SHARPERINVESTMENTFOR CHANGINGTIMES: GETTING MOREOUT OFMUSEUMS,LIBRARIES ANDARCHIVES

2

1. Introduction

2. The value of museums, libraries and archives

a. Improving the economyb. Increasing social mobility c. Making places betterd. Supporting learninge. Connecting communities

3. How we can get more out of ourmuseums, libraries and archives

a. Distribution of servicesb. New governance and delivery modelsc. New funding modelsd. Making investment more strategice. Performance and efficiencyf. Designing services with, and for,

diverse communitiesg. Creating the workforce that can deliver changeh. Working across local boundaries i. Re-positioning the servicej. Reaching out to new audiences

4. How can the necessary changes benationally supported?

5. What would the results look like?

AppendixAbout the MLA

3

Contents

Museums, libraries and archives are an extraordinary and popularresource. We want them to thrive for the public they serve. But thecountry needs to climb out of the worst recession since the 1930s, whilehandling inevitable spending restrictions in public services. How can thesector help this climb, and deliver increasingly more in value than ittakes in funding, from central and local government? Critically, changesin the service need to be designed for changing public need, not bedriven by short term budget cuts.

This prospectus proposes ambitious but realistic solutions, based on long-term partnership between local government, central government,and museums, libraries and archives themselves, each responsible fortheir side of a bargain where:

• museums, libraries and archives work to make a wider public impactas efficiently as possible, concentrating less on sustaining costlybuildings and storing unseen objects, and more on opening upfantastic collections of books, records and iconic artefacts for learningand enjoyment

• local government utilise the value of museum, library and archiveservices for wider purposes, innovating and integrating with otherservices, working across boundaries, and working with public andprivate partners, and

• national government ensure the longer term funding and statutoryframework in which councils, museums, libraries and archives canhave the freedom, flexibility and stability to plan for far reachingchange.

The ambition is that the public – user, visitor, consumer and tourist – arein charge; able to enjoy and learn from quality collections, seamlessservices, and personalised help and information, whether in welcomingbuildings or online.

4

Introduction1

The value ofmuseums,libraries andarchives

2

a) Improving the economy

A country that is just starting to recover from the worstrecession since the 1930s needs to: make savings; getmore value from the money it invests; attract investmentand tourists; and ensure that the workforce has theskills it needs.

Many of the collections held in our museums are ofinternational significance; they help tell the stories thatare part of the shared heritage of us all. The sector hasa key role to play in boosting the country’s standinginternationally and in sharing scholarship and training.It can be an economic asset not a drain on resources;drawing people in to the locality, generating spend and raising its profile in the UK and beyond. For example;

• Liverpool European Capital of Culture generated an estimated £800 million for the regional economyin 2008.

• The Banksy exhibition at Bristol Museum generated50,000 bed space bookings.1

• A survey of 13,000 archive users showed that 78 percent of them had used local transport; 36 percent had used local shops and 17 percenthad visited other places in the area.2

b) Increasing social mobility

The ability to source, select and make use ofknowledge and information helps people make goodchoices, empowering them to improve theiremployability, support their children, and take anactive part in their communities. In doing so it reduces the drain on the public purse, breaking

inter-generational dependence on the state and cuttingunemployment and crime.

Museums, libraries and archives support people indeveloping their skills base; building their confidenceand improving their life chances, their health and theirsense of well being. For example;

• 21 percent of the population are not digitallyenabled. However, there are 3,000 public librariesall with community-use PCs which could, with someinvestment and support, help tackle this problem.

• A survey of 26,000 children and 1,600 teachersshowed that the Renaissance-funded museumsworked with 32 percent of schools in the mostdeprived wards, with children saying that their visittaught them new things and made them want to findout more.

• In a survey of volunteers in 2005, 49 percent ofthose surveyed thought that volunteering inmuseums, libraries and archives had helped themgain employment.3

c) Making places better

Museums, libraries and archives help shape places,giving them an identity and making them moreattractive places to live, work and visit. People like andvalue culture. For example:

• Quality of life factors, including quality of place,distinctive architectures, cultural facilities, andaccess to natural amenities are all important factorswhich skilled workers consider when choosingwhere to work and live,4 and the small, mediumand global businesses they work for.

51 Destination Bristol website2 Demos Knowledge and Inspiration p313 Volunteering in Museums, Libraries and Archives (MLA & IVR, 2005)

http://research.mla.gov.uk/evidence/documents/volunteer_survey_2006_9500.pdf4 Competitive European Cities, Where do the core cities stand? Office of the Deputy Prime Minister,2004

• An HLF survey showed that nearly three quarters oflocal residents believe that investment in the historicenvironment makes local areas more attractive and61 percent say it makes an area a better place to live.5

• Attempts to close libraries result in local publicoutcry, showing just how much people value thislocal institution even if they are not themselves aregular library user.

d) Supporting learning

Economic recovery and long term prosperity willrequire a highly skilled population. Nearly a third ofthe UK’s working age population don’t have a full Level 2 qualification, and many struggle with basicliteracy and numeracy. Skilled employment is one ofthe key determinants of social mobility.

