Journal review
Nama: Meisy
Pratiwi
Nim: 0601172026
SQUAD
B / Semester IV
Dosen
Pengampu : Mifta Khulzannah M,A.
CRITICAL
JOURNAL REVIEW
Identitas Jurnal
Judul Artikel :
Changing public library service delivery to rural communities in England
Judul Jurnal :
Emerald
Penulis : Kerry Benstead
Tahun terbit :
2004
Database :
Emerald Group Publishing United
Tanggal Akses : 17
Mei 2019
Laporan Critical Journal Report
I.
Pengantar
Puji dan syukur marilah kita
ucapkan kehadiran Allah SWT yang telah memberikan rahmat dan karuniaNya
sehingga saya dapat menyelesaikan tugas critical
journal report ini dengan tepat waktu. Shalawat dan salam semoga
tercurahkan kepada baginda Rasulullah SAW, yang telah membawa kita dari zaman
jahiliyah menuju zaman yang terang benderang ini.
Tugas ini ditujukan untuk
memenuhi mata kuliah Layanan Sirkulasi. Sesuai dengan mata kuliah, tema artikel
yang diambil pun mengenai perpustakaan dan layanan yang ada di perpustakaan
tersebut. Semoga dengan dilakukannya critical
journal report ini dapat meningkatkan analisis kita terkait dengan jurnal
yang kita ambil serta menambah pengetahuan dan informasi bagi setiap orang.
Saya menyadari bahwa dalam
penulisan critical journal report ini
masih banyak kekurangan, oleh karena itu kritik dan saran sangat saya harapkan
dari pembaca.
II.
Rangkuman
Artikel
Sensus
tahun 2001 mengungkapkan bahwa 28,5 persen dari total penduduk Inggris tinggal
di daerah pedesaan (Desa Badan, 2003), dan kualitas hidup bagi mereka yang
tinggal di daerah pedesaan dibentuk oleh ketersediaan layanan lokal termasuk
pelayanan perpustakaan umum. Pemerintah setempat memiliki kewajiban hukum untuk
memberikan “layanan perpustakaan komprehensif dan efesien untuk semua orang”
(Hewitt, 1975) yang tinggal, bekerja atau belajar di desa-desa terpencil serta
tetangga perkotaan dan pinggiran kota mereka. Cara tradisional menyediakan
layanan perpustakaan bagi mereka di daerah pedesaan tanpa akses ke perpustakaan
cabang statis adalah bahwa sistem perpustakaan keliling, pertama diketahui beroperasi
di Kent pada tahun 1935 (Orton, 1980). Sistem ini telah melayani penduduk
pedesaan cukup baik selama bertahun-tahun tetapi telah menyarankan bahwa
ketentuan ini sekarang tidak memadai dan pendekatan fleksibel lebih diperlukan; “Layanan perpustakaan keliling
tradisional tidak lagi cukup. Orang membutuhkan layanan informasi teknologi
informasi dan komunikasi (ICT) dan kemitraan kerja peluang baru hadir untuk
pengiriman alternatif beberapa layanan perpustakaan untuk masyarakat pedesaan.
Undang-Undang
Pemerintah Daerah (1999), yang mulai berlaku pada tanggal 1 April 2000,
ditempatkan kewajiban hukum pada pemerintah daerah Inggris untuk mencapai nilai
terbaik di semua pelayanan publik dipantau melalui ketaatan terbaik indikator
kinerja nilai yang berkaitan dengan layanan perpustakaan umum termasuk biaya
per kunjungan ke perpustakaan), kunjungan per kepala penduduk, persentase
pengguna perintisan informasi yang mereka butuhkan dan untuk kepuasan mereka,
dan persentase warga puas dengan perpustakaan dan museum terpisah dari layanan
budaya lainnya. Dalam rangka untuk melakukan perubahan dan perbaikan,
pemerintah daerah juga diminta untuk menetapkan target dan standar lokal dan
menilai kinerja mereka terhadap kedua target lokal dan nasional dalam rencana
kinerja tahunan nilai terbaik. Selain itu, pemerintah daerah memiliki kewajiban
hukum untuk melakukan ulasan nilai terbaik fundamental pengiriman semua layanan
mereka selama lima tahun periode.
Selain
undang-undang yang mempengaruhi layanan yang diberikan oleh otoritas
perpustakaan umum, pemerintah Buruh telah tertarik untuk mempromosikan inklusi
sosial dan sebagai bagian dari komitmen itu, belajar seumur hidup telah dirasakan
sebagai alat fundamental memerangi pengecualian. Komitmen Pemerintah untuk
menanggulangi eksklusi disorot dengan pembentukan Social Exclusion Unit pada
tahun 1997 yang de fi pengucilan sosial ne sebagai “sebuah istilah singkatan
untuk apa yang bisa terjadi ketika orang-orang atau daerah menderita kombinasi
masalah terkait seperti pengangguran, keterampilan miskin, rendah pendapatan,
perumahan yang buruk, lingkungan kejahatan tinggi, kesehatan yang buruk dan
perpecahan keluarga
pelayanan
perpustakaan saat ini untuk masyarakat pedesaan didominasi oleh penggunaan
perpustakaan keliling. Ponsel perpustakaan umumnya hanya tersedia pada hari
kerja dan pada siang hari ketika penduduk pedesaan dapat bekerja atau
menghadiri sekolah atau perguruan tinggi. Kelompok pengguna sering terbatas
pada orang tua, pengangguran, anak-anak dan pengasuh mereka, oleh karena itu.
