Changing lives, making the difference: the 21st century public library.

From a slow start in the middle of the 20th century Australia now has one of the most accessible and heavily used public library networks in the world. Those libraries are by far the most heavily used and appreciated community provision by local and state governments. There is increasing research demonstrating the qualitative as well as the quantitative value of the libraries and their potential as the focus for learning cities or communities. However much needs to be done in the 21st century, mainly by local government, to address issues such as poorly located, crowded and unattractive buildings, poor hours of opening, limited book and other resources, technology constraints and lack of specialist librarians. Because many councils still do not have library advisory committees with community representation, Friends of Library groups need to consider how they should represent library users to councils and state governments. Version of a paper delivered at the annual general meeting of the Friends of Mitcham Library Services Adelaide 31 July 2002

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The Unesco Public library manifesto 1994: a living force asserts that

   Freedom, prosperity and the development
   of society and of individuals are
   fundamental human values. They will only be
   attained through the ability of well informed
   citizens to exercise their democratic rights and to
   play an active role in society. Constructive
   participation and the development of democracy
   depend on satisfactory education as well as on
   free and unlimited access to knowledge, thought,
   culture and information.

   The public library, the local gateway to
   knowledge, provides a basic condition for
   lifelong learning, independent decision making
   and cultural development of the individual and
   social groups. This Manifesto proclaims
   Unesco's belief in the public library as a living
   force for education, culture and information, and
   as an essential agent for the fostering of peace
   and spiritual welfare through the minds of men
   and women. Unesco therefore encourages
   national and local governments to support and
   actively engage in the development of public
   libraries.

It was with a similar sense that free access to public libraries and what they provide is a right, not a privilege, that Andrew Carnegie observed in 1904 as justification for his funding of public library buildings in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and elsewhere

   If it is right that schools should be maintained by
   the whole community for the well being of the
   whole, it is right also that libraries should be so
   maintained.

Earlier than that, since the mid 1850s in the US and UK the public library was seen primarily as a centre for learning for the working classes. This was not a new idea but another manifestation of a 15th century idea that promoted literacy and independent education through `community profit libraries'.

In the UK the background to the Public Libraries Bill was the call for opportunities to be freely available to working people, to go beyond the subscription based libraries of the mechanics' institutes, the first of which opened in Glasgow in 1823.

A major reason for the Public Libraries Bill was the establishment of similar institutes in other European countries, notably Belgium. There was a concern that the UK would fall behind in the skills of its workers. That bill became law in 1850 and enabled councils to add one penny in the pound to rates to pay for public libraries. Those who paid rates--the wealthier--paid for the education and enlightenment of poorer citizens.

Although there was a slow take up of this provision because councils and ratepayers resented it, the 19th century in both the UK and US saw the development of free local libraries, libraries which during the 20th century evolved from being primarily learning agencies for the working classes, to the multifaceted places they are today.

Public libraries in Australia

As my paper (1) given at the 1998 Friends of Libraries Australia conference demonstrated, the free local public library system in Australia has largely occurred only since 1950. Particularly in Queensland and South Australia, Australia was a late developer of a comprehensive, free, public library system compared with other liberal democracies. This was due to an adherence to the mechanics' institute subscription libraries long after their use by date, and long after their demise in the UK. It was also due to the weakness of local government in Australia, and the existence of the capital city state libraries.

Australia's attention to its lack of local public libraries was greatly stimulated by the 1935 Munn-Pitt report (2) funded by the Carnegie Corporation and sponsored by the Australian Council for Educational Research. This was severely critical of Australia's public library development. It concluded that Australia as a whole

   ... was better provided with local libraries in the
   1880s than it is today ... It is pathetic to observe
   the pride and complacency with which local
   committees exhibit wretched little institutes
   which have long since become cemeteries of old
   and forgotten books. That the public library is
   an agency for popular education and culture,
   continuing the work of schools and therefore
   deserving liberal public support, is a conception
   which is not yet accepted by the majority of
   officials or ratepayers.

Has the challenge been met?