Learning and training cannot be delivered solelythrough the formal education system. People need tobe able to access learning opportunities in a variety ofplaces and in ways which suit them. Museums,libraries and archives can support this, but they needto be embedded within the local learning infrastructureand integrated with other learning provision. Inter-generational learning programmes for families,school children, students and adults need to be seen asa key part of local learning provision. The new, more-flexible, primary curriculum, and councils’ newresponsibility for adult informal learning highlight therole that the sector can, and should, play.

Museums, libraries and archives are knowledgecreators as well as knowledge providers. Throughscholarship, research, knowledge management, andinterpretation and display, they are a vital asset to anation. For example:

• In a survey of 26,000 children, 68 percent of 11-14 year olds thought that museum visits madeschool work more inspiring and 90 percent ofseven-11 year olds learnt new things as a result ofthe visit.

• 720,000 children aged from four-12 participated inthe Summer Reading Campaign in 2009/10.Teachers have said that participation in thecampaign helped to maintain reading levels overthe long summer break.

• Large libraries typically get 6,500 visitors a weekusing their internet access, compared with anaverage of 85 visits in other communityorganisations.6 Each English council responsible forlibraries also provides an average of 762 hours of(largely free) internet access per week across itslibrary service points 7 with at least 91 percent ofEnglish library authorities saying they offer supportto all library users as a core element of theirservice. These figures demonstrate the scale andpotential reach of libraries’ support for publicinternet access and computer literacy.

e) Connecting communities

Museums, libraries and archives are safe communityspaces. Through their wide variety of programmes andactivities they can help build community cohesion andsupport health, well being and democraticengagement. They are places where tough issues andchallenges can be debated and discussed, building agreater understanding of differing perspectives,cultures and values. They are tolerant places that helptackle racism and other forms of ignorance,discrimination and prejudice. For example:

• The Taking Part survey showed that people takingpart in cultural activities are 20 percent more likelyto know ‘many people’ in their neighbourhood, and60 percent more likely to believe ‘many of theirneighbours can be trusted’.8

• Since Kent Libraries & Archives launched itsTime2Give programme in 2005, 180 people havebecome volunteers. 151 new activities have beendeveloped for volunteers, such as research work,baby rhyme hosts, computer buddies, librarygardeners and reading groups. This has helpedtransform and improve the lives of local residents,staff and customers by providing them with newskills and opportunities.

• Art and Islam, a year-long programme ofexhibitions and events at Birmingham Museum andArt Gallery (BMAG), has led to new relationshipsbetween the museum and the diverse communities inthe West Midlands. It has also contributed to animproved understanding of Muslim cultures amongstthe general public.

65 Impact of HLF funding 2005-07 Report, Visitor and Neighbourhood Surveys 2005-07, BDRC April 20086 Simpson Carpenter & Regeneris (2006). ‘UK Online Centres: Transformational Government for the Citizen.’ Sheffield: Ufi Ltd. P.4.7 CFE & MLA (2010) ‘Role of public libraries in supporting and promoting digital participation’8 Taking Part 2007/8

How we can getmore out of ourmuseums,libraries andarchives

3

The sector can make a massive contribution to tacklingsome of the most difficult challenges facing the country,but for this to happen, elected members, chief officersand heads of service need to have higher expectationsof the service and to make more demands of it. Whilemany of England’s museums, libraries and archivesalready provide high quality services, there is a needfor significant improvement in many. Redeveloping theservices and driving more value out of them takes time,strong leadership, clear objectives, knowledge of goodpractice and practical support. It also takes high levelcommitment. We know that where services are thrivingit is in part because they have strong political backingand engagement, and a leadership which understandsthe potential value of the service and which hasworked with it to ensure that it can change anddevelop to meet local needs.

The business model of the last 100 years does nothave to be the business model of the next 100.

A systematic and radically different view of the designand delivery of services is needed. Some organisationswill not be saved, but for many others help is at hand.There is an enormous amount of good practice alreadyin place in both the public and independent parts ofour sector to show how this can be achieved and whatit can deliver.

Far reaching change needs local and nationalgovernment to work together to get more from over £2 billion worth of investment. National governmenthas a responsibility to set the strategic direction for thesector, but only local government, and local governingbodies, can drive forward improvement andinnovation, and only the sector can deliver the on-the-ground changes which will ensure that it is trulyresponsive to local needs.

The practical steps needed to deliver these changescan be grouped under ten headings:

7

We cannot sustain the number of buildings we have,and in a digital age there are other ways ofdelivering services.

Some authorities have already begun to:

• review service provision against community need • look at ways of co-locating and integrating

services• develop new approaches to delivery, using

technology to free staff from routine tasks andfocus them more on community engagement

• use volunteers to supplement core services, and • take a holistic approach to cultural planning.

