Framework for the future
Executive summary (selections)

Public libraries have huge potential to reach out and engage everyone. More people go to libraries than to cinemas or football matches. 60 per cent of the population of England are members of a public library.... Framework for the Future, published ... in February 2003, is the government`s ten-year vision for public libraries – how libraries can best serve their communities in the twenty-first century. Framework for the Future aims to promote public libraries, give them improved visibility, and to set out why libraries matter. ... The central themes of Framework for the Future are:

Books, reading and learning. Knowledge, skills and information are at the heart of economic and social life. Libraries can provide access to virtually all books ever published and much more. In an informal, supportive and stimulating environment, libraries can encourage reading and provide access to learning for everyone.

Digital citizenship. Libraries are providing access to vastly more information than ever before through the internet. They enable all citizens to have access to information and services and are central to the delivery of electronic government.

Community and civic values. Libraries are safe, welcoming, neutral spaces open to all the community. They are particularly well placed to engage hard to reach groups, working with education, social, health and leisure services.

... to achieve the ambitions of these themes, all libraries will need to adapt to meet the changing needs of their communities. The first and principal area of work will therefore be to support the transformation of library services so that they can deliver what communities expect and need in the twenty-first century. ...

Communication and advocacy are central to the Action Plan. The power of public libraries to deliver wider agendas must be understood by national policymakers, but must also be clear to service managers in local authorities so that the library service’s role in community planning is recognised.

Libraries have vital roles to play in delivering the shared priorities of central and local government:

- in education for children, adults and families;
- in building stronger, more sustainable and safer communities;
- in improving the quality of life for older people and people at risk;
- in communicating messages about the whole range of public services and meeting information needs...

Building capacity

To support this essential first stage of development the Action Plan programmes will involve:

- Establishing a soundly based marketing strategy with a clear statement of public libraries’ role and value. This will shape work on identifying and demonstrating the impact and value of libraries.
- Building libraries’ capacity to improve through programmes to deliver better quality of leadership and workforce skills.
- Sharing innovative solutions to achieve maximum impact from available resources such as case studies, toolkits, mentoring and partnership working across public libraries and with other sectors.
- Achieving excellent planning and quality assurance systems to embed good practice and ensure sustained improvement. DCMS will work with Resource, the Audit Commission and local authorities to develop standards that support the vision of Framework for the Future.

Books, reading and learning

The promotion of reading and learning are at the core of public library services. We want to increase national awareness to such a level that every parent and child can turn to their library for support in encouraging early enjoyment of reading, and that at every stage of life people have access to resources that can inform, teach and inspire. Programmes implemented within three years will include:

- Promoting literacy skills and the appetite for reading in order to learn. Projects will focus on the under fives, encouraging children to read for pleasure and fostering reading and learning among teenagers.
- Providing stimulating and contemporary reading experiences for adults through a national annual programme of innovative reading activities; developing reading groups in libraries; and building new partnerships with the book trade, broadcasters and the arts world.
- Widening participation of libraries in supporting learning and demonstrating its value. A national programme of support for basic skills will be developed. The potential of ICT to deliver access to a wider range of learning opportunities through libraries will include work with ufi/learndirect and with the Learning and Skills Councils; implementing links on the People’s Network to the Open University; and improving access to university and other libraries.

Digital citizenship

The Action Plan builds on the success of the People’s Network by developing national services to support people’s need for information, learning and reading and enable libraries to play a full role in delivering e-government by: ...

- Public libraries have always been places for citizens to engage with local and central government services. The People’s Network will provide universal access to new electronic government services.
- Engaging and working for hard-to-reach groups and those with special needs, delivering relevant services they want to use, and encouraging and promoting the spread of best practice.

Community and civic values

Libraries will develop their role in delivering a wide range of relevant services to help build social cohesion and address social exclusion by:

- Delivering an inclusive service that reflects and helps build cohesive communities. Practical toolkits and targeted support for a small number of authorities will be used to develop and promote good practice models.
- Developing a model for how libraries can be effective gateways to information and services for people with disabilities.
- Providing library premises that meet the needs of twenty-first century communities. We will promote best practice in designing and planning to improve the quality of library buildings.

Next steps

The Action Plan will help public libraries to fulfil much wider roles and responsibilities within their local communities. It suggests ways to cater for people’s needs for reading, information and learning, for community and personal development, whether by books or other media. Whatever the area of work in public libraries, this Action Plan calls on us all to work together to ensure that public libraries deliver maximum value to their local communities. ...