Mereka tidak dapat mengakses kendaraan mobile diharapkan untuk melakukan
perjalanan dengan mobil atau angkutan umum, yang mungkin terbatas atau tidak
ada, ke perpustakaan cabang statis terdekat. Namun, penyediaan layanan
perpustakaan rumah untuk mereka yang tidak mampu untuk mengunjungi perpustakaan
adalah tambahan penting untuk ini, termasuk dalam beberapa kasus penyediaan
barang-barang untuk individu menghadiri pusat hari atau tinggal di akomodasi
terlindung, panti jompo dan rumah hunian. Layanan yang diberikan oleh Women
Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) relawan yang membantu memberikan buku, kaset
audio dan video ke masyarakat adalah contoh populer dari jenis pelayanan kepada
masyarakat. Saat ini WRVS memberikan 144 layanan perpustakaan rumah di 75
pemerintah daerah
III.
Keunggulan
Penelitian
a. Kata
yang digunakan dalam jurnal ini bersifat baku dan sesuai dengan EYD. Penulisannya
juga rapi sesuai dengan kaidah penulisan.
b.
Penelitian
ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dan kuantitaif sehingga pembaca lebih
tergambar mengenai fakta layanan yang ada di perpustakaan terpencil di Inggris
tersebut.
c.
Informasi
yang ada cukup relevan sehingga bisa digunakan oleh berbagai kalangan.
IV.
Kelemahan
Penelitian
Penulis tidak menemukan
kekurangan yang begitu berarti dari hasil penelitian jurnal ini. Karena jurnal
ini cukup lengkap dan relevan hanya saja ada beberapa kata yang sulit untuk
dipahami.
V.
Poin
Penting dari Jurnal
Menurut saya poin penting dari jurnal ini yaitu penjelasan bahwa perpustakaan, berpusat pada koleksi buku kecil, berubah beberapa kali dalam setahun,
bertempat di sekolah desa atau balai dan dikelola oleh kepala sekolah lokal
atau sukarelawan, yang diperkirakan telah biasa sebelum pengenalan sistem
perpustakaan keliling (Eastwood , 1967). Mungkin waktu mereka telah datang
lagi, seperti survei dan kasus hasil studi mengungkapkan bahwa, seperti
jaringan toko-toko desa yang digunakan oleh Norfolk County Council, sejumlah
yang signifikan dari pemerintah daerah telah menerapkan co-lokasi layanan
perpustakaan dengan fasilitas desa lainnya dalam rangka untuk menyediakan
layanan alternatif untuk penyediaan perpustakaan keliling. Suffolk County
Council, misalnya, telah mendirikan Link Perpustakaan dalam kemitraan dengan
bisnis pedesaan dan mengklaim bahwa co-lokasi sangat banyak didorong oleh
kebijakan inklusi sosial.
Link
Library menyediakan kehadiran perpustakaan permanen dalam beberapa masyarakat
pedesaan sehingga mengurangi, untuk beberapa, rasa isolasi dari pelayanan
publik. Menariknya, di daerah di mana layanan perpustakaan keliling ditarik
mengikuti pelaksanaan Perpustakaan Link, beberapa pengguna perpustakaan
keliling biasa tidak mentransfer menggunakan Perpustakaan Link, namun
mengundurkan diri penggunaan layanan perpustakaan sama sekali.
Loyalitas
dan penghargaan yang pengguna perpustakaan keliling merasa terhadap layanan
yang mereka terima baik diketahui. Pengguna layanan perpustakaan keliling di
pedesaan Lincolnshire, misalnya, hanya tidak ingin menyerah layanan
perpustakaan keliling mereka dalam mendukung metode alternatif (Haggis, di
daerah-daerah di mana layanan perpustakaan keliling ditarik mengikuti
pelaksanaan Perpustakaan Link, beberapa pengguna perpustakaan keliling biasa
tidak mentransfer menggunakan Perpustakaan Link, namun mengundurkan diri
penggunaan layanan perpustakaan sama sekali.
Hasil
penelitian menunjukkan bahwa agenda inklusi sosial sedang ditangani sebagai
otoritas perpustakaan menyesuaikan layanan yang mereka berikan kepada kebutuhan
dan keinginan pengguna. Studi kasus dalam penelitian ini mengungkapkan tempat
yang berbeda-beda yang berwenang perpustakaan dilakukan penyelidikan tersebut.
Di North Lincolnshire, pengenalan dua kendaraan perpustakaan keliling baru
merupakan dasar untuk studi ke kebutuhan pengguna pedesaan. penelitian ini
adalah con fi ned untuk apa yang pengguna inginkan dari layanan perpustakaan
keliling dan tidak diperluas untuk mempertimbangkan apakah pengguna akan lebih
baik dilayani dengan cara pelayanan alternatif. Di Suffolk, penyelidikan
pandangan pengguna layanan perpustakaan keliling dan Link Perpustakaan telah
terjadi dalam konteks mengatasi menurunnya penggunaan layanan ini, sementara di
Leicestershire penyelidikan penyediaan layanan kepada kelompok-kelompok
berisiko pengucilan sosial termasuk sebuah audit layanan kepada pengguna
pedesaan dan mereka yang tinggal di daerah perkotaan dirampas. Kebutuhan
individu yang hidup dalam isolasi pedesaan bisa dibilang berbeda dengan yang
orang yang tinggal di perkotaan kekurangan dan sementara waktu dan implikasi
biaya studi terpisah dihargai, mungkin masyarakat pedesaan pantas perhatian
terpisah.
VI.