Good practice has shown that where there is a strongvision for the service, coupled with real engagementwith the community and an innovative approach toservice delivery, savings can be made and the serviceenhanced. MLA recognises that in some cases thiswill lead to buildings being closed. We believe thatthe key issue is not where services are delivered from(which is for locally accountable politicians todecide), but the quality and consistency of thatservice and how well it is meeting local needs.

A new library service has been created in East Riding to suit the changing needs of rural communities.

The mobile library service provides a wide range of otherwise isolated users with book borrowing, a real-timelibrary management system, two public access People’s Network terminals, and touch screen heritage informationservices. Some newer vehicles also provide videoconferencing links to CSC Network and MultiScreen Channelcommunity information screens.

Libby Herbert, Libraries Manager, said, “Community value has been created. Alongside a substantial improvementin library provision, village schools gained access to broadband services and networking; some village halls havecreated local IT suites utilising the broadband link at no cost to the community”.

a) Distribution of services

East Riding Mobile Libraries

8

In 2007, Luton Borough Council agreed to transfermuseum, library and arts activities to a charitable trustand company limited by guarantee.

The trust’s ability to be more entrepreneurial, andrespond more quickly to opportunities, has protectedand enhanced local services by overseeingdevelopments in infrastructure and IT services. It hasalso facilitated moves towards a new business modelwhich will see local authority spending reduced from73 percent to 50 percent in the next ten years, with theremaining 50 percent coming from other sources.

Councilor Hazel Simmons, Leader of the Council says"The transfer [. . .] was the best way forward toenhance libraries, museums and arts for local people [. . . ]. A charity running the services on a not-for-profitbasis has meant resources not available to the councilhave been accessed, and speedier decisions made,meaning the focus has been on providing first classservices to customers."

Luton Cultural Services Trust

Most museums, libraries and archives are still using thegovernance and delivery models of the last 100 years,but the most pro-active ones are beginning to look atnew ways of developing, delivering and devolvingcultural services to:

• increase the flexibility, integration and co-location ofservice provision

• work more effectively and efficiently to respond tolocal need across local authority boundaries

• hand over responsibility to communities, and • deliver local area priorities through strategic

commissioning.

The models currently being explored includeprivatisation, public/private partnerships, trust statusand community ownership.

These models all require the support and involvement ofpartners or stakeholders in public, third and privatesectors, and require the service under transfer to be asuccessfully developed and maintained service – analready failing service cannot be expected to achievesuccessful independence.

In these cases, early evidence also suggests that thesemodels can result in: efficiency savings; new skills andexpertise being brought in to the sector by boardmembers; services more integrated with other parts of

the authority; and efficiencies and critical mass thatcome from working across a range of culture,community, sport and leisure services.

In the future, the new charitable and quasi-charitablecommunity venture models developed in the third sectorhave the capacity to offer hybrid options that combineprivate sector business capacity with charitable sectorbenefits and regulation supporting public benefit.

Community Interest Companies (where appropriate),Limited Liability Partnerships and Companies Limited byGuarantee can all be applied to the sector.

These models can deliver financial sustainability by:supporting grant funding; commissioning contracts;consumer enterprise; alternative forms of income; andbeing able to hold unrestricted reserves. Balancing theneed for financial prudency against the benefits ofusing its assets to benefit the community is key toservice liberation from a public sector basedperformance model. These models allow organisationsto respond and adapt to a continually evolving market,and they allow it to be able to adapt and change itspurpose without undue regulatory restriction.

Successful devolution of cultural services takes time (oneto two years), but there is now an increasing number ofexamples of devolutionary success.

99

b) New governance and delivery models

Present governance models for much of the sectormitigate income generation and enterprise resulting inover reliance on public subsidy and an inability to leverin additional resources and investment. Many trusts andphilanthropists currently exclude local authority fundedservices because they consider them to be ‘primarily theresponsibility of central or local government’. However,the funding disparity between successfully self-fundingLondon-based arts organisations and those leastsuccessfully developing funds is worth £206.7 million.9

Plus, no organisations comprising the museum, libraryand archive subsector are listed within the top 50 artsorganisations.10

Local authorities can expect to see greater investmentcoming in to their services if they free them up to bebecome more entrepreneurial and move from the cultureof short-termism and crisis management which resultsfrom the need to spend public funds on an annual basis.Local authorities need to be prepared to look at fundingmodels for their services which combine grants withvarious types of loan finance and venture capitalism.