From a small number of free public libraries in the middle of the 20th century, Australia now has a public library system for which the aggregated performance and statistics are substantial

* by far the most heavily used and valued investment by local and state governments

* the return on investment is at least $2.50 for every $1, higher than the Dow Jones industrial average (3)

* the most heavily trafficked public buildings in Australia

* 534 services

* 1597 access points--more than McDonalds

* 52 million books and other items

* increasing electronic resources

* 90 million visits each year--5 for every Australian

* 154 million loans each year

* considerable provision in languages other than English 

* used regularly by 60% of the population

* rated as important or very important by 95% of Australians

* over 90% of Australians support public funding of libraries

* 99% of Australians have some form of access to a public library

* 4000 public internet terminals--the number one access point for people without computers

* all states now have in place programs to facilitate fast access to the internet by public libraries and their users

The above is provided for only

* a total annual cost of about $560 million or about 6c per Australia per day. This is less than the total annual expenditure of just one large university

* typically less than 6% of a council's rate revenue and an even smaller percentage of its total annual expenditure

* about 0.2 of 1% of state government outlays 

No other agency in Australia has the very high level of access, usage and valuation placed on it. Public libraries are by far the largest educational provider in Australia and, at only $30pa per capita, by far the most cost effective. Local government is thus a very significant national educational provider, without often being aware of that status or responsibility.

We are also sometimes told that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia's largest or most significant cultural institution. It is not. The public library system is. Compare the ABC's 12c per Australia per day and use by 22% of the population, with public libraries at 6c per day and use by 60% of the population.

In summary, after a very slow start Australia is now among the first 12 nations in the world in its overall public library system. Unlike in the UK and Tasmania, there is no obligation on any mainland Australian council to provide or contribute to a local public library. It is noteworthy, therefore, that in less than 50 years, every council but one, in Queensland, has chosen to do so.

Lifelong learning and democracy

As asserted in the Unesco manifesto the modern public library is a critical element underpinning the international and Australian focus on lifelong learning, a concept which has gathered momentum since the publication of the 1996 Unesco Delors Report Learning: the treasure within. (4)

Together with formal educational institutions the public library has a key responsibility to foster that information literacy and access without which lifelong learning and a functioning democracy will be difficult to sustain in the 21st century. As Thomas Jefferson observed 200 years ago `Information is the currency of democracy'. Libraries are substantial bankers of that currency.

In 1998 the European parliament adopted a report on the role of libraries. It covered a general recognition of the multifaceted role of libraries, and emphasised their role in lifelong learning. (5)

The public library has been well described in the UK as the `umbrella institution of the learning society', and more recently by the national minister responsible for libraries as the `streetcorner university'. That minister, Chris Smith, has also stated

   This government recognizes that libraries have an
   important part to play in fostering community
   development and promoting community identity.
   What other service offers nearly 4,000 separate
   public access points ... where entry is free, and
   where the environment is so welcoming and
   stimulating? We therefore see library buildings
   not as mere bricks and mortar, but as focal points
   for communities.

In complementary vein the UK Libraries and Information Commission argues that

   ... if we are to prosper economically, combat
   social exclusion and enhance people's quality of
   life, then we must foster the habit of learning.
   However many people find that the maze of
   learning opportunities throws up barriers at every
   initial turn. They ... need advice on what is
   available, initial help in using it, training in the
   use of ICT and support in developing their
   personal information skills.

In a strategic sense public libraries are still influenced by their starting point as a social weapon against information poverty. In the information society, information overload now presents public libraries with the need to foster the information literacy of all citizens, from `cradle to grave'.

The modern public library

The modern public library is a proactive, centrally located, attractive, spacious, multifaceted and very busy institution open for long hours, seven days a week. It is the community's cultural, educational and meeting place, its lifelong learning focus, a safe place to go, and as social commentator Hugh MacKay has described it recently `the new village green'. Public libraries are unique because they are

* accessible by all

* safe places

* neutral and nonthreatening

* anonymous

* equal

* caring and supportive

* nonjudgemental

* noncompetitive

* built around trust and community involvement--for what else is the act of borrowing and returning books?

