries. The borrowing of books is still
top of our customers’ requirements, but with internet
access now close behind. Last year the service had
more than 868,000 physical visits to library buildings,
with 82 per cent coming through six sites and 49 per
cent coming through just two libraries - those in
Newport and Ryde. These are the areas with the
highest population and greatest social need. Around
half of the items borrowed from the branch libraries
were borrowed from these two sites. The Library
Service also had more than 232,000 ‘virtual visits’,
which came through the service’s website.
The need to change
The Library Service has just undertaken a major
review of how it delivers its service to local
communities. This has been done against the
backdrop of severe national and local financial
pressures. The council needs to make some difficult
decisions about all its services and this document has
been put together to ask for your help on the new
direction for its Library Service.
Over recent years people have changed the way they
travel and shop. They are able to use the internet at
home and expect many services to be available 24/7.
The Library Service has made its catalogue available
online so that customers can find which books and
other materials are available, as well as being able to
renew them by the round-the-clock renewal line. There
are free online resources available, such as
Encyclopaedia Britannica, the full version of the Oxford
Dictionary, a range of audio books which can be
downloaded, and now a new service, whereby
customers can learn from among 80 different
languages through self-taught programmes.
 A New Chapter – a fresh direction for the Island’s libraries
FAQs
Q If my local library does
close, what can I do
about it?
A It is important to
remember that the
Library Service is not
just about its sites – it is
about getting books and
services out to people
across the Island. The
best way that residents
can play a part is to see
how their local
community could host a
Library Local so that
books and potentially
other services can be
available close by.
Q If libraries are to close,
what are the
timescales?
A The public consultation
runs from 4 January to 7
February 2011.
Councillors will decide
on the libraries’ future
on 23 February 2011 at
Full Council. At least five
sites will have to close
at 31 March 2011.
According to the survey conducted in August 2010,
what matters to Island residents about their libraries is
that they:
• are easy to get to;
• have a good range of books;
• have helpful staff;
• provide a place in their community;
• are attractively furnished and well equipped.
However, it has to be recognised that the council is
unable to provide a service which meets these
requirements in the number of locations it currently
has. The council is committed to encouraging
communities to take on the management and running
of facilities themselves. This is not just the council’s
view, but also that of the coalition government. Local
people need to become involved in making decisions
about the services they want and even to run them. In
this way local people can develop services that are
even more local than before. It is true that these may
take time to develop, but with book stock provided by
the council alongside advice and assistance with
activities, these facilities could be thriving centres
within local communities. The Localism Bill, once
enacted, is likely to make community involvement a
right for residents.
A great deal of research has been undertaken over
recent months on the current use of the Library
Service. This has also taken into account information
which has been put together as part of the council’s
and health service’s statutory Joint Strategic Needs
Assessment (JSNA). The survey that was recently
carried out with residents provided a tremendous
amount of valuable information. More than 1,500
responses were received to the face-to-face survey
and 275 to the online survey. All this research,
together with the council’s financial situation, has
shaped the proposals for the future of the service,
described in this paper.
No matter how much the service may change, the
principles will remain constant:
• To provide busy and active libraries in council
sites and help to develop these in community-
run sites.
• To ensure there are expert, welcoming staff
with time to help customers find the information
and knowledge they need.
• To provide libraries in fit for purpose buildings.
• To locate these libraries in major town centres,
with excellent transport links, close to shops.
 A New Chapter – a fresh direction for the Island’s libraries

• To work with a range of communities, local

councils, businesses and groups to develop
new libraries or take over the running of
existing ones that the council will not be able to
afford to run itself.
• To provide mobile libraries to bring library
collections into local communities.
• To commission the Home Library Service from
the voluntary sector.
• To exploit technology to streamline services
wherever possible, and ensure that the Island
FAQs doesn’t have a digitally divided community.