Funding for the work of the sector is not just aboutpublic subsidy and income generation. There are alsoways in which government could change the currenttaxation system to drive forward service improvementand to improve the collections in the nation’s culturalinstitutions. Other countries have made changes to theirtaxation systems to support collecting. In the UK:

• Gift Aid could be greatly simplified • Treasury could agree to offset the value of

cultural/historic objects given to museums, againstIncome Tax

• the current Acceptance in Lieu scheme could beextended to allow offers to be offset against CapitalGains Tax and Corporation Tax, and

• the Schedule 3 list (which allows national, localauthority and university museums to buy pre-eminentcultural objects at a tax-remitted price) should bemodernised to include trust and charitable bodies.This could be achieved by extending Schedule 3status to all MLA Accredited institutions.

The new Shepherd's Bush Library opened in September2009. It was delivered as an innovative partnershipbetween Westfield Ltd and the London Borough ofHammersmith & Fulham as one of the key communitygains from the planning agreement (Section 106) forthe new Westfield Shopping Centre.

Section 106 agreements with developers are planningobligations, used to address any perceived negativeimpacts caused by a development, including providinginfrastructure and facilities to help achieve sustainablecommunities.

Since opening, Shepherd's Bush Library has seen a700 percent increase in membership compared withthe previous year, a 50 percent increase in visits and a45 percent increase in book loans. However, the £2million library and Workzone was built and fitted out atzero cost to the taxpayer. This demonstrates thatcouncils need not always look to fund serviceimprovements through local resources or tax rises, butcan create other strategic opportunities such aspartnership working.

c) New funding models

Shepherd's Bush Library

109 A&B PIC Report 200910 CAF Charity Trends 2007

The Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library is the busiest library in the country, and this can be attributed, inpart, to its more strategic approach to marketing.

The Service focuses specifically on the questions: who is using and not using the library, what do they want, andwhat does the library do to support their needs? Community profiling, consultation and data analysis are used tohelp answer those questions.

Another aspect of the market segmentation is the involvement of people in service development. Young peoplewere involved in the design and stocking of the children's library, disabled groups advise on accessibility, andlocal gay and lesbian representatives advise on the selection and display of stock

As Jennifer Holland, Head of Norfolk Library and Information Service, explains "Our activity programme, and theway we deliver our service is targeted at specific market segments while also ensuring we are linking in to counciland county-wide priorities”.

The Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library

The system of plural funding streams coming in to localauthorities for separate, but related, projects isproducing duplication and waste and is underminingthe potential impact of programmes. The Total Placepilots have recognised this and outline the gains to behad from aligning funding sources to deliver to sharedoutcomes and goals. Local people are best placed todecide how resources can effectively be spent locally.Delivery of services has to be locally determinedagainst identified and well understood needs.

MLA recognises the benefits which can come from amore locally determined and joined up strategicapproach to investment. We believe that if councilsand their partners have: the flexibility to move moneyto where it can be effectively spent; a stable frameworkin which to plan; and a supportive government, radical

changes to services are possible. Targeted nationalfunding, such as the Renaissance programme, can thenbe delivered in more effective ways that can driveforward sector improvement and innovation acrossmuseum, library and archive boundaries and beyond.

This would provide time-bound and supplementarysupport to the work of local government in deliveringchange, while ensuring the national interest, andnationally important collections and scholarship, arelooked after. That way, through an appropriatelyadapted Renaissance programme, the responsibility onthe government to ensure an appropriate number ofinternationally important beacon museums across thecountry is achieved in the most cost effective waypossible – joined up with local government change.

d) Making investment more strategic

11

All services need to operate in the most effective andefficient ways already developed by the best examplesin the sector. Museums, libraries and archives need tobe embedded in Local Strategic Partnerships,Community Strategies, Children’s’ Plans and the like askey delivery partners of local outcomes and priorities.

A catalyst to changing the way in which public libraryservices are delivered could be a change to the 1964Act, or changes in the way it is regulated. Therequirement to provide a “comprehensive andefficient” service should evolve into something morefocused on outcomes, not outputs, and on excellenceand innovation. The powers could clarify a minimum

level that government should expect councils to enablepeople to be able to freely access books, support,information and knowledge, and operate inconjunction with a nationally administeredAccreditation scheme.

But work on developing the approach to the librariesAct is not in itself enough. There also needs to be areview of national indicators for the whole culturalsector, which in any event should focus on outcomesnot outputs. The key justification for investment in thesector is the contribution it makes to society and theeconomy, and any mechanisms for measuring andbenchmarking should recognise this.

e) Performance and efficiency

When Westminster Library Services decided it had to provide a fast-track facility for busy office workers or lose their custom, it introduced a "supermarket” style service, complete with check-in/check-out kiosks. It also re-arranged the floor space and furniture then ousted staff out from behind their desks.

Since the changes were adopted 93 percent of all book and audio transactions are now scanned via the kiosks(that will also accept cash, and eventually card payments), customer numbers have increased by 10 percent, thehuge queues have ceased, stock levels have risen, and there has been a huge thumbs-up from customers and staff.

The new system is much more productive. ‘Most people have got the hang of the equipment, leaving me moretime to interact with the public,” agreed Marylebone Librarian Barry Tsirtou.

