About Living Learning Libraries

Living Learning Libraries — a population approach: standards and guidelines for NSW public libraries, is an evidence-based guide to the development of library services in NSW. 

Written in two parts, it provides a framework for service assessment and continuous improvement, as well as a practical basis for comparison among library services. It is intended to encourage best practice in service delivery by highlighting state and peer cohort medians and the services that have been achieved by leading libraries. 

These standards and guidelines are intended to assist public libraries and councils to: 

• evaluate current services
• set targets for improvement
• develop continuous improvement in library service delivery, and
• plan for future needs. 

This guide also contains strategies from library practitioners for tailoring services to the needs of local communities based on such factors as age, disability, socioeconomic status, cultural diversity and affordability. Living Learning Libraries is not intended as a ‘one size fits all’ procedure manual, nor as a substitute for the experience and judgement of public library managers. The Library Council acknowledges that the application of these standards and guidelines will vary with local circumstances, however the publication of state medians and best practice figures is provided to assist councils set objectives for their library services. 

Key terms

Cohort is the group of NSW public libraries serving populations of similar sizes, categorised as either urban or rural using the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) definitions. 

• Rural - populations under 20,000 are designated rural by ABS, noting that some LGAs include a mix of urban and rural locales. The rural regional library member cohort is relevant for some benchmarks. This cohort includes those rural LGAs with populations up to 20,000 that are party to a library agreement with another council or councils under section 12 of the Library Act 1939. These cooperative arrangements influence the statistics for the libraries involved and necessitate a separate cohort for some measures. 
• Urban - populations over 20,001 are designated urban by ABS. Many of these areas are located outside the Greater Sydney region and may include LGAs with a mix of town and rural communities. 

The cohorts are defined as follows:

• rural small population up to 20,000
• urban small population 20,001 to 50,000
• urban medium population 50,001 to 150,000
• urban large population 150,001 and above

Cohorts are updated annually. 

Eligible population for per capita analysis is the population of the area/local government area served by the library service. Data is sourced from the Public Library Statistics 2018/19 and the ABS population figures for June 2018.  

Median is the middle value of a series of numbers arranged in order from lowest to highest.  

State median is derived from the median value across the state. 

State enhanced is derived from the midpoint value of the third quartile across the state.  

Population cohort median is derived from the median value within the peer cohort. This is judged to be a reasonable minimum target for libraries in that cohort. 

Top of the population cohort are the values at the top of each population cohort as identified for the relevant standard.  

About the standards

Standards for NSW public libraries are recommended quality levels and best practice goals. 

The evidence base for the target figures is derived from the NSW Public Library Statistics and additional data collected annually in the statistical return and statement of library operations.  

Cohorts

Living Learning Libraries uses population-based peer cohorts for benchmarking, allowing easier comparisons among library services based on the populations of their communities.

The cohorts are defined as follows:

• rural small population up to 20,000
• urban small population 20,001 to 50,000
• urban medium population 50,001 to 150,000
• urban large population 150,001 and above.

Libraries that are below their cohort median for a given standard are encouraged to consider the median as a target to attain. Libraries are encouraged to aim to be the top of their cohort to demonstrate council is delivering best practice services to the local community.

About the guidelines

Guidelines for NSW public libraries are a set of principles and practices for developing levels of performance which lead to quality library services. The guidelines cover principles and practices for library service provision, with reference to the relevant standard(s).

The guidelines are numbered and prefixed with G to distinguish them from standards. Each numbered section includes an objective, guidelines (covering principles, issues and best practice), suggested performance indicators and things to consider. The guidelines are presented in checklist format, convenient for use in assessing performance of library services, either in self-evaluation or in more formal reviews.

Reference is made to existing standards where relevant. The purpose of the performance indicators is to suggest some techniques which library managers can use to measure the success and efficiency of library processes and gain an overview of the performance of the library. 

Together, the guidelines are a set of principles for developing levels of performance which lead to quality library services.

How to use the standards and guidelines

These standards and guidelines will assist library managers and stakeholders to:

• evaluate current library performance, for example as a benchmark against past performance, or against other libraries
• set reasonable targets for improvement in service delivery
• plan for future service needs
• ensure equitable service delivery
• develop evidence-based business cases for resources, equipment, and innovative services.

Guidance from practitioners is included to assist in tailoring services to the needs of local communities, based on such factors as age, disability, socioeconomic status, cultural diversity and affordability.

Part A presents standards and their objectives. Targets are given where appropriate, along with measurement techniques. Reference is made to the relevant supporting guideline(s) in Part B.

Part B covers principles and practices for library service provision, with reference to the relevant standard(s). The guidelines are presented in checklist format, convenient for use in assessing performance of library services, either in self-evaluation or in more formal reviews. The supporting material includes a glossary. 

History

The Library Board of NSW issued a set of public library standards in 1959, followed by the more comprehensive Public Library Objectives and Standards in 1969. This influential set of objectives set targets for collections, reader services, circulation, hours of opening, membership, staff, expenditure and library space.  

In 2008 the Board’s successor, the Library Council of NSW, endorsed a revised approach to the standards, using the evidence base provided by the annual NSW Public Library Statistics, which are collected by the State Library of NSW from local councils in support of the Library Council’s duty to make careful inquiry into the operation and management of NSW public libraries.  The 2008 revision was developed by the State Library of NSW with the assistance of Libraries Alive! Pty Ltd. The work of Sherrey Quinn and Ian McCallum from Libraries Alive! is acknowledged in the development of the 2008 standards and guidelines, Living Learning Libraries. Revisions were made to Living Learning Libraries six times between 2008 and 2016 to reflect changes to the evidence base as indicated by the statewide statistics.   

In 2016 the ongoing evolution of public library services, along with a major change to the council landscape brought about by mergers, prompted the State Library to undertake a major review of Living Learning Libraries. 

The 2018 edition was a substantial revision, which introduced a population-based approach and defined smaller peer cohorts for benchmarking, enabling easier comparisons among library services based on the populations of their communities. Cohort medians and top of cohort figures are updated annually with evidence base of the latest NSW Public Library Statistics. 

The introduction of the strategy Indigenous Spaces in Library Places: Building a Vibrant Public Library Network Inclusive of Indigenous Peoples and Communities, the update of the Multicultural Benchmarks following a statewide research project in 2017 and the launch of the Early Literacy Framework in 2018 have also resulted in updates of the relevant sections of the guidelines.   

Review of the guidelines section has been informed by the growing importance of public libraries as a provider of community space and diverse services, while giving due acknowledgement to the ongoing relevance of the foundation philosophies of NSW public libraries. 

Previous editions

• Living Learning Libraries - a population approach 2018 (7th edition) - 2019 update
• Living Learning Libraries - a population approach 2018 (7th edition)
• Living Learning Libraries 2015 (6th edition)
• Living Learning Libraries 2014 (5th edition)
• Living Learning Libraries 2012 (4th edition)
• Living Learning Libraries 2011 (3rd edition)

Earlier editions of Living Learning Libraries are available via Pandora.