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| CILIP BRIEFING PAYS DIVIDENDS IN LORDS PUBLIC LIBR |
| Author: | CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Lib |
| Date: | Friday, 19th Mar 2004 14:43 |
| Views: | 1,323 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds) |
| Category: | Product announcements | | URL: | http://www.vivavip.com/go/w163 |
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CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
7 Ridgmount St, London WC1E 7AE.
Tel: 020 7255 0500
Textphone: 020 7255 0505
Fax: 020 7255 0501
E-mail: info@cilip.org.uk
News from CILIP
Friday 19 March 2004
For immediate release (Please copy to online discussion lists)
CILIP BRIEFING PAYS DIVIDENDS IN LORDS PUBLIC LIBRARY DEBATE
Concerns on funding, performance and joined-up government highlighted
Briefings from CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals featured prominently in a House of Lords debate on public libraries on Wednesday 17 March. Working through its Parliamentary consultants A S Biss, CILIP was able to brief all the peers who took part in the debate on the key issues from CILIP’s perspective, and to speak directly to Conservative Spokesperson Lord Luke and to the former Libraries Minister Baroness Blackstone.
“It’s exactly a year since CILIP’s Chief Executive Bob McKee met Baroness Blackstone when she was Libraries Minister, at a special seminar on the Government’s Framework for the Future of public libraries, at the 2003 London Book Fair,” explained CILIP’s Principal Policy Adviser Guy Daines. “The issues looked at then - sustainability notable among them - continue to give cause for concern.”
Three key issues raised by CILIP in its briefing were all referred to by peers during the debate. CILIP commented that the People’s Network of internet-connected libraries had to remain free at the point of use when its New Opportunities Fund money ran out, prompting Lord Harrison, who opened the debate, to say that he was “unclear about the future funding and expansion” of the scheme. He added that this and other clearly successful public library initiatives demonstrated a cost-effectiveness “unparalleled across the gamut of the public services, sponsored by the Government.”
The former Libraries Minister Baroness Blackstone raised another key CILIP concern when she asked her successor Lord McIntosh for assurances that the reduced weighting of libraries as an indicator for local authority Comprehensive Performance Assessments would not be allowed to result in a lower priority for public libraries in local authorities. “Has he yet been able to use his persuasive powers to talk to local authority chief executives and leaders?” she asked her colleague, adding “If he has not yet, I hope he will do so soon."
Finally, two peers referred to the operational division between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (which oversees public libraries in England) and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (which provides funding to local authorities). CILIP had said that this needed to be tackled to prevent a return to past years of under-investment. Baroness Blackstone referred to the “slightly confusing relationship” between the two Departments, while Lord Luke asked why the split of responsibilities continued, suggesting that it was “illogical”.
Expressing satisfaction at the number of issues cited in the CILIP briefing that peers raised in debate, Guy Daines added that CILIP remained committed to the Government’s Framework for the Future agenda. CILIP’s Chief Executive Bob McKee is a member of the Strategic Implementation Group for the Framework and was a key adviser to DCMS when the Framework report was being developed, and CILIP is currently the lead partner in projects under the Framework banner, to do with library buildings and with study support activities for children and young people in libraries.
Contact: Tim Buckley Owen, Head of External Relations.
Tel: 020 7255 0652.
Email: tim.buckleyowen@cilip.org.uk
Notes to Editors
CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers, with around 22,000 members working in all sectors, including business and industry, science and technology, further and higher education, schools, local and central government, the health service, the voluntary sector, national and public libraries. For more information about CILIP, please go to www.cilip.org.uk.
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| • | CILIP BRIEFING PAYS DIVIDENDS IN LORDS PUBLIC LIBR | | CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
7 Ridgmount St, London WC1E 7AE.
Tel: 020 7255 0500
Textphone: 020 ... |
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CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Lib |
19/03/04 14:43 |
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