Kesimpulan
dan Saran
Layanan
perpustakaan keliling secara tradisional menyediakan buku-buku untuk penduduk
daerah pedesaan, tetapi layanan perpustakaan yang lengkap harus menyediakan
lebih dari ini jika ingin menjadi benar refleksi dari layanan dinikmati oleh
mereka yang tinggal di daerah perkotaan dan pinggiran kota. Dipertanyakan
apakah perpustakaan keliling tradisional baik dengan sendirinya atau didukung
oleh layanan pedesaan lainnya adalah memadai, meskipun meningkatnya
ketersediaan kendaraan dengan ICT access tampaknya akan menjadi salah satu
solusi untuk keadaan ini.
Untuk itu perlu adanya peningkatan layanan yang diberikan oleh suatu perpustakaan khususnya di daerah terpencil agar informasi dapat tersebar diberbagai daerah tanpa terkecuali.
VII.
Referensi
DEFRA
(2003), Layanan pedesaan Standard 2003, Departemen Lingkungan, Pangan dan
Urusan Pedesaan, London, tersedia di:
www.defra.gov.uk/rural/pdfs/rural_standard2003.pdf (diakses Juni 2004 2).
Eastwood, CR (1967), Perpustakaan Mobile dan Perpustakaan Umum Lainnya.
Mengangkut,
Asosiasi Asisten Pustakawan, London. Haggis, S. (2002), “Analisis biaya metode
alternatif publik penyediaan layanan perpustakaan untuk daerah pedesaan”, MA
disertasi, Departemen Ilmu Informasi, Loughborough University, Loughborough.
Haggis, S. dan Goulding, A. (2003), “Buku untuk pengguna pedesaan: public.
JURNAL EMERALD
(Jurnal yang saya review)
Changing public library service delivery to rural communities in Englandhttps://meisypratiw
Kerry Benstead
Rachel Spacey and
Anne Goulding
The authors
Kerry Benstead is Librarian, Thurrock Libraries, Grays, UK.
Rachel Spacey is a Research Associate and Anne Goulding is a
Reader in Information Services Management, both in the
Department of Information Science, Loughborough University,
Loughborough, UK.
Keywords
Rural areas, Communities, Mobile libraries, Public libraries,
National standards, Social inclusion
Abstract
This research paper explores alternatives to the mobile library
service in providing a public library service to rural communities
in England and the impacts of best value, public library standards
and social inclusion policy on provision. A questionnaire survey
was completed by librarians in public library authorities in
England with rural hinterlands. The data derived were
supplemented by follow-up case studies. It was found that
achieving social inclusion objectives and the results of best value
reviews were the greatest motivating factors for much of the
development of alternative library service delivery in rural areas,
and that village halls were the most popular place for co-location
of library services. ICT was felt to have impacted positively on
rural library service delivery and its use was demonstrated in
co-location facilities and learning centres. However, some
authorities fail to consult users and non-users in rural locations.
This paper provides public library practitioners and researchers
with a picture of public library service provision to rural area
communities and shows the impact of Government-driven policy.
It appears that there is varying appreciation by public library
authorities of rural communities’ distinct nature.
Electronic access
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is
available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0307-4803.htm
Introduction
The 2001 census revealed that 28.5 per cent of
England’s total population reside in rural areas
(Countryside Agency, 2003), and the quality of life
for those living in rural areas is shaped by the
availability of local services including the public
library service. Local authorities have a statutory
obligation to provide a “comprehensive and
efficient library service for all persons” (Hewitt,
1975) who live, work or study in the most remote
rural villages as well as their urban and suburban
neighbours. The traditional means of providing a
library service to those in rural areas without
access to static branch libraries is that of the mobile
library system, first known to operate in Kent in
1935 (Orton, 1980). This system has served the
rural population reasonably well over the years but
it has been suggested that this provision is now
insufficient and a more flexible approach is
required; “The traditional mobile library service is
no longer enough. People need an information
service” (Hicken, 2002). Information and
communications technology (ICT) and
partnership working present new opportunities for
the alternative delivery of some library services to
rural communities. Furthermore, public library
services themselves have come under considerable
scrutiny in recent years and the viability and
quality of current service levels to both users and
non-users have been examined under Government
initiatives such as best value and Public Library
Standards and policies to promote social inclusion
(Haggis and Goulding, 2003).
This paper reports the results of a Masters
research project which explored the extent to
which public library services are utilising
alternatives to the mobile library service in rural
areas of England (Benstead, 2003). The nature of
alternative delivery methods were gauged, taking
into account the motivations for the application of
these methods and whether government policies
and initiatives had impacted on the delivery of
library services to those living in rural areas. Brief
explanations of best value and public library
standards and initiatives in the fields of social
inclusion are therefore considered in the following
section. In addition, current mobile library and
alternative service provision to rural communities
in England identified in the literature is described.
Background and context
Accountability and standards
The regime of best value was established as part of
the Government’s drive to ensure people as
taxpayers and customers receive the best service
New Library World
Volume 105 · Number 1206/1207 · 2004 · pp. 400-409
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited · ISSN 0307-4803
DOI 10.1108/03074800410568734
400
possible from local government. Best value
“requires local authorities to deliver services to
clear standards by the most economic, efficient
and effective means available” and to “achieve
continuous improvement in all their services”
(Audit Commission, 2001). The Local
Government Act (1999), which came into effect
on 1 April 2000, placed a statutory duty on English
local authorities to achieve best value in all public
services monitored through adherence to best
value performance indicators (BVPIs). BVPIs
relating to the public library service include cost
per visit to the library (BVPI 115), visits per head
of population (BVPI 117), percentage of users
finding the information they require and to their
satisfaction (BVPI 118), and the percentage of
residents satisfied with libraries and museums
apart from other cultural services (BVPI 119). In
order to effect change and improvements, local
authorities are also required to set local targets and
standards and assess their performance against
both local and national targets in annual best value
performance plans. Furthermore, local authorities
have a statutory duty to undertake fundamental
best value reviews of the delivery of all their
services over a five-year period.
