ITEM EX6
Review report and action plans

Service area under review	Library Service	
Service budget	£7.8m	
Core review team membership	Review leader: 	Rex Harris, Assistant County Librarian	
Policy & Review Officer:	Neil Lawrence
Designated member: 	Cllr Jim Moley 
Independent member: 	Dene Robson, Corporate Policy Officer, West Oxfordshire District Council

Other team members	Karen Warren, Head of Research and Development 
			Neill Butler, Management Accountant
External Consultant	Tim Coates	
Terms of reference (taken from the Baseline Questionnaire)	The library service needs to reconsider its purpose and strategic focus to ensure that it is clear about why it exists, how it should develop and what its immediate priorities are.
This review will fundamentally question these areas and come up with a revised statement of aims and objectives.
In the light of these, it will also encompass:
•	development of clear policies to tackle social exclusion and to improve take-up by socially excluded groups, including a review of charging policies in the light of 'The Price is Right' report
•	examination of what would comprise an appropriate network of service points and what would be appropriate opening hours to achieve the service aims and objectives
•	exploration of the potential to work with other organisations to achieve the aims and objectives

•	scrutiny of those performance measures where this is significant disparity with other authorities, with a view to understanding the reasons, and where appropriate actions that can be taken to improve performance
•	consideration of specific operational issues including staffing levels, management structure and the timetable for replacing the computerised book-issuing system and its extension to all libraries.
There will need to be considerable consultation as part of this review.	

Sections of report
1.	Executive Summary   
Introduction
The Library Service employs 190 FTE staff operating in 43 static and 7 mobile libraries, with a centralised support services unit at Holton. Total book stock is around 1m volumes, with a further 85,000 Audio Visual items. 37% of the county’s population currently hold a readers ticket.

Nationally, public libraries have seen a decline in usage and issues, although Oxfordshire’s decline has been faster than the national rate. The review has established that this is due to not buying enough copies of the more popular titles, problems with stock selection and procurement, inconsistent customer service, unappealing libraries, inadequate and inappropriate opening hours, a lack of effective marketing and promotion, and an inadequate IT system leading to inefficiencies in service.

Under-investment in the service over many years has been damaging. Benchmarking data shows we spend our money well, but our performance is generally in the lower quartiles. 

Key Changes from Review
The Review has produced a five-year strategy to arrest the decline in the service and aim to make it a top quartile performer in all areas. While many of the improvements identified can be met from efficiency savings, significant increases to opening hours will require additional funding by the Council.

Information Technology
Replacement of the current library management system (‘Genesis’) is key to step change in the Service as it will offer:
•	An on-line catalogue of stock for the public, available at all libraries, and also on the Internet
•	Improvements in procurement and stock distribution processes
•	Options for greater delegation to library managers
•	Improved performance management information
•	Resource savings, allowing reinvestment in front-line services
•	Better customer service
The Review has identified means to accelerate implementation to April 2004, some 2 years ahead of its original schedule. Additional workstations will also be installed as part of the People’s Network, allowing free high-speed Internet access via the broadband network.

Stock of Books
The stock of books will be improved by:
•	Investing more in the book fund through reallocating resources and efficiency savings
•	Buying more popular titles and more books through the increased purchasing of paperbacks
•	Responding to public demands more quickly through improved stock selection methods, and some local funding allocated directly to library managers
•	Targeting specific groups (children, teenage readers) and implementing a reader development plan.

Access and Social Inclusion
Libraries will become more attractive places to visit and stay by:
•	Increasing opening hours to reflect public preference, and matching them with other nearby facilities. 
•	Having improved late evening opening, with larger town libraries opening each weekday and all day on Saturdays
The Service will meet the needs of the socially excluded by:
•	Developing appropriate policies and giving staff clear responsibilities for developing and delivering services to socially excluded target groups
•	Changing the focus of the mobile service to deliver services to people who cannot get to a branch library
•	Providing better services for those people who cannot get to any kind of library, including the housebound and homes for older people.

Information Service
The information service will be improved by:
•	Developing the Central Library as a “Centre of Excellence” for the County, and as a central resource for all libraries
•	Moving from print-based information resources to electronic media
•	Training relevant staff in information and referral skills.

Customer Service
Service to our customers will be improved by:
•	Creating a ‘customer charter’ with clear standards and initiating a customer service training programme for all frontline staff
•	Having staff interact more directly with the public
•	Improving the reservation service, and lowering its charges 
•	Carrying out regular public consultation and mystery shopping exercises
•	Improving the appearance of libraries, with better signage, better layout and better décor and lighting
•	Creating a comfortable, welcoming environment in all libraries to encourage people to visit, relax and stay, with separate quiet areas, separate children’s areas and toilet facilities provided wherever possible
•	Carrying out a fundamental review of Central Library functions (including options for refurbishment) to improve the Service’s ‘flagship’.

Performance Management
A performance management framework will be introduced by
•	Creating a smaller Library Management Team focusing on strategic rather than operational issues
•	Delegating authority and responsibility for individual libraries to library managers, with clear targets set for performance
•	Closely monitoring performance against targets, and taking action to improve poorly performing libraries.
 
2.	
Introduction
Initial work concentrated around defining a set of aims and objectives for the service, as agreed by the Best Value baseline questionnaire. However, following consultation with members of staff, including all librarians and library managers, and with members of the public through the first Citizens’ Panel Questionnaire, it became apparent early on that the existing mission statement and aims required little change. A slightly revised Mission Statement and Aims of the Library Service, together with a new set of Values, were duly written as part of the latest Annual Library Plan and approved by the Cultural Services Committee in October 2001. What was still missing, however, was an overall strategy for the Service to inform planning and action in the medium term.

The focus of the Review became largely governed by the outcome of the first Citizens' Panel of a thousand residents, who were asked what the Public Library Service needs to do in order for residents to visit and use the service more. The Panel results confirmed some of the key findings of the Baseline Questionnaire, in that:
•	The range of books available needs to improve so that readers are more likely to find the titles they require.
•	The opening hours need to increase so that libraries are open when they are needed, in the same way that shops and other services operate.
•	The provision of information needs to improve as customers are increasingly turning to other sources.

In order to define exactly what action needs to be taken, four working groups were created to look into: 
•	The stock of books 
•	The provision of information to the public 
•	Opening hours and access
•	The management of the service and the use of resources

The areas of study for each of these groups are summarised below:

Area 1: The Stock of Books
•	Establish evidence about the quality of the range of books currently on display, and how what is offered compares to other possible outlets for the books.
•	Carry out benchmarking with other similar authorities, especially those in the top quartile for 'issues per head of population', and look at their purchasing policies. 
•	Obtain the views of library users and non-users on their expectations for the service, and also the views of staff.
•	Investigate ways to increase take-up by older children and young adults. 
•	Propose a policy for communities with languages other than English and heritage other than British.
•	Examine the entire process of book selection, purchase and distribution, identifying the costs inherent in the process. 

Area 2: Information
•	Identify the reference and information needs of all the communities that libraries serve, particularly socially excluded individuals in need of help and those who engage in Life Long Learning.
•	Explore how other information providers (including public library services), Internet sites, community groups and other media, are providing information to meet individual people’s needs.
•	Establish evidence about the quality and currency of the range of resources currently available in libraries.  
•	Review existing provision of printed materials in the light of the improved availability of electronic sources.
•	Establish evidence about the quality and accuracy of information provided by library staff.
•	Investigate the implications of delivering e-government, including the evolving role of the Library Service and the need for the 'seamless' provision of information for the citizens of the county.
•	Consider the Library Service’s role in the provision of information as part of the County Council’s overall communications/customer care strategy.

Area 3: Opening Hours and Access
•	Compare the existing opening hours for each library, with those of a sample of other services: shops, restaurants, cinemas, etc. in the individual towns where the libraries stand. 
•	Identify groups in the community who may have difficulties using the libraries and propose how these could be addressed. 
•	Explore if libraries are welcoming and friendly places to visit.
•	Investigate situations that may lead to “exclusion”. Seek, through consultation and with others, advice on how these situations could be addressed. 
•	Identify groups for whom physical access to a library may be impossible under any circumstance and possible solutions to this.
•	Investigate whether current charging policies are a deterrent to using services, particularly in the light of 'The Price is Right' report, and make links with the county crosscutting review on charges.
•	Analyse the service provided by mobile libraries, from the point of view of both users and non-users, and recommend improvements.
•	Investigate current practice in similar authorities and alternative ways of providing services in rural areas.

Area 4: Management and Resources
•	Identify all the targets, standards and indicators for the service, and current performance against these measures. Scrutinise where there is significant disparity with other authorities. Understand the reasons and suggest actions that can be taken to improve performance. 
•	Show how these and other measures are made and how frequently, and determine a cycle of reports (e.g. weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual), which will show all concerned how the changes are progressing. 
•	Investigate the desirability and feasibility of accelerating the current timetable of computerising all libraries by 2006.
•	Develop a complete picture of how resources are spent at present, identify the re-allocation of resources needed and how this can be achieved. 
•	Propose a management structure, with clearly identified responsibilities, for delivering the changes and the targets which are set, and which ensures a more effective strategic management of the service.
3.	
Areas of research
Despite there being four discrete working groups, the research undertaken for the review often informed more than one of these groups. For the sake of clarity, all research is listed below by type rather than work area.

