Tri Borough Library Service and Archives - Hammersmith & Fulham

London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
TRANSPORT, ENVIRONMENT AND
RESIDENTS SERVICES SELECT
COMMITTEE
DATE
10 September 2012
TITLE
Tri-borough Libraries and Archives – an
update on progress
Wards
All
SYNOPSIS
This report updates Members on progress with
the development and implementation of the Triborough
Libraries and Archives service
CONTRIBUTORS
David Ruse, Triborough
Director of
Libraries and Archives
Sue Harris, Director for
Cleaner, Greener and
Cultural Services
RECOMMENDATION that;
The Committee reviews the contents of the
report and comments accordingly.
CONTACT
David Ruse
druse@westminster.gov.uk
0207 641 2199
NEXT STEPS
Comments will be considered by the Cabinet
Member in planning for 2013/4.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 This report updates the Committee on the implementation of the Triborough
Libraries and Archives Service, including governance
arrangements and the current Mandate and Priorities.
1.2 The report also highlights aspects of operational performance so far
this year and identifies some of the planned service developments.
2. INTRODUCTION
2.1 The Tri-borough Libraries and Archives service formally commenced
on 1 April 2012. The Committee requested an update report on
progress for this meeting.
3. BACKGROUND
3.1 In 2010, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the City of
Westminster and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
agreed in principle to share a number of services in order save money
and improve the offer to customers.
3.2 Full business cases were produced and that for libraries was signed off
by the three councils in June 2011. Senior staff appointments were
made in summer/autumn 2011 and service mandates were produced
and signed off by the councils in February 2012, leading to detailed
operating plans and a formal go-live date of 1 April 2012. The service
has been operating on a Tri-borough basis since April, but with a
number of transitional matters being addressed during the first six
months.
3.3 Mandates and governance
Each Council has agreed a mandate for library services setting out its
vision and aspiration, how statutory responsibilities will be met and
priorities for the next 12 months. The Hammersmith and Fulham
mandate is attached at Appendix A.
3.4 All three mandates share a common vision but have a number of
differences reflecting the sovereign nature of each borough and the
individual needs of local communities. The shared vision
demonstrates a strong commitment to the importance of public libraries
in meeting a range of local needs. It is grouped around the seven key
elements that make up a modern comprehensive and efficient library
service: Reading, Learning, Digital resources and access, Information
provision, Community resource, Access points, Heritage resources.

3.5 Specific priorities and initiatives relate to:
–Premises improvements and development
–Increasing participation
–Developing volunteering opportunities
–Expanding online services
–Improving learning and skills support for residents
The mandates have been used by the Tri-borough Director and his
team to shape an operational delivery plan to ensure that the priorities
for each council are addressed, and performance against this plan is
monitored through each council’s performance frameworks and by the
Tri-borough Member Steering Group for Libraries.
3.6 The Member Steering Group for Libraries has two Councillors from
each borough, with Councillors Greg Smith and Peter Graham
currently representing LBHF. It meets quarterly and focuses on
strategic input into:
• The business planning cycle
• The financial planning cycle
• Refreshing the borough Mandates on an annual basis
• Performance and learning (based on deep compare and contrast
between and beyond the three boroughs)
• Discussing and agreeing preferred options in relation to service or
savings opportunities (such as alternative models of delivery, or
‘one library card’)
3.7 Whilst the service is managed as a Tri-borough operation, the
sovereign nature of each borough is fully reflected in the distinct
branding, appearance and policy framework for each borough.
4. BENEFITS
4.1 As well as significant financial savings (see section 10), managing
library services through a single integrated structure provides a unique
opportunity to sustain excellent frontline services and deliver improved
customer outcomes, whilst also ensuring that local sovereignty is
preserved in each Tri-borough authority.
4.2 Specific customer benefits that will be realised through the initial
combined management structure and service remodelling include:
Individual libraries becoming the gateway to a wider Tri-borough
service offering, enabling users to access a wider range of books
and other materials including the specialist collections held by each
borough. Users will also benefit from the differing specialist
expertise and experience of staff.
Consistency of service standards across the three boroughs -
customers will receive a high quality customer experience

