As economists predict a period of high inflation and a cost-of-living crisis, Paul Howarth, Head of Content & Resource Development at Suffolk Libraries, discusses some the problems and solutions for public library services.

Higher inflation could create challenges for public libraries on many different fronts but Paul Howarth believes the role of the buyer has changed giving them new solutions: “The role is becoming ever more complex because it is reflecting what libraries are doing. In terms of lending resources there’s only so much we can do to meet a crisis like this, but there is potential in our information resources – resources that we develop or bring together. This comes under my remit. Other services may separate it out into discreet areas, but for many who are responsible for buying, it is becoming an ever more complex role in terms of the range of demands.”

Threats

“Obviously if there is high inflation in books,” Paul says, “One impact is that you will be able to buy less, but this also means your buying power shrinks, which means you may have less influence over prices and terms from suppliers. We work with our suppliers to negotiate the best discounts we can and that helps mitigate the impact of price increases, but there will be only so much we can do.”

Cost pressures will also mount on the communities libraries serve. “If there is a cost-of-living crisis there could be a lot more people who were once happy buying books who now need to borrow them.” He adds: “The range of formats, the range of other things we’re expected to buy, is also increasing, particularly with the growth in digital lending. All services are dealing with this as a result of Covid. Increased demand is a good problem to have, but I can’t imagine many are getting additional budget to cover it. So, we have price increases, lower discounts and new formats. But despite this impact, it is not necessarily a catastrophe, and will encourage us to be smarter in our selection.”

Where is the flexibility?

“Buying follows publishing patterns, with peaks at various points, particularly in September and October when new titles are published for the Christmas market. Even with inflation, we have to follow these patterns. With ever tighter budgets, the flexibility only really lies in how we balance high-demand, front-end (published this year) buying with the broader stock offer. The discounts we receive are based around what discount the suppliers can get themselves and the quantities in which they are ordering. Trading at the front-end we often get bigger discounts, but you do have to be careful because you can end up with a narrower selection and once the peak of demand passes, you’re stuck with books people don’t want anymore.”

Lending limitations

“Buying smart will mean more evidence-based decisions, looking at lending data and where demand is.” However, Paul adds: “There is a danger in only following the data. Where we have a pattern of decline in physical lending, the data we have relates to a shrinking audience, and focusing on that means you run the risk of perpetuating decline.

“So, we also have to think forward strategically and think who and what are our priorities. Getting your head around what is happening in lending is one thing, but also looking at how we fit in with other trends in the community also opens up opportunities.”

Broader remit

Paul’s wider remit helps keep the library connected to the community and also influences stock buying. “There’s been a shift over the last decade from research, reference enquiries to much more life critical information. This comes under my remit. As well as books, I cover information resources. This is quite broad and includes tangible resources as well as support. And we not only evaluate and curate resources but make staff aware of them and train them how to use resources. And the buying we do isn’t done in isolation. If the selecting of core general library stock was separate, I think it would be a lot easier in some ways, but the end result would be that the stock would be out of touch. That would show in terms of engagement. You might have a nice well-rounded collection of library stock that meets a demographic or core audience, but it would be disconnected from everything else that is going on in the library, and the library service needs to be coherent.”

Example

“We put a lot of effort into collecting and supporting information resources. The most recent has been around personal finance. We’re not offering expert advice, we’re helping people navigate these areas. One of the earliest examples was Universal Credit. We anticipated that people would be coming into libraries to apply because people use our computers. And we anticipated that people wouldn’t necessarily know what to do so we looked at how to navigate it and where to get more guidance. A large part of my team’s role was to support our staff who would be dealing with people asking these questions. We made sure they were equipped and confident – they don’t have to know all about everything, but do need to know where to go to find it. Members of my team did a lot of research and worked with DWP to make sure what we had was correct and up to date. Working alongside the DWP we put a package together for our staff and a toolkit for people applying for universal credit. We provided training sessions for staff, and we keep in touch with DWP in case there’s anything new we need to know about.

Result

“Anecdotally the libraries are seeing more and more demand in that area,” Paul says. “This could be down to a general demand – more people applying for Universal Credit – but it could also be due to growing public awareness that you can get support from the libraries.”

He said: “Alongside these immediate financial, employment and benefits enquiries, we also do the same with mental health and wellbeing. All of these elements have been developing strongly in libraries anyway and I think they will do even more so, as we see the impact of the challenges our communities face.”

The role also provides opportunities for putting their collections in front of new audiences: “Most obvious is that we’re very conscious of selecting and acquiring stock that is around or about mental health and wellbeing. While this can be self-help, information about conditions, the non-fiction side of it, there is also great scope for that softer side, creating collections that include fiction that helps people maintain wellbeing. This is very much a factor in your mind when you’re making selections.”

New costs and revenue

But undertaking these tasks comes at a cost. They require time and new skills and building new relationships with new funders like central government departments. “What we and other libraries are looking at is how we can increase funding and income from other channels for ways to enhance what we’re doing, develop the service and meet growing needs. We need to fund this through partnerships. There is potential for income from commercial activities like running shops and cafes, but the big money – and more significantly the effect of advocating for that funding, showing the impact that the library can have on various social agendas, whether it be employment or public health or anything else – is in funding streams from Government.”

This is an area that CILIP is looking at – and which Bruce Leeke, Chief Executive of Suffolk Libraries has been involved in – and CILIP has initiated an Independent Review of Public Library Financing, funded by Arts Council England, to look at how public libraries can do this more effectively. To understand the challenges of the existing “structural funding model for local library services, which depend entirely on Council budgets that have been reduced by up to 50 per cent since 2008, despite facing increased pressure on adult social care and child protection” and “to identify the opportunities and risks inherent in our current model for the resourcing and funding of public libraries; to identify under-exploited opportunities to secure a more diverse and sustainable funding base for the future.”