1.	Comparative studies (national):
•	Using national CIPFA data (1999/2000 Actuals, 2001 Planning Profile).
•	Study of BVPIs and Oxfordshire’s performance.
•	Participation in five CIPFA Benchmarking Clubs on best practice in stock management, social inclusion and in the reservations and interlibrary loans service; marketing practice in public libraries; and metric benchmarking of staff, buildings, stock and mobile libraries.
•	Comparisons of stock policy against those of top quartile performing county library services.
•	Shelf and catalogue checks of authors on booklist in ‘2’ below checked by same top quartile authorities, as well as hardback/paperback purchasing ratios.
•	Examination of Westminster Libraries’ stock supply chain review.
•	Examination of Warwickshire and Cornwall’s Best Value reviews of mobile services.
•	Information obtained from other authorities as part of consultation to identify best practice in teenage provision.
•	Annual national Survey of Charges checked for charging policies in other counties, including level of charges and concessionary policies.
•	Access questionnaire to other authorities to ascertain information on mobile library policies, types of services to housebound people and to homes for older people, late evening and Sunday opening, etc.
•	Information obtained from other authorities on management structures, job descriptions and other relevant research, including details of the East Sussex staffing formula project (analysis of the returns from 19 other authorities).
•	Following the IDeA peer review, follow-up visit by County Librarian to Suffolk and information on a new staffing formula obtained from Essex.
2.	Comparative studies (local):
•	Booklist produced for checking comparative stock range on open shelves of council libraries and local bookshops by members of library staff.
•	‘Database’ built up of core comparative information across Oxfordshire libraries, such as costs, income, issues, opening hours, active book stock, visits, enquiries, book and AV requests, with libraries placed in 4 quartiles for performance.
3.	Public consultation exercises (local):
•	Oxfordshire Citizens’ Panel, June 2001. Questionnaire sent to 1000 people asking about library usage, opinions on their key role, reasons for not using them and factors that would increase usage.
•	MORI qualitative research into views and opinions of non-users and lapsed users of the service. Six extended focus groups each of 8-11 residents held on 13, 14 & 15 November 2000. Groups were focussed on Central Library, Abingdon/Wantage/Didcot town libraries, and rural area around Adderbury and Deddington libraries, including mobile library stops.
•	Consumer Profile qualitative research into views and opinions of library users. Three focus groups each of 9-10 residents on 7, 8 & 10 January. Groups focussed on Central Library, Abingdon Library and Adderbury Library.
•	PLUS survey data for each year from 1999 on customer satisfaction, including for the first time in 2001 open-ended customer comments.
4.	Mystery Shopping exercises:
•	Telephone query exercise to examine customer service and accuracy of answers on information queries at small and medium-sized libraries, and Central Library.
•	Library visit exercise to examine customer service and accuracy of answers on information queries at small and medium-sized libraries, and Central Library.
•	Stock checklist exercise to evaluate the range and number of titles available at small and medium-sized libraries, and Central Library.
•	Visits to 16 libraries by an external customer service trainer to evaluate ease of finding library, display, telephone manner, first impressions, response to questions and overall customer service.
5.	Library staff consultation exercises:
•	The annual countywide forum involving nearly 100 members of staff, including all service point managers and librarians in the Best Value Review process. Two half-day sessions were organised on 29 June & 3 July 2001, with facilitators from the Personnel, Policy and Review Unit  guiding workshop sessions with groups of managers. The aim was to reach a consensus view on the purpose and strategic focus the Library Service should adopt; its ‘Vision’ for the future.
•	The County Librarian and Library Management Team have played an active role in the Review, with some individuals leading working groups and joint meetings with the Best Value Core Team. 
•	Three Staff Focus Groups on 18 & 20 December and 4 January, with 10 members of staff each from larger town libraries, smaller rural libraries & mobile libraries, and Central library. The objective was to express the public's views as they, the frontline staff, perceive them in terms of the range of stock expected.
•	A Staff Focus Group on 28 January involving 7 members of staff from a range of libraries. This used front line staff experience to review the current and future role of the information service.
•	A Staff Focus Group on 14 November involving staff from a range of libraries. This looked at current problems relating to access and proposed solutions to these.
6.	A study of the distribution of static libraries and mobile library stops against the distribution of population and catchment areas using Geographical Information System mapping. The objective was to evaluate current population coverage, identify any significant centres of population not covered at present, and identify possible sites on which to concentrate any new library facilities.
7.	As an aid to future planning, the Health Authority plotted the above static and mobile library points on to their DETR multiple index of deprivation maps, including those for the constituent six domains and the child poverty index.
8.	Older people’s information needs identified from the Best Value Review into Support for Older People.
9.	A survey of current library services to older people’s and other homes across the county.
10.	Contact made with staff in other agencies, primarily Oxfordshire Rural Community Council and Age Concern, and various managers in OCC Social Services.
11.	 Access/Opening Hours: Questionnaire sent to all libraries to identify what other   facilities are open near them and at what times.
12.	 An examination of the February 2002 Public Lending Right data, including the ‘top 100 library authors’.
13.	 As part of the ongoing Library Premises Review, WS Atkins was commissioned to further investige the development potential of existing libraries.

4. Key Findings
Resources

•	The Service had experienced a 25% cut to its budget over an eight-year period up to 1998/99. This has been partly addressed in the last two years with some reinvestment, including the reinstatement of the 1998/99 opening hours cut. Cipfa Actuals for 1999-2000 showed Oxfordshire as being 29th out of 34 English Counties for net expenditure per thousand population, (the draft 2000/01 figures show Oxfordshire as being 28th out of 30, with returns from 4 authorities awaited). The Cipfa Planning Profile for our ‘family’ of fourteen Selected Authorities shows an average spend of  £1.18 per head more than Oxfordshire, the equivalent of £739,000 a year.
•	Expenditure on staff per 1000 population is amongst the lowest of all counties, and we employ fewer staff per 1000 population than most other counties. Cipfa Actuals for 1999-2000 place Oxfordshire 31st (the equivalent of £640,000 when compared with the average) and 29th (the equivalent of 50 FTE when compared with the upper quartile) respectively.
•	As a proportion of overall expenditure, Oxfordshire spends more on books than the average for English Counties. It was placed 22nd for expenditure per thousand population in 1999-2000, £143,000 less than the upper quartile.
•	Comparison with other counties shows that there is a clear correlation between high issue performance and investment in the book fund. All the counties in the upper quartile for issues per head of population also have the highest expenditure on books per head, the highest performing authority having the equivalent of £379,000 more book fund than Oxfordshire. Research carried out by the Cipfa Stock Management Benchmarking Club confirms that authorities will struggle to perform well if their stock fund is low, “under these circumstances good practice will enhance performance…but is unlikely to lift it to the levels of the best-funded authorities”.
•	The Service has been very successful at raising income to offset cuts to the book fund and other budgets, being 4th highest amongst all counties. Oxfordshire is achieving a higher percentage of gross Service expenditure which is covered by income than the Selected Authorities. For 1999/2000 this was 22% more. This aspect of the budget is well managed, metric benchmarking with other counties demonstrating that Oxfordshire has the highest levels of income per £ spent.
•	Funding is currently allocated to individual cost centres as an annual incremental process rather than to new Annual Library Plan priorities.
Role of the Service

•	The Service is highly valued and, on the whole, highly rated by its users. Libraries are seen as being as valuable to communities as they are to individuals, a window into a world of wider learning and understanding. 
•	The view from others, primarily lapsed and non-users, is that libraries have lost their central place in people’s lives due to cultural changes which they feel the Service has not kept pace with. Even these groups recognise that libraries have the potential to retain a vital role in the community.
•	The Service is poorly promoted and marketed, with non/lapsed users feeling it provides an ‘old-fashioned’ service. Not everyone is aware of the complete range of services on offer, especially non-book lending ones. Once changes have been implemented, the key to future success for libraries will be the effective promotion of these changes and that they are fun places to visit.
•	The Service caters well for older people and higher social groups, but not for younger people. It is failing to ‘catch’ people of school age and after they leave school. Of all the children (aged up to 15) in the PLUS Children’s User Survey carried out towards the end of 2001, 50% were aged 5 or less. Although decline is in part down to cultural shifts, both users and non-users believe that the Service should do more to attract this important target audience to the ‘world of books’ and the enjoyment of reading, with positive impressions formed at an early age lasting for years to come.
•	The Service does not have an action plan to tackle social exclusion and to provide better services for other key target groups, including people with sensory impairment and other disabilities, people from minority ethnic communities, older people living in homes, housebound people, and people who are rurally isolated. Consultation with these groups and with outside agencies and practitioners is largely absent.
•	The Service maintains local studies sections within libraries, but the Heritage Service operates the Centre for Oxfordshire Studies at the Central Library under different opening hours to that of the main library.

