A Survey of Library Services to Schools and Children in the UK 1996‐97

Citation

Higgins, S.E. (1999), "A Survey of Library Services to Schools and Children in the UK 1996‐97", Asian Libraries, Vol. 8 No. 11, pp. 445-447. https://doi.org/10.1108/al.1999.8.11.445.10

One of the key recommendations of the 1995 UK report, Investing in Children, was that the proportion of the total budget spent on materials for children in public libraries should reflect the proportion of children in the population. This survey gathers descriptive statistics on how well such a target is being met. When the percentage of materials spent on children includes not only public library but school library expenditure, the picture is much more encouraging than public library expenditure alone. In England and Wales 64 authorities (71 per cent) met the target in 1996‐1997. In some instances there are special circumstances which mean that the target will never be met. In the Corporation of London, for example, a large daytime population of city workers reduces the child population to less than 1 per cent; however, 3 per cent of the budget is being spent on children’s materials, and the target is being met in practical terms. Expenditure on public library materials for children fell by 5 per cent in 1996‐1997, and a further fall is projected. The falls are particularly marked in Scotland and Wales, following local government reorganisation. In England the lowest levels of spending are found in the new unitary authorities. Local budgetary variation itself is the culprit in the lack of stability in funding for public as well as schools library services.

The eighth in a series of reports of library services to children and to schools in the UK concentrating on the Schools Library Service, this survey includes four sections. Section 1 is the introduction and summary of trends 1991‐1992 to 1996‐1997; Section 2 covers staffing levels in the School Library Service; Section 3, public library services to children; and Section 4, school library services. All aspects of the children’s service in public libraries and schools libraries are included ‐ tables of total stock and resources, circulation figures, management and funding structures, and materials expenditure per capita.

The report was compiled from data collected by means of a questionnaire survey sent to all public library authorities and schools library services in the UK, with a 94 per cent response rate. It covers the period 1 April 1996 to 31 March 1997 ‐ the first year of operation of the reorganised unitary authorities in Wales, Scotland and some parts of England.

A library authority that cares to create a readership in the next century must pay attention to its children’s services today. In the Foreword Alex Williams, 1997/1998 Chair of the Association of Senior Children’s and Education Libraries, reminds the reader of this fact. “We know from previous years that children’s issues can be held and increased, if resources are directed to this sector, and it is vital that young people who may be attracted to libraries by the information technology available can discover the whole range of what they can offer.” This report provides evidence of the number of children reached annually, the levels of activity maintained despite scare resources, and the new services introduced despite constraints. Williams suggests that the conclusions of this report be aired in local and national government. The report can be cited as statistical evidence of service comparisons, and the figures provided can serve as essential ammunition in lobbying for improvement within individual authorities. A Survey of Library Services to Schools and Children in the UK 1996‐1997 has a very practical and important purpose. The overriding cause is widespread literacy for the children of the UK.