* client centred

The modern public library provides

* access to, and lending of, a wide range of up to date books, large print books, e-books, audio books, magazines, audio and video materials in English and other languages

* ready access to the information mediation and expertise of library professionals

* access to global print and electronic information resources 

* web access to its resources

* fast access to the resources of other libraries locally, nationally and worldwide through interlibrary loan

* free internet access and training--the electronic revolution is making libraries more indispensable, not less

Its services, resources and programs include most, or all, of the following.

How does your local library compare?

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* a vision/mission statement                                     []
* a client charter                                               []
* highly visible and well sign posted location                   []
* spacious, attractive and comfortable facilities                []
* 7 days a week opening                                          []
* public holiday opening                                         []
* readers advisory and reference services                        []
* remote web access to its catalogue and databases               []
* electronic Ask a librarian information desk                    []
* its own website, usable by those with vision impairment        []
* provision for the 1 in 5 Australians
  who have some form of disability                               []
* free internet access                                           []
* interlibrary loans                                             []
* community information                                          []
* young adults space                                             []
* toy library                                                    []
* adaptive technology for those with disabilities                []
* provision for indigenous people                                []
* English conversation classes                                   []
* maintains council's website                                    []
* reading groups/book club                                       []
* accommodation and other support
  for a Friends of Library group                                 []
* public lecture program                                         []
* volunteer program                                              []
* council information                                            []
* council service centre                                         []
* drive through pickup/return                                    []
* generous parking                                               []
* transport to the library                                       []
* information literacy programs                                  []
* information services for small businesses                      []
* information services for the council                           []
* programs for single parents and their children                 []
* Australian Bureau of Statistics information                    []
* health information                                             []
* legal information                                              []
* children's and young adult services                            []
* local history services                                         []
* kindergarten support                                           []
* homework centre and school support                             []
* school holiday programs                                        []
* support to flexible learning university and Tafe students      []
* migrant and Nesb community support                             []
* parenting collections                                          []
* support for the unemployed                                     []
* program and resources cooperation with local schools           []
* housebound, hospital, nursing home,
  prison, detention centres and other outreach services          []
* adult literacy support                                         []
* family literacy programs                                       []
* provision of bookstart kits to new babies                      []
* storytelling                                                   []
* community information                                          []
* tourist information                                            []
* study and research facilities                                  []
* internet/electronic training suite                             []
* free public meeting rooms                                      []
* photocopiers and scanners                                      []
* word processing facilities                                     []
* community and topical displays and exhibitions                 []
* coffee shop/facilities                                         []
* suggestion box                                                 []
* advisory committee with community representation               []

There are public libraries in Australia which now meet most of the above criteria. They are generally in larger cities.

Potential and opportunity

However too many public libraries remain largely passive lending agencies. They are incapable of being more because of lack of professional and other staffing, good and attractive accommodation, good hours of opening, information technology, fast and free internet access for the public, marketing and particularly funding support from the local government authority commensurate with their importance to the community. Nonetheless such libraries still tend to be well appreciated because of their users' relatively low expectations and lack of awareness that other Australians have access to better and more progressive libraries than do they.

The funding issues

In most cases local government poverty is not an acceptable reason for these weaker public libraries. In general councils commit a low percentage of rates--sometimes 2% or less and rarely more than 7%--and an even lower percentage of their total expenditure to their libraries.

It is curious that in this so called information/knowledge age something so conspicuously an individual and a societal good as public libraries are not easily offered funding beyond the current 6c per Australian per day. The reasons range, of course, from the ideological to the plain ignorant.

The problem seems to be that some councils have not moved much beyond mediocre aspirations and the roads and rubbish focus which characterised local government in Australia for much of the 20th century. The experience of some public library managers is still that councils tend not to regard expenditure on their libraries as a great investment in their communities, but rather as a cost which is grudgingly accepted and minimised.

There is also a tendency in mainland local government (Tasmania and the NT are exceptions) to use the slippage in local/state government relative funding from the original broad 50/50 partnership as a reason for not funding libraries better. State government support of public libraries, in real and relative dollaar terms, thus remains critical for symbolic, practical and philosophical reasons--symbolic because it is the primary manifestation that a state government regards public libraries as important for all citizens within the state, practical because local government everywhere is financially stretched, and philosophical because it is the state government contribution which has been the effective barrier to the occasional pressure for the introduction of direct user pays in local public libraries--something which invariably is raised by an ill formed local councillor or city manager when the issue of declining state funding for public libraries is raised.