In reviewing their services, local authorities
must consider the following criteria:
. Challenge whether and why particular services
should be delivered, what functions they
should deliver, how, by and for whom. This
consideration may mean that traditional ways
of delivering library services are no longer
viable;
. Compare the performance of the service with
that of other local authorities and other
relevant bodies;
. Compete. If other more efficient and effective
means of delivery can be found, use them; and
. Consult with both users and non-users on
service objectives, performances and targets to
give the community a voice in the decisions
that affect public spending and services.
Customer satisfaction is one of the key aspects
of best value.
Best value thus represents an opportunity for
library services to re-think current methods of
service delivery and to consider alternative
methods to achieve a service of real value to the
community. The service ethos engendered by the
Local Government Act of 1999 and the
introduction of Annual Library Plans in 1998 was
firmly built upon with public library standards
published in April 2001 by the Department for
Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) (DCMS,
2001b). The standards aim to provide “a
comprehensive and efficient service” as stipulated
in the Public Libraries and Museums Act of 1964
but for which a clear and agreed definition had
never been laid down. The 19 standards within
eight overall objectives are applicable to all library
service points in urban, suburban and rural areas
of England and include library location, opening
hours, electronic access, book issues and
reservations, use of service, choice and staff
qualifications. It has been argued, however, that a
set of national standards for all library services is
unsuitable and that authorities must ensure that
precedence is given to providing a library service
that responds to the needs of local communities
over adhering to externally-imposed standards
which may have no relevance to the local situation
(Public Library Journal, 2001). The standards
certainly do present important opportunities and
challenges for library authorities and may affect the
delivery of services to users in rural areas where
challenges may be of a more financial nature, for
example, relocating and maintaining library
buildings to Standard levels.
Indeed, the delivery of public services,
generally, to those living in rural England came
under scrutiny with the publication of the white
paper, Our Countryside: The Future – A Fair Deal
for Rural England, in which the Government
promised “rural communities a Fair Deal on
services” (DEFRA, 2000). Subsequently Rural
Service Standards have been published in 2002
and 2003, setting out what rural users can expect
of public services. In relation to libraries, however,
the Standards simply note that public library
standards provide targets, which are of relevance to
rural communities in terms of providing
geographic access to library services whilst online
access is available through the roll out of the
People’s Network, a programme to install the
internet in all public libraries by 2002 (DEFRA,
2003).
The social inclusion agenda
In addition to legislation affecting the services
provided by public library authorities, the Labour
government has been keen to promote social
inclusion and as part of that commitment, lifelong
learning has been perceived as a fundamental
means of combating exclusion. The Government’s
commitment to tackling exclusion was highlighted
with the establishment of the Social Exclusion
Unit in 1997 who define social exclusion as “a
shorthand term for what can happen when people
or areas suffer from a combination of linked
problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low
incomes, poor housing, high crime environments,
bad health and family breakdown”[1].
The common perception that social exclusion is
a problem confined to urban England was
challenged by The Countryside Agency in a report
Changing public library service to rural communities in England
Kerry Benstead, Rachel Spacey and Anne Goulding
New Library World
Volume 105 · Number 1206/1207 · 2004 · 400-409
401
which provided insight into the lives and hardships
experienced by individuals in a number of rural
areas; Not seen, not heard? Social exclusion in rural
areas (Countryside Agency, 2000a). The
difficulties faced by the socially excluded in rural
areas are frequently related to social isolation and
the problems experienced in trying to access
services, although these can be shrouded by the
power and affluence of the wider rural community.
The Local Government Association also outlined
the distinctive nature of rural social exclusion in All
together now? Social inclusion in rural communities
(Moor and Whitworth, 2001). The report
highlights, amongst other factors, the lack of
access to opportunities (including jobs, learning
and training), to services (including health care,
education, shops, leisure and cultural services),
and to information (including welfare advice and
information); transport poverty (greater reliance
on public transport but comparative lack and
infrequency of transport); under-employment,
seasonal, casual and temporary employment and
low wages and the high costs of housing relative to
local wage levels.
The central role for public libraries in
combating social exclusion was highlighted by the
DCMS in Libraries for All: Social Inclusion in Public
Libraries (DCMS, 1999), which offered guidance
to local authorities by way of basic principles that
could be adopted to suit local circumstances to
make social inclusion a policy priority. The report
acknowledged that exclusion was not
geographically limited, “embracing rural, urban
and suburban areas alike” and the “isolation
problems experienced by rural communities” were
one barrier preventing people from using public
libraries. A six-point plan to form the basis of an
inclusion strategy recommended that libraries
identify the people who are socially excluded and
their geographical distribution, with a view to
engaging them and establishing their needs; assess
and review current practice; develop strategic
objectives and prioritise resources; develop the
services and train staff to provide them; implement
the services and publicise them and evaluate the
strategy’s success with a view to reviewing and
improving upon it. The response by the Library
Association (now the Chartered Institute of
Library and Information Professionals) to the
DCMS policy document reinforced the rural
dimension of social inclusion, which it claimed was
often overshadowed by the problems experienced
in urban centres. The strength of public libraries,
the Library Association maintained, was in their
coverage, being “one of a few agencies which serve
all parts of rural England”, thereby possessing the
potential to overcome rural isolation and poverty
(Library Association, 2000).
Mobile libraries and alternatives
Current library service delivery to rural
communities is dominated by use of mobile
libraries. Mobile libraries are generally only
available on weekdays and during the daytime
when rural residents may be working or attending
school or college. The user groups are frequently
limited to the elderly, unemployed, young children
and their carers, therefore. Those unable to access
the mobile vehicle are expected to travel by car or
on public transport, which may be limited or
non-existent, to the nearest static branch library.
