Future delivery of Shawbury Library services

We want to accelerate our approach to working locally to identify alternative approaches to the management of local assets and services and new funding streams to enable local services and community based assets to be sustained.  We have to do this at significantly reduced cost and within a very challenging timetable with certain services including local libraries potentially having to close from 2017/18 onwards.

We believe that there are a number of alternative ways in which funding for local services and assets can be generated or that the costs of running these can be reduced. These include:

• working with town and parish councils who have the ability to generate additional income
• generating income from assets and services in new and innovative ways
• partnership working or the creation of networks to deliver shared outcomes
• investing in energy efficiency or energy generating schemes that reduce future running costs

We want to work with partners to re-design existing face to face customer focused services including its Libraries (and where appropriate Customer Service Points) in order to provide places that residents can easily access services and get information and advice that both helps them and enables them to help others within their community.

Our vision is that traditional face to face services will be delivered outside of the council by community focused enterprises who recognise and support the important role that organisations and individuals who are active in their communities have.

This approach, often referred to as localism, is also a key part of the government's effort to decentralise power and to support communities to be more empowered and to have a bigger say on the issues that matter to them.

We want to:

• support the development of modern sustainable libraries achieved by the active involvement of community partners in the day to day operation of the library and the development of self-service facilities. Ongoing “back office” support provided by us.
• explore opportunities to co-locate Libraries with other services and partners within “community hubs” and to create synergies where appropriate.
• provide flexible space to allow for library events such as Rhyme Time, Time to Listen, author events, local history sessions etc.
• provide public access computer facilities and free Wi-Fi provision.  

Section 7 of the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 (“the PLMA”) states that the council, as a library authority, has a statutory duty (not a discretionary power) to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons wishing to make use of it.

The PLMA does not define what is meant by “comprehensive and efficient”. However it does provide that the library authority must make facilities for borrowing books and other materials available to people who live, or work, or are undergoing full-time education in Shropshire. It also provides that in fulfilling the duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service, it shall in particular have regard to the desirability of:

• providing facilities for the borrowing of, and reference to, books and other printed matter, pictures, gramophone records, films and other materials in sufficient quantity and quality to meet the general requirements and any special requirement both of adults and children
• encouraging adults and children to make full use of the library service, providing advice as to its use, and making available such bibliographical and other information as may be required
• securing co-operation between the library authority and others exercising public functions within the county.

Within the aim to transfer the day to day management of the library to a new community enterprise organisation Shropshire Council will retain the overall statutory responsibility for library provision.

We has been discussing future management options for Shawbury Library with local residents and organisations including Shawbury Parish Council, Shawbury Village Hall committee, RAF Shawbury and St Mary's CE Primary School since February 2015.  These discussions have included a drop in event at the library in July 2015 that was attended by 16 people. The value of on-going free access to computers and the internet was emphasised as was the important two way supportive relationship between the library service and village hall.

We further consulted on options for alternative management arrangements for the library service during a six week period running from 6 November to 18 December 2015. A public drop in event was held on the 18 November for anyone interested to look around the library and to discuss their ideas with our officers. No organisations or individuals attended.

Despite these discussions taking place, to date no suggestions for alternative management of Shawbury library service have been made or are currently being developed.

We are now seeking responses to proposals to close Shawbury Library.

In support of this proposal we have brought together a detailed Needs Assessment.  This provides an assessment of local needs in relation to library services, and explains how we proposes to meet these needs as part of its statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all residents in Shawbury and surrounding rural communities who wish to make use of it. It looks at how we will meet the specific library requirements of children and adults under section 7(2)(a) of the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, as well as the specific needs of individual groups: older people, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities, people with disabilities, and workless adults.

Within this consultation there is an opportunity for individuals and organisations to suggest alternative proposals which would assist us in meeting its required outcomes to significantly reduce costs and to deliver a sustainable library service.

No decision on the future of the library will be taken until the outcomes of the consultation have been reviewed

A significant element of the current library running cost is fixed within the lease between us and Shawbury Village Hall meaning that if we continued to deliver the library service from its current location only staffing costs could be reviewed.