Key to the entire project's success has been the forward planning put in place by the library services team and thedecision to choose technology that could be easily adapted to meet future improvements and changes.

Westminster Library

12

Museums, libraries and archives provide public,accessible places at the heart of the community whichcan be used for a wide variety of activities. Butcommunities should also be involved in the vision,design and development of the core service to ensurethat facilities are fit for purpose and always evolving,addressing barriers to participation, and developing a cultural offer appropriate to the communities they serve.

The challenge for the sector is to move beyond thetypical mechanism of “friends groups” and “user

panels”, to set up structures that, in a variety of ways,large and small, allow people to become involved inthe planning and delivery of services. There is anidentified public appetite for a greater level ofknowledge about, influence over, and involvement in,local cultural services.

Engaging more effectively with the community can besupported by working with third sector organisationsand volunteers.

f) Designing services with, and for, diverse communities

The Lightbox in Woking opened in September 2007, and a thorough process of local engagement has ensuredthat it meets the community’s needs. The ongoing involvement of the local Woking communities was, andcontinues to be, of vital importance.

“Keeping the community engaged is well worth the work and you must be prepared to follow through,” saidLightbox Director Marilyn Wall. “Once the dialogue is open it must be continued to ensure that community trust isheld. Taking the trouble to make sure that you deliver what you promise and say you will do is important.”

The positive impact on the community is demonstrated by the number of visitors to the Lightbox. In the first year,more than 100,000 people visited the museum which was double the anticipated target.

Woking Lightbox

13

New governance and delivery models, newpartnerships with communities, and the need to findcommercial partners and generate income, will allrequire a new skills base. Many services have alreadyrecognised this and planned for it as a result of farranging service reviews.

To date, much investment in workforce training, andespecially in leadership training, has focused on theindividual. In future a more holistic approach will beneeded which grows out of a review of the serviceand a vision for its future, and extends outwards to allwho work in it. Museums, libraries and archives willalways need staff with specialist skills but thedefinition of specialist skills is going to become everbroader as services rise to meet the challenges ahead.The traditional training courses and programmes ofContinuing Professional Development need to changeto reflect this, but drawing people in from outside thecharmed circle of the “professionally qualified” is

increasingly happening and will happen more – to thebenefit of service users and service delivery.

New entry routes, career progression, successionplanning, and the development of diverse workforceswhich are strongly reflective of the local community,are key issues for all three domains. Culturalapprenticeships and the development of foundationdegrees are fast becoming new ways of attractingnew people in to the sector. In the future much greateruse could be made of volunteers. Volunteering is awin-win for museums, libraries and archives. It enablesorganisations to supplement their services, increasetheir output and effectiveness, and access new skills.For volunteers it is a way back into work; a way ofdeveloping new skills and building a CV, and formany it can also provide positive experiences andsocial networks which will become increasinglyimportant with an ageing population.

g) Creating the workforce that can deliver change

Working Lives of the Thames Gateway – run by Eastside Community Heritage – is working to create apermanent public archive of more than 200 oral histories of former workers, to provide information on thepeople who helped build the industrial foundations of this rapidly regenerating area of London.

The project will run until December 2010, but an evaluation of year one has been completed, recording a positiveresponse from all involved. To guide its evaluation Eastside Community Heritage used ‘Inspiring Learning For All’ –an MLA-produced toolkit that enables museums and archives to review and improve their performance. ManagerJudith Garfield noted that, “Without the framework we would not have been able to assess the impact the projecthas made to participants as effectively.”

Volunteers for Working Lives have also enjoyed their role in the project. They have been able to receive bespoketraining that ensures they conduct interviews to the highest possible standard, and rewards them for theircontributions with a formal qualification from London Metropolitan University.

Working Lives of the Thames Gateway

14

Innovation is the lifeblood of all services. There are lotsof good practice examples of how services havedeveloped, in partnership with a wide range ofproviders, new ways of working, new partnerships andnew delivery mechanisms to reach out to those who donot traditionally use their services.

There are, however, some key areas where innovationneeds to happen across services and on a nationalscale. At present innovation tends to be located inindividual services with some excellent examples ofnew approaches to interpretation, workforcedevelopment, information provision and the use of newtechnology. To change people’s perceptions and use ofservices requires this innovation to be happeningeverywhere across established boundaries. Users needto feel that they have an excellent local servicebecause, as a nation, we place a value on theseservices that overrides the post code lottery.

People should be able to walk in to any museum,library or archive and find that it is open when theywant it and that it is welcoming and clean. They shouldmeet well trained and customer-focused staff. Theyshould be able to access fast and efficient broadbandso that they can get the information and support theyneed. And when the building is closed they should be

able to do the same thing online and from their own homes.