Access

•	From work previously undertaken, the Annual Library Plan for 2001 assumed that Oxfordshire met the new DCMS Standard of 85% of people living within 2 miles of a static library and disputed the official IPF figure of 76%. Subsequent discussion with IPF and digital mapping research has confirmed that the figure of 76% is correct, 9% below the Standard.
•	With the addition of a catchment area of a quarter of a mile for each mobile library stop, the above 76% is increased to 87%.
•	The mapping exercise shows unevenness in provision, with large swathes of the county some distance from a static library and some communities currently receiving a mobile library service having larger populations than others with a branch library. Providing a library presence in any one of these larger communities would typically add between 0.5 % and 1% towards meeting the above DCMS Standard.
•	The Review of District Council Local Plans presents an opportunity to increase awareness of the needs of the Service and to ensure that local planning authorities make proper provision for local facilities and community services when approving development plans for their areas. Resultant developer contributions will be sought to provide for the needs of the Service.
•	The ability of the Service to realize untapped land/property potential is limited. Many premises are either leased from third parties or they utilize small premises that do not have ancillary land. Even where the smaller rural premises include small parcels of ancillary land, these areas are often too small to develop or are severely constrained by planning restrictions.
•	Much of the future potential can be realized with shared-working schemes (as in the current Kidlington library project) which result in OCC departmental offices and services amalgamating into shared facilities. This can either result in the potential for disposal of existing premises and/or reduced (shared) costs in new premises.
•	Plotting of branch libraries and mobile stops on to mapping of the Index of Multiple Deprivation data indicates that branch libraries are effectively located. The addition of facilities in the larger communities described above, would deal with some of the problem areas highlighted on the Access domain maps.
•	Metric benchmarking with other counties on mobile library services shows that Oxfordshire has the lowest time stopped (i.e. open to the public) compared with time travelling (1.3 hours stopped per I hour travelled, compared with an average of 2 hours). 
•	Current opening times make it difficult for those people working conventional ‘office’ hours to access the Service. There is strong support for all-day Saturday, some later evening and, less so, some Sunday opening, with an expectation that the Central Library should be open longer. Of the 12 counties completing an access questionnaire, 3 had examples of Sunday opening and 8 of post 7.00 evening opening (with all but one closing at 8.00 pm).
•	There is a 20 hour shortfall in the DCMS Standard for opening hours per thousand population, the equivalent of 242 hours per week. 
•	A significant percentage of the population is not able to travel to libraries, either through reasons of limited mobility or rural isolation. The 1991 census indicates that, excluding Oxford City, the proportion of households without a car was 18%.
•	Of the 113 homes for older people in the county, only 25% are currently served by libraries, 25 having deposit collections and 3 being visited by a mobile library. Of the 12 counties completing an access questionnaire, 9 currently have specialist vehicles serving homes for older people, with a 10th planning to introduce one.
•	Population projections indicate that in the 20 years to 2021, the numbers of people aged 65+ and 75+ will increase by 45% and 37% respectively, compared with an overall population growth of 11%. For these two age groups the 2000 Cipfa PLUS survey gave a weighted total for all libraries (including mobiles) of 31% for 65+ and 12% for 75+, with 60% and 42% for mobiles only.
•	Social Services estimates that 21% of people aged 65 and over require help with ‘Activities of Daily Living’, a total of 18,000 people. This compares with the 1000 people currently receiving the housebound library service.

Environmental

•	Libraries are seen by non/lapsed users to be unappealing places from the outside, and uncomfortable and hard to use when inside. People are not encouraged to come in and stay for long periods. Many would like to see the provision of toilet facilities, especially in the larger libraries. Users see a library's environment as intrinsically linked to its appeal. 
•	Users express frustration in finding the books they want, due to a combination of poor layout, poor guiding and signage, inadequate catalogues, and staff attitude. This is confirmed by poor performance in PLUS user surveys. The problem appears to be proportional to the size of the library. Users want to be empowered to find books for themselves.
•	On the subject of noise, users expressed two opposing views concerning young children in libraries. Some believe that it is unreasonable to expect children to be totally quiet and others that small children are a distracting nuisance. The latter attitude is stopping some parents taking their children to libraries. Proposed solutions to the dilemma included physically separated children’s areas and dedicated quiet study areas for adults only. 
•	In particular, users see the Central Library as being unsatisfactory. Some of the factors mentioned are poor organisation, poor signage, haphazard shelving, the mixture of reference and lending stock, an unwelcoming atmosphere and decor with no natural lighting. 

Customer Service

•	Libraries are considered by all groups as needing to emulate book shops in providing a high level of customer service, standards and choice. The current Service is seen as being slow to respond to needs.
•	Users see the attitude of staff at smaller libraries as cultivating a homely, friendly image. In larger libraries, users feel staff do not have sufficient time to deal with them, and the quality of their service suffers as a consequence, with the Central Library suffering from an image of inapproachability. 
•	Examination of the annual Sheffield Survey of Public Library Charges shows that, on the whole, charges in Oxfordshire are high. The situation in Oxfordshire is broadly similar to that in most other counties, with a range of concessions available for children, housebound people and people who are sick and disabled or who are unemployed, and a lack of them for older people.
•	Partly as the result of most libraries not being computerised, the reserves system is very time intensive for staff and usually slow. Many users resent the high charge (currently £1, the highest in any county) and, as a result, Oxfordshire has a very low number of requests when compared with other authorities (50% fewer than the average for the Selected Authorities). Comparisons with other authorities also show that we are amongst the worst performers in this area. Against the DCMS Standard of 50% supply rate within 7 days and 85% within 30 days, Oxfordshire’s figures for 2000/01 were 21% and 78% respectively.
•	Some users and non-users perceive library staff as difficult to approach, or feel embarrassed about doing so. There is also a perception that book shop staff are more knowledgeable and enthusiastic about books. 
•	For the customer service trainer carrying out mystery shopping across 16 libraries, the impression of the Library Service changed from library to library, with comments ranging from “I’ll do anything to help you” to “I haven’t really got time to help”.  From a maximum of 50 points that could be awarded for a range of customer service features, the 16 libraries had an even spread of scores ranging from 26 up to the maximum of 50.

Information Service

•	Enquiries per 1000 population have been declining over past years, with 170,000 fewer than the average for Selected Authorities in 1999-2000. In 1999/00, Oxfordshire was ranked 21st out of 34. However, these figures are suspect, showing inexplicable fluctuations from year to year which do not correlate with either visitor numbers or issues. (To provide more reliable data in the future, it has been agreed that these figures will now be collected quarterly rather than the previous annual one week sample).
•	Many potential users are unaware of the information resources and services available through the Library Service.
•	Users evaluated information facilities positively, especially the availability of community information.
•	Users anticipate that the inevitable failings of hard copy reference materials will be supplemented by greater use of the Internet as an information tool within the libraries.
•	Benchmarking with other authorities has established that no authority is even considering the wholesale abandonment of printed resources and that no authority approached by Oxfordshire has yet produced a policy document for the provision of electronic resources, an indication of the speed of change in recent years.
•	Benchmarking with other authorities also indicates that it is the norm for Library Services to provide a range of information services to their Council not currently undertaken in Oxfordshire, including selective dissemination of information, local government information service for Members and officers, the management of the Council’s website and Intranet, training on information management, and input into the publications programme.
•	Factors hindering the provision of a good information service (especially in smaller libraries) include low staffing levels, lack of space, and the provision of out-of-date printed stock.
•	Mystery shopping showed that 75% of the information enquiries asked were answered adequately, although 42% were not answered to the complete satisfaction of the information specialists assessing the exercise. In addition, 50% of enquiries which should have been referred to a better-resourced branch or to a more experienced colleague were not so referred. 
•	Staff feedback and mystery shopping has demonstrated a variable quality of service from library to library, with problems in the use of the referral network and response times highlighted. Issues include staff not knowing who to telephone if the nearest filter reference library is closed, some hesitancy in using the Central Library, inadequate phone lines and the lack of an on-call information expert.
•	Successful models in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire have been examined. Each of their Central Libraries is a centre of excellence for the county’s information services, acting as a call / referral centre for all libraries.
•	Both users and non-users believe libraries could play a greater role in teaching people information skills, in particular how to use computers and the Internet.

ICT

•	Consultation has demonstrated that there is strong support for the provision of Internet access in libraries and that the limited uptake of the service to date is attributable to a range of factors. These include lack of awareness of services offered, a perception that current facilities are slow and inefficient (especially from younger people), limited facilities (typically one PC per library), lack of assistance available, timidity and fear (especially among older people), and cost (free access perceived to be important).
•	A large investment in ICT (including broadband and 207 public access PCs) via People’s Network funding is to be made over the next year, which will significantly change the range of information services and ICT facilities available to the public. Consultation shows a general interest in this development, but it needs to be shown as offering more than people can access from their home PCs. Parents in particular feel that fast, efficient and free Internet access would be a motivator for their children to come into libraries, and older people who currently feel intimidated by the Internet perceive the library as an unthreatening place in which to learn new skills.
•	In the same way that users saw modern book shops such as Borders as being the template for a modern relaxed atmosphere for reading, so Virgin Magastores were seen as a template for public Internet access.
•	The percentage of libraries that have access to on-line catalogues is currently 26% compared with the DCMS Standard of 100%. In Oxfordshire, none of these are available for public access, unlike the case in other counties where public access is the norm. For example, the Cipfa Actuals for 1999/2000 show Suffolk  as having the same number of libraries as Oxfordshire, but with 269 public access on-line catalogues.
•	The lack of a comprehensive public-access on-line catalogue in all libraries inhibits the Service from enabling staff and the public to be aware of what stock is available, with calls from the public for the provision of a web-enabled catalogue, a service available in most other authorities. This, together with the fact that only 13 of our 50 libraries are computerised, adds significantly to the public’s perception that libraries are old-fashioned and dull.
•	As illustrated throughout this Section on ‘Key Findings’, the Genesis system has failed to deliver on a range of promised improvements. The date for its replacement and eventual extension to all libraries needs to be implemented as a top priority (the current timetable allowing for completion by 2006). 
•	Following the implementation of the People’s Network and the installation of a further 207 terminals, there will still be a shortfall in the DCMS Standard for the number of PCs in libraries available for the public. This equates to 94 terminals, and even if their additional cost were to be found, the lack of space in library premises will preclude meeting the Standard for the foreseeable future.

