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Background.
Not since Peggy Heek's report was published in 1989 has there been a
systematic survey into the relationship between libraries and the arts. Much
has changed during that decade, principally the partnerships which have developed
between libraries and the Arts Council and Regional Arts Boards in promoting
literature and developing reading.
The aims of the research were to map current arts provision within public
library services, identify good practice and particularly to see the extent
to which partnerships had developed between libraries and the arts at all
levels. A survey of all UK Public Library Authorities yielded a 58% response
rate.
A feature of this research was the depth of the survey of arts organisations
to determine their views of libraries and the potential for developing partnerships.
800 arts organisations were contacted from three RAB areas. There were 335
replies, a very satisfactory response rate of 38%.
Finally, the research aimed to see what scope there was for developing partnerships
in art forms other than literature, building on and extending the mechanics
of partnerships already developed, and to see whether there was a role for
libraries to play in strengthening the support infrastructure for the arts
at local, regional and national level.
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Models for library involvement
in the arts.
Libraries are involved in the arts in a number of different ways and for
many different reasons. This diversity reflects two influences. Firstly,
there is a wide variety of perceptions of the nature of librarianship and
of the arts. Some librarians still regard involvement in the arts as being
outside the core functions of a public library service and therefore not
a priority for resource provision. Some librarians regard librarianship as
being about strengthening communities and enhancing the quality of life.
In this context, involvement in arts provision is justifiable. Some librarians
regard literature promotion and reader development as essentially an arts
function, others regard it as an extension of their professional responsibility
as librarians.
The second influence on the nature of librarians' involvement in the arts
is history. Regional music and art libraries were developed mainly in large
municipal libraries before and after the second world war. The 1960's interest
in "extension activities" has left its mark in the practice of
librarianship especially in those libraries built with exhibition and performance
space in the 1960s and 70s. The growth of interest in Community Librarinship
in the 1980s coupled with the development at the same time of Community Arts
is still the motivation for significant amounts of library involvement in
the arts today.
Finally, a "new paradigm" is emerging, driven by the moves towards
"joined-up" government. The vehicle for this will be the spread
of Local Cultural Strategies and the greater policy cohesion brought about
by Best Value. Libraries and the Arts together have the potential to form
two solid parts of the foundation of a strong Cultural Sector which will
need to work together at local, regional and national levels to deliver overall
strategic and political objectives.
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Partnerships.
Much of the research looks at partnerships seen from the point of view
of both librarians and arts organisations. The factors which facilitate and
impede partnerships are analysed. Partnerships rely largely on individual
flair and initiative and mechanisms to develop and promote them are generally
weak. Most partnerships between libraries and the arts are around literature
but there is sufficient experience and good practice of partnerships around
other art forms for these to be developed. The research found that most partnerships,
once formed, persisted and that most relationships were judged positive or
very positive.
Arts organisations still retain an image of librarians and the public library
service which most librarians hoped were long gone. The picture is one of
bright outcrops of individual initiative rather than an organisational ability
of the public library service to respond to the needs of arts organisations.
Arts professionals reported that librarians were not generally represented
in the arts and cultural networks locally. As well as weak networking and
image, there are cultural differences between the public library service
and arts organisations which mean that arts organisations often find that
libraries are slow and inflexible when it comes to responding to opportunities
to work together.
The research also looked at partnerships within local authorities between
libraries and arts providers. A number of models were identified representing
the structure within which libraries find themselves in local government,
notably the acceleration of the trend for libraries to be a part of a large,
multi-functional directorate. In some cases this has reinforced the demarcation
between libraries and a cultural or arts department to the detriment of partnership
working.
Overall, arts organisations feel there is scope for libraries to provide
them with greater support in the following ways:-
- Providing meeting spaces
- Developing audiences
- Providing library stock as a resource for
arts workers
- Creating and maintaining a local "arts
archive"
- Working together in providing opportunities
for lifelong learning
- Providing outlets for marketing, promotion
and information
- Helping in the development of ICT
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The policy context.
The research looked at the ways in which, within local authorities, public
library policies included the arts, the extent to which libraries were acknowledged
as having a role in delivering corporate arts policies and the extent to
which both were brought together in the context of overall corporate strategic
policy.
In this context, the research looked at the effect which regional and national
planning agendas were having on the role of libraries and the arts. The emerging
national framework for service provision provides a place for both libraries
and the arts to play a part in a series of frameworks at local, regional
and national level, to implement these agendas.
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Strategic issues.
The research report concludes that there are two broad directions which can
be taken in strengthening partnerships between libraries and the arts. It
recommends that both be taken.
First, there is scope to build on the experience of partnership working in
the field of literature promotion and reader development, applying the mechanics
and techniques more widely across a range of art forms, and developing the
library's role as a provider of support for the arts sector. For this to
be successful it will be necessary for the arts bodies to conduct relationships
with libraries at a more senior strategic level and not to leave it to the
literature officer or specialist.
Second, a new and wider context has now emerged and needs to be recognised.
It means bringing libraries and the arts together to act as a cultural entity
to play a full part in implementing local, regional and national cultural
strategies.
Stronger networks for partnership will need to be developed and there will
need to be some modification in the attitudes of both librarians and arts
workers towards each other. Good practice, some of it identified in this
report, will need to be built upon.
It will be essential that both sectors find ways of working together to contribute
to cultural strategies at both local and regional levels.
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Principal recommendations.
Strengthening national and regional frameworks.
- A more "joined-up" DCMS
- The issues in the report should be brought
to the attention of the Scottish Parliament and the Assemblies for Wales
and Northern Ireland.
- The RDAs and Regional Assemblies should
consider the issues in the report.
- The Core Cities should review the role of
specialised collections and services which have a regional significance.
The development of partnerships.
- A wider appreciation of the potential role
for libraries by arts administrators
- Libraries to be involved in agencies to
support the local arts community
- Applying the literature development model
wider
- Encouraging librarians to play a full part
in local arts and cultural networking.
Building on best practice.
- Bringing librarians and arts workers together
in joint projects
- Extending the use of ICT in the arts
- Promotion of the part libraries can play
in developing new audiences for the arts
- Building up library resources specifically
for arts workers.
Local Authority Cultural Strategies.
- Ensuring that libraries and the arts work
together on Local Cultural Strategies
- Together demonstrate how libraries and the
arts can contribute to the implementation of key local authority objectives
- Working together to demonstrate Best Value
within local authorities
- Applying the principals and practice of
joint working to all parts of the UK.
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Finally.
The recommendations in the report are addressed to the organisations
which are able to play a strategic role in rearranging the landscape in which
both libraries and the arts work. The recommendations are designed to form
a major step along the road to building a strong cultural sector of which
libraries and the arts will form a cohesive unit.
January 2000
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