There is a lot of good practice in higher and furthereducation which can be drawn on to support this,where institutions have come to see the benefits forusers in working collectively and pooling resources toachieve common goals. This is not about imposing amonolithic national standard on local services but aboutcoming together to tackle common issues in a joined upand holistic way. It is about the whole being more thanthe sum of its parts and about working to an agreedvision around what we want the service of the future tolook like.

It is also about value for money – looking at serviceswhich benefit from cross authority working and atplaces where joint procurement and delivery can resultin higher standards and better value for all. This is notjust about partnerships with other cultural sectors butpartnerships with organisations outside the culturalsector; primary care trusts, universities, educationservices etc.

The critical areas where coming together across localboundaries to explore joint working is key are digitalinnovation and procurement.

h) Working across local boundaries

In April 2009, Tyne and Wear Museums merged withTyne and Wear Archives to create one joint service(TWAM), promoting collective working and resourcepooling to create better standards and value for all.

The two organisations’ individual volunteerprogrammes have now merged, and have one pointof contact meaning that volunteers can be locatedwhere their expertise are needed the most. Also, asone organisation, information about the museumcollections held in the archives is now moreaccessible, helping to support exhibition developmentand the learning needs of the community.

TWAM is the most cost-effective, large archive andmuseum service in the UK, and its Director, AlecColes, says “This merger has provided an excellentopportunity for joint learning. The relative strengths ofthe two parent organisations are extremelycomplementary and this is already bearing fruit interms of new initiatives, new ways of working and animproved service for our users.“

Tyne and Wear museums andarchives merger

15

Museums, libraries and archives have an intrinsic valueto society but they also deliver important social andeconomic outcomes. Many authorities alreadyrecognise this. Seventy percent of upper tier localauthorities are using libraries to deliver their localpriorities through Local Area Agreements andSustainable Community Strategies; 57 percent areusing museums and 17 percent are using archives.11

More could be done to re-position the service so thatits contribution is developed, recognised andunderstood and so that it is built into national and localpolicy and planning at the earliest stage. This requiresthe “offer” from the service to be one that people wantand it needs sector leaders to see building politicalsupport and engagement as a core part of their job.

i) Re-positioning the service

The Museum of East Anglian Life has set up ‘Abbot’s Hall Enterprises’ – a social enterprise scheme providing amore structured approach to skills development and training. It allows volunteers to trade their time for servicesand aims to meet financial, social and environmental performance targets to drive sustainability.

Volunteers have undertaken a variety of projects as part of the scheme, including making and selling over 600hanging baskets to local pubs and businesses.

As Katie Gooding, Social Enterprise Officer at the museum, explains: “Museums can play a significant role inimproving communities […].The Social Enterprise model allows us not only to look at the business in terms ofprofit and loss, but also on the positive impact it has on those people working within it.”

The Museum of East Anglian Life

1611 The Role of Museums, Libraries and Archives and Local Area Agreements

http://research.mla.gov.uk/evidence/view-publication.php?dm=nrm&pubid=956

As well as improving the quality of service for theaudience currently using museums, libraries andarchives, the sector needs to become better at reachingout to non-users.

Increasing participation requires the sector to getbetter at understanding non users and at using thisinformation to design services which will meet theirneeds. The sector and local authorities also need to bebetter at marketing to their local community andbeyond.

Market segmentation is becoming increasinglyimportant in the drive to raise participation. Theservices that young people want and need aredifferent from those needed by adults or students orfamilies and none of these groups are homogenous.Gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background,education, peer pressure and competition in themarket place etc all influence what people want. The most pro-active services have become better atgetting this information and using it to tailor andmarket what they do.

Increases in participation can be delivered byinvestment in buildings and resources, newprogrammes, and strong community outreach. Makingthem sustainable requires a more systemic embeddingof the principles of community involvement anddiversity in the design and delivery of the core service.

Museums, libraries and archives need to be preparednot just to listen to what non-users are saying about theservice but to work with them to bring about change.And they need to do so in partnership with others,drawing on their skills and experience in working withgroups and communities that have previously beenmore excluded. Museum, library and archiveprofessionals shouldn’t be trying to be youth workersor teachers or social workers but they should beworking with them.

More fundamentally, in a time of shrinking resources,the sector will also need to consider who it prioritisesfor investment. The principle of universal access is animportant one and must not be lost, but when resourcesare stretched, services need to ask themselves whetherthey need to be focusing on those who have most togain from increased use. We know that some peoplein society have less access to knowledge and culturethan others. We can only increase their access if weprioritise working with them and create services thatmeet their needs.

Marketing the service to local people is also important.Research shows that non-users are often pleasantlysurprised by how much the service has changed overthe last 10 years. Museums, libraries and archivesneed to be more pro-active in telling people what theycan expect and they need to be making use of newmedia to reach people.

j) Reaching out to new audiences

Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery has developeda programme that empowers children to create theirown museum at school to make their collections moreaccessible.

