Infrastructure Delivery Plan (Feb 2013) - Runnymede Borough Council

14.41 A research paper produced in 2011 by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
(MLAC) identifies a number of potential benefits of community run libraries:
• Local Authorities – reducing costs, achieving economic and policy objectives
around employment, deprivation and community engagement, as well as
social benefits.
• Communities – the opportunity for consumers to be included as participants
and have influence over their service provision, and to respond to placebased
needs through co-location, asset transfer and income generation.
• Users – continued access, and in some cases increased or improved access
to library services when library buildings would otherwise have closed. They
meet the needs of people who want access to information, books and other
media, including the internet and the civic space for study, learning, reading
or simply meeting others.
14.42 Surrey’s PVR report made it clear that continued support through stock and IT
provision, as well as training and other support will be offered to libraries such as New
Haw and Virginia Water. To ensure standards and service, key expectations would be
clearly identified to potential partners; however a flexible approach would be adopted to
ensure that community partnerships could be tailored to the local community 48 .
14.43 Addlestone and Egham libraries have self service technology which will also go into
New Haw and Virginia Water to support the community partnerships.
14.44 Libraries are increasingly being asked to take on more activities on behalf of councils
and government (e.g. concessionary bus passes), putting additional pressure on a
strained provider. The range of services offered in libraries has increased significantly
with libraries playing a key role in helping people to learn and improve IT skills and get
on line as government services switch over to online only services. Children's and
cultural activities in libraries, reading schemes, author talks, reading groups are always
oversubscribed and are likely to need expansion when development occurs over the
plan period.
14.45 Specific services which will be relevant over the plan period are summarised as follows:
14.46 Library Direct: This service provides means for people who cannot get to a library
themselves to have library provision. It includes at present housebound book services,
housebound e-book delivery services, the RNIB book service for blind people, services
to residential homes and sheltered housing. It is expanding into provision for young
carers and young people with disabilities. It includes dial a ride provision for access to a
library for people without a bus pass who meet the need criteria.
14.47 The over 50s population (who are the main users of this service) is set to rise over the
plan period. As such it is forecast that the usage of the Library Direct service and the
residential homes service (which replaced the mobile library service), is likely to
increase over the plan period.
14.48 IT provision and assistive technology in Runnymede libraries: Libraries will need
to continue their current key role in providing access to IT and IT skills for communities
in Runnymede. Given that education is increasingly using IT for all forms of learning,
that there is an ageing population who will consistently need IT help, and that reading
formats are becoming increasingly e-based, it is expected that demands on library IT
will increase across the board over the plan period.
14.49 Specific changes by 2026 are expected to include:
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PVR: Surrey Library Service-Community Partnered Libraries Cabinet Report 24 July 2012 Pg 3
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Runnymede IDP DRAFT – February 2013