Fortunately state governments, NSW excepted, seem over the years to have had an appreciation, with some prodding, of their partnership responsibilities with local government. That partnership has unquestionably been the main reason for the overall evenness of public library provision in Australia, compared with, for example, the extremes to be found in the US.

Best investment

A public library is one of the few agencies in society which cannot be overused, and for which every mechanism to increase use should be considered. Yet in practice some councils effectively achieve the opposite--discouraging use by poor buildings, poor locations, poor signposting, poor hours, fines systems, limited and poorly qualified and trained staff and lack of marketing. There is, for example, good reason--for this country's future--to attract more young people to libraries but too few public libraries have the external and internal design and ambience to do so. Compare the appearance of your local public library to a modern, bright video or superbookstore, for example. There is also a tendency by councils, to use claimed resistance of ratepayers to higher rates as the excuse for not showing leadership in improving their libraries. This conveniently ignores the fact that everyone contributes to rates, either directly or indirectly. Those who rent houses or properties or work or shop in a council area should have as much a voice in the local library's improvement as a ratepayer, particularly given that in most states at least part of the funding of local libraries derives from the general tax base of state government. Councils should seek the views of their total communities not just their ratepayers. There is also a strong possibility that ratepayers will accept higher rates if they are guaranteed real improvement in the council service they value most, their library.

The problem described above is known in other countries such as the US, where a number of cities are now moving away from viewing their libraries as costs, to seeing them as equity centres and investment and population magnets.

At least a few public librarians could still tell stories about councillors and even CEOs who, like Shane Warne, take pride in having achieved what they have without `ever having read a book in my life', or are ideologically opposed to the concept that something as significant in society as the local public library should be free at the point of use. Graeme Frecker, a past president of the Australian Local Government Association pointed out in 1994 that negative attitudes in local government to investing in public libraries were not surprising given that only about 1 in 6 of decision makers in local government had access to a free public library during their formative childhood years--but that in time this would change.

So, indeed, it is changing. Progressive, community aware, councils in Australia place a very high investment valuation on their libraries. One outcome has been a continuing surge in new and extended Australian public library buildings, some of them outstanding by the best international standards.

A question of size

Another barrier to better public libraries in Australia is, despite numerous mergers, the small size and limited cooperation between councils. Although this has been minimised by establishing regional library services covering several councils in states such as Victoria, it is an irony in an age of information which has overcome many geographical barriers that rate boundaries largely inherited from the 19th century still dictate most library planning and policy. There is a similar problem in the US, but much less so in the UK which has about 140 public library authorities for its 60 million people, compared with about 534 for 19 million Australians.

It has to be questioned, for example, why Brisbane has only one library service for its metropolitan population, and Adelaide has twenty.

Ways libraries are good for society

In the US there has been developed Twelve ways libraries are good for the community. `Australia', or any other developed democracy, can be readily substituted for `America' in the following

1 Libraries inform citizens Democracy vests supreme power in the people. Libraries make democracy work by providing access to information so that citizens can make the decisions necessary to govern themselves. The public library is the only institution in American society whose purpose is to guard against the tyrannies of ignorance and conformity, and its existence indicates the extent to which a democratic society values knowledge, truth, justice, books, and culture.

2 Libraries break down boundaries Libraries provide free family literacy programs for low literate, illiterate, and nonEnglish speaking people. In addition, hundreds of librarians across America lead outreach programs that teach citizenship and develop multilingual and multicultural materials for their patrons. Libraries serve the homebound elderly, prisoners, and other institutionalized individuals, the homeless, and the blind and heating impaired.

3 Libraries level the playing field Economists have cited a growing income inequity in America, with the gap between the richest and poorest citizens becoming wider year by year. By making all its resources equally available to all members of its community, regardless of income, class, or other factors, the library levels the playing field. Once users have access to the library's materials, they have the opportunity to level the playing field outside the library by learning to read, gaining employment, or starting a business.