Q Are our views going to This will be achieved through five types of service:
be listened to?
A Yes. No decisions have • Libraries Extra - two large libraries, run by the
been made and these
council, open at least 50 hours a week;
proposals are
suggestions which need • Libraries Local - a range of libraries in local
residents’ comments to communities developed and run by community
refine them. The council groups, local businesses and existing
needs to know what community facilities such as schools and other
residents think, so it can family-friendly places;
make the right choices • Libraries Direct - mobile libraries, which will
about the service. bring books and other material into rural
communities;
Q What will be different
about Libraries Extra?
• Libraries Home - a commissioned service for
A These sites will be the readers unable to leave their homes;
flagships of the council’s • Libraries Online - an extensive range of online
continuing library services, available around the clock, from
service. They will offer reserving books to learning from among 80
self-service for languages.
borrowing books and
managing customers’ Libraries Extra
accounts. This will give
the staff more time to
deal with customers’
These libraries would be located in the two busiest
enquiries. There will be towns and would be on good transport routes and
reference collections, close to major shopping facilities.
activities for children
and adults, courses, and They would have:
it is hoped that cafes
and family-friendly • a wide range of good quality books;
facilities can be • high quality children’s and young people’s
introduced.
services;
• Monday to Saturday opening, at least 50 hours
a week;
• computers with fast internet access and
learning support;
• well trained, friendly staff;
 A New Chapter – a fresh direction for the Island’s libraries

• a wide range of events and activities;

• information to help with life’s challenges;
• space to relax, chat or study;
• self-service issues and returns.

It may be possible to extend the opening hours with

the support of volunteers.

Half the Library Service’s customers visit just Ryde and

Newport libraries, which is why these will be developed
into Libraries Extra.
FAQs
Libraries Local
Q What might a Library
Local look like?
A That all depends on the These libraries would be run by local communities or
local community that businesses and would be supported by stock from the
owns and runs it. The Library Service and links would be developed to the
service could be run in a council’s library network.
school, a parish hall, a
village post office or Libraries Local could include:
shop, or even your local
pub. The basic model • popular book stock;
will offer council book
• trained, friendly volunteers;
stock to borrow, using
your Library Service • events and activities to meet local needs;
membership card, as • children’s activities;
now. However, if local • internet access;
communities want to • minimum opening of ten hours per week.
offer more, a Library
Local could also offer Libraries Local would be located in a variety of
internet access, or
locations across the Island, as outlined below.
specialist children’s
activities, or computer
training sessions for It is proposed that the five least well-used libraries will
adults, or any other close on 31 March 2011. These libraries – East
learning-related ideas Cowes, Bembridge, Shanklin, Niton and Brighstone –
you may have. currently account for only 18 per cent of usage. The
council is already investigating alternatives for these
Q How do we set up a sites, to see how community-led projects could
Library Local? continue a library service in these areas.
A Any group can apply
through the Expression
Four additional libraries – Cowes, Sandown,
of Interest form, which is
on the Service’s part of
Freshwater and Ventnor – are better used, but the
the council’s website council cannot afford to keep them open long-term. It
(www.iwight.com/librarie is proposed that these sites would run for a further
sconsultation). You year, on a part-time basis, which would allow them to
would need to be able to provide direct support to the development of a
staff the service for ten community-run network of libraries in their area.
hours a week. The These sites would, under this proposal, close on 31
Library Service will help March 2012.
by providing stock and
advice, and would be
In addition, it is possible that Libraries Local will be
keen to work with you to
develop local services in situated in places that do not currently have a library,
your community. should the community choose to offer one.
 A New Chapter – a fresh direction for the Island’s libraries
FAQs
Q What will happen to
my child’s school
library?
A School libraries will not
be affected by these
changes. However
some schools may
choose to host a Library
Local.
Q How will I be able to
get books?
A There will be a range of
options:
Libraries Extra will
have a full range of
books, including the
most up to date best
sellers, as now.
Libraries Local – a list
will be on the Library
Service website, with
contact numbers so you
can check opening
times and where your
nearest site is.
Libraries Direct – there
will still be a mobile
library service,
specifically targeting
rural areas and areas
where a Library Local
has not yet been
formed.
Libraries Home – if you
find it difficult to reach a
local site, your books
would be delivered to
you as part of a new
home-focused library
service.
Libraries Online – you
will still be able to
reserve, renew, order
books over the internet,
as you can now, as well
as a range of other
services.
Advice and guidance will be available from the Library
Service to enable communities to establish these
valuable resources so that they can become thriving
local hubs.
Some Libraries Local would take the form of
community libraries, while others would be collections
of books available in different locations such as pubs,
shops or community centres. These new facilities
could enable the council’s book collection to be
available in far more venues than at present, making
the service even more local than it is currently.
The council recognises that the Library Service
supports the development of literacy in both adults and
children through a range of different activities. It is
envisaged that these will continue through its new
plans for the Library Service. Help and training will be
available to enable all this valuable work to continue
alongside outreach activities, to develop the skills of
those working in community sites for a period of time.
The opening hours of Libraries Local would be
determined by the local managing organisation. It is
hoped that the Libraries Local would be open for a
minimum of ten hours per week, but it may be possible
for them to be open longer than their current hours.
The council has already been approached by local
community groups and other organisations, to take
over the running and management of some libraries in
existing or new premises. It is the council’s belief that
this is an important part of the way forward for the
Island’s libraries and it is looking for more groups to
express interest in bringing the library service to their
local area.
Anyone interested in doing this should use the
Expression of Interest form on the council’s website
(www.iwight.com/librariesconsultation) to submit a
formal application. The council needs all the
applications in a standard format. If you want advice
on how to do this, please contact Library Headquarters
via email to: libraries@iow.gov.uk.
Once completed forms have been received, you will be
provided with details of how the Library Service can
support Library Locals, and with the information you
require to help you prepare a business plan.
A New Chapter – a fresh direction for the Island’s libraries

