The Libraries Taskforce
Closure ReportForeword
The Libraries Taskforce was set up in 2015 to bring library sector organisations and importantpartners together to work through how library services might think and act differently totransform what they offered and how they promoted themselves. The Taskforce stepped up to
meet that challenge by producing Libraries Deliver: Ambition for public libraries 2016 to 2021,
the first public libraries strategy endorsed by both central and local government. That document
articulated the wide range of strategic objectives that library services can and do support,
demonstrating that they are an asset, rather than a cost, and challenged both central and local
government to think and act differently to transform library services. That powerful document,
and the activities that the Taskforce followed through with created a stronger profile for the
library sector than it had ever had before.
Through its advocacy the Taskforce helped to bring significant extra funding into the sector;
for example, free wi-fi being made available in all public library branches across England, 30
projects across 46 local authorities in England backed through the Libraries: Opportunities forEveryone fund, the creation of the Libraries Transformation Fund (part of the wider Cultural
Infrastructure Fund announced in 2019) and Budget funding to extend the British Library’s
network of Business and Intellectual Property Centres supporting start-ups and SMEs in public
libraries across the nation.
The Taskforce also led the way in identifying, developing and sharing good practice – throughits range of useful toolkits, backed up by a programme of regular free masterclasses, and its
well-regarded blog. It has brought many people and organisations together, within and beyond
the public libraries sector, to explore new projects and possibilities.
We both strongly believe that libraries change lives for the better, by providing access to books
and so much more; they help people to help themselves and improve their opportunities, bringpeople together, and provide practical support and guidance. As a locally accountable service,
they are well-placed to respond to local needs and issues.
Individuals, communities and the nation as a whole face challenging times ahead, and webelieve that libraries can play an important role in helping people through these. As you cansee from reading this report, the Taskforce has laid strong foundations for future collaboration
to develop library services and make the case for their value. But financial and demographic
challenges continue to increase, and the way people use libraries and their expectations ofpublic services are constantly changing. Libraries have responded admirably to date, but willneed to continue to adapt just as effectively for the future.
We welcome this document; thank all those involved in the Taskforce work over the years fortheir efforts and achievements; and fully support the sector as it moves into the future.
Caroline Dinenage MP
Minister for Digital and Culture
Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson
Chair, Culture, Tourism and Sport Board
Local Government Association

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Executive Summary
Steven Broomhead, Chair of the Libraries Taskforce
Since the start of the Libraries Taskforce in 2015, a substantial amount of investment has
been secured in public libraries, including the Libraries Wifi Fund (£3 million awarded toprovide free Wifi in public libraries) and the Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone Innovation
Fund (a £3.9 million fund awarded to 46 library services for specific projects).
The Taskforce has worked hard to promote ‘Libraries First’ and this has resulted in a higher
profile for public libraries across government. The Taskforce’s work has been included ingovernment strategy documents such as the UK Digital Skills strategy and A Connected
Society: a strategy for tackling loneliness.
Stronger working partnerships have been established between organisations in the librarysector driving towards a vibrant, thriving and world-class public library network in England as
set out in our Action Plan.
The Action Plan included delivering workshops for the sector covering topics such as income
generation and strategic planning and producing toolkits to help the sector’s development.
We’ve also explored the ways that data is captured and how this might be best used.
Libraries Connected led the pilot phase of the regional support programme which is supporting
5 regional networks to develop their ability to deliver strategic collaborations and is also
providing 3 individual library services with expert consultancy support to tackle specificchallenges.
I’m pleased to say that Arts Council England will be co-ordinating the core deliveryorganisations (CILIP, Libraries Connected, British Library and the LGA), to build on theachievements of the Libraries Taskforce so far, which are due in no small part to the result ofeffective collaborative working between all partners. This focus will include bringing together
the current fragmented service approach and how financial resilience for the library sector canbe achieved. Working with some Heads of Library Service we will test and deliver on issues
important to the sector, and we’ll regularly update on our activities.

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Contents
Executive Summary		
Steven Broomhead, Chair of the Libraries Taskforce

3

1. Context

6

2. Summary of activities and progress

8

3. Achievements of the Libraries Taskforce

12

3.1 Strategy

12

		
		

Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016-2021
and the Action Plan for Public Libraries

12		

Arts Council England 10 Year Strategy

13

		

Libraries Connected Universal Offers

13

3.2 Funding

14

		

Funding achieved with the direct support of the Libraries Taskforce

15

		
		

Other funding offered by Libraries Taskforce member organisations
and supported by the Libraries Taskforce

16

3.3 Promoting a libraries first approach across public policy

18

		

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Libraries (APPG)		

19

		

Local government

19

		Greater London Authority

20

		

Engagement with other decision-makers and organisations

20

3.4 Sector Development

21

		

Infrastructure development		

21

		

Support for decision-makers and Heads of Service22		

Support for public library staff skills

24		Community Managed Libraries

26

3.5 Communications and advocacy

27

3.6 Research and data29

		Improving libraries data		

		 Research
3.7 Impact of the Taskforce’s activities and ways of working

30
31
32

		

Review of Libraries Taskforce – December 201733

		

Actions that were not achieved or less effective34

		The 7 Strategic Outcomes35

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CONTENTS

4. Legacy and building on the achievements of the Taskforce		

46

Revised Taskforce Action Plan		

46

DCMS role in Taskforce

46

Steering group

46

Review of Ambition

47

Sector development

47

Library data48

Communications and advocacy		

48

Appendix 1: Taskforce Membership and Representation

50

Appendix 2: Overview of progress against all 25 Ambition Priority Actions (APAs)
and Challenges

53

Appendix 3: Achievement of Project Objectives: Review of Action Plan
December 2018 to March 2020

65

Appendix 4: Taskforce Tools and Communications Reach Statistics

67

Appendix 5: Body of work to carry over to transition year 2020/21

71

Appendix 6: Independent Library Report for England full recommendations

75

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1. Context
The Department for Culture, Media andSport (now the Department for Digital,
Culture, Media and Sport, DCMS) and theDepartment for Communities and local
government (now the Ministry of Housing,Communities and local government, MHCLG)
jointly commissioned William Sieghart CBE
to lead an advisory panel to investigate how
the public library system in England could
continue to thrive in the future.
The Independent Library Report for England
was published in December 2014 andcontained several recommendations forcentral government about the provision of
public library services. The recommendations
included that central and local government
should jointly establish a library taskforce,
led by local government, in partnership withothers interested in the sector, which would
report to ministers via the Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) andthe Local Government Association (LGA) as
co-sponsors.
In addition to the two co-sponsors, theTaskforce included the main library sector
organisations, important partner organisations,and representation from councils acrossEngland. This was a new approach todelivering library development in England, by
creating a collaborative national forum where
key organisations involved in supporting
the delivery of public library services wereable to share information and engage jointly
in a range of development initiatives. The
Taskforce was supported by a small, focusedteam with expertise in policy, partnerships
and communications. This structure allowed
the Taskforce to respond rapidly to changes
in the public library landscape and work with
Taskforce member organisations to capitaliseon opportunities as they arose in local andcentral government.

The main objectives identified for theTaskforce were:
1. To support the creation of a national
digital library network
2. To respond to the outcomes of thee-lending pilots and continue to workwith publishers, libraries and others
to secure the adoption of the models
supported by the pilots
3. To encourage and develop the library
workforce and especially new recruits
and graduates
4. To develop sector-led best practiceguidelines to help local authorities
when working with volunteers andcommunity-led libraries
The Libraries Taskforce met for the firsttime in March 2015 and, after a period of
consultation, developed the strategy for
public libraries Libraries Deliver: Ambition for
Public Libraries in England 2016-21 and theassociated Action Plan which was publishedin 2016. This covered how the Taskforce
aimed to help the public library sector, basedaround 7 strategic outcomes and agreed
actions, and issued challenges both tocentral and local government. The Taskforce
has been chaired by a Chief Executive from
Local Government and new member bodies
have joined over time as priorities havechanged. Information about the organisations
represented on the Taskforce over the period
2015-20 is set out in Appendix 1.
In its Action Plan, the Taskforce Identified
25 Action Plan Actions (APAs), grouped
under the 7 Outcomes for the sector, andwithin these it identified 9 Priority Actions
which have provided the focus for Taskforce
activities and the primary benchmarks for
its progress. This was in order to prioritise
resources and focus the collective effort ofTaskforce members against those actions
which were felt to be most important for thesector over the next 5 years. There is a brief

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1. CONTEXT

assessment of progress against all 25 APAs
in Appendix 2 of this document; however thefocus of the main text of this report will be
the 9 priority actions.
The 9 Priority Actions were:
1. Ensure that the ‘libraries first’ approachis promoted to central government,
local councils and partners as part of
future advocacy activities and develop
a programme aimed at supporting
library staff to do this themselves(APA 1)
2. Define and publish a core data set(APA 2)
3. Establish current baselines and agree
progress indicators for all 7 outcomesand publish them (APA 3)
4. Work with others to develop ajoined-up programme of promotional
activity based on commonly agreed
positive messages, to promote publicawareness of what public libraries
can do for people, and increase
engagement with public libraries(APA 6)

7. Develop and promote a sector-led
benchmarking framework that libraries
can choose to use for self-assessment,planning and improvement (APA 13)
8. Work with the Chartered Institute of
Library and Information Professionals(CILIP) and the Society of Chief
Librarians (SCL, now Libraries
Connected) to produce a Public Library
Skills Strategy. (APA 19)
9. Explore the development of a sharednational digital platform for public
libraries in England (Single Library
Digital Presence) and then identify
ways to develop, operate and fund it.
(APA 20)

Progress against the 9 Priority Actions weremonitored in the Taskforce’s Six-Monthly
Progress Reports. In addition to these 9
Priority Actions, the Ambition Action Plan
set out 6 challenges to central government
and 12 challenges to local government. A
brief assessment of progress against thesechallenges is also provided in Appendix 2.

5. Publish guidance on how to conduct anevidence-based mapping and planning
exercise, based on established sector
good practice and case studies and the
7 design principles (APA 10)
6. Ensure that the projects delivered
through the £4.3 million Life Chances
funding from DCMS:o Support those people living in the 		most disadvantaged areas, providingthem with opportunities they might
not otherwise have access too Are robustly evaluated to build an
evidence base that can be used tosecure investment and scale up themost successful projects (APA 12)

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2. Summary of activities and progress
Priority Action 1:
Ensure that the ‘libraries first’ approachis promoted to central government, local
councils and partners as part of futureadvocacy activities and develop a programme
aimed at supporting library staff to do thisthemselves (Action Plan Action (APA 1)
Progress against action:• the Taskforce team worked with a rangeof government departments to ensure theinclusion of public libraries in the following
government strategy documentso Integrated Communities Strategy
green papero UK Digital Skills strategy
o Culture White Papero Culture is Digitalo A Connected Society: a strategy
for tackling lonelinesso Internet Safety Strategy green paper(white paper called Online Harms)
o Civil society strategy• public libraries were also involved in the
Department for Education’s Hungry Little
Minds campaign• there was a range of direct communication
to Local Authority Chief Executives, about
the development of communications
and planning tools, such as the Libraries
shaping the future: good practice toolkit(2015), which aimed to support seniorstaff in libraries to promote the value of
their service to a range of stakeholders
and a strategic planning toolkit (2017) (seemore detail against APA10). In addition theTaskforce presented at the LGA’s Culture,
Tourism and Sport Conferences in 2016,2017 and 2018. The 2018 conference also
saw the launch of the LGA’s Councillor
Handbook on ‘Delivering local solutions for
public libraries’.

• as a result of this work public libraries havebeen included in a range of policy initiatives
by local and regional government and in theplans and activities of a wide range of otherorganisations (see section 3.3 of this reportfor more detail)Priority Action 2:
Define and publish a core data set (APA 2)
Progress against action:• a draft core dataset was published on
GOV.UK in July 2017. The Taskforce also
supported various pieces of work being
undertaken across the sector to explore
the potential for libraries to adopt an Open
Data approach – for example by sponsoring
the Voyage of the Data Treader workshops
in November 2017 and March 2019.
• this work was revisited in August 2019 ina workshop held with Taskforce members,
front-line library practitioners and dataexperts. Following this work 3 sector
practitioners volunteered to work together
to develop a draft schema and definitions.
A wider group of library services tested thisduring January 2020. The next steps will
be to draw up guidance and run workshops
across the country to raise awareness ofthe new schema and encourage its use
and iteration. This work will be undertaken
by DCMS.
Priority Action 3:
Establish current baselines and agree
progress indicators for all 7 outcomes andpublish them (APA 3)
Progress against action:• the baselines and progress indicators
for the 7 outcomes in Ambition were
published in November 2017
• further analysis of progress against these
indicators can be found in the 1 page
summaries for each indicator in Section
3.7 of this report

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2. SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES AND PROGRESS• ongoing measurement has not yet been
implemented across the sector; however
there is anecdotal evidence that theindicators have been used locally bydecision-makers
Priority Action 4:
Work with others to develop a joined-up
programme of promotional activity basedon commonly agreed positive messages, topromote public awareness of what public
libraries can do for people, and increase
engagement with public libraries (APA 6)
Progress against action:• the Taskforce set up several channels
through which information could be shared,
including a blog, Twitter and Flickr accountand dedicated pages on the GOV.UK
website• a communications sub-group wasestablished in March 2016 and included
communications representatives fromthe Taskforce member organisations. It
developed programmes of communications
activity, materials and protocols to help
promote the main themes of Ambition,and to support more collaborative
approaches between Taskforce partners
to reinforce core messages. Since January
2019, communications activity has beencoordinated by the Arts Council’s Libraries
Taskforce Communications Manager –more detail on completed, current andfuture activities can be found in sections
3.6 and section 4 of this report• the sector now works more closely on joint
communications activities e.g. the sharedlibrary calendar co-ordinated by Libraries
Connected. However public awarenessof, engagement with and attitudes topublic libraries have not been consistently
monitored and therefore it is difficult toknow what the full impact of
this work has been.

Priority Action 5:
Publish guidance on how to conduct anevidence-based mapping and planning
exercise, based on established sector goodpractice and case studies and the 7 designprinciples (APA 10)
Progress against action:• a strategic planning toolkit was publishedin August 2017 to encourage and help
library services to undertake, or contributeto, a robust, objective and evidencebased analysis of local need as a basis
for developing a strategy to deliver alibrary service that will best meet theneeds of their local communities. Thishas been used by DCMS as part of its
statutory guidance to Local Authorities
and has influenced the focus of librarystrategy development; for example, the 7
Outcomes have been used in some libraryservice strategies
Priority Action 6:
Ensure that the projects delivered throughthe £4.3 million Life Chances funding fromDCMS:
o support those people living in the mostdisadvantaged areas, providing themwith opportunities they might nototherwise have access too are robustly evaluated to build an
evidence base that can be used tosecure investment and scale up themost successful projects (APA 12)
Progress against action:• the Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone
innovation fund (LOFE) was launched in
December 2016. Its primary aim was toenable library services to trial innovative
projects that would benefit disadvantaged
people and places in England. Managed byArts Council England, the £3.9 million fundawarded grants of between £50,000 and£250,000 to 30 projects across 46 libraryservices in March 2017(APA 12)

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92. SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES AND PROGRESS• an independent evaluation of LOFE by
Traverse showed that library services wereable to invest in high value equipment
and resources, support staff throughtraining, and market their libraries to local
communities. Services were also able toembed digital or more inclusive practices
within their wider service offer. So that
other library services could learn from
LOFE, the report also provided a range
of insights into the design and delivery ofinnovative activities in libraries including
recommendations to improve delivery andperformance
Priority Action 7:
Develop and promote a sector-led
benchmarking framework that libraries canchoose to use for self-assessment, planningand improvement (APA 13)
Progress against action:• a sector-led benchmarking framework
for library services (APA 13), publishedin September 2017, was designed withthe sector to support library services todevelop their organisational capability toachieve enhanced and sustainable positive
outcomes for the communities they
serve. It provided support for a ‘journey’of improvement across all aspects of thelibrary service and its work (underpinned by
self-assessment)• 2 workshops were held to introduce theframework to heads of service and theelements included within it. The sessions
included introductions from council Chief
Executives explaining why this work was
important• this toolkit has been adopted less widely
than the others by the sector, possibly
because it requires a new way of working
which library teams may be less familiar
with and require support to implement
Feedback also suggested that there waslimited time available to heads of service
to plan their use of the toolkit and thatexternal support was needed to create thistime and space to reflect on the service.
However, this feedback influenced thelater design of the library peer challenges
and the new regional support offer from
Libraries Connected, which should support
wider adoption of this type of approach inrelation to the new accreditation processthat is being developed
Priority Action 8:
Work with the Chartered Institute of Library
and Information Professionals (CILIP) and theSociety of Chief Librarians (SCL, now Libraries
Connected) to produce a Public Library Skills
Strategy. (APA 19)
Progress against action:• the Public Libraries Skills Strategy (PLSS)
was first published in 2017 and is now
being refreshed to respond to the rapidlychanging skills and profile of the sector,
with publication due in 2021
o the PLSS paved the way for a national
mentoring programme, Employer
Partnership scheme and a revised
ethical framework and diversity
and equality plan for the library andinformation profession• in 2018 CILIP won approval for a level 3
Apprenticeship standard for the library andinformation profession and, since then,work has been undertaken to facilitate theimplementation of the standard into libraryservices. Arts Council England funded
Libraries Connected to run a series ofthree one-day workshops in Birmingham,
Manchester and London from JanuaryMarch 2020 to explore the apprenticeshipprocess and how it could benefit librarystaff

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2. SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES AND PROGRESS

Priority Action 9:
Explore the development of a shared national
digital platform for public libraries in England(Single Digital Presence) and then identify
ways to develop, operate and fund it. (APA
20)
Progress against action:• the Society of Chief Librarians (now
Libraries Connected) published a report,delivered by BiblioCommons, on thepotential for a Single Digital LibraryPresence (SDLP) in January 2016. The
Taskforce established a SDLP SteeringGroup to take forward this project, which
commissioned the British Library todevelop Alpha models for testing with thesector• in June 2019 the recommendations paper,‘Digital Transformations for UK public
libraries: five approaches to a ‘Single Digital
Presence’, set out what a national online
platform (or “single digital presence”)
for public libraries could look like, what it
could be used for and how such an offeringmight fit in with existing digital librarysystems• further development work is now being
funded by Arts Council England andCarnegie UK Trust. The British Library teamwill report on this work before March 2021
outlining proposals and next steps

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3. Achievements of the Libraries Taskforce
The Libraries Taskforce has achieved a rangeof significant outcomes across a number of
strands of activity over its 5 year lifespan,some of which are captured in the summary
tables above and some of which extends
more broadly across the sector and beyond.
This section of the report provides a narrative
review of the Taskforce’s achievements,
viewed holistically under the following broad
activity areas:
3.1 Strategy
3.2 Funding
3.3 Promoting a “libraries first” approachacross public policy
3.4 Sector development

3.1 Strategy
Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public
Libraries in England 2016-2021 andthe Action Plan for Public Libraries
One of the first activities that the Libraries
Taskforce undertook was a wide-ranging
review of existing strategy documents andsector and public engagement to understandthe contribution that public libraries make tocommunities and to public policy priorities.
The consultation programme which supported
the development of Ambition included:• 13 workshops with public library staff andstakeholders

3.6 Research and data collection• 1 LGA hosted session with Local Authority
Councillors and attendance at LGA
conferences

3.7 Impact of the Taskforce’s activities andways of working• 300 Individual conversations with membersof the public, stakeholders and staff

The Taskforce took a strategic and methodical
approach to its activity: initially, consulting
extensively with the sector and members of
the public before publishing its major strategy
document: Libraries Deliver: Ambition
for Public Libraries in England and then,focussing its activities under the 7 Strategic
Outcome areas to which public libraries
contribute, which were identified in that
document.