Lending Stock

•	Users stressed the importance of maintaining the balance between newly published titles and ‘old favourites’.
•	Both users, non-users and staff felt that there is insufficient investment in new stock, particularly the number of copies being purchased of the more popular bestsellers. This is confirmed by the benchmarking exercise described below. Shortfalls in “good quality new fiction” are most notable. The stock does not cater well for the needs of teenage users.
•	The top quartile authorities for issues per head were asked to provide details of the number of copies held of 10 adult fiction and 11 adult non-fiction best selling titles. For the 6 out of eight authorities replying, on average, the title coverage for individual libraries was 20% better than that in Oxfordshire.
•	The same exercise highlighted a lower proportion of paperback to hardback purchasing in Oxfordshire compared with the other 6 counties. For adult fiction the figures are 33% compared with 56%, and for adult non-fiction, 20% compared with 55%.
•	Examination of the February bestseller listings provides examples of non-fiction paperback titles that have been in the listings since first being published as early as the Autumn of 2001, and in one case as long ago as March 2001. These particular paperbacks are unavailable in Oxfordshire’s stock and in many cases, there are only small numbers of the previously published hardback copies available.
•	Recent articles in the media have drawn parallels between the continuing national decline in the number of books loaned by public libraries and the list of the top 100 issuing authors in public libraries released annually by Public Lending Right. The latter is seen as bearing almost no resemblance to the current year-on-year bestseller lists, lagging about 20 years behind. “The bestseller lists show libraries what they are missing – the ranges of stock that will encourage more readers to look on libraries as places where newsworthy titles…will be available” (‘The Bookseller’). The Guardian asks  “Does anyone between the ages of 13 and 50 ever visit a library?”.
•	Figures for 2000/01 show that there was a shortfall of 33 when compared with the DCMS Standard of 216 for the number of items added each year per thousand population. This Standard is for both books and audio-visual items and work completed for the Annual Library Plan in 2001 demonstrated that the shortfall is in books, with an increase of £136,000 to the book fund being required to meet the Standard.
•	Non-users in particular felt that the stock was outdated and in poor condition, with the Central Library being singled out by users as having too many out of date specialist books, and a shortage of “much loved” classics. 
•	Users and non-users felt that there should be more investment in books with a popular approach to specialist subjects (e.g. science, modern art) and up-to-date hobby books.
•	Both users and non-users identified improved presentation of stock as an important key to success, especially when compared with the better book shops. They would welcome more attractive displays, more books front-facing, and better guidance, suggestions and recommendations from staff and other readers. Other (perhaps more purposive) users indicate that anything other than a strict alphabetical or classified sequence is unhelpful.
•	Users praised the availability of large print titles and the levels of foreign language stock were held to be good.
•	The booklist checking exercise comparing stock range in local libraries with their local bookshops showed that libraries performed better for non-fiction, particularly children’s. There was less success with adult fiction, although scores were close in a number of cases.
•	There is large-scale circulation of stock between libraries to fend off “reader exhaustion” and increase the use of the stock. However, the inadequacies of the Genesis system and the lack of computerisation in the majority of libraries make this a more time-consuming and less effective an activity than is the case in other authorities.

Book Selection

•	Comparison with other authorities shows that Oxfordshire is not alone in having a Stock Management Policy that is outdated. In the past such policies tended to concentrate exclusively on issues such as censorship and format, rather than on the objectives to be achieved (e.g. the balance between breadth of title coverage and the stocking of multiple copies of individual titles, the ratio of paperback to hardback purchasing, etc.). 
•	Involvement in recent Cipfa benchmarking club activity in the field of Stock Management confirms that the Oxfordshire approach of selecting newly published titles via small teams on behalf of the whole county is recommended as best practice. This is cost-effective, facilitates effective stock rotation, and avoids unevenness of service and stock becoming too narrow and basic. 
•	However, consultation with the public and staff is also showing that the current book selection processes are not entirely meeting the needs of Service users in general, and in particular at individual branch level to reflect local needs. 
•	The link between the stated or apparent needs of customers and the county panel selection arrangements needs to be improved. Many branch managers and librarians feel left out of the process and the public would value consultation over which books to purchase.
•	Where limited purchasing has taken place at individual branch level (usually as the result of money being donated by local Friends’ groups), this has been deemed to be successful by the local staff.
•	The lack of data on usage from the Genesis system (e.g. the performance of particular stock categories, the borrowing behaviour of readers, etc,) reduces the information available to stock selectors and precludes a more systematic approach to the selection of stock overall.

Procurement

•	The discount offered by books suppliers was last market tested in early 2000, prior to a second Central Buying Consortium (CBC) contract for the supply of books being agreed. Oxfordshire is one of 18 participating authorities currently benefiting from this contract, the largest of its kind in Europe. There are currently no indications that better value could be obtained elsewhere.
•	The current book suppliers, however, are seen as slow, with both staff and public frustrated by the absence of titles that are available in the windows of book shops. Staff believe this is the result of a combination of factors, including the late ordering of titles and the lack of effective monitoring. 
•	The replacement of the library management sysytem and the computerisation of all libraries, together with the introduction of the new OCC MIS system, will lead to greater efficiency and savings in the costs of the procurement function. Improvements will include the introduction of EDI facilities, the electronic import of catalogue records from suppliers’ databases, the automatic chasing of orders, more effective budgeting and monitoring of suppliers’ performance, and a reduction in stock processing requirements.
•	Benchmarking with other authorities shows that the overall price for books purchased is higher than the average in Oxfordshire. This is attributable to the lower level of paperback purchasing in this county.  The Cipfa Stock Management benchmarking club has identified it as good practice to have a very strong bias towards paperbacks. This is because paperbacks give substantially more issues per pound spent and buying paperbacks allows for more titles or copies to be bought for a given sum. 

Performance Management

•	The performance of individual libraries varies enormously. For issues of books and audio-visual items over the ten year period to 2000/01, 47 of the 50 libraries showed a decline ranging from –6% to –57%. Some libraries are consistently poor performers across a number of comparitors. 
•	The Best Value baseline work showed that over a ten year period the drop in combined book and audio-visual issues was 34% for mobile libraries, almost five times greater than the case in static libraries.
•	Oxfordshire has the 2nd lowest figure for book issues per thousand population of all English counties, and the 4th lowest for the number of books on loan. For audio-visual loans it is 8th highest.
•	Metric benchmarking indicates that Oxfordshire’s mobile service has high staffing costs and the lowest issues per FTE. Of the 12 other counties completing an access questionnaire, 9 had single or mixed single and double crewing of vehicles, with 3 double-crewed only.
•	There is a perception amongst some front-line staff that the Support Services function based at Holton is out of touch with the demands of the public service and is not responsive enough. Some of this is attributable to poor (two-way) communication.
•	The roles and responsibilities of professional librarians are unclear, and in some instances, job descriptions are lacking. 
•	Surveys show Oxfordshire as performing below the lower quartile figure for most measures of public satisfaction. Notable exceptions are for time spent waiting (at median quartile) and finding a book without one in mind (upper quartile). 
•	There is insufficient monitoring of, and accountability for failure to meet, Service objectives or targets within the current management arrangements. 
•	Library Management Team lacks sufficient focus on strategic issues, concentrating too much on operational matters. Where temporary arrangements have been put in place over the past year to enable individual senior managers to concentrate on particular projects (e.g. People’s Network, the Annual Library Plan, Best Value), this has been successful, although it has placed more pressure on operational colleagues.  

5. 	Conclusions

Resources
•	Much of the Service’s poor performance can be related directly to the lack of investment, and this must be addressed if the Authority wishes to achieve top quartile performance in all areas. 
•	As it is uncertain when the Council will be able to reinvest in the Service, existing resources and efficiency savings must therefore be re-directed to part-fund the changes needed. The most immediate and highest priority is the acceleration of the library management  system replacement project (together with the computerisation of all libraries), followed by more investment in the book stock, additional library opening hours, and the refurbishment of libraries.

Role of the Service
•	The Service must aim to provide for the needs of all members of the communities it serves.
•	The failure to attract young people into the Service needs to be addressed as a priority. New means must be found to ensure that libraries play a greater part in young people’s lives.
•	The Service needs to establish a clear action plan for addressing social inclusion in the target groups identified, identifying targets for performance, managers accountable for carrying out action, and the resources available to them.
 
