FUNDING PUBLIC LIBRARIES AN INVESTMENT IN COMMUNITIES
JAN BARHAM GREENS NSW MP & ARTS SPOKESPERSON
Jan Barham MLC Legislative Council, Parliament House Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: (02) 9230 2603 Email: jan.barham@parliament.nsw.gov.au Website: www.janbarham.org.au Twitter: @janbarham Facebook: facebook.com/JanBarhamMLC www.janbarham.org.au/libraries
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CONTENTS
Funding and Cost-Shifting
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Contributing to Community Wellbeing
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Jan's Connection with Public Libraries
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Origins of Our Public Libraries
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Governments and Library Funding
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The Greens' Information Request
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What Should Be Done to Reform Library Funding? 18 What Can You Do to Help?
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SUCCESSIVE NSW GOVERNMENTS HAVE LET LIBRARY FUNDING SLIP
• In 1940, local councils received NSW Government funding of one shilling per resident to support libraries. • If that funding kept pace with inflation, the current prescribed subsidy should be $3.87. • Instead, the Library Regulation now prescribes a base subsidy of just $1.85 per resident. • The subsidy hasn’t been raised by the Coalition or Labor governments since 1997.
Library costs have been shifted to councils • In 1979/80, state government contributions accounted for 23.6% of total library funding. • By 2012/13, the state’s contribution dropped to 7.1% of the total. • Local councils have had to increase their funding of libraries to cover the gap, or face making cuts to library services.
Source: State Library of NSW, Public Library Statistics 2012/13.
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STATE BY STATE FUNDING New South Wales has the lowest level of state government contributions as a proportion of total library expenditure in Australia.
WA 12%
NT 47% QLD SA 20%
11%
NSW
8%
VIC
21%
ACT 100%
TAS
Source: Australian Public Library Statistical Report 2012-13, compiled by Regional Access and Public Libraries, State Library of Queensland.
100%
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CONTRIBUTING TO COMMUNITY WELLBEING Key indicators of public library use show that they are highly valued by their communities. In 2013, NSW public libraries had: • over 35 million visits (up 30% since 2000); • over 46 million loans; • over 5.4 million internet sessions via computer terminals and WiFi; • almost 3.2 million members (44% of the NSW population); • more than 56,000 public programs and events; • more than 1.2 million attendees at public programs; and • more than 9 million website visits.1
1 Source: State Library of NSW, Public Library Statistics 2012/13
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Research published in 20132 by SGS Economics analysed the benefits of libraries, which include not only services and programs but: • the social interaction they facilitate; • the sense of place and enhanced local amenity; • the environmental savings generated through re-use of library collections; • contributions to language and computer literacy; and • the contribution of libraries to improved education, career development and health outcomes. It was estimated that the annual expenditure of $335 million by NSW public libraries returned benefits to the community worth more than $1 billion – which means that every dollar spent on public libraries delivers a community benefit of around $3.20. 2 Source – National Welfare and Economic Contributions of Public Libraries, https://www.alia.org.au/media-releases/libraries-better-investment-gold
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JAN’S CONNECTION WITH PUBLIC LIBRARIES
My commitment to libraries comes from many years of being involved with a community struggling to ensure the delivery of that most important public facility for our home town. When I moved to Byron Bay, I spent a lot of time in the library. I wanted to know the history of the area and find out what was going on in my new community. At that stage, the library adjoined the council chambers in the middle of Byron Bay, but the council decided to sell the building and all the money went into building a new chamber in Mullumbimby. A temporary library location was provided – a very small building of only 130m2. That temporary location remained for 16 years. But I was one of many people committed to a new library for the Bay.
Above: Jan Barham and the Greens Mayor of Byron Shire, Simon Richardson, at the opening of Byron Bay Library.
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In 1999, I was elected to council and joined the library committee. By then the council was broke and
there were some who believed that, in an age of new technology, books – and therefore libraries – were not needed. As this attitude was gaining momentum I attended a conference at the University of Queensland’s Ipswich Library, with the council’s Director of Community Services. It was fantastic; it provided a new insight into the role of libraries and the Director became an advocate for planning the new library. We just needed a site, and this is where the Bundjalung Arakwal people of Byron Bay came into it. My community had been supporting the Native Title claimants for many years in negotiations with the State. It was the Arakwal Elder, Aunty Lorna, who was aware of the importance of libraries, and she asked how we could provide a site through their claim. So it began, and now the Byron Bay community has a prominent location in the town for the new library. I was honoured to open it in February 2013, a few months after I finished my term of council.