• 12 fact-finding visits to different libraries
across England

3.5 Communications and advocacy

The individual member organisations of the
Libraries Taskforce each achieved impressive
outcomes and progressed the developmentof public libraries on their own account over
the time that the Taskforce was extant.
Where these achievements and initiatives
were particularly relevant to the aims of theTaskforce and supported and amplified by
the Taskforce’s communications and policy
promotion activities, they are noted undereach of these headings. However this report
does not constitute an exhaustive list of theiractivities and achievements over this period.
The 6 monthly progress reports provide moredetail on these.

• 181 responses to an online questionnairefrom members of the public including
lapsed/non users of public libraries, someon behalf of groups• 38 email/letter/blog responses frommembers of the public including lapsed/nonusers of public libraries, some on behalf ofgroupsFollowing on from this engagement process,the Taskforce developed a strategy document
to guide its activities and articulate thecontribution that public libraries can and do
make to helping central and local government
achieve against 7 strategic Outcomes.
Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries
in England was published on 1 December
2016. It was designed to build on existing
good practice, and to help highlight thebenefits of public library services to central
and local government decision makers andother potential partners about the benefits
and purpose of public libraries.

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE

This was the first strategy to be endorsed bycentral and local government and it has been
integrated into individual library service andother national strategy documents. Ambition
has been used extensively for advocacy
work, within and beyond central and local
government. The outcomes of this are set out
in section 3.3 of this report.
The Ambition document set out 7 Strategic
Outcomes. The articulation of the 7 Strategic
Outcomes has appeared within many libraryservices’ individual strategy documents andhas frequently been used to illustrate therange of work undertaken by a modern libraryservice. For example, Libraries Connectedreferenced the 7 Strategic Outcomes in its
review of its Universal Offers in 2019 andillustrated how the 4 new Universal Offers
mapped across to them.
The publication of Ambition was followedby 4 sector forums held in Newcastle,
London, Bristol and Birmingham in January
2017 which were attended by around 350
people. The main themes of Ambition
were discussed, and the attendees had theopportunity to quiz Taskforce members in apanel session and also to hear directly fromthe then Libraries Minister, John Glen MP,
about how he would be supporting the sector
in the future. Articles about Ambition andits aims were published in publications readby decision-makers (such as the LGA ‘first’magazine for councillors).
In addition to the publication of Ambition,
the Libraries Taskforce has supported andpromoted national strategy development
among Taskforce member organisations. In
particular, the following strategic initiatives are
anticipated to have a notable impact on thelibrary sector going forward and to build on
and incorporate the work undertaken by theTaskforce over the past 5 years:

Arts Council England 10 Year
Strategy
In January 2020, Arts Council England
published Let’s Create – its strategy for 20202030. For nearly 2 years, the Arts Council
consulted with the arts and cultural sector
and communities across the country toenable it to create a strategy that celebrates
and supports the creativity of everyone,
wherever they live and whatever theirbackground. Libraries are sitting at the heartof the strategy – as places that are inclusiveof everybody and where everybody canexperience the arts and culture that forms andtransforms communities.
The strategy’s delivery plan has been delayed
by Covid-19 but in 2021 the Arts Council will
publish the first delivery plan that will include
a set of priorities and detail how it intends todeliver the strategy for the period 2021-24.

Libraries Connected Universal Offers
Libraries Connected, which is funded as anArts Council Sector Support Organisation,
launched its refreshed Universal Library
Offers in 2019. The 6 revised offers arereading; digital and information; culture andcreativity, health and wellbeing, the Children’s
Promise and the Six Steps Promise.
The new offers were announced after an
8-month independent review, carried out by
Shared Intelligence. This involved extensive
discussion with heads of service, librarystaff, funders and other key stakeholders.
The review confirmed that the Universal
Offers have been welcomed by libraries andfunders over the last 6 years. They provided
a powerful strategic tool to demonstrate
the core impacts libraries make, and havesupported partnership development andfunding applications. The review has now
streamlined them into a simplified structure.
A range of planning tools will help libraryservices show how their activities link to thestrategic outcomes of their councils, funders
and other key stakeholders.

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE

During the Universal Offers review there
was extensive consultation with the Libraries
Taskforce members about the relationshipof the Universal Offers and the 7 Strategic
Outcomes. The Universal Offers describe
the range of services and approaches thatlibraries provide, while the 7 Strategic
Outcomes describe the difference these
activities make to communities. The final
refreshed Universal Offers were explicitly
mapped against the 7 Strategic Outcomes.
In July 2020, the Arts Council made somechanges to its National Lottery Project Grants
programme to enable libraries to apply todeliver work based around the 6 Universal
Offers. This will enable support for libraries
to improve and to deliver work against theircore aims and objectives. It can, and should,
be game changing for libraries. Due to theexplicit link between the Universal Offers andthe 7 Strategic Outcomes, this will embed
the Outcomes in a major national funding
structure.

3.2 Funding
The Libraries Taskforce has directly supported
the achievement of over £19.6 million offunding for public libraries from a variety ofsources, in support of a range of outcomes
identified in the Ambition document.
The first section below sets out the key
funding streams achieved with the direct
support of the Taskforce. The second section
sets out other funding that was madeavailable to the sector through Taskforce
member organisations during its period
of operation. For this second category offunding, the Taskforce was actively involvedin promoting the opportunities to the sector
and leveraging policy engagement fromgovernment departments, funders and otherinterested parties.

Funding secured with direct support of the Libraries Taskforce£100,000£2,600,000
Libraries Opportunity for
Everyone Fund
Wifi in public libraries fund
BIPC network expansion
New approaches to building
digital skills£3,900,000£13,000,000

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE

Funding supported and promoted by the Libraries Taskforce£2,470,000£450,000£744,674£6,400,000
Enterprising Libraries
Library NPO funding
National Lottery Project Grants
Grant in Aid Development Budget
Start Ups in London Libraries£13,301,037

Funding achieved with the direct
support of the Libraries Taskforce
Digital Enablement
The Taskforce helped to achieve funding inthe 2015 Budget to enable universal Wifi
coverage in public libraries in England. This
programme helped support online access for
those people who were digitally excluded
and increased opportunities for libraries todeliver a wider range of services. Throughthe fund, (managed by Arts Council England)£2.6 million was spent on installing or
upgrading Wifi, so that over 99% of libraries
in England offered this vital facility by April
2016. This has underpinned the positioningof public libraries in the UK Digital Strategy as
the ‘go-to’ place for digital access and skills
training. An evaluation of the programme wasundertaken and published.
On 27 July 2015, the Taskforce in partnershipwith the Tinder Foundation, announced
funding of £100,000 to pilot new approaches
to building digital skills in socially excluded,
hard to reach groups. This action researchpilot on digital inclusion ran between
1 October 2015 and 31 March 2016, targeted
at libraries that already had Wifi installed.
Helping disadvantaged groups
The Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone
innovation fund (LOFE) was launched in
December 2016, alongside the Ambition
document. Its primary aim was to enablelibrary services to trial innovative projects
that would benefit disadvantaged people andplaces in England. Managed by Arts Council
England, the £3.9 million fund awarded grants
of between £50,000 and £250,000 to 30
projects across 46 library services in March2017 (APA 12).
An independent evaluation of LOFE by
Traverse showed that library services wereable to invest in high value equipment andresources, support staff through training, andmarket their libraries to local communities.
Services were also able to embed digitalor more inclusive practices within theirwider service offer. So that other libraryservices could learn from LOFE, the report

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE

also provided a range of insights into thedesign and delivery of innovative activities
in libraries including recommendations toimprove delivery and performance. A separate
Projects Information Booklet was publishedoutlining the aims, activities and impacts ofeach individual project. Infographics providing
an overview of the LOFE fund and illustrated
some of the impacts of the projects.
Libraries Improvement FundIn October 2019 DCMS announced the
Cultural Investment Fund, which, at the time,
was the biggest investment in culture for ageneration. This will be invested in a rangeof heritage and cultural projects, including anelement for libraries focused on upgradingbuildings and technology so public libraries
across England are better placed to respondto the changing ways people are using them.
Arts Council England will be managing
the fund which includes a Libraries
Transformation Fund which will be focused on
upgrading buildings and technology so public
libraries across England are better placed torespond to the changing ways people areusing them. The fund will be launched in early2021.
Taskforce budget supported external activities
The Taskforce worked with a lean budget ofc.£500,000 per annum, however, it invested£195,000 over 5 years into sector delivered
activities including:• £54,650 to commission the developmentof a business case for makerspaces,business support services and the Every
Child a Library Member initiative in public
libraries• £32,000 to support Libraries Connected
to join the Assisted Digital and Digital
Inclusion procurement frameworks
allowing public libraries to bid forgovernment contracts• £30,000 to support the Public Libraries
Skills Strategy Refresh• £30,000 to support a joint communications
strategy for Libraries Connected and CILIP• £31,000 for Libraries Connected’s Regional
Support Offer in 2021
Wherever possible the Taskforce conducted
workshops and training events in public library
spaces and paid hire fees to library services
for their facilities.

Other funding offered by Libraries
Taskforce member organisations andsupported by the Libraries Taskforce
Business support
Arts Council England, along with the British
Library and DCLG, developed the Enterprising
Libraries programme which was funded with
£450,000 from the 3 organisations. Thisinitiative, which ran from April 2013 – March
2015, helped 10 libraries establish hubs
in their buildings for small businesses andentrepreneurs. This activity was the startof the Business and Intellectual Property
Centres network (BIPC) set up by the British
Library. This work continues to be supported
via Arts Council England and the British
Library, and has proved to be successful indemocratising entrepreneurship by supporting
a diverse range of entrepreneurs to start up
and grow businesses.
The BIPC has enabled a range of initiatives totake place, from Start Up Days to partnershipwith non-profit organisation Make it Your
Business to launch a national roadshow of
informal talks and networking events for
women entrepreneurs, set to tour in UK
libraries.
In May 2019, the British Library’s Business& IP Centre launched Start-ups in London
Libraries, a three-year project to support
London’s entrepreneurs from all walks oflife to get their business idea off the ground.
This project is support by funding from Arts
Council England. This coordinated network offree support for start-ups officially launchedin over 60 public libraries in September 2019,

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCEin partnership with ten London boroughs. In
the March 2020 Budget, Treasury extended
the number of hubs, but also accelerated thedevelopment of the hub and spoke model,
bringing BIPC resources out into more highstreet locations across the country.
Arts Council England funding
The public library sector has been supported
through two separate funding strands byArts Council England as the National Library
Development Agency.
6 public library services (London Boroughof Barking and Dagenham, Inspire
Nottinghamshire, Community and Cultural
Services Cambridgeshire, Suffolk Libraries,
Libraries Unlimited (Devon) and St Helens
Council Library Service) have joined Arts
Council England’s National Portfolio, as has
Libraries Connected, as a Sector Support
Organisation. This represents an investmentof £2 million per year over 2018-23.
Public libraries are also eligible to apply for
National Lottery Project Grants. In 2018/19
138 projects involving public libraries weresuccessful through this fund, representing
a 67% success rate compared with anaverage across all art forms of 53%.The total
investment from April 2011 to October 2019
through the Arts Council’s National Lottery
funded Grants for the Arts and Project Grants
programmes amounts to £13,301,037.
In addition, the Arts Council’s Director:
Libraries manages a Grant in Aid
Development Budget which was £744,674
in 2018/19. Investment from the Arts
Council from this budget has enabled thedevelopment of partnership work:• supporting the Living Knowledge Network,a UK-wide partnership of national andpublic libraries who share ideas and spark
connections between libraries, theircollections and their people• expansion of the BIPC network
through Start Ups in London Libraries,
in partnership with the British Libraryand funding of the “Democratising
Entrepreneurship” report• sharing best practice nationally andinternationally, in partnership with Libraries
Connected and CILIP which reports on the
success of the BIPCs• supporting library services to understandplanning guidance, in partnership with the
National Archive• delivery of workshops for library staff todevelop expertise in fundraising• leadership and research programmes, suchas South East Libraries Touring report, theBIPC Centre report with the British Library• investigating accreditation for the sector,
in partnership with Libraries Connected
and CILIP• Keeping Performances Live, South
Western Regional Library Services CIO(SWRLS), hosted a national seminar on
performing arts collections provision• Refreshing Arts Council England’s working
agreement with The National Archives• the Single Digital Presence project, inpartnership with the British Library andCarnegie UK Trust (APA 20)• sector Peer reviews, in partnership with
the Local Government Association

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE

3.3 Promoting a libraries first
approach across public policy
The Taskforce regularly met with various
government departments to highlight thevalue of libraries and the work they do tosupport policy agendas, such as helping
disadvantaged groups. This resulted ina greater appreciation and awareness ofthe value of libraries to communities ingovernment and the inclusion of public
libraries in the following government strategy
documents:• Integrated Communities Strategy green
paper• UK Digital Skills strategy• Culture White Paper• Culture is Digital• A Connected Society: a strategy fortackling loneliness• Internet Safety Strategy green paper (white
paper called Online Harms)• Civil society strategy
Some examples of the way in which public
libraries were included in these government
strategies include:• the Internet Safety Green paper
consultation acknowledged that public
libraries offer a trusted source of
information, both on and offline for many,and noted that several libraries andsector organisations responded to theconsultation• the Taskforce is represented on 3 delivery
groups taking the Digital Skills Strategy
forward on behalf of the Digital Skills
partnership• the strategy for tackling lonelinessmentioned the 2018 Libraries Week,
which covered loneliness issues as partof its wellbeing theme. It also noted that
Taskforce masterclasses on evaluation andmeasuring the impact of library services
would cover the proposed new lonelinessmeasure, to improve evidence andunderstanding of the important role thatlibraries play in preventing individuals fromfeeling lonely
In addition to contributing to and securing
recognition of public libraries in a range of
published policy papers, the Taskforce teamsupported the thinking and developmentof a range of government campaigns andinitiatives, including:• ensuring public libraries were central to thedelivery planning of the Department for
Education’s Hungry Little Minds campaign.
The Department of Education consulted
with the DCMS Libraries team to createa working group to support the Hungry
Little Minds campaign and members of
the Taskforce contributed to that working
group• the Taskforce contributed to the DfE’s work
on changing behaviour to help promote
early language and literacy development
through the home learning environment(HLE). In November 2019, the Education
Secretary hosted a summit bringing
together nearly 100 businesses, charities
and public-sector organisations designed to
discuss how best to support parents withlearning at home. DCMS and Arts Council
England helped ensure that public libraries
were represented at this event, and thatthey were involved in the next stages ofdeveloping this initiative. Following thisevent, ASCEL updated a statement about
its Early Years Offer to help contribute tothinking on the next steps• the DCMS Libraries Team is on the Cross
Government Digital Inclusion SteeringGroup, contributing to thinking on Local
Digital Skills partnerships. The team led
a session in January 2020 focussing on
the contribution that public libraries canand do make to this agenda, alongside
Leeds Council who talked about the digital
inclusion work being led by its libraryservice

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE• the Taskforce team engaged with MHCLG
on the establishment of the High Streets
Taskforce, and with the organisation
currently delivering it, to reinforce the roleof libraries in its future work. Libraries
Connected is the sector body represented
on the Taskforce and it has reported
progress updates to Taskforce meetings
In addition, significant policy work wasundertaken in DCMS in relation to libraries
over this period, including:• in 2019 DCMS revised the information
available on GOV.UK about its statutory
superintendence role. This information,used in conjunction with the Taskforce
resources, will help to guide and support
library services considering major changes
to their delivery model• extending the Public Lending Right toe-books and e-audio books in 2018 (seemore information on this in section 3.4 ofthis report, Infrastructure Development)• in 2018 DCMS libraries team laid in
Parliament a statutory instrument, signedby the Libraries Minister, to ensure that
UK-resident authors will remain eligible toregister for the Public Lending Right (PLR)
when the UK leaves the EU

focused on the role and importance of librarystaff, the financial challenges facing libraries
and local authorities, and defining the ‘library
mission’.
CILIP worked with the Society of Chief
Librarians (now Libraries Connected) and theTaskforce to co-ordinate a Libraries All-Party
Parliamentary Group (APPG Libraries) eventat the House of Lords on 31 January 2017.
Speakers included Lord Tope, the then new
Chair of the APPG Libraries Gill Furniss MP,
Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson MP and
the then Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell.
The APPG supported the launch of theSummer Reading Challenge in July 2018.
It launched Libraries Week together with
CILIP in October 2018 with a reception in theState Rooms of the Speaker’s House in theHouse of Commons. The speakers included
Libraries Minister Michael Ellis MP, Chairof the Libraries Taskforce Professor Steven
Broomhead, Chair of the Libraries APPG Gill
Furniss MP and CILIP Chief Executive Nick
Poole. Rishi Sunak MP, then Minister for Local
Government, was also in attendance.