Plymouth Museum launched Museum in Transit (MIT)in 2004. On average it has 20,000 studentparticipants each year. The project is aimed at KeyStage 1 and 2 children, but can be adapted for allages. MIT is a mobile museum that takes up to 200objects to local schools for a week. Rather thansimply assembling a standard display onsite, the MITteam facilitates students to create their own bespokeexhibition. They carry out each aspect of exhibitiondevelopment and museum operations starting withunloading objects from the museum van. Theyresearch, organise, label and display the museumobjects whilst learning about how to handle and carefor the collection.

The success of MIT continues to grow. The team havestarted to visit libraries and community centres, andhave also embarked on a relationship with the localPrimary Care Trust.

Plymouth Museum in Transit

17

Museums, libraries and archives are precious for thecountry’s economy, heritage and internationalstanding. The learning and skills delivered to all agegroups, not least school students on the nationalcurriculum, are vital.

Local councils are well placed to decide how resourcescan most effectively be used in their area, and nationalgovernment can ensure, with targeted funding, that thecountry’s need for quality cultural and learningservices is fully realised.

With national government investment, our museums,libraries and archives are well placed to attract visitorsfrom way beyond the locality and overseas. Critically,the nation’s heritage, and its internationally importanthistoric collections across the country, particularlyoutside the capital city, will be properly protected andbetter accessed. Functions delivered by the MLA, suchas Designation, Accreditation, export controls,acceptance of artefacts in lieu of tax, and ReferenceOnline, are delivered or brokered nationally, andleadership of the sector is essential. There is a need tocapitalise on nationally inspired campaigns andpromotions such as Museums at Night andwww.culture24.org to add value and drive upaudience numbers in the most cost effective waypossible.

The changes outlined in this report need anappropriate relationship between national and localgovernment. They also need support on the ground tobroker effective partnerships, identify new ways ofworking, and point to good practice. The MLArestructured in 2009 to support local authorities asthey review their services and to work with the sectorto improve the quality of the offer to local people.

The MLA can support change, improvement andinnovation by:

• targeting investment and resources to supportimprovement

• providing access to evidence-based expert adviceand guidance

• conducting research and data analysis, includingevidence of impact and data around participationand use

• working with local authorities on light touch peerreviews

• delivering and developing its Accreditation andDesignation schemes

• programme investment such as Renaissance• the creation of new products which save money eg

Reference Online• utilising its good practice resource base• exploring models from the cultural, third and public

(health and education) sectors to develop insightand understanding into the benefits and limitationsinvolved in establishing devolved, liberated andindependent cultural services (including theinvestment required), and by providing information,advice and guidance to the sector

• measuring impact and outcomes• providing security and government indemnity advice• national marketing and campaigns such as

Museums at Night• maximising the potential of the digital age through

national collaboration• leadership to broker future consumer-focused

initiatives such as a single library card from birth,and

• 2012 Cultural Olympiad projects such as Stories ofthe World and the People’s Record.

18

How can thenecessarychanges benationallysupported?

4

So what would the results of these sorts of changeslook like? What could communities, elected members,chief officers, boards of trustees and vice chancellorsexpect from their services, over and above what theyare currently getting? They would have serviceshelping them meet the key challenges they are facingin the years ahead, resulting in:

• more people using the services, in more variedways, as they move seamlessly between them

• people feeling that they have services which areinspiring, accessible, and customer-focused

• people feeling a pride in, and ownership of, theirlocal services and feeling that they make a realdifference to their lives

• a local service, delivering to local needs, that ispart of a strong national network of excellence andscholarship, spread fairly across the country andreflecting our heritage and international standing

• fewer buildings to support and manage, but betterquality services delivered in new ways and withnew partners

• a service integrated with other local provision andbuilt into local strategies and plans; deliveringbenefit rather than cost and tackling key localproblems through a strong information, reading andlearning offer

• greater collaboration across local boundaries andwith the third sector

• more targeted and strategic investment delivering toshared outcomes

• greater investment from other sources because theservice has been freed up to benefit from fundingopportunities, and

• national initiatives which benefit all users. Forexample, an online library offer that matches thespeed and character of commercial offers, bridgingthe digital divide and building the skills people willneed in all forms of future employment.

19

What would theresults looklike?

5

Conclusion

In this economic climate, no change is not an option. If we do nothing,change will happen, but through closures and reductions. The public willnotice reduced service, worse service and poorer, less accessiblecollections. Through the suggestions in this prospectus, we hope forcleverer investment in museums, libraries and archives that will get themost out of them, and deliver long term benefits for all. The MLA isready to play its part in the bargain.

About the MLA

• Business to business organisation working acrossgovernment and with 150 local authorities, 3,000public libraries, 300 archives and1,800 museums(latter including Scotland, Wales and NI).12

• Funding relationship with more than 80 bodies ofvarying sizes. Collaborate with other NDPBs;regional funding and improvement agencies; andvarious sector and public bodies.

• Three statutory functions: Government IndemnityScheme, Acceptance in Lieu and the ExportLicensing.