4 Libraries value the individual Library doors swing open for independent thinking without prejudgment. Libraries offer alternatives to the manipulations of commercialism, from the excellence of public television productions to the freethinking of renegade publishers and the vision of poets and artists outside the mainstream business of art and literature.

5 Libraries nourish creativity In the library we are all children. By stimulating curiosity--parent to the twin forces of creativity and imagination--even the most focused and specialized library serves the purpose of lifting the mind beyond its horizons. Libraries store ideas that may no longer work but can serve as the raw material that, cross-fertilized in the innovative mind, may produce answers to questions not yet asked.

6 Libraries open kids' minds Bringing children into a library can transport them from the commonplace to the extraordinary. From story hours for preschoolers to career planning for high schoolers, children's librarians make a difference because they care about the unique developmental needs of every individual who comes to them for help. Children get a handle on personal responsibility by holding a library card of their own, a card that gives them access to new worlds in books, videos, audiotapes, computers, games, toys, and more.

7 Libraries return high dividends What do Gallo wines, the I Can't Believe It's Yogurt chain, and billboard-sign giant Metromedia have in common? Libraries made millionaires out of each of these companies' grateful owners by providing crucial start up information when they were no more than wannabe business titans. Libraries are there to help people with more personal goals, too. The seed money expended for these and other success stories? About US$20 per capita per year in tax dollars.

8 Libraries build communities No narrow definition of community will work in a library. Each community has its libraries and its special collections. Libraries validate and unify; they save lives, literally and by preserving the record of those lives. Community building means libraries link people with information. Librarians have become experts at helping others navigate the internet. Before there was talk of cyberspace, there were libraries, paving the way for the superhighway.

9 Libraries make families friendlier The American family's best friend, the library, offers services guaranteed to hone coping skills. Homework centres, literacy training, parenting materials, after school activities, summer reading programs, outreach--like the families they serve, libraries everywhere are adapting to meet new challenges.

10 Libraries offend everyone Children's librarian Dorothy Broderick contends that every library in the country ought to have a sign on the door reading This library has something offensive to everyone. If you are not offended by something we own, please complain. This willingness and duty to offend connotes a tolerance and a willingness to look at all sides of an issue that would be good for the nation in any context; it is particularly valuable when combined with the egalitarianism and openness that characterize libraries.

11 Libraries offer sanctuary Like synagogues, churches, mosques, and other sacred spaces, libraries can create a physical reaction, a feeling of peace, respect, humility, and honour that throws the mind wide open and suffuses the body with a near spiritual pleasure. But why? Perhaps it is because in the library we are answerable to no one; alone with our private thoughts, fantasies, and hopes, we are free to nourish what is most precious to us with the silent companionship of others we do not know.

12 Libraries preserve the past Libraries preserve the record; a nation, a culture, a community that does not understand its own past is mired in its own mistakes. Libraries enable us to communicate through distance and time with the living and the dead. It is a miracle kept available by the meticulous sorting, storing, indexing, and preservation that still characterizes library work--work that will carry, in the electronic environment, challenges and a price tag yet unknown.

The Australian need

My July 2000 survey of Australian public libraries graphed their strengths and limitations as assessed by their librarians, using the same approach as a 1999 survey of Finnish libraries. The survey showed how Australian libraries compare with those in Finland, probably the world's top public library nation and where the average loans per capita, at 22, are double those of Australia, and where 80% of the population are members compared with 60% in Australia.

Australian libraries

From that survey there are clearly many deficiencies to be addressed, and we need to consider what action is required to ensure that at the end of the 21st century Australia's public library network remains among the world's top 12, and that even more people use and benefit from their local public library.

The competition

This will be no easy task. In the worldwide renaissance of investment in the reality and potential of the public library, there will be numerous international competitors. These include the Scandinavian countries, Singapore which is pouring money into public libraries to help it meet its `learning country' aspiration, Canada and countries in Europe such as France, Portugal and Spain which are rapidly making up for lost time in the development of public libraries.