Local government

CILIP sought to align the APPG Libraries’
programme with the Taskforce’s work where
relevant.

Over the period 2015-20 the Taskforce teamvisited around 90 local library services inEngland, and over 300 branches. At a local
level, the Taskforce has helped heads oflibrary services articulate the contribution thatlibraries can make to corporate objectives
and engage more effectively with Chief
Executives and Council leaders.

In November 2017 the APPG Libraries held aroundtable to investigate Creating the Libraryof the Future. Panel members included theBritish Library and CILIP, alongside otherorganisations such as Arup, Carnegie UK
Trust, and the James Reckitt Trust. Areas of
discussion included the changing needs ofindividuals and communities due to societal
and technological change, the economic
potential of public libraries, and the impact of
new delivery and funding models. Questions• the Taskforce Chief Executive contributed
to a meeting of the Westminster City
Council’s Children, Sport & Leisure Policy
and Scrutiny Committee on 28 November
2016. The committee was interested tohear about the Taskforce’s work. It asked
for contributions to some further workit was planning to undertake to review
library provision in the Borough via a local
Libraries Commission it proposed to set up
and which has now been established

The All Party Parliamentary Groupfor Libraries (APPG Libraries)

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE• the Taskforce had a stand at the Local
Government Authority’s Culture Tourism
and Sport Conference in Hull in 2018
and in Bristol in 2017, which provided an
opportunity to promote the Taskforce’s
work to senior decision-makers across local
government• sessions which featured libraries andintroduced senior local government leaders
to their work took place at the LGA’s
annual conference Innovation Zone. For
example, at the Innovation Zone at the
Local Government Association’s 2017
annual conference, attended by leading
politicians and officials in local government,
Storyhouse, a library, theatre and cinema
complex based in Chester, presented
its work. In 2018 Norfolk and Somerset
libraries ran sessions at the same event,and Redbridge and West Suffolk in 2019
• the Taskforce team also attended theConference of Chief Cultural and Leisure
Officers (CCLOA) in 2016-18, highlighting
the value of libraries to the cultural offer
among these key local government officers• the Taskforce Team and its chairs havespoken at numerous events – ranging fromlibrary service staff and partners events,
through sector specific seminars, tosessions for library school students

Greater London Authority
Taskforce members in the DCMS policy
team and Arts Council England engaged with
the GLA to ensure that libraries’ importantrole in providing local access to cultural
opportunities was recognised (APA 1). For
example, the Taskforce team worked with
the Greater London Authority (GLA) to ensurethat libraries’ important role in providing
local access to cultural opportunities wasrecognised and discussed how libraries’
contribution could be covered as work within
as the GLA strategy progresses.

The Greater London Authority developed a
Cultural Infrastructure Plan for the city, which
was published in March 2019 and featured
libraries as part of its interactive map and in
the launch video.

Engagement with other decisionmakers and organisations
The Taskforce team engaged with over 100
other organisations from the public, private
and third sector, including library campaigners,
organisations working in digital inclusion,
major charitable funders, arms-length
bodies from a range of sectors, authors,publishers and a range of representative
bodies. The Taskforce team also engaged
with international delegations to the UK andsupported the development of international
collaborations, recognising the excellent work
undertaken by colleagues in the public librarysector across the world and developing links
to share best practice and support service
development.
Some of the more notable achievements ofthis work are detailed below:• libraries as key elements of the High Street
Strategy featured strongly in the Innovation
Zone presentation by the One Public Estateteam at the LGA conference in 2017. A
follow up presentation was made by Arts
Council England’s Director, Libraries toSouth East One Public Estate teams in
February 2020
• the Taskforce team facilitated theestablishment of a ‘commuter hub’ pilot
between the Ministry of Justice and anumber of library services, to generate
extra income for library services• the team also helped facilitate the colocation of the library service and Job
Centre Plus in Helston, Cornwall• the team introduced organisations such as
Youth Employment UK to library services,paving the way for pilots to be run

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE• the team helped to broker librarypartnerships to build volunteer digital skills
support such as that with Lloyds/Halifax
Group• in 2018, the Taskforce team provided
the Justice organisation with evidence
to support their work on preventing
digital exclusion. The Working Party wasconcerned about the wide range ofdigitally excluded people – such as those
without access to technology or withlow digital capability in light of court
reforms underway in England and Wales
which have a strong digital element. The
Taskforce team provided evidence to theWorking Party on the role that libraries canand do play in combating digital exclusion.
The report contains a number of positive
mentions about the role of libraries, andexamples of good practice

3.4 Sector Development
The Libraries Taskforce has supported anumber of sector development strategies andpromoted and delivered a wide range of direct
opportunities for the sector to develop andfoster its skills in relation to the 7 outcomes
identified in the Ambition document. From
its inception, one of the Taskforce’s priorities
was to draw together and share good practiceto help councils and library services beaware of different ways to provide what theircommunities needed. The approach was tobuild upon and add value to existing goodpractice, partnerships and other activity that
was already supporting public libraries.
Sector development has included bothinfrastructure development and support for
staff and decision-makers at a variety of levels
and roles in public libraries.

Infrastructure development
E-lending
Remote e-lending (downloads of books fromoutside library premises) was previously notcovered by Public Lending Right (PLR) – theright of authors and other rights holders
to receive compensatory payment for theloans of books from public libraries in the
UK – when the Taskforce was formed. The
Taskforce challenged DCMS (CG3) to identify
and implement ways to remunerate authors
for remote e-lending. Legislation to extend
PLR to include remote loans of e-books ande-audiobooks became law as part of the 2017
Digital Economy Act. The extension of PLR
to e-lending came into force on 1 July 2018,with the first in arrears payments made by
February 2020.
Single Digital Presence
The Society of Chief Librarians published areport, delivered by BiblioCommons, on thepotential for a Single Digital Library Presence(APA 20) (SDLP) in January 2016. This
examined the potential for public libraries
across the country to develop a single digitalpresence offering existing and potential usersof libraries a more engaging and interactive
digital experience. The report highlighted
the urgent need for public libraries to havea compelling national digital presence which
could help retain existing users, attract newones and change the perceptions of public
libraries.
In response to this report, the Taskforce
established a SDLP Steering Group to
take forward the project, which first met
on 31 March 2016. In August 2017 it wasannounced that the British Library would leadan 18-month scoping project to establish
the demand for, and possible shape of, asingle digital presence for UK public libraries.
Funded by Arts Council England and theCarnegie UK Trust, the project investigateduser expectations and demand for what anational online platform for public libraries
might deliver.
The British Library undertook a year-longenquiry to examine a range of options fora platform that could enable public libraries
to benefit fully from recent technologicaldevelopments and to engage new andexisting users at local and national level.

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In June 2019 the recommendations paper,‘Digital Transformations for UK public libraries:
five approaches to a ‘Single Digital Presence’,
set out what a national online platform for
public libraries could look like, what it could be
used for and how such an offering might fit inwith existing digital library systems.

inquiries. This was reviewed and updated inJuly 2019 to:Further development work is now being
funded by Arts Council England and Carnegie
UK Trust, to explore the feasibility of each ofthese types of transformation. A model forthe single digital platform is being showcased
and refined and the final recommendations
will be released during 2021.

The Independent Review for Libraries
recommended that the Taskforce should
develop sector-led best practice guidelines
to help local authorities when working withvolunteers and community-led libraries.
The Taskforce recognised that some local
authorities were, for various reasons,considering moving some libraries into
community management. Although theTaskforce did not endorse this approach, it
took the view that, if that path were taken, allparties involved should be enabled to makeinformed decisions, understanding the pros
and cons and learning from others who havegone before, so that a high-quality service
would be provided to local people.

Support for decision-makers andHeads of Service
Good practice guidance and toolkits
The Taskforce published its first toolkit,
Libraries shaping the future: goodpractice toolkit, on 16 December 2015. Its
development was led by a head of libraryservice who was seconded to the Taskforce,enabling the Taskforce to benefit from ‘on the
ground’ experience from the library sector andwider library contacts. It was aimed at chief
executives and library portfolio holders and• emphasised how libraries are trusted
spaces, free to enter and open to all• described the role of libraries as places
people can explore and share reading,information, knowledge and culture• showed how local authority priorities aresupported and delivered by libraries• provided information on alternative
governance models• introduced ideas on smarter ways ofworkingAlongside this toolkit, the Taskforce worked
with DCMS to publish guidance on thelegislative framework for public libraries. This
included points to consider if an authority wasreviewing its library service, incorporating
learning from previous case reviews and• clarify the decision-making process• provide pointers to practical help available
to councils considering making significant
changes to their library services

On 23 March 2016, the Taskforce publisheda second toolkit: Community libraries: goodpractice toolkit, again produced under theleadership of a Head of Service seconded
to the Taskforce and with experience of
operating alongside Community Managed
Libraries. This provided guidance to local
authorities working with volunteers andcommunity-led libraries, as well as to thosecommunities who were thinking of taking on
the running of a library. It included information
gathered from library partners and a wide
variety of community-run and volunteer-run
libraries. Subsequent research commissionedby the Libraries Taskforce into the support
needs of community libraries in 2017 (seeSection 3.6) was used to pinpoint ways
to improve and strengthen the advice andguidance provided through the toolkits.
During the work to develop the Ambition
document, the Taskforce agreed that 3 further
toolkits would be of value. Its Action Plan
included commitments to produce:

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE• an Alternative Delivery Models toolkit
which was aimed at library service
managers, council commissioners andtransformation teams, councillors, Friends
Groups and community groups. It was
intended to provide practical guidance
to help them consider the desirability,
viability and feasibility of a range ofalternative delivery model options for theirlibrary services. This toolkit (published in
March 2017), developed by the Optimo
partnership and funded by DCMS, brought
together a range of technical processes
and the real-life experiences and insightsof the 4 library services that had spun out
from their respective councils. The toolkit
has been used by the DCMS team as aresource when advising people about
setting up a mutual and the LGA has also
used it for its work with museums• a strategic planning toolkit (APA10), toencourage and help library services toundertake, or contribute to, a robust,objective and evidence-based analysis
of local need as a basis for developing astrategy to deliver a library service thatwill best meet the needs of their local
communities (published in August 2017).
This was used by DCMS in its Statutory
Service guidance to Local Authorities andhas resulted in the 7 Strategic Outcomes
being incorporated into a number of local
authority strategies• a sector-led benchmarking framework
for library services (APA 13), published in
September 2017, which was designedwith the sector to support library services
to develop their organisational capability toachieve enhanced and sustainable positive
outcomes for the communities they
serve. It provided support for a ‘journey’of improvement across all aspects of thelibrary service and its work (underpinned
by self-assessment)
These toolkits have been used extensively
by the sector and feedback has been
positive. The Benchmarking Framework

toolkit has been adopted less widely by thesector, possibly because it requires a new
way of working which library teams may
be less familiar with and require support toimplement. Feedback also suggested that
there was limited time available to heads ofservice to plan their use of the toolkit andthat external support was needed to create
this time and space to reflect on the service.
This feedback influenced the later design ofthe library peer challenges and the regional
support offer from Libraries Connected, whichshould support wider adoption of this type ofapproach in relation to the new accreditation
process that is being developed.
Peer challenge
The Local Government Association, in
partnership with Arts Council England,delivered 9 library service peer challenges in
2018-19 and 7 library service peer challenges
in 2019/2020. The LGA’s standard corporate
peer challenge was adapted to meet the
specific needs of libraries, helping them toevaluate performance, innovate, and think
about the future of their service.
Peer challenges are an improvement toolthat offer expert, neutral review and advice,providing constructive analysis of the service
and helping to identify further opportunities
for innovation. Each challenge is tailoredaround a service’s specific needs. The sector
led peer team is made up of a peer challengemanager, a councillor and a peer officer fromthe sector. Members of the Taskforce teamand Arts Council England also attended someof the challenges.
All library services participating in the peer
challenges had to make large efficiency
savings over recent years, due to financialpressures on council budgets, and had
challenging targets to achieve in the future.
This led to a need to do things differently
whilst continuing to provide a vital service
for local communities. Several important
themes were identified from the library peer
challenges that were recognised as impacting
on the wider library sector:

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1. The importance of library service strategies,
visions and service plans

A programme of joint activity was agreed todeliver on the recommendations including;

2. Understanding income generation andcommercialisation• in January 2018, Libraries Connected andthe British Library announced their national
mentoring programme which aimed tostrengthen the sector by supporting talent
within the public library network. The
12-month programme supported leadershipdevelopment for staff at all levels. 22 libraryservices participated in total, including 11
mentors and 11 mentees from services
across England. A reflection event toformally end the scheme was planned forJune 2020 but has had to be postponed
and therefore there is no formal evaluation
information available at present

3. Identifying skills needs and gaps in amodern library service
4. Relationships with volunteers and friends
groups
5. Partnership working
6. The use of qualitative and quantitative data
7. Celebrating success and self- promotion
8. Benefits and risks of different operating
models
9. Position within council structures
This programme has been well received.
A follow up survey has been distributed by
LGA. Although the results have not been
published, the initial feedback suggests thatthe programme has had a positive impact
and been well received by participating
authorities. In addition, many of the seniorstaff at participating councils went on
to become peer officers for other LGA
challenges, including on corporate andchildren’s services challenges. Arts Council
England and the LGA have agreed to continue
with this programme to support the sector
until 2021.

Support for public library staff skills
Public Libraries Skills Strategy (APA 19).
The Public Library Skills Strategy (PLSS)
was developed jointly by the Society ofChief Librarians (now Libraries Connected)
and CILIP. It was published in July 2017and contained 9 aims and a series ofrecommendations to guide the developmentof information and library skills, knowledge
and qualifications in the public library sector
in England between then and 2030. The
Taskforce supported this work and provided
advice and expertise as it was developed, as
well as promoting it widely once complete.

• in 2018 CILIP won approval for a level 3
Apprenticeship standard for the library andinformation profession and, since then,work has been undertaken to facilitate theimplementation of the standard into libraryservices. Arts Council England funded
Libraries Connected to deliver a series of
3 workshops across England in 2019-20 topromote the benefits of apprenticeships
to the library workforce. 60 library staff
attended the workshops• CILIP created an Employer Partner
scheme, which aimed to bring together
and recognise employers that are industry
leaders in data, information, knowledge andlibraries and are committed to developing aworkforce with the skills and capabilities tosteer them to success. To date CILIP has
secured 150 employer partners• CILIP Ethics Committee developed adiversity and equality plan for the libraryand information profession celebrating
diversity, inclusion, equalities andrepresentation• CILIP conducted an 18 month review of
their ethical principles, and the revised
ethical framework was launched at the
CILIP Annual General Meeting, in October
2018

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Libraries Connected was awarded a grant of£128,456 from Arts Council England to work
closely with CILIP to develop and deliver
an authoritative, sector-led scheme to help
libraries in England to meet the needs oftheir local communities. This includes thedevelopment of a new skills framework
as part of an overall programme of sector
development outlined in Blueprint for Libraries
report.
Delivered collaboratively by Libraries
Connected, CILIP and Arts Council England,
this programme includes joint projects to
update the Public Libraries Skills Strategy andto help drive diversity in library leadership. A
Steering Group has been convened to guidethe project. The refreshed Skills Strategy will
be published as part of this package of work
but a publication date has not yet been set.
Masterclasses
As well as sharing good practice via thetoolkits, the Taskforce was keen to reachout and involve people across the sector
more actively in debating, sharing andhearing from each other. To do this, a
programme of free masterclasses was held
across England (wherever practical in librarybuildings), to make it easier and cheaper for
people from library services to attend, andto boost regional networking opportunities.
The masterclasses were open to anyone
interested in the topics covered who wanted
to attend, regardless of background or job
role.
A total of 25 masterclasses were delivered by
the Taskforce team over 2015-20. A summary
list is provided below, and more detail on eachmasterclass can be found in Appendix 2:o 5 x sector forumso 3 x Alternative Delivery Models
masterclasses
o 2 x Income Generation masterclasseso 3 x Makerspaces masterclasses

o 2 x Strategic Planning and Benchmarking
Framework masterclasses
o 2 x Creative thinking masterclasses
o 2 x masterclasses on Applying for Fundingo 2 x masterclasses on Making an Impact
o 4 x Evaluation masterclasses
To help share the learning with people
who were unable to attend, each set of
masterclasses was followed with a blog
post or series that summarised the speakersessions and linked people to further useful
information.
Some were general updates, covering awide range of topics, and helping people
to understand the issues covered by the
Ambition document (the sector forums, which
ran in January 2017). Masterclasses were run
to expand on some of the published toolkits(for example the sessions on alternative
delivery models, and those on strategicplanning and benchmarking).
Others arose from sector feedback about
issues they felt it would be useful to havea chance to explore in more depth (forexample income generation and applying
for funding) or come together on to workon collaboratively (for example the sessions
for those actively working on developing
makerspaces in public libraries).
Undertaking evaluation work with successful
LOFE project bidders led to requests to help
library services think about how to betterbuild evaluation, measurement and impact
assessments into their day to day work –masterclasses were set up to cover all ofthese.
Feedback was collected after every
Masterclass and used to shape and improve
future events. For example, speakerroundtable sessions gave attendees moretime to talk in greater detail to the speakers
and put specific questions to them. The
Alternative Delivery Model masterclasses

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responded to feedback from the sector
forums where attendees wanted to go
into far more detail about the process andexperiences of others.
Online makerspaces resource library
Following on from the makerspaces
masterclasses, resources for library services
with makerspaces, or those who are thinking
of creating one, were assembled in one place
on GOV.UK to provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ of
guidance and support. These include a map
showing libraries with makerspaces and thosein development and guidance documents
developed by the Libraries Taskforce team on
issues such as makerspaces and libraries, andapplying for funding.
Sector development following on from LOFE
funding initiative
LOFE funding also led directly to broader
sector development activities via peer-to-peer
learning and support among funded projects:• as part of the evaluation, workshops
provided space for project leads to build
relationships and share experiences andlearning with other funded projects• as several library services which
received LOFE funding were establishingmakerspaces (or similar), 3 masterclasses
allowed people to share their experiences.
These enabled attendees to learn fromthose who had gone before, compare
notes on their plans and look forcollaboration opportunities. This group has
continued to be highly active on the LibraryInnovators Network, providing support andadvice to other services embarking on new
digital services. Information shared in themasterclasses was captured on the DCMS
libraries blog