In addition to these statutory functions, the MLA workin the following areas:

Supporting government policy

• Developed Leading Museums, a vision and strategicaction plan for English Museums. An independentgroup led by Professor Tom Schuller is overseeingdelivery of the plan.

• Collaborated with The National Archives to publish(December 2009) the national strategy for archives(England and Wales), involving three Whitehalldepartments (DCMS, DCLG and MoJ) and CYMALfor Wales.

• Worked with Department for Business, Innovationand Skills on the informal adult learning strategyencouraging 3,000 museums, libraries and archivesto sign up for the festival of learning and directinginvestment to support this.

• Developed guidance and training for libraries on Controversial Stock at the request of 10 Downing Street.

• Recommended to Ministers that they institute aformal inquiry into a library authority in breach ofthe relevant Act (1964), the first such use of thepowers since 1992.

Sector improvement and capacity building

• Manage Renaissance in the Regions, a £48 millioninvestment programme of annual grants to around50 museums and local authorities. Set up anexternal review of Renaissance, which concludedthat the programme is transforming England’sregional museums. In 2009 MLA established a newand more searching performance managementsystem for the programme.

• Work directly with local authorities to supportservice improvement using a range of improvementtools including light touch peer review.

• Manage and run the museums Accreditationscheme, the Designation Scheme and theDCMS/DSCF Strategic Commissioning Fund.

• Provide examples of good practice, data, evidenceand impact.

• Run a joint improvement programme with IDeA,ACE, English Heritage and Sport England.

• Invest in sector training and development: Clorefellowships, Diversify, Foundation Degrees,Apprenticeships.

• Manage the Living Places programme on behalf ofACE, English Heritage, Sport England and CABE.The programme demonstrates the role of culture andsport in regeneration and place shaping.

20

Appendix

12 MLA is sponsored by DCMS as an ‘Arms Length Body’. In formal terms, MLA is a Non-Departmental Public Body(NDPB), a Company Limited by Guarantee and a Registered Charity. The CEO is accountable to Parliament(PAC) and separately to the MLA Governance Board, appointed by DCMS. Our Grant in Aid was £68 million(2008 vs. £52 million in 2007), of which £15 million was unrestricted (2007: £14 million).

Supporting innovation

• Negotiating public library access to JANET, the UKeducation and research network.

• Funding the national roll out of Get it Loud inLibraries.

• Developing community of practice around e-books.• Developing a young people’s offer in libraries.• Funding Museums at Night and Kids in Museums.• Developing work on new governance and

funding models.• Creation of the Culture and Sport Planning Toolkit.• Inspiring Learning for All. • Use of Secondments to MLA Board to diversify

Board and capacity build for sector.

Value for money

• £3 million savings for public libraries through MLA’s Reference Online initiative.

• Access to the Pathe news archive for museums,archives and libraries.

• Joint investment programmes with other NDPBs eg Living Places.

Levering in investment

• £4.5 million for Boys into Books.• £5 million for Book Ahead.• £0.5 million for the Festival of Learning.• £70K Home Office funding for controversial

stock training.• £80 million from the BIG Lottery for

Community Libraries.

Expert information, advice and guidance

• Research briefings and good practice case studies.• Sector training via seminars, conferences etc.

Positioning of the sector

• National, regional and local strategies.• Local area agreements.• Total Place.• Place shaping agenda.• Informal Adult Learning.• Find Your Talent - MLA invested £1million.• Building Schools for the Future.

Organisational transformation and efficiency

The MLA restructured in 2009 in order to reduceoverheads, redirect resources to the front line, andfocus on sector improvement and innovation.

• MLA restructured from 10 organisations down to one.

• Restructuring costs were met from its own budget.• Resources redirected from back office to front line.• Mobile home-working field team established with

resources to support local improvement andtransformation.

• 120 staff down from 260.• New ways of working developed to reduce costs

and carbon footprint.

21

22

MLA staff work and engage nationally andregionally.

Regional Managers and Area Directors ofEngagement build relationships with localauthorities, helping them link up andaccess contacts, advice and resources.

We are available to discuss any area ofMLA’s work with you. Contact details canbe found at: www.mla.gov.uk/staff

To find out more, or discover what we cando for you:

visit www.mla.gov.ukemail info@mla.gov.uktelephone +44 (0)121 345 7300

Photography: Daniel Salter; East Riding of YorkshireCouncil, Eastside Community Heritage

Who to contact

24

Museums, Libraries& Archives Council

Grosvenor House14 Bennetts HillBirmingham B2 5RS

T +44 (0)121 345 7300F +44 (0)121 345 7303

info@mla.gov.ukwww.mla.gov.uk

Leading strategically, we promotebest practice in museums,libraries and archives, to inspireinnovative, integrated andsustainable services for all.

ISBN 978-1-905867-36-3© MLA 2010-03-16Registered Charity No: 1079666