Access/Opening Hours
•	The Service must aim to be open at times that best suit the public, and deliver services to those who cannot normally visit a library.
•	To encourage greater usage, the 8 larger town libraries should aim to open all day every day, with the 12 largest libraries opening all day Saturdays and most evenings. Earlier or later evening opening at libraries should be considered where there is a clear demand.
•	It would be prohibitively expensive to build enough new libraries to meet DCMS Standards on population coverage. Alternative, non-traditional, facilities should be established in larger communities not served by a static library by entering into partnerships with local councils, voluntary organisations and/or the private sector, or by judicious use of opportunities to share school premises.
•	The current purpose of the mobile service is unclear, and the service not cost effective. It should be re-launched as the prime means for meeting the needs of those who cannot get to a branch library, with new services to older and housebound people. Routes should be optimised for the greatest efficiency, and single staffing used where possible.
•	To remove public confusion, steps should be taken to ensure that the opening hours of the Centre for Oxfordshire Studies and the rest of the Central Library are the same.

Environmental
•	The Service must aim to make libraries more welcoming and attractive places in order to encourage people to visit and stay for long periods. 
•	A programme of refurbishment is necessary to include better stock layout/display, better signage, higher levels of comfort and better lighting. This must aim to create quiet areas and dedicated childrens’ areas wherever possible, and make toilets available to the public where feasible.
•	A priority in this programme should be a fundamental refurbishment of Central Library as the flagship library of the Service.
Customer Service
•	The Service must aim to provide higher standards of customer service and higher levels of public satisfaction.
•	A concerted effort is needed by the Service in order to rid itself of the traditional, negative image some members of the public have of library staff, and to improve poor performance identified in the mystery shopping exercises. Staff should be easily identifiable, welcoming and helpful, and well trained to deal with any query put to them. This will require a more effective staff development programme.
•	Improvements to the reservations system need to be addressed as a priority. 
•	The Service needs an effective marketing strategy and better promotion of existing and proposed services.

Information Service
•	The Service must aim to be the natural choice for people wanting to find out information of any kind. 
•	The burden of spreading print-based information resources over a wide area is inefficient. Information technology should play a greater role in this aspect of the Service, with preference to using electronic based media to provide quick and accurate, up-to-date information on as wide a range of subjects as possible, and utilising user-friendly interfaces. Staff should play a role in teaching people how to use technology and so empower them to find their own answers to queries.
•	The use of the filter library referral system for queries has produced variable results. An effective, well-resourced, centralised service needs to be established that both staff and the public can rely on, based on Central Library and acting as the ‘Centre of Excellence’ for the whole county.
•	The Service should maximize the contribution it can make to the County Council’s e-government agenda.
ICT
•	The Service’s top priority to achieve step change must be to ensure that the replacement of the library management system is implemented at the earliest possible opportunity, and be in place in all libraries by the end of  April 2004 at the very latest.
•	Replacement of the library management system must aim to:
-	Provide an on-line catalogue of stock at all libraries, and also on the Internet, to empower users to find the books they want and so increase the number of stock issues
-	Lead to improvements in procurement and stock distribution processes
-	Make the requests system and stock rotation systems far more efficient
-	Allow greater delegation to library managers
-	Produce improved performance management and membership information
-	Generate resource savings, allowing reinvestment in front-line services
-	Create a better public image of the library service, leading to greater usage.

•	The provision of ICT through the People’s Network is key to the development of lifelong learning.
Lending Stock
•	The Service must aim, as a minimum, to meet the DCMS target for new acquisitions, and in the medium term reach top quartile performance.
•	Research has clearly shown that greater investment is needed in the book stock to attract higher usage and meet DCMS standards. Priority needs to be given to more multiple copies of adult bestselling fiction and non-fiction titles, and improved stock for teenage and younger readers. 
•	Whilst some improvement in the purchasing of the more traditional public library PLR-type popular authors will undoubtedly lead to some increased usage and repeat visits from existing borrowers, the longer term success of public libraries will be achieved through the more effective purchasing of the types of material currently selling well in the book shops and elsewhere, thus encouraging a new younger readership in to libraries. This should go hand in hand with an effective reader development programme.
Book Selection
•	Benchmarking shows that the use of selection panels should be retained. However, they must become more responsive to meeting public demands and requests. 
•	Book selection needs to be far more effective to ensure that forthcoming popular titles are identified and ordered in advance of publication. Clearer guidelines and targets must be drawn up to work to. There must be more effective systems in place to monitor the work of selection panels. 
•	Library Managers should play a greater role in the selection of stock to allow for local variations in demand.
Procurement
•	The current procurement contract would appear to offer good value for money, and so there are no strong arguments for renegotiating this.
•	However, in terms of speed of supply the contract has not been operating well, and for performance to improve much greater monitoring needs to take place. The replacement of the library management system will provide more effective systems for chasing orders automatically and monitoring the speed of supply, but staff resources to carry out this work must also be identified. Consistent poor performance will result in business being shifted to other suppliers within the contract.
•	A higher proportion of paperback books should be purchased to ensure the average cost of purchasing is lowered, with a greater number of items purchased and more issues per £ spent.
Performance Management
•	The Service must ensure it is cost-effective and well managed, providing excellent value to the people of Oxfordshire
•	A revised, slimmed-down management structure is needed to concentrate on strategic issues, including the overall performance of the service. Operational management should be vested in a single member of the management team
•	With the replacement of the library management system, the computerisation of all libraries, and the introduction of the new OCC MIS systems, there will be scope for efficiency savings in centralised support functions, with resources directed to front-line services. 
•	Library Support Services’ relationship with the front line should be more business-like, with clear and agreed targets and indicators of performance.
•	A performance management framework should be introduced to set individual library managers clear goals and targets for improved performance in each library, which will be monitored regularly by the Management Team.
•	The roles and work of the current librarians should be reviewed so that work on key priorities goes ahead and is completed on target. 
•	Mystery shopping and improved customer consultation should continue in order to help shape the future direction of the Service and to monitor the impact and success of planned changes and developments.

6.	A Five Year Strategy
A vision of where the library service should be in 5 years time, after the successful implementation of the Best Value Action Plan, should be the first stage in preparing the Action Plan. Taking account of the above research findings and conclusions, as well as the evidence in the original baseline work, within the period of the Best Value Action Plan, the Oxfordshire Library Service will:

ICT
1.	Have a fully computerised book issue system in all libraries, providing excellent management information on usage and allowing the public access to the library catalogue via the internet to browse, reserve and renew items on loan.
2.	Provide free access to the latest information technology, together with help and guidance in its use.

Stock of Books
3.	Improve the lending stock of books, including the purchase of more books each year, more copies of the most popular titles, and an enhanced range of titles overall. 
4.	Significantly increase the level of book issues.

Access and Social Inclusion
5.	Be open at times that best suit the public, and deliver improved services to those that do not have easy access to a branch library or are not able to visit any kind of library.
6.	Significantly increase the number of visits to libraries.
7.	Provide for the needs of all the people of Oxfordshire, and respond quickly to changes in those needs.

Information Service
8.	Be the natural choice for people wanting to find out information of any kind, via any library, with the Central Library regarded as a ‘Centre of Excellence’.
9.	Significantly increase the number of enquires and the public’s success in finding  the information they require.

Customer Service
10.	 Provide a more welcoming, comfortable atmosphere where the public are encouraged to stay for long periods. 
11.	 Provide higher standards of customer service and attain higher levels of public satisfaction. 

Performance Management
12.	 Provide a cost-effective and well-managed service, offering excellent value to the people of Oxfordshire.

7. 	Action Plan – Key Points

1.	Have a fully computerised book issue system in all libraries, providing excellent management information on usage and allowing the public access to the library catalogue via the Internet to browse, reserve and renew items on loan:
•	As this is the key immediate priority of the Service, in both 2002/03 and 2003/04, efficiency savings of £88,000 will be used to complete the computerisation of all libraries by April 2004, 2 years ahead of schedule.
•	These efficiency savings come primarily from 3 main areas:
o	Following the reconfiguring of local government regional boundaries, Oxfordshire has decided to withdraw from full membership of the South West Regional Library System and become an associate member at much reduced cost
o	A reduction to the binding budget to reflect the increasing purchase of paperback titles
o	Increased income
•	Shortlisted suppliers will be encouraged to provide imaginative solutions to achieve the optimum timing and implementation of the project.
•	Completion will enable the Service to meet the government’s target of having all services available electronically by 2005.
•	Earlier completion will also result in the earlier delivery of further efficiency savings which will be directed towards the book fund and improved opening hours from 2004/05.
•	A Web-enabled catalogue will be available in 2003.

2.	Provide free access to the latest information technology, together with help and guidance in its use:
•	Through the People’s Network, 207 additional public access PCs will be installed in libraries by the end March 2003, together with scanners, printers and flat-screen monitors.
•	The new high-speed Oxfordshire Community (broadband) Network will also be installed during this period, linking up the first 16 libraries in June 2002.
•	There will be free Internet access from April 2002, the resultant loss of income being offset by increased income from the new DVD services.
•	NOF ICT and other training will enable staff to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to exploit the new systems and to help the public in the use of them.