Community Managed Libraries
Research commissioned by the Libraries
Taskforce into the support needs ofcommunity libraries (see section 6) was used
to pinpoint ways to improve and strengthen
the advice and guidance provided throughthe toolkits. Following on from this research,a number of activities were undertaken in
relation to Community Managed Libraries:• working in partnership with the Society ofChief Librarians (now Libraries Connected)
and Locality (and subsequently Power
to Change), the Libraries Taskforce
supported the establishment of a
Community Managed Libraries Peer
Network. This was led through the Upper
Norwood Library Trust and developed aprogramme of learning events and ways
to share information and support between
community libraries, including a national
conference in Sheffield in 2018
• in 2019 the Libraries Taskforce team at Arts
Council England supported the Community
Managed Libraries Peer Network todevelop its business plan. The network is
now formally constituted as a charity with afully recruited board. The network also has
a new website and social media channels
and is increasing its engagement with
community managed libraries region byregion

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3.5 Communications andadvocacy
Communications activity about the work of
the Libraries Taskforce began in September
2015. The Taskforce set up several channels
through which information could be shared.
These included:• GOV.UK pages• Twitter• the Taskforce blog
• Flickr
There was significant traffic and engagementon all sites and a total of 364 blog posts were
published from a broad spectrum of authors
on a range of topics. Further statistics andinformation are in Appendix 2. All official
information on the Taskforce and its work was
published on GOV.UK web pages, including
minutes of meetings, published reports andinformation about Taskforce membership.
Communications sub-group
A communications sub-group was establishedin March 2016 and included communications
representatives from the Taskforce member
organisations. It developed programmesof communications activity, materials andprotocols to help promote the main themes ofAmbition, and to support more collaborative
approaches between Taskforce partners
to reinforce core messages. A workshop
was held in December 2016 looking at the
advocacy materials currently available andexploring what people would find helpful.
The communications sub-group also ran
a survey inviting people to share theirexperience of engaging with communications
and whether there were any barriers to this(as part of an investigation of APA 9 in relation
to barriers to accessing communications– for the full list of APAs please refer toAppendix 2). Over 120 people responded,
but these were mostly people who had
good experience and the barriers shared

were issues around capacity, capability andskills, rather than technical barriers. This also
reflects comments made during the sector
forums. The Taskforce therefore decided tofocus on skills development and confidencebuilding rather than technical access issues.
As a result of this review, a range of advocacy
leaflets were developed supporting the 7
Outcomes:• Prosperity• Digital Access and Literacy and Helping
Everyone Achieve their Full Potential• Healthier and Happier Lives• Communities
The Society of Chief Librarians (now Libraries
Connected) led on developing an events
calendar for the Taskforce partners to use.
The members of the communications subgroup also worked collaboratively to promote
initiatives such as National Libraries Week.
The Taskforce also provided funding for
Libraries Connected to be the main point ofgood practice dissemination for the sector,
resulting in the redesign of their website andan increase in their communications staffing.
Libraries Week
Libraries Week is an annual landmark date for
the Taskforce members and an opportunity
for joined up communications. As part of
Libraries Week in 2018, CILIP made a rangeof downloadable resources available, andurged public libraries to sign up to take partand be kept updated. The LGA prepareda libraries feature for Arts Professional, tocoincide with Libraries Week, which wascomplemented by national press activity.
The Taskforce team supported Libraries Week
in a range of ways including:• sending out a printed series ofadvocacy documents to heads of libraryservices, available electronically on GOV.UK
Ambition page. These had a very positive
reception, with numerous requests forfurther copies to use in local advocacy

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE• Publishing a series of blog posts whichstarted with a post by the Libraries
Minister, and then went on to illustrateeach of the 7 Outcomes from Libraries
Deliver:o Why I’m looking forward to Libraries
Week by Michael Ellis MPo digital: A focus on outcomes: digitalaccess/literacy – 100% digital Leeds
o wellbeing: Not just treating thesymptoms – Taskforce member Dr Neil
Churchill reflected on the benefits ofsocial prescribing and the role libraries
can playo culture: Encounters: Whitby Library –Celebrating Cook 250 in Yorkshireo prosperity: Your library, your work cluband The Great Project – helping people
find work in Leicestershireo communities: With a little help frommy friends: the vital contribution madeby Friends Groups – examples fromaround the country, including a filmedinterview with the chair of Thurston
Friends group in Suffolko learning: Contribution libraries make toearly years – post which pulled together
lots of research and references which
illustrate libraries work with young 		childreno literacy: Summer Reading Challenge –getting more children reading – fromThe Reading Agency
Between 7-12 October 2019, CILIP organised
Libraries Week, with a theme of Libraries in a
Digital World. More than 1,000 libraries took
part with a series of events that included:• the launch of Simon & Schuster UKChildren’s ‘LOVE YOUR LIBRARY’ – acampaign in partnership with Peters
featuring an exhibition of original artworkfrom 12 of the publisher’s illustrators in
the National Art Library at the Victoria andAlbert museum• The World of Possibilities Festival withlate-night openings, film screenings andinteractive digital storytelling sessions in
all 325 public libraries across London• mathematician and broadcaster Bobby
Seagull announcing the winner of the
LEGO Build the Library of the Futurecompetition
Taskforce partners joined forces throughout
the week to ensure maximum coverageof the week’s activities, with The Reading
Agency also marking the week by creatinga toolkit containing ideas for Reading Well
displays, events and online and social media
activity and information on Public Health
England’s Every Mind Matters campaign.
During Libraries Week
DCMS Libraries Team arranged a programmeof events to support National Libraries Week,
including:• Helen Whateley, the then Libraries
Minister, published a blog and visited 3
libraries (British Library, Maidstone andWillesden Green). Nicky Morgan (Secretaryof State) and Matt Warman (Minister for
Digital) visited the British Library. A rangeof other ministerial visits (Defra and BEIS)
were also arranged by the DCMS Libraries
team• the DCMS team also visited a numberof libraries during this week, including
Leamington Spa to mark the opening of a
3rd makerspace, building on the successof the existing makerspaces in Rugby andNuneaton that were funded by the DCMSbacked and Arts Council England-managed
Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone
Innovation fund
Libraries Deliver Newsletter
In response to feedback via informal
consultation with the sector, the Taskforce set
up the Libraries Deliver newsletter targetedat frontline staff and issued to a wide mailinglist across library services in England. It was

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published monthly from September 2017
– December 2018 and was designed to beprinted out and pinned to noticeboards toreach frontline staff. The newsletter contained
4 sections and generally covered:
1. work undertaken by the Taskforce toachieve its aims – including that achieved
centrally by the Taskforce team based in
DCMS and work led by Taskforce partners
2. updates on projects funded by DCMS’s
Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone
Innovation fund, plus other funding
opportunities
3. examples which illustrated how deliveryof the Libraries Connected’s Universal
Offers were helping to achieve the Seven
Outcomes described in Libraries Deliver
4. news about particular initiatives andactivities that potentially affected all staff –for example, the new Public Library Skills
Strategy produced by CILIP and Libraries
Connected
In 2018 this engagement mechanism was
replaced with the (already existent) LibraryInnovators Basecamp group which had been
identified as the primary tool for sharing
information within the sector and facilitated
real-time information sharing and two-way
communication between individuals in
different library authorities.
Arts Council England communications
co-ordination (since December 2018)
Arts Council England’s Communications
Manager has produced a range of activity
including commissioning and publishing blog
posts illustrating the impact of libraries on
their communities. For example, the postfrom Kerry Hudson published during Libraries
Week 2019 received good engagement on
the Arts Council’s 6 Twitter accounts (with36,785 impressions on the national accountalone). Other blog posts include one marking
The Reading Agency’s 20th anniversary andone covering the BBC VR in libraries project.
In June 2019, a post about how libraries are

helping to help combat loneliness in theircommunities was viewed nearly 2,000 times.
Proactive and reactive media work has been
undertaken, liaising with national and sector
media journalists, and the national and 5
area Arts Council Twitter accounts regularly
share information from partners and amplify
the achievements of the library sector. The
Arts Council Communications Manager also
works closely with communications leads inpartner organisations to ensure the effective
sharing of activity as well as supportive
communications actions around projects suchas Libraries Week and the Summer Reading
Challenge.
Other advocates secured include televisionpresenter and teacher Bobby Seagull,comedian Adam Hills and doctor/TV presenter
Dr Ranj Singh. These quotes and social cards
have been gaining good traction on Twitter.
One has received over 15,000 impressions on
the Arts Council’s North Area Twitter accountand is one of its best performing tweets.

3.6 Research and data
Ambition frequently mentions ensuring libraryservice design and delivery is informed byevidence and data. Action 4 in the Ambition
Action Plan describes plans to identify andcommission further research work to be used
as a shared evidence base.
The Libraries Taskforce identified that libraryservice leaders should be able to basedecisions on robust evidence, accurate data
and analysis of good practice from the UK
and overseas. Access to timely, accurate,comparable library data is critical to enabling
the library sector and users to monitor thedelivery of library services and improve their
quality. This includes everything from theinformation librarians need to manage theirservice day-to-day and that which decision
makers need to consider the strategic
direction of library service provision, to thefacts informing how local services fit into thenational picture.

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Improving libraries data
Previously there was no consistent andagreed set of data on libraries across Englandcovering: which are statutory, how they aredelivered, and basic information on opening
hours, staffing arrangements, etc. Thisgap led to confusion because there weredifferent figures being quoted based on varieddefinitions and time periods. Over the courseof the past 5 years, the Taskforce collated
information from all library authorities which
was published and updated regularly.
The Taskforce began this work by holding
a data workshop in December 2015 whichlooked at:• existing data sets
• how to improve and increase their usage
and make them more accessible• what data was needed in the future to
inform decision making• how to bridge the gaps in the short,medium and long term
In the Libraries Deliver consultation,
discussions included balancing the value ofany data collected with the effort needed tocapture it, the need to widen data collection
beyond inputs and outputs to capture
outcomes and impact, and recognition thatany data should be published openly andregularly updated. As part of the sector
forums, workshops were run (held in January
2017 in Newcastle, London, Bristol andBirmingham) where the main discussion
focused on what a core dataset should
contain. The workshop: ‘Libraries coredataset’ was held a total of 12 times in these
4 locations with 137 people taking part.
Following on from this, The Ambition Action
Plan Action 2 made a commitment to define
and publish a core data set, creating atransparent and automated (where possible)
process to gather and share it. A core datasetrefers to series of data which all libraryservices will collect, use and publish. The

plan was to have a consistent dataset which
can be used to help inform and improve local
library service delivery, as well as being used
for advocacy purposes at local and national
level (when aggregated). There might, ofcourse, also be other data which authorities
choose to collect in addition to this for theirown local purposes.
As a first step some basic data was gathered
about the numbers and types of libraries
available within each local authority in
England. Different data sets were collated andlibrary service managers were asked to verify
their data. This work was not restricted todata relating to statutory libraries as the aim
was to understand all library service provisionin local authorities. This included details of
closures and transfers of libraries to otheroperating models since 1 April 2010. Thisbaseline was chosen as most information
requests we received made comparisons withand analysed current library numbers against
this date. This information was published(verified to cover the period up to July 2016)
on GOV.UK in March 2017 and Arts Council
England undertook an update of this dataset,taking it up to December 2019 which will be
published in 2021.
The Taskforce also supported various pieces
of work being undertaken across the sector
to explore the potential for libraries to adopt
an Open Data approach – for example bysponsoring the Voyage of the Data Treader
workshops in November 2017 and March
2019. These were sector led, run by DaveRowe (Libraries Hacked), Aude Charillon(Newcastle) and Claire Back (Plymouth), andenabled people to talk about what mattered
to them as well as practical sessions on
working with data and Wikidata. Discussions
were held on topics including Open Data 101,
publishing a first dataset, extracting data andautomation, social media surgery and open
data and social value.
This work was revisited in August 2019
through a workshop held with Taskforce

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members, front-line library practitioners
and data experts to reflect on what had
already been achieved and what the next
steps should be. Following this session andthe debate it stimulated, the facilitators of
the Data Treader workshops volunteered
to develop a draft schema and definitions
using sample outputs from Newcastle andPlymouth. A wider group of library services
tested this during January 2019. The next
steps will be to draw up guidance and runworkshops across the country to raiseawareness of the new schema and encourage
its use and iteration. This work will be
undertaken by DCMS.
In addition to this work, a Cambridge MPhilintern, Joan O’Bryan, worked with theTaskforce Team to undertake some in-depth
analysis of the annual CIPFA statistics relating
to library services. She interrogated CIPFA
statistics sheets from 2006/07 to 2016/17
to analyse trends regarding public libraries
in England as well as assess the reliability
and limitations of the CIPFA dataset. Her
report was published and featured on theTaskforce blog.

Research
The Taskforce also considered how tostrengthen the evidence base about the
impact library services have on the lives
of individuals and communities based on
research findings. This was becoming
increasingly important where local authorities
and other partners commissioned libraries
and paid them based on achievement ofoutcomes. Robust survey-based research canbe resource intensive and time consuming tocollect at a local level, so the Taskforce teamand Arts Council England undertook work tomarshal what research already existed or wasunderway (including research commissioned
by other administrations, such as Scotland)
together with thoughts about what it might beuseful to gather in the future.
The Taskforce conducted desk research andworkshops (held in 2017), to understand what

research already existed, was underway orplanned. A research overview spreadsheet
was published and regularly updated. Topics
that the sector felt would be useful for
future research were investigated and thisinformation was used to point academic
researchers or students to so that their work
could have a practical application.
The Taskforce also commissioned new
research. Across England, increasing pressure
on resources led many local authorities to
move, or consider moving, to a library service
model where they work in partnership withlocal communities to deliver services.
So Action 11 in Libraries Deliver: Ambition
aimed to:• undertake research into community
managed libraries• work with partners to create a new peer
support network to make it easier forcommunity managed libraries to sharegood practice and to learn from each otherTo further build the evidence base aboutcommunity managed libraries, the Taskforce
and DCMS commissioned SERIO, an appliedresearch unit at the University of Plymouth,
to conduct an England-wide research project.
The aim was to understand more about how
community managed libraries operate, andwhat lessons can be learnt, and examples
shared about their effectiveness, efficiency
and sustainability. The findings and theTaskforce’s plans to act on them were bothpublished.
In 2018 DCMS also published Public Service
Mutuals: The State of the Sector, which
provided up to date and comprehensive
research and evidence on this governancestructure in the sector. It also offered insight
into the challenges faced by mutuals, andrecommendations as to how government
could further support the sector to sustain
and grow over the longer term. The researchalso recognises the critical part highly
engaged staff play in the success of a mutual.

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Between 2015 and 2020, Arts Council
England also published a number of research
reports on the impact of public libraries.
They are:• Stand by me: the contribution of public
libraries to the well-being of older people• Re-writing the story: the contribution of
public libraries to place-shaping• Libraries as community hubs: case studies
and learning• Evidencing libraries: Audience Reach
Research findings and analysis• Library Rhyme Times and Maternal Mental
Health• Libraries welcome everyone: six stories
of diversity and inclusion from libraries inEngland• The potential for partnership working
between libraries and higher education
institutions• Championing Archives and Libraries within
local planning• Keeping Performance live: This report
explores how to utilise performing arts
collections in libraries.
These contributed to informing politicaland sector stakeholders about libraries’
contribution to public policy areas, and to
sharing models of best practice with thelibraries sector. For example, the findings ofthe research into Library Rhyme Times andMaternal Mental Health were received withinterest by the DfE which has a growinginterest in work with early years and thehome learning environment. Discussions
also took place with health sector bodies
to consider what role libraries might playin national efforts to develop new forms ofMaternal Mental Health support, especiallyin areas with least existing services. The
findings of Libraries welcome everyone wereused to support advocacy on the valuablerole public libraries can play in equality anddiversity work.

Taskforce members discussed future
research priorities at a Taskforce meeting in
December 2019 and members agreed to startwith libraries and their role in employability(including digital skills). Arts Council England
subsequently commissioned SharedIntelligence and Cambridge Econometrics
to investigate the impact library services inEngland have on employability outcomes.
If further funding became available, members
agreed to follow this with research into either
literacy and reader development or health andwellbeing.

3.7 Impact of the Taskforce’s
activities and ways of working
The Libraries Taskforce constituted a new
way of working within the libraries sector. It
intended to bring key strategic organisations
working on public libraries together, tofacilitate greater information sharing andimpact for the public library sector and the
public it serves. The Taskforce team itself
was a small team of project management,
communication and policy specialists who
worked with member organisations to create
impact. The team co-ordinated, amplified
and supported the activities of Taskforce
members and has supported greater visibilityof the work of member organisations andtheir roles. It has enabled closer working
between library sector leaders and library staff
at a national level to agree a shared vision for
the future of public libraries.
As a model for supporting sectors with awide range of stakeholders and strategicand delivery responsibilities across different
bodies, the Libraries Taskforce represented
an innovative, efficient and flexible approach.
This was evidenced by its ability to move
executive functions from government
department to non-departmental public bodyas required and in its ability to pick up newthemes and issues in the sector and provide
support as and when needed. An example ofthis includes support for Libraries Connected

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to achieve government contracts in assisted
digital services for the library sector at a time
when new contracts were being issued bygovernment.
The governance structure for the Taskforce,
especially the model of co-sponsorshipfrom DCMS and the LGA, ensured balance,
consensus and relevance. The Taskforce
was successful in bringing together sector
organisations and promoting joined up
working, such as the joint communications
strategy and the partnership working which
achieved the Blueprint for public libraries,
which sets out an integrated approach tosupporting the public library sector. However,it did not achieve all of its aims in terms ofjoined up messaging and integrated working
across the wider sector.
From 2015-20 the sector experienced wideranging change, budget reductions and amovement towards greater diversity ofdelivery models and operating approaches
rather than cohesion. This may have inhibitedits ability to engage with more integrated
approaches. It may also be that some of thewider sector impacts will take longer than
5 years to be measured and achieved, forexample, the Single Digital Presence andthe adoption of common messages aboutpublic libraries across the sector and local
government.
The frequent meetings and updates of theTaskforce allowed member organisations toreport issues and needs as they arose andthe small amount of funding available to theTaskforce directly was regularly directed tomeet those needs and strengthen sector
organisations, for example in the funding
provided to Libraries Connected and CILIP todevelop a joint communications strategy.
The fact that meetings took place in public
libraries across the country demonstrated
the Taskforce’s commitment to engaging thesector as widely as possible. The many visits,
consultation workshops and masterclasses
which took place allowed the Taskforce teamto engage directly with the sector on a regularbasis and gain feedback from those mostdirectly affected by its activities.
The Taskforce placed particular importanceon transparency, and therefore it published
all its minutes reports, progress updates andguidance, blogged regularly about its workand conducted workshops and consultations
with the sector across the course of its
operation.