However, the provision of home library services for
those unable to visit a library are a vital adjunct to
this, including in some instances the provision of
items to individuals attending day centres or living
in sheltered accommodation, nursing homes and
residential homes. The services provided by the
Women’s Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS)
volunteers who help deliver books, audiotapes and
videos to the community are a popular example of
this type of service to the community. At present
the WRVS provide 144 home library services in 75
local authorities[2].
There have been a number of examples of
alternative library service provision to rural areas
in recent years illustrating the capacity for
innovation and development that can be adopted
by library authorities serving rural communities.
The Norfolk village shop library is one such
example, which has received much attention,
involving the co-location of small service points in
the local shop of three isolated villages which
provides a lending service of books and other
materials, a reservation service and online access
to the library authority’s catalogue. The service is
open at the same time as the shop, providing a
library service for those who cannot visit the
mobile because of its limited availability. It has
been suggested that such services not only increase
access to stock and a wider range of library services
but also reduce the feeling of rural isolation in
these areas and contribute to the general economy
of the community (Hammond in Rowlands,
1995).
Until recently mobile library services have
concentrated primarily on book lending but as
public libraries generally have moved to providing
greater opportunities for learning, typified by
public access to ICT in the form of the People’s
Network, rural users might also expect a wider
range of library services. This has been attempted
in some authorities by the introduction or
adaptation of existing mobile vehicles to provide
computers and internet access. The Derbyshire
Mobile Library Project, for example, delivers
internet access to rural communities through the
mobile library service. The mobile van, which has
Changing public library service to rural communities in England
Kerry Benstead, Rachel Spacey and Anne Goulding
New Library World
Volume 105 · Number 1206/1207 · 2004 · 400-409
402
a receiver, parks within the range of local public
buildings with fixed ISDN lines fitted with
transmitters. In North Derbyshire and the Peak
District the service operates at 18 locations with
host buildings, including village halls and local
shops, which receive a small payment for their
assistance. The project broadens “the appeal and
relevance of the library service” and offers lifelong
learning opportunities and information about
public services. Furthermore in providing access to
the on-line catalogue the project hopes to enhance
the traditional book lending service provided by
the mobile library[3].
ICT has also been used to improve services to
rural users in Lincolnshire County Council with
the creation of LINNET locals in which computer
terminals providing web-access to community
information, the library catalogue and Microsoft
Office software were installed in community-based
locations such as pubs, churches, community
centres, village halls, shops, doctors’ surgeries and
post offices (McInroy, 2001). Similarly, East
Cambridgeshire District Council’s scheme, East
Cambs On-Line (ECOL) provides residents with
the opportunity to acquire computer skills in
specially designed ICT learning centres with tutor
support, specifically aimed at individuals living in
rural locations without access to a computer at
home[4]. The ECOL Access Points are based in
venues including village halls, youth and
community centres, church halls, village shops,
sheltered housing and a village public house. The
success of this scheme, which involved partnership
working with Cambridgeshire County, East
Cambridgeshire District and Huntingdonshire
District Councils was recognised in all three
authorities being granted Beacon Status for Social
Inclusion through ICT[5].
Public library ICT provision in rural areas is
crucial as rural households are less likely to live
near to a Public Internet Access Point (PIAP). The
Countryside Agency suggests that 54 per cent of
rural households are within 2 km of a PIAP
compared with 90 per cent of urban households
(Countryside Agency, 2003). Similarly, residents
in rural areas have less access to affordable
broadband internet connections, estimated at
seven per cent of rural villages and one per cent of
remote rural areas compared with 95 per cent of
the urban population and 67 per cent of the UK
population (Countryside Agency, 2003). Methods
to counteract the connectivity problems
experienced by residents in rural areas include a
new project from the Museums, Libraries and
Archives Council (MLA) working with the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and The
Countryside Agency to enhance ICT services to
rural libraries with the installation of wireless
(WiFi) “hotspots” which enable Internet access
without cabling[6]. Local people will be able to use
the internet by switching on wireless-enabled
computers in the ten WiFi pilot sites.
The last widespread study of library service
provision in rural areas in England and Wales was
undertaken in 1993, Library and Information
Provision in Rural Areas in England and Wales
(Capital Planning Information Ltd, 1993). A more
recent study (Haggis, 2002) which explored the
costs of providing an alternative service to mobile
libraries stopping at locations with just one library
user found that substitutes trialed by five county
authorities included collaborative arrangements
with schools and post offices, deposit collections,
use of ICT for book renewals and reservations and
the transportation of users to static library service
points (Haggis and Goulding, 2003). The research
described here hoped to gauge just how far
innovative and alternative methods of rural service
delivery identified in the literature have been
embraced by public library authorities in England
and the extent to which social inclusion policy, best
value and public library standards have influenced
the adoption of new practices.
Methodology
The research was undertaken in the summer of
2003. A survey and case study approach were used
in the study, the aims of which were to determine
whether local authorities in England were using
methods other than mobile libraries to deliver a
library service to rural communities and the extent
to which these approaches were implemented as a
result of social inclusion policy, best value and
public library standards. A paper-based
questionnaire consisting of nine questions was sent
to chief librarians in public library authorities
serving rural areas, irrespective of size, in order to
obtain a broad a picture as possible. Authorities
were identified based on characteristics provided
in Annual Library Plans submitted to DCMS. In
total, 74 questionnaires were delivered and a total
of 40 authorities returned completed forms,
representing a response rate of 54 per cent.
Respondents included 18 county, one London
borough, seven metropolitan and 14 unitary
councils. Library service managers are faced with a
barrage of monitoring forms from both internal
and external organisations, which might explain
the tolerable response to this study.
