Creating a Single Library Digital Presence

1. Single Library Digital Presence
Neil MacInnes
President Elect – SCL
Strategic Lead – Libraries, Galleries and
Culture (Manchester)

2. Background
• SCL, funded by ACE and supported TRA,
commissioned this work to plot a digital
roadmap for English Public Libraries
• In addition to the terms set out in the ITT, the
strategy document was required to meet the
challenges set out in the Independent Review
of Public Libraries – 1)provision of a national
digital resource for libraries

3. Report Findings
• Today’s Library IT was largely designed 30
years ago
• Library websites frustrate users instead of
serving them
• Current library digital infrastructure prevents
libraries from sharing audiences and resources
online with national and government partners

4. • Current digital infrastructure prevents one
library from adopting the best practices of
another and discourages innovation rather
than promoting it
• Libraries struggle to partner nationally
because each library system has its own set of
software speaking different languages, rather
than a shared digital infrastructure speaking
one common language

5. Outside world is rushing ahead online
• Number of households with access to the Internet has
increased ten fold to 84% (2014)
• Percentage of adults who go online daily has doubled from
35% - 76% (2006 – 14)
• 282 million physical library visits per year
• 23.5 million library visits each month
• 5.423 million library visits per week
• 772,602 library visits per day
• 32,191 library visits per hour
• 536 library visits per minute
• 8.9 library visits per second
• Need to promote and improve digital visits

6. Next steps
• Need to consider how best to develop
effective digital presence for libraries
• Engage with all partners and a wide range of
library users and suppliers
• SCL work with Taskforce to seek external
sources of investment
• Indentify the potential for more efficient use
of existing infrastructure

7. Comments and discussion