Review of Libraries Taskforce –December 2017
The Taskforce undertook a review of its
work in December 2017, assessing progressagainst the Action Plan and the Outcomes
Actions. There was a consensus thatthe creation of the Taskforce in itself had
improved how the various organisations
working within the sector came together
to focus their work in a more cohesive andeffective way.
The work undertaken in drawing together
the Ambition document had brought
the organisations together to identify
shared goals, and to debate their different
perspectives in a constructive and mutually
supportive way. Its endorsement by both
central and local government (the firstlibraries’ policy document to achieve this),and its focus on a detailed and specific Action
Plan, with regular and transparent reportingon progress, was also felt to have been agame-changer.
The work undertaken in the first part of the
document, in defining the Seven Outcomesthat public libraries can and do contribute to,was seen as particularly useful, by providing
a simpler and more coherent framework for
advocacy work by and on behalf of the sector.
At that stage the Taskforce was beginning to
see use and impact from this by raising the
profile of public libraries with both national
and local decision-makers, and welcomed thisbeing continued in the future.

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE“I was, and have been, amazed at thenational profile that the Taskforce and theassociated work streams has achieved
and particularly early on within a very shorttimescale. … and how the ‘Taskforce’brand is now recognised not just with
Library Services but with Local Authorities
in general.” Taskforce member
The review also looked at the findings from asurvey seeking feedback on the Taskforce’s
work and its impact at grassroots levels
which was linked via the Taskforce blog. As
the response rate was limited (22 replies intotal), the Taskforce team was unable to do
any meaningful analysis between sub-groups.
However, overall, the survey showed:

masterclasses (including two focused on
measuring impact).
The report also included feedback on the
14 masterclasses and sector forums run by
the Taskforce during 2017 (covering income
generation, makerspaces, creative thinking,alternative delivery models, strategic planningand the benchmarking framework). These
events were attended by over 500 people andinformation was published as a blog post to
share learning with those unable to attend.
A further 6 masterclasses ran before the endof March 2018.
These events were well received, withfeedback showing that attendees:• good awareness, and use, of Taskforce
toolkits and communications channels• value the opportunity to network• how the sector values the work of theTaskforce• preferred smaller group sessions withspeakers, in preference to plenary Q&As

• a significant majority of respondents felt
the Taskforce has had a positive impact• liked the detailed follow up blogs and notes• people felt the Taskforce had provided aunifying force, raising the profile of libraries
in government
Areas where respondents suggested theTaskforce could do more work in 2018
included:• producing communications assets
which could be used at local levels• further promotion of Libraries First tosenior leaders and chief executives• providing further masterclasses, andexploring running webinars• measuring impact• more communications aimed at
frontline staff
In response to feedback, as well as
maintaining its advocacy work acrossgovernment, the Taskforce team produceda range of publications, intended to be used
to support targeted local discussions onparticular Outcomes. It continued to run• find hands on, practical sessions useful

The Taskforce noted achievements during
2017 and that some actions had been
delayed. While progress with the Actions wasregularly covered in the six-month progress
reports, the Taskforce agreed that a blog postsummarising 2017 would be published in the
new year alongside the Action Plan for 2018.
This progress of the Taskforce was reviewed
annually in December against the action plan.

Actions that were not achieved orless effective
Although the Taskforce made progressagainst all of its Priority Actions and most of
the APAs, there were some areas where lessprogress was possible. These include:• Work with local councils to investigate
new approaches to procurement
including considering where nationalframeworks can promote consistency
and reduce costs and overheads (APA16) – some work was done to support
commercial frameworks via funding to

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support Libraries Connected to accesstenders via the Government Digital
Framework. National changes, such as thelaunch of the LGA’s National Procurement
Strategy for Local Government in 2018 also
reduced the need for this work, although
there remain some library-specific areas,such as e-book licensing, that would
benefit from more exploration.
• research to assess the benefits anddrawbacks of combined libraryauthorities. Some local authorities
stepped forward to participate in thisresearch but it was subsequently felt to be
too complex and sensitive to be completed• reflect commonly agreed messages
about library services consistently
throughout interviews, placed editorial andother media, including online coverage,
using nationally-produced communication
assets to promote public awareness ofwhat libraries can do for them and toincrease usage (APA 9). Although this wasachieved to a degree (e.g. around annual
events such as Libraries Week), it waschallenging to align the communications
strategies of such a wide range oforganisations with different priorities• discuss with suppliers current and futureneeds in library services to encourage thedevelopment of innovative approaches
to provision of services (APA 17). An
initial project to design a common LibraryManagement System Specification was
shelved after discussion with the sector
and there was limited progress in relation
to other service delivery areas, due tocapacity and lack of established need cases

The 7 Strategic Outcomes
Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries
identified 7 Strategic Outcomes that public
libraries contributed to; and it articulated
its aspirations for what success mightlook like by 2021 and how it might wish tomeasure progress. Work on the latter wasundertaken by a secondee, and the progress
indicator measures were published. Some
reflections on the process of developing
these indicators were also published. There
are no current plans to update the progress
indicator measures. Therefore, assessments
of progress below are currently based only on
the data that is available at the time of writing,which is mainly third-party proxy data andinformal assessments of progress.
1. Cultural and creative enrichment(Outcome 1)
Indicators• more people (children and adults) having
access to cultural experiences andevents through libraries (especially fromdisadvantaged backgrounds)• people see libraries as local creative hubs
where exploration, experimentation,
pursuing of cultural interests, and making
are encouraged• libraries are seen as active partners withprofessional and amateur cultural andarts organisations to provide culturalexperiences and activities within libraries
Activities• in January 2020 Arts Council England
published Let’s Create, its strategy for
2020-2030. Libraries sit at the heart ofwhat is being planned for the next 10
years. It is a move towards supporting
libraries to develop as practitioners in theirown field, as better and more innovative
library services

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE• since 2015, over £16 million has been
invested in arts and cultural activities inlibraries via Arts Council England’s National
Lottery funded Grants for the arts andProject Grants programmes• in 2018 6 Public Library Services (London
Borough of Barking and Dagenham,
Inspire, Community and Cultural Services
Cambridgeshire, Suffolk Libraries, Libraries
Unlimited (Devon) and St Helens BoroughCouncil Library Service) joined Arts Council
England’s National Portfolio• in 2017 then SCL (now Libraries
Connected) launched a new Universal
Culture Offer, which has now become
Culture and Creativity. This focuses onbringing the contribution that libraries maketo the national cultural landscape to thefore and providing a platform for future
development of the cultural offer of the
public library sector• in 2018 The British Film Institute (BFI)
launched part of its BFI Player product inlibraries – specifically, free archive videos• the DCMS Libraries Blog also highlights
the following individual examples of
the contributions public libraries maketo culture: Cambridgeshire Culture
Card; Reimagining Cultural Educationin Gloucestershire and Brent Culture
Celebrating Windrush 70
Outcomes achieved or measured• there are 6 Public Library services now
forming part of Arts Council England’snational portfolio as well as a Sector
Support Organisation (Libraries Connected)• in 2019-20 30 Arts Council England Project
Grants, totalling £1,208,693 were awarded
to Libraries as lead applicants, whichindicates that libraries are leading thedevelopment and delivery of significant artsand cultural activities in England and thatpeople are having access to creative andcultural events through libraries• in 2019-20 libraries were cited as venues
for arts and cultural activities in 324 Project

Grants awards and as non-lead partners forother cultural organisations in 298 Project
Grants awards• this suggests that good progress has
been made towards the original objectivesof Ambition in relation to libraries being
seen as creative and cultural hubs andbeing active partners for arts and culturalorganisations
Case study
St Helens Libraries: Cultural Hubs
St Helens Borough Council Library Service
has successfully used library spaces
for arts performances, workshops andexhibitions since 2011. In 2018, it became
an Arts Council England National Portfolio
Organisation. Its target audiences for its
performance programme over the 4 years
were identified as young people, families,
LGBT audiences, those identifying as disabled
and finally, existing theatre goers, through amore mainstream offer.
In 2018 St Helens celebrated the 150th
anniversary of the borough by producing
a one-off festival in partnership withthe other St Helens National Portfolio
Organisation, Heart of Glass. Author and local
boy Frank Cottrell Boyce worked with them tocurate this event, co-producing an inspiring,
challenging festival that engaged local
audiences and ensured literacy was a major
feature of the 150th celebrations.
During Refugee Week in 2018, St Helens
exhibited work by Turner Prize nominee, MarkTitchner in two libraries. Titchner met regularly
with a group who had fled Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Somalia and Zimbabwe to find safety
for themselves and their families. The resulting
artwork features text messages taken directlyfrom the experiences of refugees and asylum
seekers living in the UK.
In 2019 The Cultural Hubs projectprogrammed work as part of Homotopia, theLiverpool City Region LGBTQ+ arts festival.

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Recently, Paul Harfleet, an artist known forplanting pansies at the sites of homophobic
abuse, undertook a week-long residency in
St Helens. This included an exhibition, Artist
Talk, a book reading and a series of plantings.
Paul engaged audiences digitally through acallout, asking for local residents who had
experienced homophobic abuse in St Helens.
He then planted pansies in identified locations.
In 2020 St Helens collaborated with FACT
in Liverpool and Heart of Glass to create a
FACTLab within a library. This will support
development of digital skills for local artists
and provide opportunities for communities totake part in the process of creating digital art.
“Cultural hubs arts in libraries are a lifeline
for many people, especially those struggling
with social isolation, mental health issues, andsocio-economic challenges”
Cultural Hubs Artist
2. Increased reading and literacy(Outcome 2)
Indicators• improvement in England’s international
literacy rankings• all library services offering a rangeof reading/literacy programmes andactivities with an increase in the numberof children, young people, adults andfamilies participating (both as readers andvolunteers) and, as a result, increased
reading for pleasure• The Reading Agency’s reading outcomesframework toolkit project to help define
and measure outcomes of reading forpleasure and empowerment and Arts
Council England published an evidence
review on the benefits of reading forpleasure in April 2020
• ASCEL published a rhyme time quality
principles toolkit for libraries delivering preschool facilitated literacy activities• The Reading Agency was awarded funding
by Arts Council England to pursue anexternal evaluation of the impact of theSummer Reading Challenge in 2020
(delayed due to Covid-19)• Hungry Little Minds campaign: the DCMS
Libraries team and Taskforce supported
the Department of Education to create aworking group to support the Hungry Little
Minds campaign. The Taskforce brokered
the involvement of ASCEL, Libraries
Connected, The Reading Agency, Arts
Council England, BookTrust and libraryorganisations in the development of
resources and the campaign launch. It aims
to improve the early literacy and language
skills in the years before children startschool• stronger partnerships between public
libraries and local schools• Norfolk County Council was awarded£98,020 from the Libraries Opportunities
for Everyone (LOFE) fund to work withvolunteers to support emergent readers
aged 8+ to develop their skills. Plymouth
Libraries’ Lunch at the Library project,which was also funded by LOFE, aimed tocombat hunger and support literacy overthe school holidays

Activities/ achievements

Outcomes achieved or measured• BBC’s #Lovetoread programme in 2018
and the BBC’s year long celebration ofliteracy and reading, including the Novels
that Shaped our World Festival which
is supported by a Libraries Connected
project, funded by Arts Council England
to undertake outreach activities throughlibraries• PIRLS will report the UK’s literacy ranking
again in 2021
• The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading
Challenge 2018 evaluation (no longer
publicly available) shows that while
participation remained static at around
700,000 children participating, over the

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past 5 years, there was an 8% drop in
participation in 2018. The external impact
evaluation of the Summer Reading
Challenge is currently on hold due toCoronavirus• BookTrust’s Bookstart, delivered inpartnership with public libraries, continues
to reach every baby in England and Walesin their first year
Case Study
Norfolk Libraries Reading Pathway
Literacy Project
Norfolk Libraries received funding from LOFE
to deliver a volunteer-led reading support
programme for emergent readers acrossthe county. Full Fact (the independent fact
checking charity) states that about 5 million
working age adults have ‘below-functional’
literacy skills in England.
In this project, volunteers support readers
to develop their reading skills in one-to-one
coaching sessions in libraries. It is basedon the premise that anyone who can read
fluently can teach a poor or non-reader toread in 6 months or less using the Yes We
Can Read book, a one-to-one phonics based
workbook. The library service invested in
Yes We Can Read readers, Quick Reads,
the Reading Ahead scheme and book stockfor emergent readers to help people growconfident as they progress on their reading
journey. The project worked in partnershipwith Gatehouse Publishing who publish
Yes We Can Read and provided the texts
and support resources at a discounted rate.
Norfolk Reading Pathway is the first countywide, cross-organisation implementation of
the programme and this has provided proof
of concept for a wider roll-out.
Over the course of the project 90 active
volunteers delivered one-to-one readingcoaching. Over 750 referrals were generated
into the scheme and over 110 adults started
to learn to read with a volunteer coach ina library. Over 30 schools across Norfolk

engaged with the programme and 484
children age 8+ were given the phonics
workbook to use in a school setting witha coach.
The project has also helped Norfolk Libraries
to develop their online evaluation tool called
IMPACT from a snapshot they did of 59 adultstarter learners, which has now been sharedwith the sector. The initial snapshot showedthat at the pre-start interview, 98% reported
they were not confident readers and 75%
reported they were unable to read at all/very
well before starting the programme. By the
mid-way review 70% said their reading had
improved significantly by this stage. The tool
also showed that the greatest number ofadults participating in the project as learners
are between 25 to 34 years old, followed byadults aged 45-54. 60% of participants weremale and 40% female.
‘Being part of this has made me even moredetermined to get my life back on track andget out of the hostel – it’s given me a senseof purpose.’‘I have always wanted to be able to read(without being made to feel stupid) and thisproject is giving me that – and will also giveme the opportunity to do/be the things I havealways wanted to be.’‘Since I have been reading here, mygrandchildren have joined the library. They
ask us to read to them books they haveborrowed. My son and my daughter both
say their daughters (1 each) have come on
brilliantly at school since I have been reading
to them.’
3. Increased digital access and literacy(Outcome 3)
Indicators• improved levels of digital literacy in England• people can get online easily and aresupported (where necessary) to complete
online activities of their choice, through all

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library services providing internet access,training and support, in conjunction withpartners• users understand and make more informed
decisions about their safety and security,and use of their personal data online as aresult of library activities• people perceive public libraries as being
places they can go to co-create and shareexpertise using cutting edge technology,
for example, through makerspaces• high quality 24/7 online access, seamlessly
integrated with physical aspects of public
library services, available through a Single
Library Digital Presence
Activities/achievements• £2.6 million was spent on installing or
upgrading Wifi, so that over 99% oflibraries in England offered this vital facility
by April 2016
• Libraries undertake crucial work to support
digital literacy and “digital first” strategies,
for example Leeds Libraries’ 100% Digitalproject and tablet loans• the importance of libraries was recognised
in government policy documents including
the Culture Is Digital Strategy, Culture
White Paper, Internet Safety Strategy
green paper and the subsequent Online
Harms white paper• Newsguard: Libraries Connected and ASCEL
promoted a rollout of this tool to support the
public to access accurate news information
across public and school libraries across thecountry. This has been widely taken up by
English public library services• The Raspberry Pi Foundation, which run
Code Clubs and Coder Dojo report that
there are over 700 Code Clubs or Coder
Dojos registered in libraries across England• there are now at least 60 makerspaces inlibraries across England and the Channel
Islands, supported by a range of resourceson the GOV.UK website, many of whichwere developed using LOFE funding• work to develop the Single Digital Presence
is ongoing, with the most recent reportsetting out recommendations which are
now under development• the Taskforce has been supporting theOpen Data initiative in public libraries
Outcomes achieved or measured• progress has been made towards
developing a Single Digital Presence and an
Alpha Testing model is in development, led
by the British Library, however this action
has not yet been completed• DCMS analysis of trends in Wifi access inpublic libraries shows that for the 80 libraryservices with consistent data regarding
Wifi access, 90% of their statutory
service points – including mobile service
points – have public Wifi. Of static service
points, 99% offer Wifi. Increasingly, local
authorities are ensuring that every service
point (even mobile) provides Wifi: 53% ofauthorities had Wifi in every service pointin 2016-2017, an increase from just 18% 3
years earlier• the Libraries Connected Information and
Digital Universal Offer, to which over
95% of library services in England havesigned up to, commits to “ensure local
communities have access to quality
information and digital services, to learn
new digital skills and feel safe online”
Case StudyLet’s Make Spaces – Warwickshire
In 2017 Warwickshire Libraries conducted ascoping exercise to research the best model
for makerspaces in Warwickshire. The aim
was for people of all ages, backgrounds andinterests not only to have fun creating things– but also to socialise and learn. A launch
video outlined the project and ambitions.
Warwickshire submitted a successful bid tothe LOFE Fund with match funding agreed by

