Renewal: transforming Manchester’s Libraries and Archives

Nicky ParkerHead of Transformation and Business ImprovementManchester City Council

Manchester• City of population of 460,000• Fastest growing economy outside

London• City Region status, 2.5 million population• 23% BME population• 350,000 students within an hour’s drive• The Original Modern City

Manchester Libraries• 22 community libraries• Central Library• Library at HMP Manchester• Greater Manchester County Record Office• Manchester Archive Service• 24 hour virtual Library• Shared Services across Greater Manchester

and the North West

Overview

• The case for transformation• The transformation journey• Efficiency agenda• Future developments

The case for transformation• Very few new library developments since 80s

• No capital funding available

• Poor fabric of existing portfolio

• Poor customer and resident satisfaction rates

• High customer expectation vs increased competition

• Poor performance in issues, new members, visits, PC usage

• Poor Audit Commission Inspection – failing service with little prospect for improvement

Library Transformation Programme2005-2006 getting the basics right

2006-2010 growing and changing

2010- now meeting the efficiencies challenge

wider Council transformation

Getting the basics right• Vision, values, objectives• Defining the Library offer• Investing in our people- staff and

customers• Performance Management Framework-

defining the metrics• Asset Management Plan- Renewal

Visions, values, objectives• Vision for the Library Service, embedding

it back into the life of the City

• Values- people, place, pride

• Deliver objectives that are important for the City- health, jobs, learning, sustainable neighbourhoods, Customer

Investing in staff

• Induction programme for all teams following

new structure

• Team leadership and team development

programme

• Staff led Service Improvement Groups

Investment in Customers• Review of membership

• Sorted out the Reservations Service

• Meet the neighbours

• Review of Fees and Charges

• Encouraged and acted on Customer Feedback

• Stock Surgeries

Performance Management Framework• Developed a PMF with support from The

Audit Commission• Focused on the main things• New collection, monitoring and reporting

mechanisms• Used to improve and promote the service• Became a key PR tool

Renewal: New Libraries for Manchester• Programme of capital investment called Renewal

• Funding from the City Council and innovative partnerships

• Integrated whole City approach

• Co-location strategy: colleges, adult learning centres, academy schools, supermarkets, leisure centres, children’s centres, health centres.

• Location: re-siting libraries at the heart of regenerated communities

Tiered Services• Central Library

• City LibraryCity centre, 4,000m2, open 67 hours

• District LibraryCo-located, 1,000m2, open 64 hours

• Community LibraryCo-located, 450-900m2, open 46 hours

• Outreach Libraries

• Community locations, 50-150m2

Early successes, let’s do more and seek external investment!

• 11.79% increase in visitor numbers

• 15.8% increase in membership

• 20.4% increase in active members

• 18.8% increase in virtual visits

Moss Side Powerhouse Library

Relocating several poor, out-dated facilities with new District Libraries.

BEFORE …

North City Library

Beswick Library. Before…

Beswick Library

Brooklands Library

Longsight Library

Longsight Library

The Avenue Library & Learning Centre

Growing and changing• External funding

• Repositioned the library service as community hubs

• Continue to invest in our customers

• E government. Libraries as Access Points.

Growing and changing• Improved access• New Library offers – health, reading,

children, information, online• Marketing the service• Social networking• New ways of working• Central Library restoration

External funding• Strategy to bring in external capital and

revenue

• £10m excluding the capital building programme

• Developed new range of services

• European funding linked to regeneration

• Private and public sector investment

• Government grants linked to their priorities

Libraries as e access points to other Council services

Computers in libraries• over 500 computers citywide - the city’s

public hot desking system!• 37,000 self service bookings made via

Netloan terminals in the year to date• 546,000 hours and 715,000

sessions• 11,000 free IT learning sessions delivered

New library offers- linked to Council priorities• Health

- McMillan Cancer Service

- Health Information Points

• Learning- Homework centres

- Online learning

• Employment- Patents Clinic- millionaires

- Job surgeries

• Access points- Council and Government online transactions

- Customer Services

!

Making best use of the web

• 1,810 Facebook Fans

• 3,058 Twitter Followers

• Lively interaction, quick response

• Customers advocate and recommend our services

• Customers create content

• Web traffic driven back to library website

Efficiencies: the current challenge• MCC has to save £109m in 2011/12 rising

to £170m in 2012/13.

• The Library Service has to save £2.9m from a budget of £13m in the next 12 months

• Further transformation required • Some service reductions

What’s the Library Service strategy?• Some reductions in service

• Customer Strategy- Channel shift to make library efficiencies- Libraries as Customer Services Centres to

make efficiencies for others

• Regional collaboration

Delivering efficiencies in libraries• Reduced opening hours

• Voluntary severance scheme for staff/early retirement offer

• Staffing restructure

• Closure of 2 small part time libraries

• Closure of mobile library service

Efficiencies in libraries through channel shift• Face to face

• Phone

• Online transactions, digi TV, Library Apps

• In-library automation

Channel shiftData from Socitm's Website Takeup Service:

• 23.8m people across the UK accessed library information and services through websites in the first six months of 2010, up from 20.9m in the same six month period in 2009

• library enquiries (renewals, enquiries about availability of title, opening times and more) are regularly in the top three of all web enquiries every month

Savings – channel shift

• Face to face is £8.23 a visit

• Phone is £3.21 a call

• Web is £0.39 a transaction

• Use Libraries as your customer facing channel to save £ elsewhere

Future developments

• Central Library Development Trust

• Neighbourhood management

• Collaboration across Greater Manchester

• Greater Manchester Archives Partnership

• Targeted use of Universal Services

Central Library Development Trust

A new charity formed to support additional activities of Manchester Central Library intended to complement and add value to Manchester City Council’s major ongoing commitment to core services.

Development Trust• It will initially seek funds to enhance and enrich

the huge transformation project of the Grade II listed building.

• It will enable the Library to apply for major grants and enable tax-effective giving as part of a capital fundraising campaign.

• Trust will seek a number of high level awards from charitable Trusts and Foundations and major donations from the burgeoning ranks of wealthy philanthropists

Neighbourhood management• Separate strategic management and

operational delivery• Integrated neighbourhood teams• Role of libraries as neighbourhood

hubs• Restructure and downsizing staff

team

Collaborative Options

• Collaboration on procurement and specialist services (more of what we do now)

• Merge strategic management and specialist staff• Full merger of services including customer

facing services – no support at AGMA level • Status quo

GM Archives Partnership • Better together • New partnership to ensure high

quality, relevant an economically sustainable archive and local studies serevice

• Significant to GM strategy and sense of place agenda

North West Information Service

• Ask About Business model (14 authorities)

• Digital portal for on-line resources

• Information Services Contact Centre

• Review of printed resources

Challenges

•Local identity •Role of elected members – political sovereignty•Professional judgement•Harmonisation of service standards•Alignment of staff terms & conditions

Targeted use of Universal Services• Library Development Initiative pilot• Council looking at how universal services like

libraries can provide a generic offer for targeted groups

• Would a universal offer for targeted groups improve outcomes for residents and deliver savings? Eg social isolation and health outcomes

• Day centres pilot

One Library Service

Sharing Dividend is possible – but

more to gain in service improvement

and sustainability terms than cashable

savings