“People used to go to libraries for the quiet environment and for studying, but their function and structure have now changed. The old-fashioned idea of a library as a place for quiet reflection and study has turned into one of community vibrancy with access to technology, discussion, interaction, exhibitions and sometimes performance.” – Jan Barham
Image: Katoomba Library (Courtesy of Blue Mountains City Libraries | Robert Walsh Photography)
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ORIGINS OF OUR PUBLIC LIBRARIES: SCHOOLS OF ARTS & INSTITUTES The foundations of modern libraries draw on the community-building role of Schools of Arts and Mechanics’, Literary and other Institutes. Around 140 Schools of Arts or Mechanics’ Institutes were established in the main streets of many Sydney suburbs during the 19th and early 20th centuries, and perhaps as many as 750 were established across the entire state.3 Set up by volunteers, often assisted by a small government subsidy or crown land grant, these places were centres of local community life. These buildings have mostly been taken over now by local councils and are used as public libraries or neighbourhood centres, if they have not been sold. Following the Enlightenment, with its passion for science and popular improvement, the School of Arts Movement, or the Mechanics’ Institute Movement, originated in Scotland and spread through the English-speaking world in the mid-nineteenth century. Public lectures were held for manual workers, known then as mechanics or artisans. They were to benefit from improved knowledge and skills that they could apply to their changing work practices. 3 Source: "The School of Arts Movement" by Catherine Freyne, Dictionary of Sydney, 2010.
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‘Technical’ education in NSW can be traced back to the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, established in 1833. Popular music and dancing were offered, as well as geometry and architectural drawing; public lectures were held with the view that education should enrich society as well as improve job prospects. Responding to community demand, this form of education appealed to members of the public who were interested in science and art for interest’s sake, as well as those who were interested in what was to become known as vocational training. In 1878, the Committee of the School of Arts formed the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts Working Men’s College, referred to as Sydney Technical College. In 1883, the NSW government formed the Board of Technical Education to operate it. This moment is viewed by many as the birth of the TAFE system in NSW. Tyalgum, in the Tweed Shire, offers an example of a literary and mechanics’ institute formed in that town in 1908. A group of selectors formed a progress association and decided to build a community hall with donation money of £100. The Tyalgum Literary Institute became the centre for community activities, including boxing, debating, dancing and film evenings. It has since been used for church services, a bank branch, school room, dental surgery, picture theatre and many balls. Fundraising activities at the hall have provided money for local charities, and since 1991, the Tyalgum Festival of Classical Music has thrived thanks to the hall’s excellent acoustics and the efforts of the local community.
“‘Technical’ education in NSW can be traced back to the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, established in 1833. Popular music and dancing were offered, as well as geometry and architectural drawing...” Images: Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts Library, previously the Independent Chapel looking from Pitt Street entrance, circa 1920, S. J. Hood, 124 Pitt Street, Sydney, press photographer (Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales).
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ORIGINS OF OUR PUBLIC LIBRARIES: THE FREE LIBRARY MOVEMENT Although the Schools of Arts and Institutes were a community-based effort to provide learning opportunities to the public, they struggled to meet the need for information resources across Australia’s cities and regions. The 1935 Munn-Pitt Survey was scathing in its criticism of our State Libraries and of the collections that were available to local communities, and it prompted a grassroots effort to make quality, free library access available to all. At the Chatswood-Willoughby School of Arts on 26 June 1935, the NSW Free Library Movement was formed. The Movement was established with two clear objects: • to advocate and work for the establishment of free libraries; and • to create and foster public opinion on the value of free libraries. Drawing on the commitment and expertise of its founders and supporters, the Movement mounted a sophisticated campaign to build public support across the state and enlist allies of all persuasions, including the Country Women’s Association, business leaders, trade unions, farmers and politicians. This grassroots movement envisioned freely accessible public libraries in local communities across NSW, and recognised the importance not only of access to books, but of a quality library building and services for the local community. Support for the movement spread and branches were established around NSW, while similar organisations formed in other states. 12
With the support of Education Minister David Drummond, the NSW Government established a Library Advisory Committee, which included Free Library Movement leaders, and in 1938, the Committee released a report recommending the establishment of a system of local libraries that should be subsidised by the state. By late 1939, the legislation to implement these recommendations was ready, and the Library Act, with its one shilling per capita subsidy to local authorities with a public library, became law. In the years that followed, the number of public libraries grew, and the Movement’s aims were achieved through the commitment of local communities and the funding support of the state government.
“The Free Library Movement is an opportunity for each of you to do something which will be of benefit, not only to this generation, but for the generations that are to come.” Geoffrey Cochrane Remington on 2GB radio, 12 January 1936. Images: Previous page: Cover of the Free Library Movement booklet of 1936 [source: Trove]. This page: Articles from New South Wales newspapers during the time of the Free Library Movement [source: Trove].