Singapore, in particular, challenges Australian governments to reflect on their understanding of, and support, for public libraries. Dr Tan Chin Nam, chairman of its national library board, has stated

   Our mission is to expand the learning capacity
   of our nation for national competiveness and to
   support a gracious society ... the new National
   Library will be a place for our people, part of
   New Singapore's soulware and new learning
   ecosystem.

Singapore is opening new libraries and refurbishing older ones. Its libraries are busy places indeed. Finland, too, is addressing the many challenges facing public libraries but it is in a context of national government policy support for them. The Finnish government program for 1999-2003 states

   The public library system is a basic pillar in
   the provision of national educational and
   cultural services, which support the aspirations
   of the entire population to achieve a high state
   of intellectual development. Library services
   will be developed as part of promoting a civic
   information society ... alienation of citizens and
   regions is prevented by bringing the
   information society's services impartially
   within reach of all.

As indicated earlier, one European country which stands out in its intentions and expenditure at present is the UK, where the Blair government has identified the library sector as critical to the creation of a more egalitarian society, acting as an agent of social change in developing lifelong learning skills. This has engendered funded university research of relevance across all library sectors, research in which Australia remains very weak largely because of the funding and staffing starvation of library and information studies programs in the universities.

A role for Friends of Libraries groups

In general, Australian local councils have been very hesitant about establishing formal advisory groups, with community representation, to provide systematic input on the development of community services. There are noteworthy exceptions, however, such as the City of Wollongong in NSW which has a library advisory committee, half of it from the community and all of whom are Fol group members.

Local government thus typically relies for library feedback on occasional client satisfaction surveys in which invariably--whether its library is mediocre, good or excellent--respondents rate the library more highly than anything else the council provides.

The only other input councils are likely to receive is of a statistical nature or from library managers, feedback which is likely to be anecdotal as many libraries still do not even maintain suggestion box schemes or are able to conduct their own surveys. Even if libraries do conduct surveys, those rarely cover nonusers of the library. Indeed libraries sometimes do not even market themselves for fear of creating an even bigger load on limited staff and resources.

Another major issue is that many public library users do not know what constitutes a good public library in the 21st century. They may, therefore, be too accepting of mediocrity because they know no better. Even when library users are unhappy with their library, library managers find those users are reluctant to complain formally to a council for fear that the council will view it as a criticism of library staff rather than of the council itself, or will react punitively. There are some library users who thus still see their local library as a costly privilege rather than as their inexpensive right.

These are all issues for Fol groups to be aware of, and reflect on, because increasingly they will be required to become more proactive in advocacy for improved libraries. This is because if Fol groups do not assume that as a legitimate and significant part of their role, no other group in the community is likely to.

The importance of literacy development

One major reason why this advocacy role is important is because of the critical importance of literacy development in children before they go to school. Public libraries have a key literacy development educational role to play in school readiness but, across Australia, they need a much bigger investment in children's librarians and resources by local and state governments. This is for the future of Australia. Although illiteracy comes at an enormous cost to the life and potential of the individual, it also comes at great cost to the community in terms, for example, of crime at all levels, particularly that committed by young males. Remediation of illiteracy, when it can be achieved, also comes at great cost.

In a pithy piece written some time ago following an ugly bout of soccer hooliganism in Europe, one commentator recommended that troublesome fans should be sentenced to serve their sentences in public libraries, not stuck in prisons. This would offer them a much more fulfilling experience, and open up opportunities previously denied them.

A Fol group may be the only local group really aware of, and able to promote, the role of the local public library in literacy development and remediation. Every Australian community needs leadership such as that provided by mayor Daley of Chicago who, on 11 February 2002, announced an expanded Get wild about reading public library program to improve reading scores in public schools by getting `children excited about reading before they are old enough to read'. What a difference it would make if every local authority in Australia had such mayoral leadership.

The issue is that children need to be introduced to books and reading before their school years because they learn more in their first five years than at any time in their lives. Numerous studies have now shown that children who are read to from an early age learn more sounds, extend their vocabularies, imaginations and understandings of concepts, and learn to read by themselves more easily--some, perhaps many, parents need family friendly encouragement and support in providing early learning experiences for their child. As South Australian writer and educator Mem Fox has stated `reading aloud is the most important tool in literacy education'.

