Meeting documents

Back to Agenda

ITEM EX20

EXECUTIVE – 11 DECEMBER 2001

LIBRARY SYSTEM REPLACEMENT

Report by Director of Cultural Services

1. Revenue funding was allocated in the Council’s 2001/02 Medium Term Financial Plan to undertake the replacement of the outdated book issuing computer system over a five-year programme from 2001/02, extending it to all libraries.
2. Work has proceeded to develop the specification for the system over the past eight months. It is planned to complete this in the next month and then to proceed to an invitation to tender via the European Journal in March 2002. The finalisation of costs would then be achieved and authority to proceed with the contract would then be sought.
3. It is planned to devote the bulk of the revenue funding available in 2001/02 to the purchase of ICT consultancy to assist with this process and of PC’s which will operate both for the current system (where some terminals are now over seven years old and need replacement) and for a new system when chosen.

Review of the Implementation Programme

4. During the course of this year, partly as a result of the Best Value Review (BVR) investigations currently underway, it has become increasingly evident that it would be desirable to accelerate the above five year programme to three years, to enable the library service to keep up with the e-government agenda and to provide the service with a comprehensive network countywide. The factors identified include the following:

• Oxfordshire Community Network will deliver broadband connections to all libraries by December 2002 for the People’s Network programme. This network infrastructure will also be used for the library system and for the new Management Information System. Bringing the Library System Replacement programme forward to synchronise more closely with the roll out of the People’s Network would allow full utilisation of the network at an earlier date, maximising the council’s investment and enabling the synergies between these major ICT developments to be fully realised at an earlier date.

• Earlier implementation would also be cost-effective in terms of project management. For example, all the data and electrical cabling needed within each library could be done at one time. This would reduce the level of disruption to the public service, and would also enable staff training to be handled as one programme.

• In order for the library service to play its full part in the e-government programme, all libraries need to be linked to a computer system that will allow remote access by readers to check their accounts, renew their books and place reservations. The existing completion date of March 2006 would not meet the government’s 2005 deadline for e-government.

• Acceleration of the programme would also enable the library service to contribute more effectively to the Council’s social inclusion and lifelong learning agendas.

• It has already been reported in this year’s Annual Library Plan that the current timetable for the extension of a library computer system to all libraries may preclude meeting the (mandatory) national standard for seven-day book request satisfaction (PLS9i). However the Council is committed to meeting DCMS standards by the end of 2003/04, subject to available resources.

• It is becoming increasingly evident, through staff consultation as part of the preparation of the Annual Library Plan and through the work of the Best Value Review of the Library Service, that the public perception of Oxfordshire’s Library Service is adversely affected by the lack of a computer system in the majority of libraries.

5. Against this background it may well be that one of the recommendations from the Best Value Review will be to accelerate the implementation timetable. However, this would have to be evaluated against other likely choices arising from the Best Value Review (for example extending library opening hours and raising book fund levels), and against the efficiency savings arising from the review. At that stage it would be clearer what the options might be, and whether the funding of the accelerated programme would be deemed a financial pressure as part of the Medium Term Financial Plan, or would be a choice against other priorities to be funded within existing resources.

Financial Consequences

6. The acceleration of the programme would lead to higher revenue payments in years two and three (i.e. 2002/03 and 2003/04), as contributions to the renewal fund would commence earlier with some reductions subsequently. There could be however a financial premium of up to £156,000 over five years. This financial modelling of the programme is still being developed, as part of the Best Value Review.

RECOMMENDATIONS

7. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to approve the acceleration of the implementation programme for replacement of the book issuing computer system as described in the report, subject to:

RICHARD MUNRO
Director of Cultural Services

Background Papers: Nil

Contact Officer: Andrew Coggins, County Librarian, Tel: Oxford 810212

30 November 2001