Reference Online: background information

There are 149 English library authorities comprising some 3,500 service points including 500 mobile libraries.  These authorities range in size from small unitary authorities with fewer than 10 access points to large county authorities with over 100 access points.  Together they attract over 270 million visits each year and have a total budget of c. £1 billion per year.  96% of people believe that the public library is a valuable community resource and 60% are library members.

At present, arrangements for the purchase of subscriptions to commercial online services are varied. For the most part, they consist of negotiations between individual library authorities and suppliers.  There are also varying terms and conditions of service supply for different products.  Some public library purchasing consortia also negotiate for online resources.

Now that the People's Network is up and running in all English public libraries, it is timely to take a fresh approach.  All parties agree that separate negotiations for a product across 149 authorities is time-consuming and inefficient for both library and supplier, and that central negotiations present an opportunity to deliver a far more cost-effective outcome for those resources likely to be of wide appeal to public library users.

This work forms part of the Digital Citizenship strand of Framework for the Future .  It complements both the development work on the People's Network Service and that being done on public library procurement more generally. Framework for the Future was published in February 2003 by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).  It sets out the government's ten year strategic vision for public libraries in England.

Consultation has taken place with staff in English public libraries on the broad categories of content that are most-used, and for which they would most like to see nationally-negotiated agreements.  These broad categories are:

• general reference materials
• newspapers
• business, legal and financial information

The Procurement Strategy Group for Online Resources in England is responsible for the programme of work.  Its members are drawn from public libraries and consortia of public libraries actively involved in the procurement of electronic resources, and representatives of MLA's Regional Agencies .  Its main role is to act as the expert advisory body on behalf of English public libraries on matters relating to the procurement of online resources.

Key to the success of this initiative is the adoption of a model licence by both public libraries and suppliers which ensures core common conditions of service and transparent pricing structures. Wherever possible, the aim has been to secure universal access, including remote access via the library website, thus moving firmly away from a buildings-based only model and towards the 24/7 21st century library.