The other way in which a Fol group could usefully connect with local parents and students, apart from promoting junior Fol groups, is through the P&C or P&F associations and councils of local schools. This is because, as Professor Sara Fenwick in her report School and children's libraries in Australia, (6) observed

   Both school and public library will be
   responsible for learning that will span lifetime,
   and the education of children will be only the
   beginning. To recognize these developing needs
   there must be continuous planning of all
   community organisations, but especially of
   schools and public libraries, for this challenging
   common endeavour.

As `the umbrella institution of the learning society', `the community's meeting place' and `a safe place to go' (7) the performance, location, and accessibility of the local public library affects many people in a community--even local traders benefit from the drawing power of a good public library, or suffer significantly if the library closes, as evidenced by a strike of library staff in Sheffield in the UK a few years ago.

A catalyst for the community

Not the least, what the public library does and how it partners with local schools during the formative childhood years of tomorrow's decision makers will help determine their attitudes to future investment in all Australian libraries. There are many groups within local communities with which a Fol group can engage for mutual understanding and support. The public library is, in a sense, a community catalyst because any community group can benefit from what a public library provides. You may wish to consider the local groups with which you currently interact or have the potential to--from playgroups, to chambers of commerce, to senior citizen's groups.

Libraries change lives

The theme of national Library and Information Week in May 2002 was Libraries change lives. They do. `The opening of a free, public library' wrote James Russell Lewell in 1887 in Democracy and other addresses `is a most important event in the history of any town. That local library provided its whole community with a place where they could taste and gain succour from all the fruits of humankind's knowledge.'

Libraries are more than storehouses. To Carol Rowan they are `temples of learning'; to Germaine Greer `reservoirs of strength, space and wit'; to Alexander Smith, places where `all history rolls before me'; and to Philip Roth, the library `wasn't simply where one had to go to get books, it was a kind of exciting haven to which a city youngster willingly went for his lesson in restraint, and his training in self control.'

There are many others who testify to the impact that access to a public library has had on their lives--from successful small business people who did their research in them, to individuals such as Bill Gates, Philip Adams, and of course the actor Michael Caine who once observed

   I educated myself in the library, which means I
   found out for myself what I wanted to know.
   School taught me what I didn't know and what
   I should find out when I left school. School
   should really teach you how ignorant you are
   and what you want to find out.

There is increasing overseas research which demonstrates that qualitative research data derived from social audit techniques provide images that can be used to demonstrate the value and impact of public libraries. The most recent research, at the University of Sheffield in the UK, (8) confirms that libraries have an important role to play in

* social cohesion 

* personal development

* community empowerment

* local culture and identity

* imagination and creativity

* health and well being

These are important messages to be communicated to decision makers in local and state government, by Fol groups and others.

Making the difference

There has also been an increased focus on demonstrating the full return on investment in public libraries. One significant piece of Australian research has been Lane Cove Library: a part of life--the social role and economic benefit of a public library. (9)

Two Canadian publications, republished in Australia, of particular value are Dividends: the value of public libraries in Canada (10) and The library's contribution to your community: a resource manual for libraries to document their social and economic contribution to the local community. (11) Also from Canada is a substantial paper `The economic and job creation benefits of Ontario public libraries'. (12) Another recent research paper from the UK is `The economic value of public libraries'. (13)

Leading, fighting, persisting ... Fol groups can make the difference

In 1947 the City Librarian of Westminster in the UK was commissioned by the federal government and the Australian Council for Educational Research to review and report (14) on the slow development of a free public library system in Australia. He confirmed that Australia had a very long way to go to match other nations such as the US, UK, Denmark and New Zealand, and asserted that `Better library services for Australians won't just happen ... The few must lead, must fight, must persist'.

It is because the few did find the commitment, time and energy to lead, fight and persist that Australia, in not much more than 30 years, now has a public library system about which, despite its weaknesses, it need not be ashamed. However it is also clear that the major way in which public libraries will be sustained and improved is by action at the local level, and primarily through local government increasing its current modest investment in them, and with better support than the current minuscule percentage of annual state government expenditure--amounts which even as a percentage of state government outlay on formal education are insignificant, despite the large support public libraries provide to the formal education sectors.