The quantitative and qualitative data generated
from the survey were supplemented by five
follow-up case studies in order to provide a more
detailed description of some of the more
interesting methods of library service delivery in
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403
rural areas. The case studies involved informal
interviews with librarians holding specific
responsibility for rural services development. The
authorities varied in terms of the size of the rural
areas they serve and include three county councils;
Cornwall, Leicestershire and Suffolk, one unitary
council; North Lincolnshire and one metropolitan
council; Gateshead.
Results
Selected results of the survey and case studies are
presented in this section and cover the following
areas: the extent and types of partnership working;
co-location of services; the impact of ICT on
service delivery; the extent to which authorities
possess and review rural service delivery policy;
rural community consultation; and future plans for
service delivery.
Partnership working
Of the 40 local authorities responding to the
survey, 26 worked in partnership to deliver their
library services to rural areas. The types of agency
public libraries were collaborating with are
illustrated in Figure 1.
The most common form of partnership was
with a voluntary agency of which the majority of
authorities worked with the WRVS in providing a
home library service in rural areas. Other
voluntary agencies working with library services
included Age Concern, the Royal National
Institute of the Blind (RNIB) and Community
Councils. Fourteen authorities worked with other
local authority departments including Social
Services, Education and Environmental Services.
Only four services worked collaboratively with
other library authorities in the region, with most
co-operating in the delivery of mobile library
services. Agencies detailed in the “other” category
included The Countryside Agency, community
committees and Sure Start, of which the latter, for
example, worked with Cornwall County Council
to provide a mobile toy library service to rural
communities. The total number of authorities here
exceeds 26, as some worked in partnership with
more than one agency.
When considering the impetus behind
partnership working, challenging social exclusion
issues was a motivating factor for nine authorities.
The impact of best value had led six library
authorities to take up partnership working whilst
just two had done so in order to fulfil public library
standards.
Co-location
In the rural areas of 22 local authorities responding
to the survey, library services were delivered
through shared use of community facilities. Table I
indicates the different amenities in which library
services are co-located and the number of
authorities that use them:
The village hall was the most likely facility to be
used for co-locating library services. This may be a
reflection of the reality that 85 per cent of parishes
have village halls and meeting places (Countryside
Agency, 2000b). However, only two of the
authorities surveyed used a village shop to deliver a
Figure 1 Partnership working
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library service, which may be because, according
to The Countryside Agency’s survey of rural
services, 78 per cent of rural communities no
longer have a general store and 72 per cent do not
have a small village shop (Countryside Agency,
2000b). Similarly, only five authorities used post
offices to co-locate their services in rural areas,
despite the Prime Minister’s encouragement in the
green paper, Culture and Creativity: The Next Ten
Years, for “the delivery of library services in rural
areas through mini-libraries located in local post
offices” (DCMS, 2001a). Multi-purpose buildings
were found to be popular bases from which to
deliver library services and uses ranged from a
combination of the provision of meeting rooms,
community education, cafe´, cre`che, workshops,
loans service, IT suite together with the library
service, to a simple grouping of adult education
and library services. The “other” category
included a residential home, ICT training centre,
museum, citizens’ advice bureau and a market hall.
The services provided at shared premises ranged
from a sole book returns collection point to
provision of the full range of facilities including
adults’ and children’s fiction and non-fiction,
audio-visual items, reference materials,
community and business information and access
to the library catalogue and ICT.
Seven authorities employed co-location as a
result of best value, five as a result of social
inclusion factors and two as a means of meeting
public library standards. This latter figure is
perhaps surprising since in order to meet PLS 1
concerning the percentage of households living
within a maximum geographical distance from a
library service point, it was expected that more
library authorities might consider sharing existing
premises.
Three of the five case study authorities,
Cornwall, Suffolk and Gateshead, pursued
co-location as an alternative mode to mobile
library provision. In Cornwall, for example, the
library service is located within the Directorate of
Education, Arts and Libraries, which has no doubt
influenced the close working relationship between
local schools and libraries resulting in
opportunities for the expansion of static library
provision to rural communities within schools. In
contrast, co-location in Suffolk County Council
has mainly been put into operation within small
rural businesses. The setting up of the Library
Links pre-dates best value and public library
standards and was an attempt to provide a more
accessible library service to rural users than the
mobile library system. The Links provide books
and a networked PC providing access to Suffolk’s
library catalogue. It was the view that co-location
was an important opportunity to support rural
businesses, particularly struggling post offices and
village shops, a standpoint that was unique
amongst the local authorities included in the case
studies. The innovative nature of the seven Library
Links providing library services to the rural
communities surrounding Bury St Edmunds was
recognised by the Beacon Status Award conferred
in 2002.
Impact of ICT
Librarians were asked whether they felt ICT had
impacted on the delivery of library services to rural
users: 75 per cent of responding authorities
reported positively, with most feeling that this was
due to the installation of the People’s Network in
static rural branch libraries and on mobile
libraries. Virtual access to the library was seen as
an additional means of increasing accessibility,
providing opportunities to view the library
authority catalogue, make renewals and place
reservations from a home PC outside branch
opening hours and mobile stop times.
A number of avenues were being explored by
authorities trying to use ICT to its best advantage
in delivering services to rural users, including
access to the library catalogue via CD-Rom or
online, the facility to place reservations by e-mail
or online and self-issue services in post offices.
Other developments included Library Access
Points/Library Links where ICT facilities and book
collections are placed in various village amenities.
Leicestershire County Council, for example, set
up an information and study centre in a village
location in Asfordby, which had previously been
served only by a mobile library. The success of the
Asfordby project relied upon partnership working
and the enthusiasm of local residents for the library
housed in the village parish hall. Gateshead has
utilised ICT in a very different way, however, in the
creation of the LiveHelp project, funded by the
People’s Network Excellence Fund, an enquiry
facility available online to all library members
through the library web pages with no fixed
operating times.
Table I Co-location of library service points
Facility Number of library authorities
Cafe´ 1
Community centre 8
Health centre/surgery 6
Multi-use building 8
Post office 5
Pub 1
School/college 7
Shop 2
Village hall 13
Other 4
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Policy, consultation and review
Authorities were asked whether they had a written
policy for library service provision to rural users.
Thirty-one of the authorities surveyed did not have
a written policy and of the nine authorities with
policies, three were incorporated within a wider
social inclusion strategy. Best value encourages the
consultation of the local community in order to
provide a service tailored to local need. The largest
group of library authorities surveyed (17 of 40)
had carried out an investigation of rural users’
needs including both current and potential users
living, working or studying in the rural areas of the
authority in the last year. Of the 29 authorities that
had investigated the needs of rural communities,
26 had consulted with individuals directly. Ten
authorities had never carried out such an
investigation although three had plans to
undertake one in the future. Furthermore, 16
authorities had not reviewed existing library
services provided to rural users, including many of
those who had not investigated rural users needs;
neither had these authorities explored alternative
means of delivering rural library services.
Interestingly one county council with a written
policy for rural service delivery had never carried
out an investigation into rural user needs. Figure 2
illustrates when authorities had last investigated
rural user needs.
Future plans for alternative service delivery
At the time of the survey, 16 authorities were in the
process of implementing alternative methods of
service delivery. Whilst the plans were at various
stages, they are a useful indication of the types of
delivery currently under consideration, including
co-location with a school, a non-staffed self-service
library in a Neighbourhood Learning Centre,
library collections in village halls and post offices, a
home delivery service and development of the
service in a network of non-library buildings.
Again, social inclusion and best value were the
most compelling motivators for the majority of
these authorities in considering alternative delivery
methods. During the case study interviews,
librarians were questioned on the viability of a
postal library service to rural communities. This
method of delivery where rural users are able to
access the library catalogue, select the items they
require and request items to be delivered to their
home, from an ICTaccess point in the community
or on a home computer, appears to be a logical
move, especially in light of the success of
commercial retailers such as Amazon and rental
companies operating online such as the DVD
rental company, DVDtoHome, which delivers
orders by post. Indeed, there is evidence that a
postal library service was in operation in the first
half of the last century, where users wishing to read
academic books applied directly to the county
library headquarters and the book was sent directly
to the user by post (Eastwood, 1967). Most of the
local authority representatives had been involved
in preliminary discussions about postal library
services, although the costs were considered to be a
major barrier to the adoption of such a scheme.
Haggis’ study, for example, calculated the cost of
books-by-mail to be in the region of £3.50 per
issue (Haggis, 2002). A further disadvantage to a
postal library service might be the lack of social
Figure 2 Library authority investigations into rural user needs
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interaction valued by current mobile and branch
library users but it might be considered a useful
supplementary service to those already provided in
rural communities.
Discussion
Village centre libraries, centred on small book
collections, changed several times a year, housed in
the village school or hall and managed by the local
head teacher or volunteers, are thought to have
been commonplace prior to the introduction of the
mobile library system (Eastwood, 1967). Perhaps
their time has come again, as the survey and case
study results revealed that, like the network of
village shops used by Norfolk County Council, a
significant number of local authorities have
implemented co-location of the library service with
other village amenities in order to provide an
alternative service to mobile library provision.
Suffolk County Council, for example, had set up
Library Links in partnership with rural businesses
and claimed that co-location was very much driven
by social inclusion policy. The Library Links
provide a permanent library presence within
several rural communities thereby alleviating, for
some, the sense of isolation from public services.
Intriguingly, in areas where the mobile library
service was withdrawn following implementation
of the Library Link, some regular mobile library
users did not transfer to use of the Library Link,
but withdrew their use of the library service
altogether. The loyalty and appreciation that
mobile library users feel towards the service that
they receive is well known. Users of the mobile
library service in rural Lincolnshire, for example,
simply did not want to give up their mobile library
service in favour of an alternative method (Haggis,
2002). The results of this research similarly
suggest that when library services co-locate with
other community facilities, users are initially
reluctant to transfer their patronage of the mobile
library to that of the static service point.
Subsequently, some local authorities in this study
were forced to operate both services side by side.
This difficulty might be lessened with high profile
publicity in the area promoting the new service in
the formof leaflets, newspaper articles, newsletters
and posters, whilst eliciting the help and guidance
of other local authorities with experience in this
change may well be beneficial.
Leicestershire County Council’s library service
in the village of Asfordby, the Asfordby
Information and Study Centre (AISC), was an
inspiring example of what could be achieved
through consultation, collaboration and use of the
latest technologies in providing a service equal to
that enjoyed by urban and suburban residents. As
part of a two-year pilot project, the “Asfordby
Connection”, the Libraries and Information
Service in association with the Asfordby
community looked at ways in which a modern
service could be provided without actually
building a traditional library in one of the largest
villages in Leicestershire[7]. The requirements of
best value, public library standards and social
inclusion were all considered when developing this
service. The centre provides internet access, study
facilities and library services including ordering
and collection of books, reference books and
assistance with enquiries[8]. A traditional mobile
library network, which provides lending and other
information services, supports the AISC and the
mobile service was extended to evening and
Saturday stops as part of the pilot project. A survey
of both users and non users in 2003 by the
Libraries and Information Service revealed that
the centre has been successful in meeting social
inclusion and lifelong learning objectives, as 75 per
cent of the centre’s users lived in Asfordby and just
under half of its adult users had no other access to
a computer[9]. The survey also revealed that there
were high awareness levels of the mobile library
service amongst those questioned, suggesting that
services situated alongside existing mobile delivery
may serve to raise the profile of both.
