Community Library Resources
This page is intended to help any community looking to campaign against library closures, or to develop their own community library. We are trying to include as many useful links as possible. It's still a work in progress right now, so do check back for updates - and if you know of something we've missed out, please email us at [email protected]
It's not straightforward to simply 'replace' a professional librarian / library assistant with volunteers. This blog post from England was written in 2011 when when many libraries there started facing the same problems we are having now in Fife.
"What do public library workers do?" https://laurensmith.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/what-do-public-librarians-and-library-staff-do/
It's not straightforward to simply 'replace' a professional librarian / library assistant with volunteers. This blog post from England was written in 2011 when when many libraries there started facing the same problems we are having now in Fife.
"What do public library workers do?" https://laurensmith.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/what-do-public-librarians-and-library-staff-do/
Some useful websites about community-run libraries
Libraries Community Knowledge Hub http://libraries.communityknowledgehub.org.uk/
Toolkit for community libraries http://libraries.communityknowledgehub.org.uk/action-planning-tool
Carnegie Trust (lots of work on libraries) http://carnegieuktrust.org.uk/home
Scottish Libraries and Information Council http://scottishlibraries.org/
Public Libraries News – lists of closures, community run libraries etc http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/
Public Libraries News: Practicalities of running a community library http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/campaigning/volunteer-run-libraries/practicalities
Libraries Community Knowledge Hub http://libraries.communityknowledgehub.org.uk/
Toolkit for community libraries http://libraries.communityknowledgehub.org.uk/action-planning-tool
Carnegie Trust (lots of work on libraries) http://carnegieuktrust.org.uk/home
Scottish Libraries and Information Council http://scottishlibraries.org/
Public Libraries News – lists of closures, community run libraries etc http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/
Public Libraries News: Practicalities of running a community library http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/campaigning/volunteer-run-libraries/practicalities
Some interesting documents
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Ambition and Opportunity: A Strategy for Public Libraries in Scotland 2015-2020
Available from http://scottishlibraries.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Strategy.pdf |
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Evidence on the use of volunteers in libraries and on volunteer-run libraries (Scottish Libraries and Information Council, July 2015). Available at: http://scottishlibraries.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Evidence-on-the-use-of-volunteers-in-libraries-and-on-volunteer-run-libraries-.pdf
Community Libraries: Learning from experience: guiding principles for local authorities (Research by Arts Council England).
Available from: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/pdf/Community_libraries_research_2013_guiding_principles.pdf
Available from: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/pdf/Community_libraries_research_2013_guiding_principles.pdf
ON PERMANENT LOAN? Community managed libraries: the volunteer perspective (research by the National Federation of Women's Institutes) . Available at: https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/49848/on-permanent-loan.pdf
Are Community Managed Libraries Effective? (A summary report from research that Mike Cavanagh, post graduate distance learning student and Library Head of Service, has undertaken. The report summarises the findings from a study between 2012 and 2014 exploring the effectiveness of community managed libraries in England and forms part of Mike’s master’s dissertation at Aberystwyth University).
Available at: http://leonslibraryblog.com/2014/05/20/are-community-managed-libraries-effective/
Available at: http://leonslibraryblog.com/2014/05/20/are-community-managed-libraries-effective/
Rural library services in England: exploring recent changes and possible futures (report and case studies by OPM, talks about other delivery methods of library services, such as hubs in community shops etc).
Available at: http://www.opm.co.uk/publications/rural-library-services-in-england-exploring-recent-changes-and-possible-futures/
Available at: http://www.opm.co.uk/publications/rural-library-services-in-england-exploring-recent-changes-and-possible-futures/
Public Lending Rights and volunteer-run libraries: The law seems to be unclear about whether Public Lending Rights (the compensation paid to authors for lending out their books) applies to libraries not covered by part of a local authority's statutory libraries provision.
See http://www.societyofauthors.org/soa-news/plr-and-volunteer-run-libraries and http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/library-closing/legal/public-lending-right-plr-and-volunteer-libraries
See http://www.societyofauthors.org/soa-news/plr-and-volunteer-run-libraries and http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/library-closing/legal/public-lending-right-plr-and-volunteer-libraries