Genre: Legal

1.1 The Library Association is the professional body that represents some 25,000 librarians and information workers in the United Kingdom . Under the terms of its Royal Charter , The Association has a duty to promote high quality library and information services and to advise government , employers and others on all aspects of library and information provision . 1.2 Therefore we welcome the opportunity to comment on the Department for Culture , Media and Sport review of the British Library 1.3 The Library Association response is formed by expressions from our membership and is based on their views as both library and information professionals and users of British Library services . The overall impression of the membership is that they appreciate the services provided , they believe the services are of a reasonable standard and that the relationship between the British Library and the library and information profession is good . 1.4 Within that context we offer the following comments for your consideration . 2 . Purpose , aims and objectives 2.1 The British Library meets the aims stated in the Department for Culture , Media and Sport background paper supplied with the review questionnaire . However , we are unable to comment fully on the purpose , aims and objectives of the British Library because we are insufficiently aware of them . We are surprised by this lack of awareness within the profession and we would suggest this carries an important message for the British Library . In order to address this apparent problem The Library Association would welcome working with the British Library on a strategy to improve communication throughout the profession . 2.2 The agenda of the British Library should be as broad as that of Government . Therefore the Library should focus on its contribution to lifelong learning , social inclusion , literacy , information skills and employability . Key areas are access , regionalism and partnership . This requires the British Library to work closely with Government departments that carry forward these agendas . 2.3 A further objective for the British Library should be developing formal professional collaboration and partnership . The Library has a role to play in ' joined-up ' library and information provision . By working with other libraries , professional library and information associations , key professional organisations and commercial partners the British Library can provide an important focus for the library and information profession in the UK . 3 . Organisation , efficiency and effectiveness 3.1 Establishing and maintaining links with departments and personnel at the British Library is sometimes confusing and difficult . There are often apparent overlaps in the titles and responsibilities of different departments . Communication on a theme , topic or project will sometimes appear to stem from several departments , with no underlying staff responsibility clearly discernible . This can create an impression of bureaucracy : streamlining departmental responsibilities and clarifying job titles and contact routes would improve the effectiveness of the Library's communications . 3.2 In general it is felt that the British Library's services offer good value for money , although it must be reiterated that members often do not have an understanding of all of the products and services available . 3.3 The Co-operation and Partnership Programme is a welcome development particularly as it encourages innovation and cross-sectoral partnership . However , the themes for which bids are invited do not reflect the themes in Government policy . 3.4 We welcome the Library's new premises in St Pancras . We also welcome an attitudinal change over the past year , with a move towards greater openness and willingness to " look beyond St Pancras " . Access to the building has become easier and the building itself has contributed to the regeneration of one of London's most deprived areas . 3.5 However , there is a developing concern about space within the Euston Road building . One anxiety is the availability of reader seats , particularly in the Humanities Reading Room , as the number of members increase . Another concern is the way in which the role of the British Library as a comprehensive archive is slowly being eroded as a result of the lack of space . This highlights a dilemma for the British Library , that is , the tension between widening access to the collections and maintaining the role of preservation . 4 . Customer relations and responsiveness 4.1 Most Library Association members have experience of BLDSC services and their overall impression of these services is favourable . The inter-library loan service is regarded as effective and efficient and , since going on-line , the speed of service has vastly improved . However , one drawback is cost , which many regard as too expensive . In fact it has been pointed out that the most effective communication from the British Library seem to relate to changes in pricing structures . 4.2 As far as customer relations and the quality framework is concerned there seems to be a lack of a coherent mechanism for taking the views of service users , and non-users , into account . Formal evaluation of the services provided should be transparent and the British Library should benchmark its activities against Charter Mark headings . 4.3 The main market for British Library services seems to be the post-18 education and research community . The Library should be looking for ways of engaging a much wider audience . Key areas for consideration are family learning , information skills training , literacy , IT literacy and adult basic skills . 4.4 The collection policy of the British library should also reflect the complex multicultural UK population . Many perceive the British Library as an institution of cultural and heritage significance . Providing access to materials in the mother tongue or concerning the mother country of many UK citizens may be regarded as important for the British Library in fulfilling its cultural role . 5 . Links with other organisations 5.1 The directional role of the British Library within the UK library profession can not be overemphasised . However , there is a need for the Library to redefine its image to a wider audience placing itself at the heart of a national library network , enhancing the image of libraries in general . 5.2 In order to fulfil its role within the context of Government policy the British Library must develop partnerships with a variety of organisations : libraries in all sectors ; museums and archives ; government departments and bodies ; professional associations , commercial companies and the voluntary sector . There is considerable scope for developing creative partnerships , for example , becoming involved with the Children's Laureate initiative or World Book Day . 5.3 The withdrawal of the British Library cataloguing and conservation grants programme some years ago is still regretted , particularly as the BL Co-operation and Partnership Programme specifically excludes funding for retrospective conversion . It is hoped that the Full Disclosure initiative will address this omission , as the ability of UK libraries to share responsibility with the British Library for coverage of research material depends to a large extent on such material being catalogued . 6 . New Technology 6.1 New technology has the potential to allow the British Library to offer services that contribute to , and underpin , lifelong learning . It will facilitate the distribution of services to the network of libraries in the UK ; to schools , colleges and universities ; to the workplace ; and to the home . The British Library can contribute to the national competitiveness and skills agenda by promoting literacy , numeracy and information skills . 6.2 Interoperability and bandwidth issues need careful consideration in the context of achieving inclusion . In view of the bandwidth and computers available to many users , the British Library should concentrate on delivering ' simple ' services as well as bandwidth-hungry digitisation projects . The services provided should be robust and reliable . 6.3 New technology will enhance the worldwide standing of the British Library . By studying best practice among the world's national library providers and embedding their own technology-based services within an international framework the British Library could open a gateway that would allow global access to resources at a local level . 6.4 At present there seems to be inadequate provision for the preservation of non-book materials . As more materials are produced in non-print format the British Library , as the national library , should be given the resources to preserve the literary and information heritage of the non-print materials produced in the UK . 6.5 BLDSC should minimise the paper-based aspects of the request and supply process . ' Digital signatures ' will obviate the need for signed copyright declarations and will facilitate a seamless supply model of document delivery . 7 . Other comments 7.1 The British Library must identify its contribution to an inclusive lifelong learning system by : enhancing access to learning ; enhancing the generation of content to learning networks ; enhancing networked access to resources . 8 . Conclusion 8.1 The Library Association appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Department for Culture , Media and Sport review of the British Library . The suggestions we have made are in the spirit of support for the overall aims of the British Library . 8.2 We fully recognise that many of our suggestions have resource implications and we would stress the need for the British Library to be funded adequately to fulfil its important national role . Within that context the Library must reassess its priorities between its traditional roles and the broader challenges of current Government policy . 8.3 We hope that our comments prove useful and welcome the possibility of further engagement in this debate . The Library Association , December 2000 For further information please contact : Kathy Ennis Professional Adviser , Academic and Research Libraries