Monthly Archives: November 2016

Provincial Support Organizations

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Guest Blogger: Tineke van Ham, Manager Rijnbrink

The system of public libraries in the Netherlands consists of three layers. A national, provincial and municipal layer. The provincial layer is formed by the Provincial Support Organizations (PSOs). They play a part in the coordination between the national and municipal levels, in stimulating and facilitating the provincial network, in encouraging local innovations and in the organization of activities transcending local level that benefit from a larger scale. Their scale ensures that the PSOs for libraries are a gathering point of knowledge and a platform for expertise and knowledge sharing.

Provincial Support Organizations in the system
PSOs are non-profit social institutions . They are publicly commissioned and are partly funded by one or more provinces and partly by the libraries they support. PSOs align their range of assignments with the provincial policy and the demand of the libraries in their region. Furthermore, in CPN context (see text box) they align their activities between themselves and look for alignment with national associations. The Dutch System of Public Library Facilities Act (WSOB) appoints the provincial support organizations a number of general and specific tasks that need to be performed. Apart from that, the PSOs undertake several activities that to a certain extent have to be paid for entirely by its users.

The PSO activities on behalf of the system of public libraries comprise:

1. Network partnership (art. 6,7,8 WSOB)
PSOs are part of the network of public libraries and fulfil a role within the national system. This role is determined in the WSOB. PSOs, at the layer of the provincial network, are responsible for stimulating, facilitating and coordinating the network at the provincial level. They do so in alignment with the National Library of the Netherlands, which is responsible for the national network. In this way, the PSOs in consultation with the local libraries and the National Library accomplish the regulations on participation with the network, as mentioned in article 8 of the WSOB:
– together with the other participants it uses a collective catalogue of available volumes;
– is part of the inter-library loan system, indicated in article 15;
– performs its collection policy in accordance with the joint collection plan, indicated in article 10;
– makes use of a digital infrastructure that is aligned with the other participants;
– aligns its member administration and its general conditions with the other participants;
– supports education.

Furthermore, PSOs stimulate network cooperation by offering libraries services in the area of business management that support the business process. This concerns ICT, financial administration, employee and salary administration, and HRM. These services in all provinces constitute services that have to be paid for in part or entirely by the libraries. In its position as provincial manager of the library automation systems, the PSOs play a part in the implementation and demand settlement for the national digital infrastructure. These latter services are outside of the tasks as determined by the WSOB and have to be performed while at least covering costs. In this, the PSOs usually work together in CPN context to make arrangements with national associations.

2.  Support of the inter-library loan system (art. 16 WSOB)
– PSOs provide the transport of volumes between libraries in the provinces that subsidise them;
– the PSOs collectively provide the transport between provinces.

3.   Support of the collection policy (art. 10 WSOB)
PSOs contribute to the national collection policy which is formulated under the direction of the National Library, translate the policy in consultation with the libraries to provincial collection plans and facilitate the provincial collection formation.

4.   Developing innovations (art. 16 WSOB)
PSOs collectively and individually develop innovative service concepts for purposes of the local libraries. They align their innovation plans with each other and with national associations such as the VOB, BNL and the National Library. In this regard, they participate with the implementation of the strategic agenda of the branch of industry (The Library provides value – 2012). With this, the PSOs perform their legal innovative task. The objective is to support local libraries in the necessary transition to a crossroads of knowledge, contact and culture (report committee Cohen: Library of the future – 2014).
The innovations mainly focus on the development and implementation of service of the functions of the library: reading, learning, informing, meeting and debating, and getting acquainted with art and culture.

In the association Cooperating PSOs in the Netherlands (CPN), all PSOs are cooperating. CPN is a network cooperation par excellence: provincially where it needs, nationally where it can. All PSO managers hold a substantive portfolio, employees of the different PSOs function based on suitable abilities in collective implementation programmes. This contributes to the efficiency. CPN looks after the collective national lobby of the PSOs and after the collective implementation of programmes such as the Library in school (see blog by Adriaan Langendonk), basic skills, the digital library and the sharing of knowledge.

Dutch libraries busily in motion

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Guest Blogger: Jos Debeij, head of staff department library system, Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Royal Library), National Library of the Netherlands.

In the month of November, a dozen library bloggers outline an image of what is taking place in the system of the Dutch public libraries. In the Netherlands as well, the past years have seen considerable cutbacks in budgets of public libraries as a result of the economic recession, the formation size has been reduced substantially and quite a few larger independent branches in neighbourhoods and towns have been closed or converted to smaller service points in schools and townhouses. It sounds contradictory, but at the same time many new library buildings are being built. There too, a large change is visible. The issues are simultaneously to economize, consolidate and renew, but to do so with less money and fewer professionals.

Another trend is the library more and more focussing on social issues and personal development. The library, rather than a ‘repository of books’, is becoming a place for meeting and working. The amount of lends has decreased significantly over the past twenty years. New activities are being taken up. Following the tradition of reading advancement, all Dutch public libraries put a lot of effort in language development and digital skills. The approach is twofold: 1. Preventive, in cooperation with intervention programmes from the National Reading Association, such as Bookstart, the Library in school and the ReadAloudExpress , to reach children from a young age and bring their language development to a higher level, and 2. Curative, with the library as a language house where anyone who has functionally insufficient language skills or digital skills is welcome to attend language cafes, workshops and schooling programmes or other support. In this, the libraries cooperate with numerous local education and social partners and with large groups of citizens, such as voluntary trainers and ‘buddies’. With the Dutch Tax Authority agreements have been made to support all libraries with the electronic filing of the digital revenue form or the digital request for grants. The renewed vision on media wisdom (link to English version) elaborates on 21st century capacities: the role of the library as signpost and workplace is being expanded: the library as knowledge workplace and as makerspace.

With the new Library Act (WSOB)  the National Library of the Netherlands has gained a new function and adjusted its policy accordingly,  and the position of the provincial support has been consolidated with focus on the innovation at local libraries. At the National Library, we continue building the national digital public library. With digital collections and services that are available to every person in the Netherlands and are part of the digital infrastructure for all members of the local libraries. The local public library and the national digital library complement each other and are connected. In searching for the public library of the future the Dutch libraries are working closely together. With a collective innovation agenda, with an exploration of the VOB called Route 2020 (see blog Henriëtte de Kok), with the knowledge sharing platform Biebtobieb (see blog Levien den Boer), with the marketing campaign The Library Enriches You (see blog Coen van Hoogdalem) and with a collective quality framework for audits and certification (see blog Willem Camphuis).

The world is changing, and so are public libraries. In the Netherlands as well, public libraries are busily working on their future. To continue bringing people and information together. In this way, libraries continue to contribute to the personal development of the Dutch people and a smarter and more creative Netherlands.

 

 

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Libraries and Human Rights– caring for the whole community

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EUROLIS (the consortium of librarians from European cultural institutes in London) and the International Library and Information Group (ILIG) of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) have organised a one-day seminar focusing on the role of libraries as institutions at the forefront of profound changes in society. Libraries and Human Rights – caring for the whole community .

Leading experts from Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Germany, the UK and the USA will present current projects and share their experiences and ideas with the audience.
The seminar will be chaired by Martyn Wade, Chair of the CILIP Board and IFLA FAIFE committee.

Fri 25 Nov | 9:30am – 4:30pm| £ 60 (£50 conc.) including lunch | At the Goethe-Institut London | Tickets are available on Eventbrite