3.	Improve the lending stock of books, including the purchase of more books each year, more copies of the most popular titles, and an enhanced range of titles overall, and
4.	Significantly increase the level of book issues:
•	In 2002/03 and 2003/04, through a temporary reallocation of priorities within the existing book fund and the increased purchase of paperback titles, 25% more adult lending volumes will be purchased.
•	In 2004/05 and 2005/06, with the exception of increased income (which will be used for library refurbishment), the efficiency savings previously used for the acceleration of the library management system replacement programme will be diverted to the book fund. These, together with one-off savings for two years from the initial replacement of the system and other efficiencies resulting from the completion of the programme, will increase the overall size and buying power of the book fund by £120,000 and £115,000 in each of the two years, falling to £70,000 per year from 2006/07, as shown in the following table:

 	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	
One-off savings from library management 
system replacement	-53	-45	0	
Binding	-25	-25	-25	
Microfiche catalogue budget	-16	-16	-16	
Total increase to book fund budget	-94	-86	-41	
SWRLS annual membership savings	-17	-17	-17	
Improved discount through use of EDI	-6	-6	-6	
Book processing savings	-3	-6	-6	
Total increase to book fund buying power	-26	-29	-29	
Overall increase	-120	-115	-70	

•	From 2002/03, a standing order system will be put place with one of our suppliers to ensure that at least one copy of all mainstream paperback adult fiction and non-fiction bestsellers will be purchased for each library within one week of their appearance in the listings. This will be in addition to copies previously acquired in hardback.
•	The range of titles bought for children will be widened to include popular and topical titles not currently selected or purchased in small quantities.
•	The speed of supply will be improved to reduce the staff and public’s perception that books take much longer to reach the shelves of libraries compared with bookshops. This will include ensuring that key titles are ordered promptly and that books are delivered through the supply chain more quickly.
•	Particular inadequacies highlighted in the consultation process will be dealt with (e.g. range of adult fiction in the Central Library).
•	There will be more involvement of library managers in book selection. As well as a review of existing County selection panel membership, each panel with be augmented by the addition of a library manager on a rota basis. For the first time, some book fund budget will be allocated to library managers, to allow them to respond more effectively to local demands.
•	Clear stock policies and guidelines will be written (and regularly reviewed/updated) to inform the selection processes.
•	There will be an effective chain of communication between all managers and librarians and the selection panels, with clear guidelines on how information is fed into the process and how feedback is subsequently achieved.
•	The development of local stock plans for each library will take account of the local community profile (to be developed formally for each library) and any particular needs, and will feed into the selection process at all levels.
•	Suggestions from the public for stock at county or branch level will be encouraged through the introduction of a stock suggestion scheme in each library, which will also involve feedback on the outcomes both to the individuals concerned and ideally made available in the library to encourage further suggestions. The Service’s and OCC’s improved web site will enable suggestions to be made online.

5.	Be open at times that best suit the public, and deliver improved services to those that do not have easy access to a branch library or are not able to visit any kind of library, and
6.	Significantly increase the numbers of visits to libraries:
•	By increasing the opening hours per week by 242 hours, the Service will meet the DCMS Standard on opening hours by 2004/05. This assumes some investment beyond the scope of current resources.
•	In 2002/03, there will be piloting of post 7pm opening in a sample of libraries. This will be done within existing resources, even if, as a last resort, current hours are slightly amended.
•	The first priority in 2003/04 will be all day opening on Saturdays in the 12  largest libraries, with no mid-week closures in the 8 main town libraries.
•	A programme to establish library facilities in an additional 10 communities of 2000 plus population will begin in 2004, assuming some funding through partnership arrangements. As part of this work, the current library arrangements in communities of this size will be reviewed.
•	The mobile library service will operate primarily in a social inclusion capacity, delivering services to people that cannot visit branch libraries due to reduced mobility, rural isolation or poverty. It will be managed by a single manager on a countywide basis.
•	Mobiles will provide a more cost effective service by being open to the public longer than the current average of 18 hours per week. Some evening and Saturday opening will be piloted. More support work will be picked up by staff in the library bases.  To fund these improvements, single crewing will be explored where appropriate. This will be within the constraints of health and safety, the busyness/workload of individual stops, the needs of an older clientele, and other factors. 
•	An existing vehicle will be redesignated to provide a direct service to older people’s homes across the county.
•	Services to housebound people, and where appropriate their carers, will be reviewed and expanded to reach more customers, either through existing means or by delivering to the door.
•	Such services will be delivered in close co-operation with other agencies and practitioners.
•	The above changes will entail a re-routing exercise for all vehicles. Revised criteria for stops, stopping times and for the continuing viability of stops will be produced, together with a customer charter for the Mobile Service. There will be improved publicity and marketing to highlight the availability of the new services.
•	Taking account of the above, together with further work on staffing formulae and likely efficiency savings accruing from such developments as the library management system replacement programme, a report will be taken to the Executive later in 2002 which will highlight the options for meeting the DCMS Standard on opening times and their funding implications.

7.	Provide for the needs of all the people of Oxfordshire, and respond quickly to changes in those needs:
•	The Service will continue to meet the needs of its existing users, so that repeat visits continue and increase.
•	In addition, as well as attracting non/lapsed users into libraries via improved services and their publicity and marketing (see ‘9’ below), the Service will as a matter of urgency encourage more use from groups who are currently low users and/or are poorly served. Priority target groups are:
o	Young people in their teens, especially those aged below 18 years of age
o	School children
o	People with disabilities
o	People from minority ethnic communities
o	Older people
o	People who are rurally isolated

•	In all the above instances, individual members of staff will be identified to lead the work on each target group, or specific new specialist posts may be set up in the new structure for the Service. The appropriate senior manager on the revised management team will draw up with these client leads initial work plans which they will be required to develop, as well as agreeing targets and milestones. Existing resources should be sufficient to allow for any planned improvements and each client lead will have ongoing regular access as required to the new management team.

•	As good practice, the DCMS six-point methodology for social inclusion will be followed and the appropriate published guidelines, checklists and reports identified, studied and applied. Barriers to access and use will be highlighted and solutions for their removal identified. Regular consultation will take place with representatives from the various groups and there will be improved joint-working with other agencies, County Council departments, etc.

•	An overall social inclusion policy for the Service, together with individual ones for each client group, will be drawn up.

•	The replacement computer system and its extension to all libraries will for the first time enable managers to monitor information on membership for the whole county Service – e.g. overall membership; the number of active users; characteristics such as age group, ethnicity, sex; catchment areas; etc.
•	For teenagers, separate, attractive sections, with their own branding will be introduced. These will have appropriate stock including book material currently falling between the children’s and adult selection processes, as well as audio-visual titles. Resourcing pressures will probably delay their development until 2004/05, although a proposed pilot teenage library for Littlemore-Peers will in the meantime act as a test bed for new ideas and developments.
•	In the case of children at school, the Service will aim to introduce young children to the public library experience in order to help instil the habit of library visits and an enjoyment of reading. Input from the new departmental Cultural Entitlement Officer will be beneficial. 
•	The Service will continue to encourage school groups to visit local libraries, but where this is not possible (usually in rural areas) it will ensure that schools are visited on a regular basis by library staff and/or mobile libraries. As part of the review of mobile services, the Service will investigate the introduction of a designated vehicle offering a leisure lending service to children as individuals through visits to rural primary schools.
•	Once the recommendations of the countywide Best Value Review on charging policies are known, proposals for revised library charges (including the range of concessions) will be taken to the Executive early in 2002/03.

8.	Be the natural choice for people wanting to find out information of any kind, via any library, with the Central Library regarded as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for the county, and
9.	Significantly increase the number of enquiries and the public’s success in finding the information they require:
•	There will be more investment in electronic-based information sources and a consequent shift away from printed materials, particularly in the smaller libraries.
•	The Central Library will be developed as the centre of excellence for the county’s information service, acting as a referral centre for all libraries across the county. This will be an approachable and well-resourced service, responding quickly and accurately to any request made by visit, telephone, letter or email.
•	The reference libraries at Abingdon, Banbury, Henley and Witney will maintain their existing book and electronic resources and benefit from a strengthening in specialist staffing to support the public enquiry service, train staff and develop local partnerships with other information providers.
•	The Servcie will encourage and enable members of the public to make enquiries via email.
•	There will be increased professional and clerical support to enable the County Reference and Information Librarian to develop and fulfill the strategic agenda.
•	Steps will be taken to improve the information handling skills, awareness of the county’s resources, and use of the countywide referral network, of /by front-line service staff throughout the county.
•	Wherever possible and via its wide public service network, the Service will help deliver OCC’s e-government objectives and plug into new initiatives as appropriate.