egardless of geographical location or access channel (face-to-face,
telephone or web).
• Improved capacity to attract external sponsorship and funding to
support activities.
4.3 National interest
Tri-borough Libraries is attracting considerable national interest as a
new model of delivery of library services in difficult financial times.
Members and Officers have spoken at various conferences and events
about the experience to date, and there have been many articles in the
professional and general media about it. Whilst this is gratifying, we
need to balance this interest with ensuring local delivery. However, it
does demonstrate that the model is as the cutting edge of innovation
which can be a strong motivator for staff and is also a ‘brand’ with
which other organisations want to be associated.
5 STAFFING CHANGES AND NEW STRUCTURE
5.1 Key to delivering the savings was the creation of an integrated staffing
structure designed to reduce senior and middle management layers,
increase spans of control, and consolidate specialist and back office
resources into a new model of operation. Full consultation was carried
out with staff and trades unions, which led to a number of changes, and
a formal recruitment process followed. The new structure is now fully
in place and staff have been assimilated or appointed into roles. A
number of staff from each borough have left through voluntary
redundancy. The whole process took longer than a ‘normal’
restructuring because of the ground-breaking nature of the
arrangements, the need to work with three HR procedures, and the
importance of ensuring fairness and equity in the process. However
this is now complete and attention can now focus on service delivery.
5.2 The overall structure of the new service is grouped into 3 divisions
under the Director: Operations; Community Development; and
Reference, Information and Archives, with responsibilities as set out
overleaf:

5.3 The Management team have the following key responsibilities across
all three boroughs:
Director
• Overall accountability for the leadership, direction, performance and
development of the service
Operations Manager
• Front line service operations and major premises developments to ensure
delivery in line with targets and priorities
Community Development Manager
• Development and delivery of services to adults and children, stock
management and joint working with key community groups and other
agencies. .
Reference, Information and Archives Manager
• Development and delivery of Information and other specialist resources
and front line reference library provision to ensure needs are met.
5.4 Implications for Hammersmith and Fulham
Hammersmith’s day to day core operations and lending services are
now managed by an Area Manager who reports to the Tri-borough
Operations Manager. Reference services are managed as part of the
integrated Tri-borough reference team. Services for particular client
groups, such as children, or the housebound are managed through the
Community Development team. The Hammersmith and Fulham
Archives service is now managed by City of Westminster Archives on a
commissioned basis until March 2013 whilst future options are
explored. (see para 7.3 and 7.4 below for the latest position).
5.5 One key Tri-borough development was the integration of back office
processes, and in particular the three stock teams, who along with our
contracted suppliers are responsible for the selection, purchase and
distribution of stock across the 21 libraries. The new (smaller) team
has been brought together at the Kensington Central Library and some
new processes have been successfully introduced. For example, EDI
(electronic invoicing) and direct delivery of stock to branches was
introduced in Hammersmith and Fulham on 2 nd of July. This ensures
that new stock gets on to the shelves much more quickly for
customers, reduces the amount of paper invoices etc and has also
allowed planned savings to be made. It is a significant achievement to
have introduced EDI and direct delivery in so short a period of time as
it has major operational implications for both the external stock and ICT
providers, as well as library staff and the Council’s finance and IT
teams. LBHF’s library IT provider, Civica, have commented that it is
the shortest successful implementation period they have ever seen.

6. Service performance since April 2012
6.1 Much of the above is about reducing costs, and increasing efficiency,
and the formal processes needed to get to this point. This next section
describes what is actually happening on the ground in the
Hammersmith and Fulham Libraries.
6.2 The 2012/3 target for stock issues from the four libraries was set at the
outturn level from 2011/12 for those four libraries. At the end of the
first quarter (April - June), issues are at 23.2% of full year target and
visits are at 24.8% of full year target. Figures are set out overleaf.
Given the previous downward trend of issues and visits, and the
inevitable disruption that the Tri-borough restructuring has caused to
front line staff over this period, this is a reasonable result, but the focus
will now be on reversing the decline. Targeted work is being carried out
to improve Askew Road stock and increase the numbers of events and
activities at that site to build on their rising visits.
Issues
Q1
Actual
11/12
Q1
Actual
12/13
% diff
against
actual
% diff
against
target
Target
ASKEW ROAD 9,512 9,334 -1.9 9,512 -1.9
FULHAM 29,113 28,208 -3.1 29,113 -3.1
HAMMERSMITH 31,154 25,620 -17.8 31,154 -17.8
SHEPHERDS BUSH 21,309 19,728 -7.4 21,309 -7.4
Total 91,088 82,890 -9.0 91,088 -9.0
Online renewals 14,978 11,948 -20.2 14,978 -20.2
Home library service 16,520 14,898 -9.8 16,520 -9.8
Total inc OR and
HLS 122,586 109,736 -10.5 122,586 -10.5
Q1 2011- Q1 2012-
Visits 2012 2013 % diff Target % diff
ASKEW RD 20,985 21,742 3.6 20,985 3.6
FULHAM 90,443 71,503 -20.9 90,443 -20.9
HAMMERSMITH 57,441 45,051 -21.6 57,441 -21.6
SHEPHERDS
91,529 96,424
91,529 5.3
BUSH
5.3
Total 260,398 234,720 -9.9 260,398 -9.9
6.3 Hammersmith library is experiencing a continuing decline in issues
which needs to be addressed. The library is looking tired, and the
quality of the stock available is poor – both major inhibitors to use.
Whilst the planned refurbishment is obviously the medium term solution
to this, officers have acted now to stem the decline in use. The book
stock has been extensively audited and weeded of “dead and grubby”
items, and an additional allocation of funding from the stock budget has

