Inquiry into public libraries

The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee has announced an Inquiry into public libraries to consider:
whether the accessibility of local libraries, in terms of opening hours, location and community-wide appeal, meets the current demands of the public;
what can be done to increase the public’s use of local libraries;
the funding of local libraries and the balance of spending between the various means of providing information (including the traditional investment in books);
new models of provision and new policy demands (such as tackling social exclusion);
the effectiveness of the legislative, strategic and administrative framework within which local libraries operate;
recruitment and training of library staff;
the role of institutional and specialist libraries and their links with local libraries;
the performance of the “People’s Network” in providing universal internet access and its future development; and
other issues that may arise in the course of gathering evidence