Although the number of authorities using ICT
in particularly innovative ways in this study was
small, the case studies did reveal details of the
various solutions that are being implemented and
the majority of library authorities considered ICT
to have significantly impacted on the delivery of
library services to rural communities. Similarly,
evaluations of the impact of ICTon rural and small
libraries in the USA found that access to ICT and
the internet in particular provided rural residents
with expanded resources and up-to-date
information. The availability of ICT in rural
American libraries has been especially useful for
library users wishing to access independent
medical information (Huertz et al., 2003). Other
local authorities in the UK with adequate funding
might wish to implement a similar facility to the
high profile LiveHelp service set up by Gateshead
Metropolitan Borough Council. The potential
impact of this strand of library service to rural
communities is significant, especially if the service
was available during the evenings and weekends.
Alternative methods of service delivery to the
mobile library under consideration by local
authorities in England predominantly revolved
around the use of a static location such as a school,
village hall or post office, or the use of a postal
service. It is interesting to note that methods of
reaching rural populations in other countries are
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often more inspirational, a quality which is
obviously attributable to the variables affecting the
development of a service, for example, physical
geography, climate, culture and economics.
Examples of alternative rural library service
delivery include book boats, elephant libraries and
library trains in Thailand; donkey-drawn libraries
in the Nkayi and Matobo districts of Zimbabwe
(Tate, 2002); DOKO mobile libraries in rural
Nepal in which bamboo baskets are carried on
people’s backs to reach those who are inaccessible
by road; the BIBLIOMOVIL in Argentina which
consists of two containers which can be
transported by rail, air, land or water (IFLA
Mobile Section, 2004); the camel library service in
Kenya and the book boat in Bergen, Norway
(IFLA Mobile Section, 2002).
The majority of public library authorities
responding to the survey had carried out user
needs investigations and had directly consulted
with users. The DCMS advocates that public
libraries “consider what specific services need to be
tailored to meet the needs of minority groups and
communities” (DCMS, 1999). The research
results suggest that the social inclusion agenda is
being addressed as library authorities tailor the
services they provide to the needs and desires of
users. The case studies in this investigation
revealed the varying premises on which library
authorities carried out such investigations. In
North Lincolnshire, the introduction of two new
mobile library vehicles was the basis for a study
into rural user needs. This investigation was
confined to what users required from the mobile
library services and was not expanded to consider
whether users would be better served by
alternative means of service delivery. In Suffolk, an
investigation into the views of users of the mobile
library service and the Library Links has taken
place in the context of addressing declining usage
of these services, whilst in Leicestershire an
investigation into service provision to groups at
risk of social exclusion included an audit of
services to rural users and those living in deprived
urban areas. The needs of individuals living in
rural isolation are arguably different to those of
people living in urban deprivation and whilst the
time and cost implications of separate studies are
appreciated, perhaps rural communities deserve
separate attention.
The importance of assessing and reviewing
services to minority groups was emphasised in
Libraries for All: Social Inclusion in Public Libraries
(DCMS, 1999). The results of this survey revealed
however that 16 of the 40 authorities studied had
never reviewed library service provision to rural
communities, although three authorities reported
that a fundamental service review was imminent as
part of a best value review. Similarly, all of the
authorities involved in the case studies noted that
they were either presently reviewing their service
delivery or preparing for a review. This suggests
that further changes and developments in library
service provision for rural areas are imminent for
many local authorities in England. In 2003, for
example, the county councils of Dorset,
Buckinghamshire and Warwickshire all undertook
consultation surveys of mobile library users, whilst
Wiltshire County Council’s library service
introduced a Mobile Libraries Plus service for
eight communities, leading to visits once a week
instead of once a fortnight and for two and a half
hours instead of 15 to 30 minutes (Managing
Information, 2003).
Conclusion
The mobile library service has traditionally
provided books to residents of rural areas, but a
comprehensive library service must provide much
more than this if it is to be a true reflection of the
services enjoyed by those living in urban and
suburban areas. It is questionable whether a
traditional mobile library either by itself or
supported by other rural services is adequate,
although the increasing availability of vehicles with
ICT access would seem to be one solution to this
predicament.
This study attempted to gauge the types of
provision library authorities are utilising and
considering in rural England. The results suggest
that some authorities are taking their
responsibilities to rural users very seriously in
terms of consulting rural populations and
undertaking policy reviews, many of which have
been influenced directly by best value, a desire to
meet social inclusion objectives and to a lesser
extent, complying with public library standards.
Library services appear keen to forge partnerships,
both within and external to the authority to ensure
services are relevant and cost effective. The results
reveal innovative uses of rural locations in order to
provide, at basic, books for lending, to a more
sophisticated service resulting in learning
environments with access to PCs and the internet,
the library catalogue and the support of staff or
volunteers.
Notes
1 www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk/
2 www.wrvs.org.uk/whatwedo/howwehelp/home/
library.htm
3 getconnected.ngfl.gov.uk/index.php?s ¼ case_derby
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4 www.eastcambs.gov.uk/html/eol.asp
5 www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/sub/beacon/why.htm
6 www.resource.gov.uk/news/
press_article.asp?articleid ¼ 680
7 www.leics.gov.uk/libraries/meltonlib/asfordby/reports/
asf_final_report3.htm
8 www.leics.gov.uk/libraries/meltonlib/asfordby/
asfordby.htm
9 www.leics.gov.uk/libraries/meltonlib/asfordby/reports/
final_report.htm
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