Readers For Life II - 2008-2011 Toolkit
3. Stucture of New Stategy
As with the first RFL strategy, the renewed document is intended to demonstrate its relevance to current agendas, in particular the new National Performance Indicators.
Readers For Life was closely linked to Framework For the Future, the ten year government action plan for libraries. Framework For the Future is now embedded into the work of library services, with a work plan endorsed by the Society of Chief Librarians. This strategy recognises the overarching action plan delivering 'Framework' and is keen to demonstrate more clearly the impact of reader development activity in delivering current government impact measures.
Local and national government have agreed long-standing over-arching Shared Priorities covering areas in which it is most important to deliver tangible improvements. (Partnership in Action, LGA, 2002)
They are:
- Raising standards across our schools,
- Improving the quality of life of children, young people, families at risk and older people,
- Promoting healthier communities by targeting key local services,
- Creating safer and stronger communities,
- Transforming our local environment
- Meeting transport needs more effectively
- Promoting the economic vitality of localities
These will be achieved through local area agreements which set out the local priorities that will make towns, cities or communities better places to be; they have been negotiated between the main public sector organisations, local authorities and central Government. (Strong and Prosperous Communities: Local Government White Paper, 2006) Each authority must adopt 35 specific priorities, recognising that local services should reflect what local people want.
NI 009 is the only indicator specifically for libraries. It measures the increase in % of adult residents (16+) using libraries. Use can be library visits, online use, telephone enquiries, attending events and activities (e.g. reading groups). So clearly any way in which reader development delivers more people using libraries is important for this indicator. This will allow libraries to demonstrate that people use libraries for more reasons than book borrowing and all use is valued.
There are a number of other indicators which have (or could have) specific relevance to the work being carried out to engage readers in libraries.
NI 1: % of people who believe people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local area
9 NW authorities have prioritised
NI 3: Civic Participation in the local area
0 have prioritised
NI 5: Overall/general satisfaction with local area.
7 have prioritised
NI 6: Participation in regular volunteering.
6 have prioritised
NI 9: Use of Public Libraries
Not prioritised by any local authorities, but all Chief Library Officers will give this close attention
NI 11: Engagement in the Arts
0 have prioritised
NI 110: Young people's participation in positive activities.
7 have prioritised
NI 117: 16 to 18 year olds who are not in education training or employment.
19 have prioritised
NI 119: Self-reported measure of people's overall health and wellbeing.
3 have prioritised
NI 138: Satisfaction of people over 65 with both home and neighbourhood.
2 have prioritised
NI 163: Proportion of population aged 19-64 for males and 19-59 for females qualified to at least Level 2 or higher
19 have prioritised
www. localpriorities.communities.gov.uk
All 22 authorities in the region have chosen different priorities and there is no unanimous agreement on prioritising any of them. However it is clear that almost all the region's authorities have chosen the key priority targets of raising educational attainment and literacy levels, as well as motivating 16-18 year olds to seek education, training or employment. Reader Development must contribute to supporting these targets.
Promoting cohesive communities, ensuring satisfaction with local areas and providing positive activities for young people are also important to a significant number of authorities.
The central purpose of this strategy therefore is to demonstrate how reader development helps library services to deliver on these targets. Alongside which is the need to also be able to contribute to other generic agendas currently being determined by MLA, ACE, Sport England and English Heritage.
In preparing this strategy, the TTR co-ordinator has consulted with:
- SCL NW
- The Reading Agency- SCL/TRA Books & Reading work plan 2007-2010
- Time To Read members
- ACE NW
- The NW Youth Libraries Board
- Opening The Book
- The Reader Organisation
