Abstract
It was found that there has been a significant downward trend in staff, spending, and opening hours across children’s public library services in England between 2010 and 2016. The research found that there has indeed been hollowing out of children’s library services. On average, specialist staff have been cut by 40%, children’s book budgets by 23%, and opening hours by 11%. The literature suggests that this is coupled with a rise in closures, community run and outsourced libraries, and volunteering. The data produced for this research describes a process which is consistent with the definition of hollowing out proposed by Rhodes (1994). This definition encompasses the economic and political factors that shape the phenomenon of hollowing out.
This research is the first in the world to consider the concept of hollowing out in relation to public libraries. The definition and methods used will be beneficial for future research in the domain, and the findings from the study can help to inform debates about the condition of public library services in England in the modern era.
Language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Librarianship and Information Science |
Early online date | 22 May 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 22 May 2018 |
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Keywords
- public libraries
- austerity
- hollowing out
- library data
Cite this
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The hollowing out of children's public library services in England from 2010-2016. / Robertson, Catriona; McMenemy, David.
In: Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 22.05.2018.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - The hollowing out of children's public library services in England from 2010-2016
AU - Robertson, Catriona
AU - McMenemy, David
PY - 2018/5/22
Y1 - 2018/5/22
N2 - This research develops a normative understanding of Rhodes’ (1994) theory of hollowing out of public services and the extent to which this process has happened to children’s library services between 2010 and 2016 in England. The objectives were to gain knowledge of the phenomenon, seek to assess emerging trends, and create a working definition of hollowing out as it applies in the public library domain. To achieve these objectives, Freedom of Information requests were made to local authorities across England to gather data on library input since 2010. It was found that there has been a significant downward trend in staff, spending, and opening hours across children’s public library services in England between 2010 and 2016. The research found that there has indeed been hollowing out of children’s library services. On average, specialist staff have been cut by 40%, children’s book budgets by 23%, and opening hours by 11%. The literature suggests that this is coupled with a rise in closures, community run and outsourced libraries, and volunteering. The data produced for this research describes a process which is consistent with the definition of hollowing out proposed by Rhodes (1994). This definition encompasses the economic and political factors that shape the phenomenon of hollowing out. This research is the first in the world to consider the concept of hollowing out in relation to public libraries. The definition and methods used will be beneficial for future research in the domain, and the findings from the study can help to inform debates about the condition of public library services in England in the modern era.
AB - This research develops a normative understanding of Rhodes’ (1994) theory of hollowing out of public services and the extent to which this process has happened to children’s library services between 2010 and 2016 in England. The objectives were to gain knowledge of the phenomenon, seek to assess emerging trends, and create a working definition of hollowing out as it applies in the public library domain. To achieve these objectives, Freedom of Information requests were made to local authorities across England to gather data on library input since 2010. It was found that there has been a significant downward trend in staff, spending, and opening hours across children’s public library services in England between 2010 and 2016. The research found that there has indeed been hollowing out of children’s library services. On average, specialist staff have been cut by 40%, children’s book budgets by 23%, and opening hours by 11%. The literature suggests that this is coupled with a rise in closures, community run and outsourced libraries, and volunteering. The data produced for this research describes a process which is consistent with the definition of hollowing out proposed by Rhodes (1994). This definition encompasses the economic and political factors that shape the phenomenon of hollowing out. This research is the first in the world to consider the concept of hollowing out in relation to public libraries. The definition and methods used will be beneficial for future research in the domain, and the findings from the study can help to inform debates about the condition of public library services in England in the modern era.
KW - public libraries
KW - austerity
KW - hollowing out
KW - library data
UR - http://journals.sagepub.com/home/lis
U2 - 10.1177/0961000618771139
DO - 10.1177/0961000618771139
M3 - Article
JO - Journal of Librarianship and Information Science
T2 - Journal of Librarianship and Information Science
JF - Journal of Librarianship and Information Science
SN - 0961-0006
ER -