10.	Provide a more welcoming, comfortable atmosphere where the public are encouraged to stay for long periods: 
•	The Library Premises Review will continue to seek further improvements in the location and size of identified branch libraries, usually in partnership with a range of other organisations. For the funding of the larger replacement library schemes, PFI and PPP will be looked at as part of the new corporate initiative.
•	From 2002/03, there will be a programme to improve the layout, comfort, décor, lighting, and stock presentation of all libraries.
•	New buildings will take into account the need for public toilet facilities, as well as separate children’s areas and/or a separate quiet area for study. In current buildings, solutions will be sought  wherever possible.
•	The above programme will include at an early stage a fundamental refurbishment of the Central Library, alongside a review of its functions and systems of delivery. This will include the Centre for Oxfordshire Studies, so that a more coherent and integrated face for all Cultural Services functions will be presented to the public.
•	As it is assumed that the above improvements will need to be funded from existing resources, this improvement programme will take some years to complete.

11.	Provide higher standards of customer service and attain higher levels of public satisfaction: 
•	A revised staff development programme will be introduced in 2002/03. This will include customer care training to cancel out the negative image that some people have of library staff, to encourage interaction and to inspire confidence amongst the public.
•	A 3-year Reader Development Plan will be introduced in April 2002. Through reader development, the Library Service will aim to:
o	reinvigorate adult lending services
o	develop the skills, knowledge and confidence of staff in order to engage readers in new ways
o	open up reading choices
o	increase access to a wide range of literature through effective stock selection, rotation and display
o	invite readers to take risks and increase their confidence in trying new authors/genres, leading to increased enjoyment
o	develop new audiences
o	offer opportunities for people to share their reading experience, either directly (via reading groups) or indirectly (via review cards, readers' noticeboards, Website, etc.)
o	target promotions effectively.
		
•	To be more approachable, staff will come out from behind enquiry desks more and will be easily identified by the wearing of staff badges.
•	Pending the replacement of the library management system and the computerisation of all libraries, steps will be taken to improve the speed of supply of the request service. These will include:
o	Creating a culture of priority within the Service
o	Increased use of fax, telephone and email to communicate between libraries and with readers
o	Ensuring that all relevant information is provided at first point of contact with the reader
o	Improved training, production of tips sheets, etc.
o	Request Unit Librarian to be empowered to make daily decisions on orders, to be sent to suppliers same day
•	A reduction in reservation charges will be recommended early in 2002/03. Once all libraries are computerised, in 2004/05 further reductions for back stock titles will be explored. 
•	There will be ongoing mystery shopping exercises and consultation to shape service delivery and evaluate performance.
•	A customer charter will be introduced for the public showing what standards of service they can expect.
•	There will be improved promotion of services from 2002/03 and a major marketing initiative in 2004/05, once major service improvements are in place.

12.	Provide a cost-effective and well-managed service, offering excellent value to the people of Oxfordshire:
•	From May 2002, the first stage of developing a new structure for the Service will see a revised Library Management Team (reduced from 6 members to 4). This will focus on the overall performance of the Service, strategic issues and priorities, and how the Service meets departmental and County Council objectives. There will be a single post responsible for operational management.
•	The current area structure of north / south / city will be replaced with a single countywide structure under the Operations Manager, with smaller line management units covering a number of adjacent libraries. 
•	Support Services will also come under the management of the new Operations Manager and a service level agreement for improved support to the front line will be developed.
•	Professional librarians will have clearly defined roles. These will include the development of the social inclusion agenda, reader development, as well as more specialized roles in the areas of information and children’s work. Due to staffing shortfalls, this will necessarily involve more of the basic stock management activity being carried out by local support staff.
•	Annual Library Plan and Best Value priorities will be properly resourced. This will be achieved by redefining cost centres to ensure that budgets are re-allocated in line with service priorities.
•	Continuing efforts will be made to maximize income, especially external funding opportunities which meet the priorities of the Service.
•	The replacement of the library management system and the computerisation of all libraries will enable better use of performance data for the whole county.
•	Every member of staff must play his/her role in improving the levels of performance of the Service. In particular, senior management and library managers will agree targets for improved performance at each library, disaggregated from the global targets for the whole Library Service. These will be incorporated into improved service planning and staff appraisal processes.
•	The revised management team will instill a culture in the organization that encourages staff to be more bold and innovative.
•	There will be improved systems for providing the appropriate management information to all managers and for its monitoring.
•	After a complete year of the new system, each library will be judged to be ‘high performing’, ‘striving’, ‘coasting’ or ‘under-performing’ from their performance against the critical success factors. Lessons will be learnt from more successful libraries and introduced into under-performing ones.
•	Under-performing libraries will each have an action plan to achieve improved service and a timetable within which improvements should take place. Where realistic improvements fail to take place, and there are no significant mitigating factors, the future of the service point will require serious re-evaluation. Solutions could include recommending closure or seconding in a manager from a successful library.

8.	Service Improvements

Key Service improvements
	
High priority for implementation	
1
	ICT
•	Have a fully computerised book issue system in all libraries, providing excellent management information on usage and allowing the public access to the library catalogue via the internet to browse, reserve and renew items on loan.
•	Provide free access to the latest information technology, together with help and guidance in its use.	
2
	Stock of books
•	Improve the lending stock of books, including the purchase of more books each year, more copies of the most popular titles, and an enhanced range of titles overall.
•	Significantly increase the level of book issues.	
3
	Access and Social Inclusion 
•	Be open at times that best suit the public, and deliver improved services to those that do not have easy access to a branch library or are not able to visit any kind of library.
•	Significantly increase the number of visits to libraries.
•	Provide for the needs of all the people of Oxfordshire, and respond quickly to changes in those needs.	
4
	Information Service
•	Be the natural choice for people wanting to find out information of any kind, via any library, with the Central Library regarded as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for Oxfordshire.
•	Significantly increase the number of enquiries and the public’s success in finding the information they require.	
5	Customer Service
•	Provide a more welcoming, comfortable atmosphere where the public are encouraged to stay for long periods.
•	Provide higher standards of customer service and attain high levels of public satisfaction.	
6
	Performance Management
•	Provide a cost-effective and well-managed service, offering excellent value to the people of Oxfordshire.	
	
Other Service improvements	
	
Not a high priority for implementation	
1
	E-Government 
•	Provide a range of information resources to the Council, potentially including running the Council website.	

9.	Action Plan

Service improvement 1	Information and Communications Technology	
Description	•	Accelerate the replacement of the library management system and its roll-out to all libraries from 2006 to 2004, and install new public workstations as part of the People’s Network
•	Train all frontline staff to provide IT assistance to members of the public	
Objective

	•	Have a fully computerised book issue system in all libraries, providing excellent management information on usage and allowing the public access to the library catalogue via the internet to browse, reserve and renew items on loan.
•	Provide free access to the latest information technology, together with help and guidance in its use.	
	Proposed service improvement targets
	Completed by	
1	Meet DCMS standard of 100% of libraries having access to an on-line catalogue (PLS5)	March 2003	
2	Free high-speed internet access available to the public in all libraries	March 2003	
3	Total number of workstations available to the public to reach 0.5 per 1000 population (PLS6)	March 2003	
4	All relevant staff to have completed NOF funded ICT training programme	March 2004	
5	New library management system operational in all libraries			April 2004	
Costs
•	An additional £88,000 to be spent in both 2002/03 and 2003/04, to be found from reallocation of existing resources, in order to accelerate the library management system replacement. 
•	£160,000 County Council funding associated with the People’s Network, with remainder of £1.04m total scheme cost met from NOF
•	Anticipated savings of £11,000 per annum resulting from the system replacement, with a number of efficiency and customer service improvements also arising	
Risk assessment
•	Diverting funding away from other budget heads to accelerate introduction of the replacement library management system precludes investment in the bookfund for the first two years of the Plan.
•	Capacity problem with staff in accelerating introduction, particularly training
•	Unclear if suppliers can meet target date until tenders for replacement are received 	
Issues to consider – areas that will be affected by implementation

Implementation plan
To be developed by: June 2002
	
Service improvement 2	Stock of books	
Description	•	Address concerns expressed by the public about the range and number of popular titles on offer by improving the selection and procurement of titles 
•	Increasing the level and buying power of the bookfund, reducing the average cost per book purchased	
Objective

	•	Improve the lending stock of books, including the purchase of more books each year, more copies of the most popular titles, and an enhanced range of titles overall.
•	Significantly increase the level of book issues	
	Proposed service improvement targets
	Completed by	
1	Allocation of local funding to library managers to enable library-specific purchasing	May 2002	
2	All libraries to have at least one copy of top 15 bestselling adult paperbacks within one week of entry into list	May 2002	
3	Number of adult books purchased for lending per month to increase by 25%	May 2002	
4	Annual items added through purchase to exceed DCMS standard of 216 items (PLS17)	March 2005	
5	Meet DCMS standard of 65% of adult users reporting success in finding a specific book (PLS12(i))	March 2004	
6	Annual book purchases per 1000 population to exceed top quartile performance of 202	March 2005	
7	Books on loan per 1000 population to increase by 28%	March 2006	
8	Book issues per head of population to reach top quartile performance of 9.1	March 2007	
Costs
•	Increase in books purchased in 2002/03 to be achieved through efficiency savings by purchasing more paperbacks over hardbacks
•	Standing order for bestselling paperback purchases estimated at £69,000, to be found from reallocation of existing resources.
•	Subsequent investment into bookfund of £120,000 in 2004/05, £115,000 in 2005/6 and £70,000 per annum from 2006/07, to be found from reallocation of existing resources and efficiency savings.
•	Allocation of £74,000 to library managers, split according to level of issues, found from reallocation of existing resources.	
Risk assessment
•	Necessary additional investment in bookfund from other existing funds delayed until 2004/05 due to acceleration of the library management system replacement project. 
•	Level of investment in bookfund after 2006/07 will mean performance target for annual book purchases will not be attained without an increase to the service base budget.	
Implementation plan
To be developed by: June 2002