Unless councils throughout Australia move to establish library advisory committees with major community representation, Fol groups will remain the one body in the local community which can speak to a council about that community's disparate needs. In the UK they are being required to play that role. A Fol group may be, in particular, the only way that the voice of young people and those with specialist needs can be informed and heard.

It is therefore primarily at the local level that the informed and aware `few' must continue to lead, fight and persist in advocacy for better public libraries for all Australians. Friends of Libraries groups are, in one sense, the inheritors of a significant responsibility. The legacy of those who, from the 1930s, fought for free public libraries is ours to see, to use, to appreciate and from which benefit. In so doing we should be ever mindful of Vigdor Schreibman's observation that

   Libraries serve democracy not the pursuit of
   wealth. The constituency for democracy is the
   people, whatever the fundamental constitutional
   right to exercise exclusive control over the
   election of our government. That is where the
   power of libraries also lies if they are wise
   enough to marshall that unique resource.

Fol groups are an increasingly important part of that unique resource. We should therefore aim to ensure that at the end of this 21st century the legacy of the now burgeoning Friends of Libraries movement is substantial--and that Australia's public libraries have greatly improved their unique capacity to change lives ... and to make the difference.

References

(1) Bundy, A Leading, fighting persisting: libraries in Australia and the development of Fol groups, in Pathways to partnership proceedings of the second Fola national conference 24 October 1998 Tullamarine Vic, Fola 1999 Available www.library.unisa.edu.au/papers/leading.htm See also Bundy, A Friends of Australian public libraries in 1998 Australasian public libraries and information services 11(4) December 1998 pp165-173

(2) Munn, R & Pitt, E Australian libraries: a survey of conditions and suggestions for their improvement Melbourne, Acer 1935

(3) Holt, G Public library benefits valuation study: report on research funded by the US Institute of Museum and Library Service Paper given at Library and Information Association of NZ Atearoa conference 20 September 2001 www.lianza.org.nz/ news_events.htm

(4) Delors, J Learning: the treasure within Paris, Unesco 1996

(5) Committee on culture, youth education and the media. Report on the green paper on the role of libraries in the modern worm Available www.cordis.lu/libraries/ en/reportrole.html

(6) Fenwick, S School and children's libraries in Australia Cheshire, Melbourne 1966

(7) Cox, E A safe place to go Available www.slnsw.gov.au/plb/publish/safe.pdf

(8) Usherwood, R Accounting for outcomes: demonstrating the impact of public libraries Australasian public libraries and information services 15(1) 2002 pp5-13

(9) Briggs, S, Guldberg, H and Sivaciyan, S Lane Cove library: a part of life: the social role and economic benefit of a public library Sydney, State Library of NSW, Public Libraries Board 1996

(10) Fitch, L and Warner, J Dividends: the value of public libraries in Canada Australasian public libraries and information services 12(1) January 1999 pp4-24

(11) Southern Ontario Library Services The library's contribution to your community Adelaide, Auslib Press 2000

(12) Sawyer, R The economic and job creation benefits of Ontario public libraries The bottom line: managing library finances 9(4) 1996 pp14-26

(13) Hawkins, M et al The economic value of public libraries Australasian public libraries and information services 14(3) September 2001 pp90-96

(14) McColvin, L Public libraries in Australia: present conditions and future possibilities Melbourne, ACER/MUP 1947

Alan Bundy BA DipEd MLitt MLib PhD FALIA AFAIM has worked in public, Tafe and university libraries in WA, Victoria and South Australia. In 1992 he was appointed foundation university librarian of the University of South Australia, where he is also the director of the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Library and director of the Australian Clearing House for Library and Information Science. Alan is editorial director of Auslib Press and in 2001/2 was president of the Australian Library and Information Association, a position he also held in 1988. Address: University of South Australia Library Holbrooks Road Underdale South Australia 5031 tel[phone] fax[phone] [e-mail]