A council does indeed have to provide what is effectively the full breadth of our literary heritage and culture should there be a demand. More to the point though, the 1964 Act compelled councils to co-operate in the delivery of library services (I think essentially it was realised that there was a great deal to be gained from previously autonomous library services co-operating and working together, the 1964 Act placing an obligation on councils to do this).

To summarise, the foundations of the statutory service:

– effectively to provide the full breadth of our literary heritage and culture if called upon

– ecouraging the use of this collection, with a great deal of emphasis put on providing access to this literature in such a way that the time, effort and resources otherwise required to make use of the service would not prohibit people from making use of the service

– bolted on to above was also that councils were to where there would be benefit co-operate with each other (it appears that councils are very much autonomous entities, and have to be instructed to work together 😉 )

Ref. the following comment for references to the relevant legislation:

http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2013/06/dcms-in-crisis-oh-no-its-thriving.html#comment-5765 (DCMS in crisis? Oh no, it’s thriving)

For further detail see this draft wikipedia page (which includes a link to the actual document referred to as ‘the Report of the Working Party on Standards’):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Where_It_Is_Mine/The_Modern_History_of_Public_Libraries_in_England (The Modern History of Public Libraries in England)

There are a lot of issues but essentially an Act can only be ammended or repealled, and neither of these things has happened to the 1964 Act (in respect of the salient points at the moment at least); it is also a principle of our law that a statute has to be enacted in the spirit in which it was formulated, the words of the Act cannot be twisted to meanings that serve particular ends at a future point – which means focusing on that which was presented to MPs during the first and second reading of the Act and which was subsequently voted into law by those MPs.

Should not a Conservative (of all governments!) be looking at a library infrastructure that places the UK at the competitive leading edge in its international context. Cuts by authorities should be placed in this context when presented to the public. (I’m thinking of Tim Coates’ recent comment about public libraries in the States.)

A council does indeed have to provide what is effectively the full breadth of our literary heritage and culture should there be a demand. More to the point though, the 1964 Act compelled councils to co-operate in the delivery of library services (I think essentially it was realised that there was a great deal to be gained from previously autonomous library services co-operating and working together, the 1964 Act placing an obligation councils to do this).

To summarise, the foundations of the statutory service:

– effectively to provide the full breadth of our literary heritage and culture if called upon
– ecouraging the use of the stocks, with a great deal of emphasis on providing access to this literature in such a way that the time, effort and resources otherwise required to make use of the service would not prohibit people from making use of the service
– bolted on to that was that councils were to where there would be benefit co-operate with each other (it appears that councils are very much autonomous entities, and have to be instructed to work together 😉

Ref. the following comment for references to the relevant legislation:

DCMS in crisis? Oh no, it’s thriving.
http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2013/06/dcms-in-crisis-oh-no-its-thriving.html#comment-5765

For further detail see this draft wikipedia page (which includes a link to the actual document referred to as ‘the Report of the Working Party on Standards’):

Modern History of Public Libraries in England
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Where_It_Is_Mine/The_Modern_History_of_Public_Libraries_in_England

There are a lot of issues but essentially an Act can only be ammended or repealled, and neither of these things has happened to the 1964 Act (in respect of the salient points at the moment at least); it is also a principle of our law that a statute has to be enacted in the spirit in which it was formulated, the words of the Act cannot be twisted to meanings that serve particular ends at a future point – which means focusing on that which was presented to MPs during the first and second reading of the Act and which was subsequently voted into law by those MPs.

Should not a Conservative (of all governments!) be looking at a library infrastructure that places the UK at the competitive leading edge in its international context. Cuts by authorities should be placed in this context when presented to the public.