een made to boost the quality and currency of the books available.
New stock will be selected based on the most popular categories as
indicated by usage statistics and supplied to the shelves by mid-
September. We will publicise the service more widely once the stock is
in place.
6.4 Quality audits:
Tri-borough management is introducing Quality Audits at each library
and training front line staff in aspects of service presentation and
delivery, particularly in relation to working in self-service environments.
This should lead to improvements in performance and customer
satisfaction.
6.5 Govmetric service:
This service provides customer feedback from the library web pages
and the Govmetric kiosk at Shepherds Bush Library. Month upon
month the results give performance an overall rating of good. Of the 11
Council departments rated, Libraries is the only one with a ‘Good’
rating, the other 10 Council Departments being rated ‘Average’. The
detail obtained from Govmetric will improve over the coming months
with a second level of questions to be asked to gauge how well
facilities are rated, did the services provided meet expectations, why
they were visiting the library and feedback on their particular
experience.
6.6 Events and activities
Libraries are about more than issues and visits and we are extending
the range of events and activities that take place in or through libraries.
Examples this quarter include:
6.6.1 Health events: Building on work done in Westminster, a programme
of health events has started with two events on Diabetes having
already taken place in partnership with the NHS at Askew Road
Library. Each was attended by 25 customers and more are planned.
The events not only attract more customers to libraries, but also
support health priorities regarding the prevention of illnesses by giving
more information and advice to communities with the particular aim of
reducing unnecessary time spent in hospitals and A and E. We are
also developing plans with the CAB to hold debt advice and health
awareness sessions in all libraries across Tri-borough, but especially
linking in with the CAB at the newly opened Avonmore Library and
Neighbourhood Centre. A bid has been submitted to the PCT to attract
funding for a bibliotherapy worker in Hammersmith and Fulham
Libraries, building on work done in Kensington & Chelsea Libraries.
6.6.2 World Book Night: This took place in April and there was a Triborough
World Book Night celebration. Using a Routemaster bus,
driver and conductor, provided free by TFL, we followed the number 9
route which connects all three boroughs. On board was author Sophie
Kinsella, all the books on the WBN list, library staff, library customers

and nominated WBN book givers. Local elected members were in each
borough to meet the bus and local people who talked to the author,
avidly discussed the books, and were entertained with play readings on
the top deck. The event attracted good local publicity and was a
celebration of books and reading.
7 SERVICE DEVELOPMENTS
7.1 Whilst Tri-borough has a strong focus on efficiencies, it is also focused
on service development. A summary of current initiatives affecting
LBHF is set out below:
7.2 Hammersmith Library refurbishment project
Investment of £1.65m is planned to address long term maintenance
issues within this historical building. In addition to improvements to the
fabric of the building, the results of the customer consultation exercise
have been analysed and indicate a very strong desire for
improvements to stock, accessibility into and around the building and
increased study and information services, as well as a desire for a café
facility. A new project team has been established and three meetings
held to date. The results of the structural survey from E C Harris has
indicated the scale of works necessary. A prioritisation exercise is
under way along with a search for additional funding via sponsorship or
additional S106 contributions. Depending on the final list of works,
there will be a need for building closure for up to a 35 week period, and
options for providing and funding temporary provision are being
considered. A meeting with representatives of residents groups took
place on July 23 rd at the library when they were given a full tour of the
premises. This has provided the groups with increased awareness of
the challenges to be overcome in the building, and given officers a
better understanding of residents’ aspirations and concerns.
7.3 Archives Service – progress at the Lilla Huset
Following the move to run the archives service with increased
volunteers and providing as much material as possible on-line, City of
Westminster Archive Service has made a public service available at
the Lilla Huset every Monday since 11 June. Visitor figures were low
for the first two weeks, but have picked up considerably since, with 13
people for each of the 3 Mondays in July. Levels of enquiries by phone
and email have been high since the start. All contact details on
website and elsewhere now direct enquiries to the Westminster
Archives, where they are received and acknowledged daily. There
has been good media coverage in local press on the new provision, but
it should be borne in mind that this is only a temporary arrangement
until March 2013, after which time a long term solution is required that
reduces costs further.
7.4 There is potential to incorporate a good level of public service for Local
Studies into the planned refurbishment of Hammersmith Library. There
is adequate space to accommodate the local history collection of