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the County Council. The total project budget
was £97,000. A key element of the design
brief was to make the Let’s Make Spaces lookdifferent and exciting but still part of the main
library. The library team created taster areas,just outside the Spaces, with glass doorsthat allow browsing library customers to see
inside.
The Let’s Make Co-ordinator and Assistant set
up a test lab so staff could try out the digital
kit in advance. Although some were initiallyapprehensive, all said they felt much more
confident after the test lab training sessions.
The first two Let’s Make Spaces opened in
Spring 2018, in libraries serving some of thecounty’s less advantaged communities. The
aim was for the people of Nuneaton and
Rugby to feel proud, privileged and inspired tobe Warwickshire techno-trailblazers.
Learning from the first few months fed into
the development of a third Let’s Make Spacein Leamington Spa, led to the creation of aLet’s Make volunteering role, and stimulatedplans for ‘Let’s Make Lite’ – taking digital
resources out into community libraries andother public venues. The County Council
funded additional facilities and employed apermanent member of staff to co-ordinate theLet’s Make activities. Warwickshire’s Let’s
Make Spaces are being used and enjoyed by
all kinds of library customers. The evaluation
resource included with the funding also
helped to demonstrate impact.
4. Helping everyone achieve their fullpotential (Outcome 4)
Indicators• people recognise the role libraries haveplayed in helping them to achieve theirgoals• people would recommend the library as abeneficial place to go to for lifelong learning
support and access to resources andmaterials• education providers, such as schools andadult education organisations, want topartner with library services to provide
extended support (such as homework
clubs, ESOL support, class visits, etc)
• through library support, people have morepositive perceptions of their ability toparticipate in, engage with, and function in,
today’s information society
Activities/ achievements• Libraries Connected ran a series of 9
workshops in 2018 based around the
Learning and Digital Universal Offer andfocussing on family learning• the Living Knowledge Network was
created by the British Library andsupported by funding from the Arts Council
to explore new ways for national and public
libraries to work together to share ideas
and spark connections between libraries,
their collections and their people. It is the
only network of its kind in the UK andcurrently includes over 20 public libraries,
the British Library itself, the National
Library of Scotland and the National Libraryof Wales• in 2019, 391 Fun Palaces took place, and
59% of these were in libraries, providing
engaging opportunities for families to learn
about science and creativity together• Arts Council England supported research
into Partnerships between public libraries
and higher education institutions. The
Taskforce funded Libraries Connected todeliver a seminar on this topic which wasplanned for March 2020 but had to be
postponed due to Covid-19• the LGA is commissioning research in 2020
to further investigate the contribution that
cultural organisations, including libraries,
can play in lifelong learning and skills
redevelopment
Outcomes achieved or measured• there is a lack of comprehensive data about
how far the indicators for this objective
have been achieved at this stage

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE• research into Library Rhyme Times andMaternal Mental Health was received withinterest by the Department for Education
which has a growing interest in workwith early years and the home learning
environment• LibrariesFromHome has been embeddedin the Department for Education’s homeschooling guidance
Case Study
The Hive, Worcestershire Libraries and the
University of Worcester“The Hive is an engine for social change,
innovation for a moral purpose. We knowwhat we’re doing and why we’re doing
it and we all share in the common aim ofwidening opportunities for learning – it’s
not who you are, it’s what you want todo” (Anne Hannaford, Director of Arts andCulture, University of Worcester)
The Hive was the first joint university andpublic library in Europe. It opened in 2012,
after a seven-year planning, development
and building process. The Hive was fundedthrough £43 million raised through DCMS
Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and £10 million
funding from HEFCE. The strategic aim of the
project was bringing educational opportunity
to a wide audience. The Chief Executive of
the County Council and the Vice Chancellor of
the university both understood and supported
this aim and recognized that by sharing
resources they could each gain a better
facility for the use of the university and thegeneral public.
The public can access the same books as
the students and The Hive is open 90 hours
per week, from 8.30 am – 10 pm every day
for students and the local community.
A full cultural, educational and participatory
programme was designed from scratch,
to suit every target group from children to
students to adults and with the ethos ofincluding the public in student and university
activities at the library. Besides the library, thebuilding is home to the Worcestershire Hub– a one stop shop for enquiries about council
services, and the Worcestershire archive andarchaeology service. Since opening, The Hive
has attracted over 60,000 new members,
including over 40,000 children and young
people, welcomed 6 million visitors and has
issued more than 6.5 million books.
The Business Centre is run in the building by
the Business Development Manager who is
jointly appointed by the university together
with the public library service. It supports local
businesses through networking breakfasts,
surgeries and access to provision from thelocal Chamber of Commerce, Law School,
Business School and the Local Economic
Partnership in Worcestershire.
5. Healthier and happier lives(Outcome 5)
Indicators• libraries are perceived as importantpartners for achieving improved healthoutcomes in communities by Public
Health England, NHS providers, local
health bodies, clinical commissioning
groups, Sustainability and Transformation
Plan Committees, and other health andwellbeing commissioners and providers• people perceive themselves to have
improved wellbeing/to be happier as aresult of participating in library activities• people who are housebound, or who havedementia or autism, and their carers feel
more connected and supported to manage
in the community, and maintain their
independence and wellbeing as a result of
their contact with libraries• library users are enabled to self-care andself-manage their health, participate inshared decision-making with healthcare
professionals, and are more health literate

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Activities/ achievements• the NHS and Public Health England (PHE)
were were full members of the taskforce
which facilitated joint working and theinclusion of public libraries on various
health initiatives• The Reading Agency’s Reading Well Books
on Prescription initiative benefited fromgreater visibility among healthcare partners
as a result of Taskforce activity• in 2016 ASCEL launched training to support
more libraries to become Autism Friendly
and there are an increasing number of
Dementia Friendly libraries in partnershipwith organisations such as the Alzheimers
Society

Libraries are a critical delivery partner using
PHE provided resources and support• in 2018 the annual Libraries Week took placewith a theme of wellbeing. Led by CILIP,
over 1000 libraries took part, running a seriesof activities which helped demonstrate
how libraries aid wellbeing by combating
loneliness, supporting better mental healthand bringing communities together• the 2017 to 2018 Reading Well Books on
Prescription evaluation reported growing
usage (nearly 1 million unique borrowers
since the scheme inception) and high user
satisfaction. This is a useful proxy measurefor several of the outcome indicators anddemonstrates that this library scheme has
had strong impact• the Libraries Opportunities for Everyone
programme enabled a range of activity
which benefited the health of participants
such as the development of sensory rooms
in libraries and autism-friendly libraries• however, there is a lack of national datafor other activities supporting health andwellbeing in libraries• Arts Council England published scoping
research on The impact of library rhyme
times on maternal mental health

Project Sense – London Borough of Merton• libraries are recognised in the LGA’s
Social Prescribing handbook• in 2017 The Reading Agency publisheda report for ASCEL looking at how the
Universal Health offer could support children
and families. As a result of the findings,
consultants were commissioned to researchand develop a range of creative and engaging
family learning activities to be used by librarystaff for events focussing on combating
childhood obesity. A toolkit, ‘Growing
Well’ has been published on the ASCEL and
Libraries Connected websites
Outcomes achieved or measured• libraries have been involved in decisionmaking and planning by Public Health
England, for example The Reading Agency
and Libraries Connected have beenworking with Public Health England on
the delivery of their planned mental healthcampaign – Every Mind Matters. Public

Case study
Merton Library Service identified the need tobetter serve and reach Special Educational
Needs and Disability children (SEND) in theborough and to reduce inequality, isolation
and barriers towards this audience at a
community level. They received £94,826
from Arts Council England’s National Lottery
Project Grants to create a fully inclusive
children’s library service across all of Merton’s
7 libraries. This included creating a fully
inclusive library environment and sensory
library area in all 7 libraries, each with atheme such as Space, Ocean, Weather, Prolyl
Arctic, Forest, Circus and Jungle. Specialiststock was purchased and a dedicated SEND
arts and literature activities programme
developed. With a minimum of 2 activities
per month per library, Merton Library Service
delivered over 14 SEND sessions for children
per month.
This project also entailed wider community
work, working with schools and partners
to break down barriers and perceptionsof SEND, reduce isolation and open new

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doors of opportunity for SEND children andtheir families. The project promoted SEND
awareness and inclusion and sought to raiseawareness in the wider community. Duringclass visits, the library service delivered
specialist SEND inclusion and awarenesssessions for children attending mainstream
schools through sessions during class visits
to the library. Library staff also worked
with Merton’s Adult Learning Service tocommission specially designed familylearning courses for parents and carers which
provide opportunities for further learning or
employment and training courses for adults
and carers of SEND children.
Over 216 specialist SEND events andactivities were planned from December 2019
to December 2020.
Between December 2019 and mid-March
2020, when activities had to be suspended
due to the Covid-19 lockdown, 1166 people
had already participated in events in thelibrary. There were also 11 SEND schoolclass visits to the libraries with 37 children
attending before lockdown.
In April 2020, the service was planning to run
the first of their quarterly reviews to obtain
documented feedback from questionnaires
etc to parents/groups/teachers for feedback.
However, lockdown took place and the project
was put on hold. The team has received
positive verbal feedback, especially fromparents of SEND children which suggests thatthe project is having a strong positive impact
on the lives of children with SEND and theircarers.
6. Greater prosperity (Outcome 6)
Indicators• people recognise that libraries can provide
high-quality advice to help them to start upa business• businesses recognise that libraries canprovide high-quality advice to help themto grow• people recognise that libraries canprovide high-quality advice on access toemployment, budgeting skills, and job
seeking support• people recognise the benefits of building
skills through volunteering opportunities
in the library
Activities/ achievements• Arts Council England, along with the
British Library and DCLG, developed theEnterprising Libraries programme which
was funded with £450,000 from the 3organisations. This initiative, which ran
from April 2013 – March 2015, helped 10
libraries establish hubs in their buildings
for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
This activity was the start of the Businessand Intellectual Property Centres (BIPC)
set up by the British Library. In March 2020
a budget of £13 million was secured to
expand the network further• Start-ups in London Libraries, a networkof free support for start-ups in over 60
public libraries linked to the BIPC network,
was set up in partnership with 10 London
boroughs• Libraries Connected is feeding into theHigh Streets Taskforce and libraries havefeatured widely in the high street agenda;
for example they were highlighted by One
Public Estate at the LGA conference in2017• more libraries are now working as Growth
Hubs – for example, Gloucester libraries
used capital funding of £224,000 to createa space for business users in every councilrun library in the county• libraries are also offering innovation hubs,
such as the Glass Box in Somerset• libraries increasingly offer work clubs
and employment support, for example in
Solihull, Rotherham and Leicestershire

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Outcomes achieved or measured• the BIPC network has grown substantiallysince 2015. The 3 year evaluation report
Democratising Entrepreneurship showsthat in the 3 year period, January 2016 to
December 2018, the network supported
43,000 individuals through direct face-toface activities (including one-to-one clinics,
workshops and events), online webinars
and live streaming of events and thecreation of 12,288 businesses, equivalent
to 15 new businesses every working day.
47% of these were created in the region• CIPFA statistics show a 140% increase involunteering in public libraries between
2011-2019. Accreditation of volunteers
in libraries is increasingly being adopted
to demonstrate how volunteer roles can
support future employability
Case study
The British Library’s BIPC Network
partnership with Make it Your BusinessAs part of its work to expand the BIPC
Network, in 2019 the British Library partneredwith non-profit organisation Make it Your
Business to launch a national roadshow of
informal talks and networking events for
women entrepreneurs. This toured in UK
libraries.
Established by entrepreneur, writer andbroadcaster Alison Cork, Make It Your
Business runs a regular programme ofseminars across the country, providing
opportunities for women to meet establishedlocal female entrepreneurs, learn from theirexperiences and network with other local
aspiring female entrepreneurs in a relaxed andwelcoming environment.
The new partnership with the British Library’s
Business & IP Centre and its National
Network of 13 Centres located in major UK
libraries saw the 2 organisations launch a
specially curated ‘Libraries Roadshow’ of
events drawing from the Network’s alumni

of successful female entrepreneurs andambassadors which began at the Library ofBirmingham on 28 June 2019.
7. Stronger, more resilient communities(Outcome 7)
Indicators• libraries are acknowledged and celebrated
as a vital part of community life, promoting
independence and resilience• the profile of local library users reflects the
makeup of their community• libraries are recognised for leading
and supporting activities that help tobuild understanding between different
generations and cultures within the local
community• local people are aware of the informationand services available via the library and arechoosing to use them
• libraries are being chosen by councils andother commissioners as the first choicechannel to provide access to a range of
public information and services
Activities/ achievements• public libraries have been mentioned ina number of government policy reports,
including Integrated Communities Strategy
green paper, A Connected Society: astrategy for tackling loneliness and the Civil
society strategy and were mentioned by
the Prime Minister as “the institutions thatbring communities together”• public libraries are increasingly seen
as community ‘hubs’ and many are colocated with a range of different services,
including leisure, GPs, post offices
and other services. In some cases theTaskforce team directly brokered new
co-location initiatives, for example theco-location of Helston Library with a
Jobcentre Plus which happened as aresult of conversations arranged with the
Department for Work and Pensions

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE• the Arts Council Director, Libraries andrepresentatives from Medway libraries
were invited to present to the One Public
Estate (OPE) teams in February 2020,
exploring opportunities for co-location withother public services• the Taskforce and the Ministry of Justicesupported a 3 month pilot across a numberof libraries in 2 London boroughs toprovide dedicated work spaces (commuterhubs) for use by civil servants. Based on
its success, the scheme was extended
throughout the South East in 2017- 19• the role of libraries in placemaking has also
been recognised, especially in new librarydevelopments such as Halifax library andStoryhouse in Chester
Outcomes achieved or measured• research funded by Arts Council Englandsuggests that situating libraries as‘community hubs’ co-located with otherservices has benefits for the communityand for the long-term sustainability oflibraries• taskforce informal research suggests that
there has been an increasing recognitionof the role of libraries in integrating
communities. A number of councils,
such as Norfolk and Warwickshire, now
see libraries as the ‘face of council in
communities’. This approach has beenencouraged in conversations, workshops
and peer challenges led by the Taskforce

Case study
Crayford Library co-location with a Post
OfficeCrayford Library, in the London Borough of
Bexley, was originally opened in 2012. A new
Post Office inside Crayford Library opened
for business on 4 December 2017. Crayford
had been without a Post Office for over a year
since the previous local Post Office closed inJuly 2016. The Council believed that having
the 2 important community hubs in one
place will improve delivery of both services.
Since the co-location, the Council has seena marked increase in library visitor numbers.
Michael Ellis MP (then libraries Minister)
officially opened the Post Office in March2018.
Crayford Library is now busier in terms ofvisits than any library other than Central
Library – and this is despite being the smallestof the Council managed libraries. It is now
busier than the far larger Sidcup and Erith
libraries. The increase in visits from 2017/18
to 2018/19 is 83.4%. Crayford Library also
increased book issues 2 years running –no other Bexley library did this – and in
2018/19 the percentage increase was greaterthan any other library. This shows that post
office footfall converts to usage of libraryservices.
Crayford Library also substantially increased
the number of new members joining – inboth 2017/18 and 2018/19 this was a greater
percentage increase than any other Bexley
library.

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4. Legacy and building on the achievementsof the Taskforce
While the Taskforce formally ended on 31
March 2020, DCMS provided a further yearof funding for the team based at Arts Council
England to manage the ongoing Taskforce
funded work, to convene a core group of
library stakeholders and to assist in thedelivery of in upcoming strategic development
opportunities. Arts Council England is the
National Development Agency for public
libraries and is a Non-Departmental Public
Body of DCMS.

Revised Taskforce Action Plan
In December 2018 the Taskforce agreed
a revised action plan with outcomes tosupport the sector. The new objectives were:• to work towards a strengthened librarysectoro achieved by the Public library skills
strategy rebooto achieved by focused workforce
development on fundraising andcommercial skills• to secure sufficient resources for public
libraries, create new partnerships withother appropriate bodies and produce
evidence for local and national investment
into public library serviceso achieved by brokering partnerships
between central government
departmentso promoting partnership working between
public libraries and the higher education
sectoro collecting and collating impact evidenceo creating a body of impact metrics• to have a shared vision for library service
delivery, including a coherent andconsistent interpretation of the Public
Library Act 1964o by enabling a systematic review ofpublic libraries including involvement in
the Libraries Blueprint and Single Digital
Presence worko by establishing brand awarenesso by developing the initial steps towards apotential accreditation scheme for public
libraries underpinned by the 1964 Act• To maintain a local government focus anda local funding agenda
o by advocating the case for public
libraries to local authority CEOs andsenior managers
o by developing a strong sector support
offer at local/regional level

DCMS role in Taskforce
DCMS will be regularly updated on progresson the support programmes for libraries being
run by Arts Council England through thisfunding. In addition, DCMS has retained:• the coordination of other strategic work on
libraries in Government (e.g. the Libraries
Transformation Fund, preparations for fiscal
events such as Spending Reviews andBudgets, and wider policy work)• 2 strategy policy posts from the same
DCMS programme budget, to support
the above and leading on the delivery ofelements being led by DCMS (Open Dataand a Review of Ambition)• the monitoring of other elements being
delivered through Arts Council England as
the National Libraries Development Agency

Steering group
The core steering group consists of CILIP,
Libraries Connected, the Local Government
Association, the British Library and the former
Chair of the Libraries Taskforce (representing
local government, which is a key stakeholder

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4. LEGACY AND BUILDING ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE TASKFORCE

and delivery decision-maker in relation to
public libraries in England). The group willmeet every 2 months and will work withwider sector partners as appropriate such as:• BBC• Higher Education establishments• Public Health England• the Reading Agency• Book Trust

the long-term impact of Covid 19 on delivery
plans. Arts Council England will establish an
expert advisory panel to act as advisers andensure momentum continues with sector
organisations.
Although currently under development, thekind of projects expected will be those whichinvest in library infrastructure. This could bephysical, digital or both, but projects shouldhave the potential to transform a local
service by

The core group, known as the English Public
Library Strategic Working Group (EPL) will
also deliver against long term actions in
the Action Plan and support activity fundedthrough Arts Council England’s Library
Development Fund. EPL will continue tobroker and build relationships between thelibrary sector and potentially useful existing
and future partners.

• increasing flexible use of space

Review of Ambition

Regional support offer

DCMS will lead on the scoping and delivery
of a successor document to Libraries Deliver:
Ambition for Public Libraries 2016-2021.
Consultation with the sector is planned to
begin in 2020/21.