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HOW MUCH DOES THE NSW GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTE TO LIBRARIES? FROM 1980 TO TODAY 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40%
STATE GOVERNMENT
1985
1990
1995
YEAR
7.1%
1980
7.8%
0%
7.8%
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
8.8%
KEY
12.5%
10%
12.6%
20%
18.4%
30% 23.6%
PERCENTAGE OF FUNDING
THE STATE GOVERNMENT’S SHARE HAS DECLINED, SHIFTING COSTS FOR LIBRARIES TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
2000
2005
2010
2013
Source: Subsidy values from the Library Act and Library Regulation, adjusted using the Reserve Bank of Australia Inflation Calculator. Source: State Library of New South Wales, Public Library Statistics 2012/13
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WHAT HAVE RECENT NSW GOVERNMENTS DONE ABOUT LIBRARY FUNDING? LABOR FUNDING REVIEW IGNORED
LIBERAL & NATIONAL NO PUBLIC REVIEW OR FUNDING REFORM
• In 2007, the Hon. Frank Sartor MP commissioned Dr Thomas Parry to review the state funding model for libraries.
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• The 22 submissions to the Parry Review universally recommended increasing state funding to public libraries, but the terms of reference meant the review only considered how the existing funds were distributed.
In 2011, the Coalition • made a pre-election commitment to a review of the funding allocated to public libraries, “with the view to addressing the current state of Labor’s underfunding and neglect.”
The Coalition promised their process would “involve and engage community stakeholders”, but the public review has never eventuated.
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In June 2008, the NSW Library Council provided recommendations for funding reform based on the Parry Review, yet the funding reform wasn’t followed through.
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Under the Liberals and Nationals, recommendations for funding reform have not been implemented and the uncertainty about future levels of state funding for library services remains.
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THE GREENS’ INFORMATION REQUEST REVEALS BEHINDTHE-SCENES FUNDING SUPPORT
In 2013, documents4 obtained under the Government Information (Public Access) or GIPA Act revealed that: •
In December 2012, an Options Paper was developed at the request of the Deputy Director- General of Trade and Investment NSW and submitted to the Minister for Arts, but there has still been no action from the current Government.
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Of the MPs who have written to the Arts Minister requesting more funding for libraries, 55% are from the National Party – the Government is even being lobbied by its own members!
• At least 34 separate councils from across NSW have written to the Minister, advocating for greater state funding of libraries. •
Many of the MPs and councils lobbying for library funding reform come from areas where the number of homes without an internet connection is relatively high – providing access to services for those who need it is a key reason to invest in libraries.
4 View the documents at: www.janbarham.org.au/libraries
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Image: Katoomba Library (Courtesy of Blue Mountains City Libraries | Robert Walsh Photography)
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WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO REFORM LIBRARY FUNDING?
As well as the earlier Parry Review, the NSW Library Council commissioned its own review in 2012, and has presented funding recommendations to the Government. Those recommendations would involve: • A modest increase in overall funding, which would then be indexed to ensure overall library funding keeps pace with cost of living increases. • Changes to the funding model to provide a sustainable base level of funding for small councils, along with an allocation of funding to support library services in areas affected by disadvantage. • Dedicated funding for statewide programs and infrastructure investment.
The Greens NSW Arts Policy includes a commitment to work towards: • increasing the per capita funding to local government for libraries; • promoting equal and adequate access to cultural and educational institutions, including libraries; and • ensuring access to public cultural institutions, including libraries, galleries and museums, remains free of charge.
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LIBRARIES NEED OUR SUPPORT TO THRIVE
A commitment to the future of libraries will pay dividends. It took many years, but the Byron Bay Library is now flourishing. It features not only a large, 1,200m2 library space, but an exhibition space, 2 meeting rooms and a dedicated Arakwal Aboriginal room, for their archives and meetings. The meeting rooms are for general community use and learning opportunities, as partnerships with local educational institutions were part of the planning to enhance the library activities. It is also a 5 star green building. The way the new Byron Library is configured, and the opportunities it offers to the community, is a prime example of the changing nature of libraries. Libraries are a fundamental part of the educational and cultural vibrancy of a community, providing lifelong learning and opportunities for social interaction. They bring together and celebrate the diversity of our communities and provide resources to those who have special needs. Their relevance will not be diminished – libraries will adapt and provide changing services that serve the wellbeing of communities. The Greens are working to ensure that local libraries are centres of community interaction, as well as information dissemination. The level of state funding for libraries must reflect the importance of this investment in our communities. I will continue to advocate for additional library support.
Image: Byron Bay Library
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WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP? • Join your local Friends of the Library group – and if it doesn’t exist, start one! • Write a personal letter expressing your support for increased library funding and send it to:
The Hon. Troy Grant MP Minister for the Arts GPO Box 5341 Sydney NSW 2001
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Support the NSW Public Library Associations’ call for a Fair Deal for Public Libraries: http://nswpla.org.au/nswpla- communityfunding.html
• Visit www.janbarham.org.au/libraries to find out more and request free materials to show your support for public libraries.
Image (left): Photographic copy of poster advertising the free lending service to country people / NSW Government Printer. Courtesy of the State Library of New South Wales [a5404001] Authorised by Jan Barham MLC, Parliament House, Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000.