Libraries Direct
Libraries Direct would offer a library service through
mobile library vehicles to customers without access to
either a Library Extra or Library Local in their
community. This would enable the Library Service to
meet the needs of more rural communities. It would be
unlikely to be offered to anywhere within a two mile
radius of a Library Local or Library Extra.

Stopping times would be dependent on the

development of the new Libraries Local network.
Initially Libraries Direct would visit larger communities
where council-run libraries have been closed. The
timetable for Libraries Direct will evolve as more
Libraries Local come into existence.

Services will include:

• books and materials for all ages;

• staff to help find information, with access to the
council’s resources;
• access to the library catalogue.

Libraries Home
The Library Service intends to commission a new
service, to enable the ‘housebound’ library service to
continue, but with the use of volunteers. This will make
use of the council’s library stock of books and
expertise in partnership with community groups. It may
well be that one visit to a household could bring home
care, library books or audio cassettes, and a smoke
alarm check. This will help to join up services to
vulnerable people across the Island.

Libraries Online
The Library Service will continue to offer an extensive
and increasing range of online services both within
libraries and from work or home. These include:

• searching the library catalogue;

• reserving or renewing books;
• researching family history;
• consulting reference works;
• skills development and self-taught courses;
• academic study;
• downloading audio books.
A New Chapter – a fresh direction for the Island’s libraries

Other services

The Library Service will continue to operate its

Schools’ Library Service through its current contract
arrangements. Schools will be able to commission the
library service to provide a service to them with the
existing menu of services that are in place. This
service will cease if there is not sufficient take up from
local schools.

The national review of the Prison Library Service is

expected to be completed in March 2012. The current
service which is commissioned by the prison service,
will continue to operate its current arrangements at no
cost to the council until that time.

The Library Service currently has two special

collections, maritime and music, but the long term plan
is to cease to support these collections. They will be
initially held at Library Headquarters until new homes
and management arrangements can be identified.
Expressions of interest in taking over these collections
will be welcomed.

Libraries for the Island’s future

Here are some pictures of local libraries – some here

on the Island, some of them on the mainland. They will
show the kind of library we want to offer in our
Libraries Extra in the future.

We hope that you agree with us that these look

welcoming and positive places for books and where
you can access information – places where people
enjoy their visit and want to come back again and
again.

This document has been put together to give you an

idea of how the Isle of Wight Council’s Library Service
could look in the future. It will not succeed without the
support and input of Island residents. This is why it is
so important that you take the opportunity to have your
say, and comment on the proposals the council has
put forward in this document.

Please let us know what you think of our proposals.

Your comments can be sent by email to:

librariesplusreview@iow.gov.uk, or by letter to
Libraries HQ, 5 Mariners Way, Somerton Industrial
Estate, Cowes, PO31 8BD. You may also fill in the
comment forms available in all our libraries.