The consequence of this is that if we continued to run the library, and in order to achieve the level of savings required to ensure a sustainable and efficient service, a significant reduction in opening hours would be necessary; under these circumstances it is would not be sensible, efficient or practical for the static library service to continue.

The library authority intends to meet the library needs of residents in the Shawbury area using a combination of delivery methods:

• The provision of a mobile library service
• Support for the development of the Village Hall as a “Community Hub”
• The provision of fully staffed library services from Wem, Sundorne Shrewsbury and Market Drayton
• The development on on-line library services
• Home library services for  people unable to readily get out and about

It is recognised that it will be difficult to provide on-going support for existing regular library activities such as rhyme times and holiday activities for children and occasional class visits from the primary school. The school could potentially bring children to borrow books from the mobile library and it may be possible to hold a story time event during the summer holidays but these activities might be impacted by space constraints. Options will continue to be researched, good practice elsewhere considered and ideas from the local community welcomed.

It is proposed to introduce a weekly mobile library visit lasting 1 hour. A potential route and stop time is currently being worked up and will be subject of a separate public consultation.

The mobile library service is part of the network of Shropshire Libraries. As such it has access to the full range of materials available at the static branches. Materials can be requested from other libraries either in person or online for collection from the mobile library. The full range of digital services including e books, e magazines, newspapers and access to reference sources and information can all be accessed from the mobile library. Trained staff are available on the mobile libraries to offer support and guidance.

In summary the mobile library will provide the following services:

• the lending of books for babies, children, young people and adults in hardback, paperback and large print
• the lending of talking books on compact disc for children and adults
• access to Books on Prescription, fiction in other languages, books for readers with dyslexia and skills for life material through the request service
• access to the County stock of books, audio books, large print books and DVDs through the request service
• trained staff to issue and return book, answer enquiries and help people to choose books
• access to community information and information on council services
• occasional visits from partner organisations who use the mobile library to promote their services and to offer guidance; e.g. in 2015 these included the Alzheimer's Society, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service and Police Community Support Officers

The mobile library is fully accessible.

A number of online library services are available:

• e-Books - e-Books can be downloaded free of charge. Up to 4 books can be borrowed at any one time for up to 21 days. A maximum of 4 books can be reserved at any one time
• e-Magazines - full digital copies of magazines can be downloaded free of charge
• e-Newspapers - over 2000 newspapers can be accessed, including most of the UK National papers,
• e-Community - Shropshire Community Directory is a local gateway to up-to-date information on over 3000 community groups, clubs, societies, support and self-help groups.
• Online reference - access to reference materials

IT access may be available at the Village Hall but this requires further discussion and agreement with the Village Hall Committee.

We have a strong commitment to working to promote equality, diversity and social inclusion and the potential impact of the preferred proposal on library users, particularly those who might be impacted by any change.  This is being assessed through the completion of an Equality and Social Inclusion Impact Assessment.

The mobile library is fully accessible. The Home Library Service using local volunteers to select and deliver books to people who are unable to readily get out and about will be extended. The Mobile Library service also visits readers with severe mobility problems where possible.

Moving to new arrangements for the management of Shropshire' s libraries by local community groups, voluntary organisations, social enterprises or a town or parish councils, is consistent with our aim to support the best possible solutions for the ongoing delivery and sustainability of valued local services. If an organisation comes forward as the result of this consultation, we are committed to working with them to develop a sustainable Library services in Shawbury, but it should be noted that this will need to at a very significantly reduced direct cost to us, potentially zero from 2017/18 onwards.

Yes this is part of a wider process across the county. Our Business Plan and Financial Strategy requires libraries to achieve £1.147m savings over the corresponding three year period, and consequently we're reviewing how services are delivered at all of Shropshire's libraries.

Nationally the way that libraries are run is also changing, with the community taking a bigger role in the running of libraries, so this process isn't unique to Shropshire.