ooks, printed materials, images, the most popular archival records
and microfilm and digital access equipment. Providing a long-term
public facing service in a local library building will be part of the solution
to avoiding the increasing accommodation costs at Lilla Huset, An
accompanying solution to the issue of long-term and appropriate
storage of archival material is still under consideration.
.
7.5 Single library card
Residents can now join and use any of the libraries across Tri-borough,
including all the specialist resources available in each borough. At
present, items borrowed have to be returned to the borough from which
they were loaned, but plans to enable even greater flexibility are being
developed and will be announced in due course, once the various
technical and policy issues have been resolved (three different
computer systems; different policies on customer entitlements; and
logistics and transport issues).
7.6 eBook offer
By the end of September it is planned to expand the Public library
Online eBook offer in Hammersmith & Fulham. This will mean online
access to themed digital bookshelves and will offer a new choice to
readers in how they want to read the best books available - on page or
on screen; at the library or at home. We are planning to start with 5
shelves of books on the library web site. These will be:
1. Book Group
2. Parenting SOS
3. Quercus Crime
4. Arden Shakespeare
5. Our Environment
The Book Group Shelf will support the Reading Groups in the borough,
the Parenting shelf will support various Council initiatives to help local
communities and demonstrate our on-going commitment to support
families with young children and Quercus Crime because we know that
local residents have told us that Crime Fiction is their favourite fiction
genre. We plan to launch the new offer with exciting publicity and a
user guide.
7.7 White City re-development
Initial discussions have been held with the team working on White City
regeneration to explore the library offer to residents and communities in
the area and consider ways of sharing expertise and resources.
7.8 Volunteering
We have been working with Team London to increase the number of
volunteers working alongside permanent library staff in all three
boroughs to extend the service offer, building on the experience in
Westminster. It is early days, but indications are positive. Two events

on Serbian folktales, using Serbian volunteers, took place during July
at Fulham Library and were very successful
7.9 General awareness raising of the library offer
One way of increasing participation is to improve awareness of what is
on offer by better promotion of the service. We are working with the
Communications teams on ways of achieving this.
8 Avonmore Library and Neighbourhood Centre
A new ‘volunteer-run’ library, featuring a range of services for local
people, was opened by local author, Dan Wadell and Hammersmith &
Fulham’s Mayor on 11 July this year. As well as thousands of books,
Internet-access and self service terminals, the Avonmore Library and
Community Centre will also provide a base for the local branch of the
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and the London Irish Care organisation.
Local volunteers will be at the heart of the new library, receiving
training from the CAB before helping out on the library floor.
Formerly known as Barons Court Library, the building was originally
earmarked for closure by the council in 2010 as it looked for ways to
reduce its historic debt which at the time stood at £133 million.
However, the council has been able to work with local residents and
organisations to save the library and improve the services on offer in
the building. The CAB will use the building to provide free,
independent, impartial and confidential advice on a variety of topics
ranging from welfare benefits, consumer, housing, employment, debt
and money advice. In addition, as part of the new model, London Irish
Care, formerly known as Irish Support and Advice Service will use the
centre to provide support to west London’s large Irish community.
9 Mandate and Priorities for 2013/14 and beyond
9.1 The current mandate and priorities are set out in Appendix A. This
report evidences the early progress which is being made towards
delivery of the priorities for 2012/3.
9.2 The Cabinet Member will shortly be considering the priorities and
mandate for 2013/14. Whilst there is not likely to be a major shift in
priorities, there will be an ongoing need for efficiencies and this will
continue to be a major focus for future years, including increasing the
use of volunteers and reviewing alternative delivery models, including
models of charitable trust, social enterprise, joint venture or private
sector management, to determine whether these would add any further
value to our plans. The Member Steering Group for Libraries will be
considering this early in 2013.
10 COMMENTS OF THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND
CORPORATE SERVICES
10.1 The core premise of Tri-borough was to achieve savings whilst
maintaining or improving front line services. Four libraries
(Hammersmith, Fulham, Shepherd’s Bush, and Askew Road)

were in scope for Tri-borough. The original business case
based on reducing and sharing management and specialist
posts and improving front line processes assumed total savings
in the order of £1.1m would be achieved across the three
boroughs over two years. As at August 2012, the service is on
track to deliver £940k savings in 2012/3 with the potential for
more in future years. Through the agreed cost apportionment
methodology, Hammersmith and Fulham’s share of this is
£204,000.
10.2 The financial environment for Libraries will continue to be very
demanding in LBHF.
10.3 The Libraries service is establishing new financial reporting
arrangements to each borough in 2012/13.
11. COMMENTS OF THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (LEGAL AND
DEMOCRATIC SERVICES)
11.1 There are no direct legal implications. Tri-borough arrangements are
governed through formal legal agreements agreed by the three Council’s
in February 2012.
RECOMMENDATION that –
The Committee reviews the contents of the report and comments accordingly.
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