What Happened to Libraries in Independent Television? And What Might Lie in Store for Us All ...

Abstract

Libraries and information units in Independent Television companies have been subject to enormous pressures over the last couple of years. These pressures, largely brought about by the Government′s attempt to open out television and make it more commercial in the way it works, have resulted in libraries closing down, the shrinkage of existing libraries, and the development of a strong cost‐conscious and income‐generating culture. Few libraries in the field now employ more than three or four people and it is estimated that there has been a reduction of between a quarter and a third in the library workforce over the last three years. It is unlikely that the workforce will ever return to its original size. With the market forces contracting‐out philosophy sweeping other sectors of the information field there is a lot to be learnt from the dramatic experiences of the Independent Television libraries. Largely based on a questionnaire and interview survey of 15 ITV libraries in England and Wales which was conducted at the University of North London during the spring of 1993, with some updating of the situation undertaken in the winter of 1993/94.

Citation

Nicholas, D. and Pandit, P. (1994), "What Happened to Libraries in Independent Television? And What Might Lie in Store for Us All ...", New Library World, Vol. 95 No. 4, pp. 4-7. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074809410056427