The Taskforce has funded Libraries Connected
to take forward two of the recommendations
from the Regional Support Offer – Business
Case Summary. Working with the Taskforce
team at Arts Council England and consultancy
Activist Group, Libraries Connected has
piloted two core strands of activity in 2020: a
programme of Libraries Connected regional
network development and an Expert Bank
which allows individual library services toaccess fully funded expert support to deliverchange within their service.

Sector development
Libraries Transformation Programme
In October 2019 DCMS announced the
Cultural Investment Fund which, at the time,
was the biggest investment in culture for ageneration. This will be invested in a rangeof heritage and cultural projects, including anelement for libraries focused on upgradingbuildings and technology.
Arts Council England will manage a Libraries
Transformation Fund (LIF) on behalf of DCMS
as part of this work, which, through the focus
on upgrading buildings and technology, will
ensure that libraries across England are better
placed to respond to the changing ways
people are using them. It is expected that thisfund will be launched in 2021, depending on• improving shared community spaces• creating opportunities for more
entrepreneurial use of these buildings• upgrading or enhancing IT so libraries
can maintain and enhance their ability toprovide comprehensive digital access andsupport to their local communities

The network development strand of the pilot
programme will support:• the North East and Yorkshire and Humber
regions to develop their governancemodels, supporting them to operate
more efficiently and collaboratively withconsistent policies and procedures• the North West and Eastern regions in theirstrategic planning which will support themto move to the next stage of collaboration
through developing a plan of activities andmonitoring its progress

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4. LEGACY AND BUILDING ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE TASKFORCE• the London region to help its network
progress existing plans for a collaborative
project which will support homeless andvulnerably housed people with information,
advice, signposting and support
The Expert Bank pilot strand will support:• Leicestershire to strengthen its ability toevidence the contribution of the libraryservice within the Council and withpartners• Haringey to develop new forms of service
integration and partnership working• Worcestershire to refine an aspect of
its transformation programme, such as
scoping a review of the network or new
operating model; or new service design
DCMS funding will support this work during
2020/21 as part of its transition year funding
provided to Arts Council England.
Public Library Skills Strategy refresh
The Public Library Skills Strategy aims toguide the development of information andlibrary skills, knowledge and qualifications in
the public library sector in England between
now and 2030. The Libraries Taskforce
provided funding to revisit the strategy toensure that it reflects the skills required in a
rapidly changing environment. A programmeboard with representatives from Libraries
Connected, CILIP and the Libraries Taskforce
was established in August 2019 to takeforward the recommendations in the report.
Between January and March 2020, 3
seminars were delivered in Manchester,London and Birmingham to help libraryservices understand how they might best
embed the Library, information and archive
services assistant apprenticeship standard
into their library services. 60 library staff
members attended across the 3 sessions
which were led by Julie Bell from Lancashire
Library Service and included practicalguidance on how library services could recruitand train apprentices.

The programme board also facilitated thedelivery of a seminar at Libraries Connected
AGM in December on the CILIP’s Ethical
Framework and on the importance of ethics
in guiding decision-making on a daily basis inservice delivery.

Library data
DCMS will lead on introducing an open data
schema for use by the library sector. The draft
schema has been drawn up and tested withworkshop and guidance on how to use it anda wider rollout is planned later in the year.

Communications and advocacy
The Taskforce Twitter account was retired inJune 2019, when Arts Council England took
on the work of the Taskforce. Tweets relating
to Taskforce activity are now tweeted from
@ace_national and the 5 Arts Council area
accounts, and amplified by the Taskforce
partners.
The Taskforce blog was also retired at thatpoint, but is still available on GOV.UK as is
the DCMS Libraries team blog, so previous
Taskforce blogs remain available. Information
about the English Public Library Strategic
Working Group (EPL) is available on theArts Council’s website and will be updated
when required. Reports and publications
are available in a libraries resource section
alongside blog posts, although the formal
record of the Taskforce and its work willremain on GOV.UK.
Activity will continue to be undertaken from
April 2020 to highlight the work of libraries
and advocate for their public funding to local
and central government. This will include:• securing positive media coverage: forexample Libraries Week
• responding to media queries• commissioning, writing and publishing blog
posts on the Arts Council website• producing briefings for internal and external
stakeholders

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4. LEGACY AND BUILDING ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE TASKFORCE• the effective use of social media and thegathering of assets such as advocate
quotes about the importance of libraries
Regular updates to all stakeholders willcontinue through various communication
channels delivered by Arts Council England.
Arts Council England will continue to workwith other library partners such as CILIP,
Libraries Connected and The British Libraryon communications, to ensure theconsistency and complementarity ofmessages.
The Communications Manager will also
work with internal stakeholders to ensurethat libraries are embedded in Arts Council
communications activity as it moves forwardwith its 2020-2030 strategy. The Arts
Council also let the library sector and otherinterested parties know that the work begun
by the Taskforce will continue for a further
12 months through online and social media
activity and emailing stakeholders.

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Appendix 1: Taskforce Membership andRepresentation
Member Organisation

Represented by

Dates

DCMS

Kiera Shaw
Dominic Lake
Simon Richardson
Kate McGavin/Helen Williams
Louise Smith
Sheila Bennett

2015
2015-17
2015-192017-18
2019-20
2018-20

LGA

Rebecca Cox
Laura Caton
Ian Leete
Cllr Matthew Lee
Cllr Tom Hollis

2015-20
2015-16
2016-20
2018-19
2020

Arts Council England

Brian Ashley,
Director of Libraries
Paul Bristow
Sue Williamson,
Director of Libraries

2015-17

Ciara Eastell, Devon Libraries
Neil MacInnes,
Manchester Libraries
Mark Freeman,
Stockton-on-Tees
Isobel Hunter,
CEO Libraries Connected2015-16

CILIP

Nick Poole, CEO

2015-20

British Library

Roly Keating
Liz White

2015-20
2015-20

The Reading Agency

Sue Wilkinson, CEO
Karen Napier, CEO

2015-192019-20

Booktrust

Diana Gerald, CEO

2019-20

BBC

Jane Ellison
Peter Rippon

2015-192019-20NHS England

Dr Neil Churchill, OBE

2017-20

Public Health England

Felix Greaves
Clare Perkins

2015-18
2018-20cCLOA

Iain Varah
Polly Hamilton
Julie Russell

2015-20
2018-192019-20Society of Chief Librarians/
Libraries Connected2017-18
2018-20

2016-18
2018-20
2018-20

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APPENDIX 1: TASKFORCE MEMBERSHIP AND REPRESENTATION

Chief Executive,
Northamptonshire CC(Chair 2015-17)

Dr Paul Blantern

2015-17

Chief Executive, LB Newham(Chair 2017-18)

Kim Bromley-Derry

2017-18

Chief Executive, Warrington
BC (Chair 2018-20)

Steven Broomhead

2017-20

Chief Executive, LB Camden

Mike Cook

2015-16

Chief Executive,
Newcastle City Council

Pat Ritchie

2015-16

Chief Executive, Cumbria CC

Katherine Fairclough

2018-20

Chief Executive, LB of
Wandsworth and RichmondPaul Martin

2018-20

Interim Chief Executive,
Suffolk CC

Sue Cook

2018-19

Taskforce Team members

Role

Dates

Kathy Settle

Taskforce Chief Executive

2015-18

Anna Wadsworth

Secretariat Lead

2015-16

Sheila Bennett

Policy and Secretariat Lead

2016-18

Interim Head of TF team2018
Julia Chandler

Communications Lead

2015-18

Charlotte Lane

Project Lead

2015-18

Foluke Oshin

Business Support

2015-18

Sophie Lancaster

Senior Manager

2018-20

Jenna Birley

Governance and BusinessSupport Officer

2018-20

Sean Kelly

Regional Development
Officer

2018-20

Leah Mason

Business Support Apprentice

2019-20

Fiona Davidson

Communications Manager

2018-20

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APPENDIX 1: TASKFORCE MEMBERSHIP AND REPRESENTATION

Taskforce Secondee

Project

Organisation

Dates

Sue Wills

Central government
advocacy

Poole Libraries

2015-16

Sharon Kirkpatrick

Toolkits

Dorset Libraries

2015-16

Alyn Thomas

Communications

Kent Libraries

2017-18

Nick Partridge

Outcomes
measurement

Sheffield Libraries

2016-17

Darren Smart

Digital inclusion
projects

Kent Libraries

2015-16

Stephen HowellToolkits

Durham Libraries

2017-18

Ollie Andrews

Health and libraries

NHS England

2017

Joan O’Bryan

Data analysis

Cambridge MPhil

2018

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Appendix 2: Overview of progress against all 25
Ambition Priority Actions (APAs) and Challenges
No. APA
Achieved
1.
Ensure that theYes/ongoing‘Libraries First’approach is
promoted to central
government,
local councils andpartners

2.

3.

4.

Develop a
programme aimed
at supporting librarystaff to work betterwith and influence
decision-makers tosecure local support
and funding
Define andpublish a coredataset – creatinga transparent andautomated (where
possible) process togather and share it
Establish current
baselines and agree
progress indicators
for all 7 Outcomesand publish themPartially –core dataset
created but
processes todisseminate
still being
developed
Yes

Identify andPartially –commission any
ongoingfurther research
work needed tomeasure the 7
Outcomes to be
used as a sharedevidence base by
all, connecting toother researchframeworks orother sectors where
relevant

Relevant Products
Established as priority
action in Ambition – forassessment see Section
3.7 of main report

Commentary
Ongoing as new
initiatives arise

Linked to Outcomes 4,
6 and 7

Established as priority
action in Ambition – forassessment see Section
3.7 of main report

Linked to Outcomes 1,
2, 4, 5, 6 and 7

Established as priority
action in Ambition – forassessment see Section
3.7 of main report

See section 3.6 of main
report

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5.

6.

7.

Continue to seek
Yes –opportunities forongoing
national funding,partnerships and/or
support in kind forexisting and new
major programmesWork withYes –others (including
ongoing
the devolved
administrations
where relevant) todevelop a joinedup programme ofpromotional activity
based on commonly
agreed messages,
to promote publicawareness of whatpublic libraries
can do for them,and increase
engagement withthem
Develop a set ofYes
communications
messages andresources (casestudies, factsheets,
images, etc) thateveryone speaking
for or promoting
libraries can use– this will support
championing
libraries to decisionmakers and broader
publicity

See section 3.1 of main
reportLinked to Outcomes 6
and 7.

See section 3.6 of main
reportLinked to all 7
Outcomes

See section 3.5 of main
reportNow part of establishedcommunications
plan, led by theCommunications
Manager, Libraries
Taskforce at ACE.

Linked to Outcome 6

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APPENDIX 2: OVERVIEW OF PROGRESS AGAINST ALL 25 AMBITION PRIORITY ACTIONS (APAS) AND CHALLENGES

8.

9.

Reflect commonly
Partially –agreed messages
ongoing
about libraryservicesconsistently
throughout
interviews,
placed editorial
and other media,
including online
coverage, using
nationally-produced
communication
assets to promote
public awareness ofwhat libraries cando for them and toincrease usage
Identify and breakPartially
down any barriers
to innovation thatstop library staff
promoting theirwork effectively,
through guidanceand sharing
common materials
and good practice

10. Publish a toolkit
on how to carryout evidencebased, long-termand sustainable
planning, based on
established sector
good practice, casestudies and the 7
design principles

Yes

See section 3.5 of main
reportLinked to Outcome 6

Not as fully complete
as other actions
because consistencyof message was notalways possible due
to distinct TF member
organisational priorities.

See section 3.5 of main
reportSee sections 3.3 and 3.4
of main report

Linked to Outcomes2, 4 and 7. This
investigation wasstarted by a memberof the communications
sub-group, who ran asurvey inviting people toshare their experience.
Over 120 responded,
but these were mostly
people who had goodexperience and thebarriers shared were
issues around capacity,
capability and skills,
rather than technicalbarriers. This also
reflects comments
made during sector
forums.
Linked to Outcome 7

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11. Undertake anYesassessment of thelong term financial
sustainability andservice qualityof different
delivery models –including DCMS
funded research
into community
managed libraries
12. Ensure that theYesprojects delivered
through the £4
million Libraries:
Opportunities forEveryone Innovation
Fund:

See section 3.4 of main
report and section 3.7 forresearch details

Linked to Outcomes 6
and 7

See section 3.2 of main
reportLinked to Outcomes 1,
2, 4 and 5

Focus is on the CML
research and work
to help establish the
network.

• support thosepeople livingin the mostdisadvantaged
areas, providingthem with
opportunities
they might nototherwise haveaccess to,and• that they are
rigorously
evaluated tobuild an evidencebase that canbe used tocapture learning,
encourage
wider adoptionof successful
approaches, andsecure further
investment

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13. Develop andYes –promote a sectorongoing
led benchmarking
framework thatlibraries can choose
to use to support
self-assessment,planning andimprovement

See section 3.7 of main
reportLinked to Outcomes 4,
6 and 7

14. Consider whether
a voluntary sectorled accreditation
scheme would add
value

Partially –ongoing

See section 4 of main
reportAlthough thebenchmarking toolkit
was created, uptake
has been low due
to unfamiliarity withthe method and arequirement for support
to implement it.
Linked to Outcomes 6
and 7

15. Help libraryservices to exploit
opportunities forjoint working withother councils and/or partners, as well
as tackling barriers
to doing thisYes

Significant increase inapplications for funding
programmes that include
libraries as key partners/delivery centres including
ACE Project Grants,
Engaging Libraries andothers.

Linked to Outcome 1,
3, 4, 6 and 7

DCMS/Ministry of Justicecommuter hubs
16. Work with local
Partiallycouncils toongoing
investigate new
approaches toprocurement
includingconsidering where
national frameworks
can promoteconsistency andreduce costs andoverheads

Linked to Outcomes 6
and 7
The Taskforce team
did some early workon this and funded
work to enable
Libraries Connected
to bid on Government
frameworks on behalfof all library services
but this was not fully
developed during the
lifetime of the Taskforce
and focused more on
local arrangements.

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17. Discuss with
suppliers current
and future needsin library services
to encourage
the developmentof innovative
approaches toprovision ofservices

No/Ongoing

18. Identify andpromote examplesof good practiceand researchfrom the UK andoverseas throughthe Taskforce
toolkits as well as
through Taskforce
member activity,
blogs, networking
and training.

Yes

These will include
governance models,
service integrationand co-location,
approaches tolibrary service
funding including
income generation,
partnership working
and community
engagement
19. Work throughYes –the Charteredongoing
Institute of Library
and Information
Professionals(CILIP) andthe Society ofChief Librarians(now Libraries
Connected) to
produce a Public
Library Skills
Strategy

Support and promotionof the Universal Offers –including the refreshedoffers published in 2019(see sections 3.3 and 3.4of the main report)

Linked to all 7
Outcomes

See sections 3.4 and3.5 of the main report.
Also note actions taken
forward by Libraries
Connected in their
Libraries Blueprint workand by CILIP in theirinternational working
programme

Linked to Outcomes 4
and 6

After discussions
with the sector it was
decided not to progress
a common librarymanagement system
specification

See section 3.4 of the
Linked to Outcome 4report for work completed
and section 4 for ongoingwork.

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20. Explore thefeasibility of ashared national
digital platform for
public libraries inEngland (Single
Library Digital
Presence) and thenidentify ways todevelop, operate
and fund it
21. Support theextension ofpartnership projects
such as the BFIMediatheques andmakerspaces

Yes –ongoing

See section 3.4 of themain report

Linked to Outcome 3

Yes –ongoing

See section 3.4 of main
reportLinked to Outcomes 6
and 7

22. Review progressYesagainst the actionsin this document
at every Taskforce
meeting
23. Produce a highYeslevel, narrative
progress update(including updates
on the Outcome
progress indicators)
to ministers andthe LGA’s Culture,
Tourism and Sport
Board every 6months (currently
April and October)and publish it on
GOV.UKSix month progress
reports

Six month progress
reports

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24. Review Libraries
Yes
Deliver: Ambition
for Public Libraries
in England 20162021 and its action
plan every year
to make sure it
still reflects thechallenges facing
library services andtheir ambitions
25. Taskforce
Yes
members and theirorganisations will
identify further
ways to add
value and sharegood practice,and regularly
review whether
any changes are
required in capacity
and capability at thenational level

Action plan to March
2020

See minutes of Taskforce
Meetings and Six Month
Progress Reports for
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In Ambition, the Taskforce also referenced a series of challenges they would put to local andcentral government. Progress against these is assessed below:
Central Government Challenge
CG1 Acknowledge the role that public
libraries can play in achieving the 7
Outcomes and to reflect this in their policy
and other strategic documents (where
relevant)

Progress Assessment
See section 3.2 of report – the role of public
libraries has been acknowledged across a
range of government departments and theirprofile as key delivery support partners forpolicy and initiatives has been raised.

CG2 Look first at whether the public
library network would provide aneffective, value-for-money delivery
mechanism for services where public
engagement within communities isneeded to achieve policy outcomes;
and, if it does, to ensure resources areprovided to support this activity

The Taskforce provided funding to Libraries
Connected to bid for the Government
Assisted Digital Framework on behalf of thesector. They were successful and a range oflibrary services across the country now offer
Visa Application processing support on behalfof the Home Office.

CG3 Support remote access to e-books,
without charge and with appropriatecompensation for authors
CG4 [In conjunction with the Taskforce]
support the extension of partnershipprojects such as BFI Mediatheques andmakerspaces

The Libraries First work also supported this,however, there is still scope for this to befurther extended.
See section 3.3 of this report – DCMS has
extended PLR to e-books guaranteeing thatthey will continue to be available via the public
library network
See section 3.4 of this report – significant
progress has been made on provisionof makerspaces through public libraries,
especially via Libraries Opportunity For
Everyone (LOFE) funding.