Service improvement 3	Access and Social Inclusion	
Description	•	Establish and implement a social inclusion policy, to target young people in their teens, school children, people with disabilities, people from minority ethnic communities, older people, and people who are rurally isolated.
•	Increase the number of opening hours, including late nights and all-day Saturdays for larger libraries, with no mid-week closures
•	Seek to establish an additional 10 library facilities for communities of over 2000 population.	
Objective

	•	Be open at times that best suit the public, and deliver improved services to those that do not have easy access to a branch library or are not able to visit any kind of library
•	Significantly increase the number of visits to libraries
•	Provide for the needs of all the people of Oxfordshire, and respond quickly to changes in those needs.	
	Proposed service improvement targets
	Completed by	
1	Meet DCMS standard of 100% of larger libraries open at least 45 hours per week (PLS4)	May 2002	
2	Social Inclusion strategies for Service and for individual target groups completed.		Sept 2002	
3	12 largest county libraries to be open all day on Saturdays
8 main town libraries to have no mid-week closures	March 2004
March 2004	
4	Meet DCMS standard for number of library visits per 1000 population (PLS11)	March 2004	
5	Increase aggregate opening hours per 1000 population to meet DCMS standard of 128 (PLS3(i))	March 2005	
6	Proportion of households living within 2 miles of a static library to increase by 6% to 82% (PLS1(i))	March 2006	
Costs
•	Changes in hours can be trialled on a limited basis from reallocation of existing resources, efficiency savings arising from the replacement of the library management system, and from increased levels of income. 
•	Changes to mobile service can be achieved through efficiency improvements in routes and the introduction of single staffing where appropriate. 	
Risk assessment
•	Meeting DCMS standards for opening hours in full is beyond the scope of existing resources, and will need to be funded by an increase to the base budget of the Service
•	Establishment of community library facilities dependant on finding suitable willing partners and external resources, particularly staff.	
Issues to consider – areas that will be affected by implementation

Implementation plan
To be developed by: June 2002
	
Service improvement 4	Information Service	
Description	•	Improve the reliability and efficiency of the information service by concentrating resources at larger libraries, and developing Central Library as a central resource for all libraries and the public to use.
•	Reduce the use of print-based information resources, especially in smaller libraries, replacing them with improved access to electronic media.
•	Ensure all front line staff are trained to appropriate levels in information work and have an awareness of their role as a gateway to the information resources available in the County and through national networks.	
Objective

	•	Be the natural choice for people wanting to find out information of any kind, via any library, with the Central Library regarded as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for Oxfordshire.
•	Increase the number of enquiries and the public’s success in finding the information they require.	
	Proposed service improvement targets
	Completed by	
1	Meet DCMS standard of 95% of adult users rating the knowledge of staff as “good” or “very good” (PLS14(i))	March 2003	
2	All front line staff to have received training in handling, assessing and, where appropriate, referring information enquiries. 		March 2003	
3	Percentage of adults reporting success in gaining information as a result of a search or enquiry to exceed DCMS Standard of 75% by a further 10% (PLS13(i))	March 2006	
4	Enquiries (in person) per 1000 population to increase by 27% to 900	March 2006	
Costs
•	Investment in new electronic media to be offset by reduction in investment in printed media
•	Enhancements to Central Library function to be funded through reallocation of existing resources and efficiency savings	
Risk assessment
•	Enquiries in person may decline through increase in ‘virtual’ enquiries (telephone, email)
•	Reducing resources in smaller libraries may impact on the level of service able to be provided directly	
Issues to consider – areas that will be affected by implementation
	
Implementation plan
To be developed by: June 2002

Service improvement 5	Customer Service	
Description	•	Introduce an improvement programme for all libraries, complementing existing major refurbishment plans, to improve stock layout and stock presentation, standards of signing and lighting, and to create a welcoming atmosphere. 
•	Carry out a fundamental refurbishment of Central Library as the flagship for the County service, together with a review of its functions and systems of delivery.
•	Establish separate quiet areas and separate children’s  areas, and provide access to toilet facilities where possible.
•	Improve response times for book requests through improved ICT and staff practices. 
•	Establish a customer service training programme for all staff.
•	Commence major marketing initiative in 2004/05. 	
Objective

	•	Provide a more welcoming, comfortable atmosphere where the public are encouraged to stay for long periods
•	Provide higher standards of customer service and attain high levels of public satisfaction.	
	Proposed service improvement targets
	Completed by	
1	All staff to have received customer service training	March 2003	
2	-	Layout and stock presentation improved in all libraries		March 2003
-	Review of Central Library functions (including options for refurbishment) completed.		
-	Refurbishment programme plan for other libraries (taking account of the above) completed.		 	March 2003

October 2002

November 2002	
3	Meet DCMS standards for the percentage of requests for books met within 15 days and 30 days (PLS9(ii) &(iii))	March 2004	
4	Exceed the DCMS standard for percentage of adult library users rating the helpfulness of staff as “good” or “very good” by 1% to 96%	March 2004	
5	Meet DCMS standard for the percentage of requests for books met within 7 days (PLS9(i))	March 2005	
6	100% increase in the number of requests per 1000 population (from 61 to 120)	March 2006	
Costs
•	Costs of refurbishment programme (excluding Central) to be met from existing budgets, efficiency savings arising from the replacement of the library management system and income from charges
•	Options for funding major refurbishment of Central Library to be presented as outcome of review (October 2002)
•	Staff training costs to be met from existing staff training budget	
Risk assessment
•	Limited space and facilities in current libraries may preclude the development of a significant number of libraries with quiet areas or children’s areas, and there may be impracticalities associated with access to toilets
•	Income may not produce necessary levels of funding to complete the refurbishment programme
•	Central Library has already been subject to two major closures in the last 2 years, and a further closure may risk alienating library users. Funding for a major refurbishment has yet to be identified. 
•	Budget for 2004/05 marketing initiative not yet identified.	
Issues to consider – areas that will be affected by implementation
•	Replacement library at Kidlington will be used as a testbed for innovative ideas in Oxfordshire
•	Proposal to re-launch Littlemore-Peers library as a teenage library in 2002/03, in recognition of the difficulties presented by its location, will enable new ideas and developments to be tested.
	
Implementation plan
To be developed by: June 2002

Service improvement 6	Performance Management	
Description	•	Reduce the management team from six to four, having a more strategic focus, and with operational issues vested in one member of the team
•	Management information to be better utilised for performance against targets, trends in usage and membership details
•	Introduce a performance management structure within the service. Establish performance targets for each library, with library managers responsible for delivery of these targets. 
•	Efficiency savings arising from the replacement of the library management system to be used to resource other elements of the Action Plan	
Objective
	•	Provide a cost-effective and well-managed service, offering excellent value to the people of Oxfordshire.	
	Proposed service improvement targets
	Completed by	
1	Revised Management Team in place	April 2002	
2	Performance management structure in place, with monthly or quarterly reporting (as appropriate) on a selection of targets	July 2002	
3	Preliminary comparative assessment made on the performance of all libraries against targets, with action plans drawn up to address shortfalls	March 2003	
Costs
•	Saving of £77,000 p.a. from reduction in Management Team to be re-invested into structural changes at lower tiers	
Risk assessment
•	Difficulty in obtaining public satisfaction information any more frequently than annually may preclude regular assessment against all targets
•	Effective performance monitoring dependent on early implementation of the library management  system replacement project.
•	Savings from Management Team restructuring may not be immediately fully available, owing to protection of individuals’ salaries, etc.	
Issues to consider – areas that will be affected by implementation
	
Implementation plan
To be developed by: June 2002

10.	Glossary of Terms

AV	Audio visual items (videos, DVDs etc)	
Broadband	High-speed computer network	
CBC	Central Buying Consortium	
CIPFA	Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy	
Consumer Profile	Market research company specialising in qualitative social research	
DCMS	Department of Culture, Media and Sports	
DETR	Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions 	
EDI	Electronic data interchange (allows paperless transactions)	
Genesis	Computerised book issue and management information system currently used by the Service	
ICT	Information and Communications Technology	
IDeA	Improvement and Development Agency	
IPF	Institute of Public Finance	
MIS	Management Information System	
MORI	Market research company specialising in qualitative social research	
Mystery Shopping	The process of assessing the performance of services from the point of view of the average customer, via an anonymous visit or enquiry.	
NOF	New Opportunities Fund	
People’s Network	National programme, supported by NOF, to link every library to each other and to the Internet via a broadband network	
PFI	Private Finance Initiative	
PLR	Public Lending Right	
PLS	Public Library Standards published by DCMS	
PLUS	CIPFA Public Library User Survey 	
PPP	Public Private Partnership	
SWRLS	South West Regional Library System