This report outlines the proposed strategic themes to guide the future direction of the Council’s library service, upon which consultation with the public will take place.

The Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report which outlined the proposed strategic themes to guide the future direction of the Council’s library services upon which consultation with the public would take place.  The following documents were appended to the report:

Appendix 1: Draft Library Strategic Principles 2022-27;

Appendix 2: Summary background data underlying strategy;

Appendix 3: Equality Impact Assessment relating to home service change.

The report explained that officers had reviewed the library service, informed by the data held by the service with a particular focus on maximising the benefits to Reading, and in light of the new Corporate plan, in order to produce five key strategic priorities as follows:

·       Supporting recovery from Covid-19;

·       Helping Children and Young People;

·       Improving Digital Inclusion;

·       Supporting improvement in Health, Wellbeing and Literacy;

·       Providing access to quality cultural experiences,

The review and proposed strategic priorities had been informed by patterns of library use, use as a percentage of population in different areas of Reading and how this mapped to areas of deprivation, similarities and differences in profiles of the ages of those using the service and where ICT users within libraries were coming from.  The Strategy aimed to ensure that the library service was forward-looking, innovative and provided an excellent experience for everyone, as well as contributing as much as possible to the overall corporate priorities for Reading.  The report added that the proposed consultation was on the strategic themes, rather than any specific proposals.  The consultation would also inform any potential changes to Central Library, as well as informing future delivery of the service.

Resolved:

(1)      That consultation be undertaken on the proposed strategic themes as set out in Appendix 1 in order to inform the Library Strategy and future service offer, including at any reconfigured Reading Central Library and Home Visiting Service, as set out in the report;

(2)      That the consultation approach be endorsed and a six-week consultation commence during August 2021, and a further report submitted to Committee in November 2021 setting out the outcome of the consultation exercise together with a proposed Library Strategy 2022-27, informed by such consultation.