See section 3.4 of this report – both toolkits
CG5 Provide and fund enhanced advice
and support to encourage library services and dedicated support via the library developto explore and, where right for them, spin ment offer have been provided
out their service as a public service mutual

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Local Government Challenge
LG1 Adopt a ‘Libraries First’ approach
when considering how to deliver
information and services into local
communities, and promote this approach
to local partners; and where the public
library network is chosen as an effective
and efficient method, ensure resources areprovided to support this activity
LG2 Reflect commonly agreed positive
messages about library services
consistently throughout interviews, placed
editorial and other media (including online
coverage), using nationally-produced
communication assets to promote publicawareness of what libraries can do forthem and to increase usage
LG3 Plan their public library services(including consideration of cross-boundary
issues) using the toolkit provided by theTaskforce

LG4 Adopt, collect and share data
as defined in the core dataset by theTaskforce

LG5 Use the sector-led benchmarking
framework for self-assessment planningand improvement

Progress Assessment
See analysis of outcome 6 in section 3.7 of
the report – there are examples where thisis the case, particularly where public libraries
are seen as community hubs. However, thisis not always the case because of competing
local priorities.

The LGA provided support for this, forexample in the article they placed in the
media for Libraries Week 2019 (see section
3.5 of the main report). However this was
not possible to achieve across the whole oflocal government which is very diverse andautonomous in the messages that it puts
across.
The strategic planning toolkit was viewed
4,578 times between 30 August 2017 and
31 March 2020. DCMS used this toolkit intheir statutory guidance for Library Services
which promoted uptake. However it is notpossible to say that all local authorities inEngland have adopted this approach.
The core dataset has been developed
although it has not yet been widely adopted
by the sector. There is anecdotal evidence
that certain library services are using it andthat decision-makers are referring to it to
support decision-making.
See section 3.4 of this report. Although thishas been disseminated, take up has been
low because library staff would like support
to adopt this new approach. The Regional
Support Offer should provide the help andadvice that library services need to adopt thismore widely.

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LG6 Identify and share examples ofgood practice and research in their areawith peers and the Taskforce Team forshowcasing (such as use in blogs andspeeches) and for incorporation into its
toolkits; and consider adopting examples
from elsewhere

LG7 Identify any barriers to adoption of
new or more efficient ways of working
where national support may help to breakthem down, and share these with theTaskforce TeamThe Taskforce published a large number ofguest blogs from library service officers anddecision-makers and a range of conferences,seminars, etc to promote libraries. In addition,
the Peer Challenge process engaged local
authority officers and councillors who
also volunteered to support future Peer
Challenges, adding to the bank of expertiseavailable to the sector. The Peer Challenges
also allowed Heads of Library Services to act
as expert peers on other service challenges,
such as children’s services. This provided aboost to the profile of the library service inthe host council, as well as strengthening theskills of the Head of Service contributing to
the challenge.
This challenge related to the hypothesis oftechnical or skills barriers to comms, which
was not found to be a major issue for the
local government sector.

The LGA provided information and advice tothe Taskforce over the course of the regularmeetings, so that it could better understandthe constraints on local government andrespond to these. This feedback, along withthe extensive consultation undertaken (seesections 3.1, 3.4 and 3.5 of the main report)
was an invaluable resource for the effective
delivery of Taskforce objectives.
LG8 Exploit opportunities for joint working Although this took place during the lifetime of
the Taskforce, for example, in joint purchasing
with other councils and/or partners
consortia, shared services and combined
structures, there is limited evidence to link
this directly to Taskforce actions beyond thegeneral support and advocacy provided by the
Libraries Taskforce team.
DCMS issued superintendence guidance
LG9 Inform DCMS Libraries Team about
was first published in 2018 and updated inany proposals to make changes to theirlibrary service prior to public engagement, June 2020 in the light of Covid-19. This has
enabled many local authorities to engage
having made plans to consult theirproactively with the department about theircommunities, considered a range ofoptions and assessed the potential impact service reform plans prior to implementation.
The number of pre-superintendenceof their proposals
conversations taking place with DCMS has
risen considerably over the time the Taskforce
has been running.

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LG10 Use the Public Library Skills Strategy
to inform the learning and development
offer they provide to their councillors
and senior officers, library workforce andvolunteers

LG11 Explore alternative forms ofdelivery and financing before making any
reductions in library services, and exploit
opportunities for joint working with othercouncils and/or partners to maintain andenhance service delivery

LG12 Actively explore how they cangenerate and use alternative forms offunding and financing in addition tousing national funding schemes that areavailable

See section 3.4 of this report for more
information about the development of the
Public Library Skills Strategy. A number ofworkshops and tools have been produced
to support the adoption of the strategy andthe new Transforming Libraries Leadershipprogramme should support even wider
adoption.
The Taskforce tried to encourage more
entrepreneurial approaches, for example byrunning income generation workshops andpromoting commissioning more widely (seesection 3.4 of the report). These have been
positively received by the sector and there are
increasing examples of more entrepreneurial
approaches being taken, however parts of thesector have not yet taken this up. There has
also been good take up of the grants provided
by OCS to library services to undertake
options appraisals.
There are examples, particularly among PublicService Mutuals, of innovative approaches tofunding and financing however this is an areathat still requires significant development.

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Appendix 3: Achievement of Project Objectives:
Review of Action Plan December 2018 toMarch 2020
The Taskforce Action Plan was revised in December 2018 to focus supporting front line service
transformation with additional investment from partners
Action Plan

Achieved

Owner

Agree new action plan
December 2018 toMarch 2020

Yes

Libraries
Taskforce

AdoptedDecember
2018

Review of Government Digital Yes
Services contract and concept
Define a shared proposition
Yes
for public libraries that setsout what they are, theunique value they provide
and encourage the sector to
use this messaging with the
public and stakeholders
Develop and deliverYes
a successful Libraries
Week campaign which
promotes public and politicalengagement with libraries
Deliver report impact data
Yes
research into the regional
Business and Intellectual
Property Centres (BIPC)
Develop a solid support offer Yes
at local or regional level

LC

Review progress against
Ambition

Yes

Produce progress reports for Yes
review by Taskforce members

Relevant
Products
See Arts
CouncilEngland’s
Taskforce
website

ACE/LC/CILIP/
Carnegie

Libraries
Blueprint

CILIP/
LC/ACE/
BritishLibrary/
DCMS
ACE/BL

October
2019

ACE/ LC//
LGA

Regional
SupportOffer

All

This paper

Commentary
The Taskforce agreed
in November 2018that the action
plan needed to bereviewed and updatedwith outcomes.
Complete. Linked to
Outcome 3
Next steps being
considered. Linked
to Outcomes 1,2,4,5
and 7

Complete for 2019.
Linked to Outcome 2

Libraries
Week
Complete. Linked to
Outcome 6

Completed
Additional reviews areplanned. Linked to
Outcome 4, 6 and 7
Complete

Minutes

ACE

Progress
Reports
Progress
Reports

Complete

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APPENDIX 3: ACHIEVEMENT OF PROJECT OBJECTIVES: REVIEW OF ACTION PLAN DECEMBER 2018 TO MARCH 2020

Provide accountability andYestransparency of Taskforce
activities
Develop and implement a
Yes
programme of data-driven
advocacy for public libraries inpartnership with EveryLibrary

ACE/DCMS Action Plan Complete

Develop Taskforce CSR
bid and finalise/strengthen
evidence base for the ‘casefor support’ for the SR
proposal

Yes

DCMS

Develop impact metrics(framework). Roll out impact
metrics and encourage
adoptionYes –evidence
based
strategicplanning
toolkitDCMS

Explore the potential for new
governance and delivery
models for the public librarysector to ensure a quality
public library service for all
in the context of restrictedfundingYes –guidance
produced

LC, CILIP,
ACE/LGA

Minutes
CILIP/ACE

EveryLibrary Review of activity
June 2020Clear remit to
examine whether amodel successful in
the USA could be
adapted to suit thepolitical landscapein the UK. Linked to
Outcome 6
Ongoing, prep fornext CSR
Award of CIF; libraries
element included tobe administered by
ACE
Ongoing. Linked to
Outcome 7

Libraries
Blueprint
Delivery
ModelsToolkit

Linked to Blueprint
and governancemodels.
Resourced fromexisting staffing
and TF member
organisations
separate funding.
Linked to Outcome 7

THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE CLOSURE REPORT66

Appendix 4: Taskforce Events andCommunications Reach Statistics
Masterclass

Date

Attendees

Follow-up

Sector forums x5:

January 2017

277

Blogs published on each
workshop session

Alternative Delivery Models
x3: York Explore Library
Learning Centre, British
Library, Beeston Library

March andDec 2017

95

Blogs published sharing
findings from workshop.
DCMS funded toolkit into
Alternative Delivery Models

Income Generation x2:
The British Library,
Nottingham Central Library

May 2017

75

Shared learning in blog

Makerspaces x3: Canada
Water Library, Leeds Central
Library, Oxfordshire County
Library

2017-18

144

Blog, more detailed learning
shared to participants andon Innovators Network,
guidance page on GOV.UK

Strategic Planning andbenchmarking framework x2:
Canada Water Library,
Leeds Central Library

Nov 2017

55

Benchmarking blog

Creative Thinking x2:
Canada Water Library,
Manchester Central Library2017-18

31

Blog

Applying for Funding x4:
Lincoln Central Library,
Greenwich Centre Library,
Bristol Junction 3 Libraryand Learning Centre,
Newcastle City LibraryFeb- March
2018

109

Round up blog and GOV.UK
guidance page, handbook
produced for participants

Making an Impact x2:
Holborn Library,
Barnsley Central Library

August 201890

Blogs published covering
each session

Evaluation x4: Storyhouse,
Exeter Library, Newcastle
City Library, Idea StoreWhitechapel

March 2019116

Creation of Evaluation
resource pack

Birmingham, Bristol,
Idea Store Whitechapel,
Newcastle City Library,

Strategic planning blog andstrategic planning toolkit

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APPENDIX 4: TASKFORCE TOOLS AND COMMUNICATIONS REACH STATISTICS

Communications analytics
Toolkit / guidance

Analytics – Page views to 31 March 2020

Applying for funding

6,802

Published 9 May 2018
Strategic Planning of library services

4,578

Published 30 August 2017
Community Managed Libraries: good practice 29,458
toolkit and case studies
Published 23 March 2016
Libraries: Alternative Delivery Models toolkit

73,448Published 28 March 2017
Libraries Shaping the Future: good practicetoolkit and case studies

37,215

Published 16 December 2015
Makerspaces and libraries

24,081

Published 18 August 2017
Benchmarking Framework for library services

4,848

Published 15 September 2017

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APPENDIX 4: TASKFORCE TOOLS AND COMMUNICATIONS REACH STATISTICS

Twitter @LibsTaskforce (ran from August 2015 – June 2019)
4,463 followers
Libraries Taskforce blog (ran from August 2015 – June 2019)• 364 posts• 657 subscribers• 517,176 total page views• 252,367 individual visitors• The 5 most popular posts were about:o income generation for public libraries
o RNIB talking books go freeo New newsletter for people who work in libraries
o Introducing Libraries Delivero Increasing reading and literacy
Website: Libraries Taskforce
All analytics are from 20 March 2015 – 31 March 2020
329,992 total page views
Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016 to 2021
Between publication on 20 March 2015 and 31 March 2020 it was viewed online
over 71,389 times.
Libraries Deliver Newsletter (September 2017 to December 2018) –16 newsletters published, designed for frontline staff to highlight national initiatives
Number of subscribers (many were team/admin emails) – 655
Flickr• free to use library images group now contains 1443 photos• Libraries Taskforce account ran from August 2015 – August 2018
(now owned by DCMS Libraries Team)• 1,150 photos published during Libraries Taskforce ownership• 263,500 views
NB. The web analytics process changed towards the end of the life of the Taskforce, so total
figures given above should be regarded as minimum number of views

THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE CLOSURE REPORT69

APPENDIX 4: TASKFORCE TOOLS AND COMMUNICATIONS REACH STATISTICS

Arts Council England Libraries Taskforce Communications statistics(Jan 2019-End Mar 2020)
Webpage: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-libraries/libraries-taskforce
views = 1,810
Blog: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/blog/how-libraries-help-combat-loneliness-0
Views = more than 2,000
Twitter: Libraries Week 2019 received good engagement on the Arts Council’s 6
Twitter accounts (36,785 impressions on the national account)

THE LIBRARIES TASKFORCE CLOSURE REPORT

70

Appendix 5: Body of work to carry overto transition year 2020/21
Action Plan
Develop an updated
public library skills
strategy

Achieved Relevant
Products
Ongoing Public Libraries
Skills Strategy
published in 2017
Blueprint

Commentary and budget
requirement to continue
Programme board established. The
focus is on consolidating work in theexisting programme plan, especiallywith the new library apprenticeshipstandard, professional ethics andlibrary leadership (through the shortleadership course and mentoring
managed by Libraries Connected
and CILIP)
On target

Fundraising andcommercial skills
support package forthe sector to build
resilience

Ongoing

none

Linked to Outcomes 4, 6 and 7
Devise a tender for training andsupport to enable the sector
to improve its fundraising andcommercial skills. Roll out training
and support once devised.
Evaluate effectiveness of support

Regional Support Offer Yes,
phase 1Develop a peer
completedevelopment andsupport offer to enable
the sector to reflect onpractice and improve

Develop andimplement a
programme of datadriven advocacy
for public libraries
in partnership with
EveryLibrary

Yes

Regional Supportmodel andLibraries Blueprint

Linked to Outcome 6
Phase 2 being implemented.
This is one of the 7 proposals within
Libraries Blueprint
Regional Development Officer
is currently supporting phase 2.
Senior Manager is a member of thesteering group to support directionof travel. Link to LGA/ACE Peer
Review programme

EveryLibrary

Linked to Outcome 7
Review of activity June 2020 will
confirm any additional funding
requirements. Linked to Outcome 7

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APPENDIX 5: BODY OF WORK TO CARRY OVER TO TRANSITION YEAR 2020/21

Support public libraries Ongoingto strengthen anddevelop international
collaborations (e.g. LKN
visit to China)

Working
Internationally

Board established, ACE Director,
Libraries is a member
Packaged with Leadership and
PLSS work
Review December 2020 – on going

Linked to Outcome 6
With central government
departments

Strengthen existing
Ongoing
relationships withpotential funders andbuild new relationships
to unlock funding andconsider efficiencies

Develop partnerships withcharitable funders
Develop a strategic partnership andplan with Higher Education
OngoingWithin existing resources

Develop Taskforce
CSR bid and finalise/
strengthen evidencebase for the ‘case forsupport’ for the SR
proposal
Open Data

Establish a researchstrategy to identify
critical areas forresearch with joint
funding with partners
to deliver.

Linked to Outcome 6
Ongoing, prep for next CSR

YesWithin existing resources
Linked to Outcome 7
Ongoing

Partially

Introduced the proposed schema in
its current state, what we anticipate
will happen with it next and what
we would want attendees to do as
early testers. On going
TF report
June 2019

Linked to Outcome 5, 6 and 7
Work up how to gather impact on
how libraries positively impact onnational agendas: e.g. Employability,
Health & Wellbeing, Literacy andimpact of libraries on early years,
the value citizens place on thelibrary in their areas. Use convening
power to develop a wider research
programme and joint activity
Linked to Outcomes 2, 3, 4 and 5

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APPENDIX 5: BODY OF WORK TO CARRY OVER TO TRANSITION YEAR 2020/21

The Single Digital
Presence
Explore the potential
for new governanceand delivery models forthe public library sector
to ensure a quality
public library service
for all in the context ofrestricted funding
Define a sharedproposition for public
libraries that sets out
what they are andthe unique value they
provide and encourage
the sector to use thismessaging with the
public and stakeholders
Develop andimplement a Taskforce
comms strategy thathighlights a sharednational vision for
public libraries

Yes –ongoingYes –ongoing

DigitalTransformation

Consideration on recommendations
to consider

Libraries Blueprint

Linked to Outcomes 3 and 6
Linked to Blueprint and governancemodelsLinked to Outcomes 6 and 7

Yes

Libraries Blueprint

Next steps being considered

Linked to Outcomes 1, 2 3, 4, 5
and 7

Yes

Social Media cards Ongoing.
Advocates
Joint
communications
strategy
Shared comms
lines
Refreshedwebsites:
Libraries
Connected

Explore thedevelopment of asector-led accreditation
scheme basedin clearly defined
standards of service
to support theunderstanding of the1964 Libraries Act

Arts Council
England
Partially – Libraries Blueprint
ongoing

August 2019-January 2021 forscoping and development. Rollout
from February 2021

Linked to Outcome 7

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APPENDIX 5: BODY OF WORK TO CARRY OVER TO TRANSITION YEAR 2020/21

Promote and increase
Local Authority CEO
and senior manager
advocacy to support
public libraries
6 monthly report to
DCMS and LGA

Partially

Delivering local
On going
solutions for public
Linked to Outcomes 6 and 7
library services

Yes

Ambition review

Within existing resources
Part of the management agreement
Ambition

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Appendix 6: Independent Library Report for
England full recommendations
The full text of the Independent Library
Report for England is available on the GOV.
UK website. Recommendations for central
government:• To make available funding to enablelocal authorities to extend WiFi access,computer facilities and workforce training
for all public libraries in England –complete £4 million• With local government, jointly establish
a library taskforce, led by councils, inpartnership with others interested in the
sector: to provide leadership; to implement
the recommendations and to help
reinvigorate the public library service inEngland – complete established 2016.

Recommendations for local government:• With central government, jointly establish
a Library Taskforce, led by councils, inpartnership with others interested in the
sector: to provide leadership, to implement
the recommendations and to help
reinvigorate the public library service inEngland – complete• Through the Taskforce, to develop avigorous culture of mutual support among
local authorities through the sharing of
good practice/resources and to seize theopportunities for even greater collaboration– established peer review programme, on
going• To have greater cross-government
recognition and support for libraries –on going• Through the Taskforce, to consider all
available options for the delivery of theirlibrary service – complete and ongoing as
business models develop• To seek to secure changes in Europeanand UK copyright law to enable the Public
Lending Right to include remote e-loans in
its next legislative term – complete• Through the Taskforce, to encourage
more community involvement in the
management of libraries through a variety
of modelsRecommendations for the Taskforce:• To support the creation of a national digital
library network – on going• To respond to the outcomes of the current
e-lending pilots and continue to work withpublishers, libraries and others to secure
the adoption of the models supported by
the pilots – on going• To encourage and develop the library
workforce and especially new recruits andgraduates – on going• To develop sector-led best practiceguidelines to help local authorities whenworking with volunteers and communityled libraries – on going

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75

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