The No Future Libraries Programme!

"No future for you no future for me
No future no future for you"

The Sex Pistols

The 'No' Future Libraries Programme!

In the Autumn of 2010 Ed Vaizey hailed the conception of the Future Libraries Programme as "an ambitious change programme for libraries", the programme, initially launched in July 2010, was to be taken forward by the The Museums Libraries and Archive Council (MLA) and the LGA Group (Local Government Association Group) with "promises to build momentum on the ideas that have been generated and spread learning between library authorities to achieve cost savings, new partnerships and governance models, and to take advantage of digital opportunities. Central to the programme is the vision for library services to have greater connection with other local services and an ambition for services to be designed around the needs of the public, rather than based on organisational boundaries."

Ten areas where chosen;

• Northumberland with Durham
• Bolton, with Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan
• Bradford
• Lincolnshire, with Rutland, Cambridgeshire, North East Lincs, Peterborough
• Suffolk
• Oxfordshire with Kent
• Herefordshire with Shropshire
• Cornwall with Devon, Plymouth, Torbay
• Lewisham with Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Lambeth and Southwark
• Kensington & Chelsea with Hammersmith & Fulham

these areas would each be given a project and the overall feedback from each project suggested four models of change;

Shared services across council boundaries

Reviewing the location and distribution of service points

New provider models of delivery

Divesting library assets and services to community ownership and management.

The final programme report and the reports relating to the projects can be found at; http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=22776393

Make of it what you will, all i'll say is that without exception every authority that participated in the programme has cut their library service, this includes library closures, cuts to opening hours, jobs and stock funds, volunteer run libraries and privatisation!

Oh! and i forgot to mention that 10's if not 1000's of pounds was spent on consultants such as Shared Intelligence the same lot being used by the Arts Council England on their 'Envisioning the library of the future' project!