Introduction

Like all organizations public libraries need an appropriate management structure in place to ensure services are delivered and developed and in order for the resources provided by the community to be properly accounted for. In addition public libraries in the UK are operated under the banner of local authorities and as a result do not deliver their services in a vacuum; thus libraries must support the strategic objectives of an umbrella organization that has a wide range of statutory responsibilities and only a finite budget to respond to them.

This chapter will discuss some of the key governance issues facing public libraries in the modern era, such as:

Local authorities

In the UK public library services are delivered by local authorities. It is a statutory requirement for local authorities in England and Wales to provide a library service under the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act. In Scotland the Act relating to public libraries is the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. Although the local authority structure ensures that public libraries are delivered for local needs, under the provisions of the 1964 Act the Secretary of State for Culture has ultimate responsibility for public libraries and all local authorities have to ensure that the libraries they administer meet the standards specified by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Similarly in Scotland as public libraries are under the devolved administration's remit the ultimate responsibility for them is in the hands of the local government minister, who is responsible to the Scottish Parliament.

Local authority governance

A local authority is a statutory body charged with administering local services for a specific geographic community. Normally called councils, they consist of: