On this page:

"OUR NEXT MAJOR ENTERPRISE..." Final Report of the Cultural Commission: June 2005

« Previous | Contents | Next »

Listen

Annex E
Illustrations of rights

Rights and entitlements: an illustration of the process and possible content

Background

This Annex should be read in conjunction with the recommendations in Section 5 regarding the status and purpose of rights, standards and entitlements.

The rights cover the following areas:

  • Every citizen of Scotland has the right to:

  • fulfil their creative potential

  • take part in cultural life

  • an enriching communal life in a satisfying environment

  • participate in designing and implementing cultural policy

  • The national cultural standards for direction and guidance in the provision and delivery of publicly-funded services will be established in:

  • libraries and archives

  • museums and galleries

  • creative industries

  • architecture and the built environment

  • the arts

  • languages for which Scots are the chief custodians

A cultural entitlement corresponding to each standard will be established to specify the level and nature of cultural provision by publicly funded bodies at local level

The following illustrates how these might look in practice for Libraries:

Rights

  • every citizen of Scotland has the right to fulfil their creative potential

  • every citizen of Scotland has the right to take part in cultural life

National Policy

  • improve access, particularly in areas of economic disadvantage

  • increase levels of participation, attendance and use

  • promote social inclusion, by increase diversity of participants

  • support, celebrate and promote excellence

National Standards would be set under these headings as follows:

  • Access

  1. Equitable access

  2. 24/7 services with relevant opening hours

  3. Coordinate local, regional and national collections

  • Participation

  1. Serve as community space - for learning and participation

  2. Link to, and work with, other community based agencies

  3. Provide mediated support

  • Social Inclusion

  1. Provide support for literacy and numeracy

  2. Promote an ethos of participation and enablement

  3. Support access to community heritage, history and identity

  • Excellence

  1. Evaluate user satisfaction

  2. Recognise achievement - staff and users

  3. Develop staff skills and competencies

Entitlements

These correspond to the standards and show a local interpretation. Some areas may want to introduce additional entitlements. The following is, for example, how Town A and Town B may choose to interpret the same national standard. 1

1 This illustration is not based on any current or intended level of provision

National Standard

Entitlement - Town A

Entitlement - Town B

Access

Equitable access

There will be one major library facility for every 10,000 citizens.

No-one will be outwith a 20 minute walk from a library facility.

24/7 services with relevant opening hours

75% of all information held by the library service will be available online.

All information will be online within 3 years.

Coordinate local, regional and national collections

Co-develop network with academic, local authority, and National Library partners

Link online catalogue with National Library, schools, public and local academic libraries

Participation

Serve as community space - for learning and participation

25% of libraries re-developed as 'community hubs'

Develop one library jointly with Education and HE/ FE as major Community Learning resource

Link to, and work with, other community based agencies

Create shared office space in 5 libraries for local groups

Develop a project network of agencies, linked to community planning group

Provide mediated support

A ratio of 1:50 in terms of mediating staff :customers

A ratio of 1:40 in terms of mediating staff :customers

Social Inclusion

Provide support for literacy and numeracy

Joint scheme with schools and Scottish Executive

Joint initiative with HE/ FE sector to create 3 community learning posts

Promote an ethos of participation and enablement

Free broadband access will be available at all library facilities

Establish joint staff-user planning groups in each library

Support access to community heritage, history and identity

Free hire of facilities for meetings and display purposes for every fairly constituted local organisation

Free hire of facilities for meetings and display purposes for every fairly constituted local organisation

Excellence

Evaluate user satisfaction

An annual public forum; every three years an independent external marketing assessment

Each library will issue twice yearly user satisfaction questionnaires.

Recognise achievement - staff and users

Develop high local profile awards scheme for loyal membership and service

Link with national Investors In People scheme for each library

Develop staff skills and competencies

Bi-annual independent assessment of training needs and

Develop in-house scheme with national training agency; mentoring programme with other authorities

Summary

So, the process from the rights to entitlements for library provision in Town A might look like this:

Rights

Policy

National Standard

Entitlement - Town A

Every citizen of Scotland has the right to take part in cultural life

Access

Equitable access

There will be one major library facility for every 10,000 citizens.

24/7 services with relevant opening hours

75% of all information held by the library service will be available online.

Coordinate local, regional and national collections

Co-develop network with academic, local authority, and National Library partners

Participation

Provide support for literacy and numeracy

Joint scheme with schools and Scottish Executive

Promote an ethos of participation and enablement

Free broadband access will be available at all library facilities

Support access to community heritage, history and identity

Free hire of facilities for meetings and display purposes for every fairly constituted local organisation

Every citizen of Scotland has the right to fulfil their creative potential

Social Inclusion

Serve as community space - for learning and participation

25% of libraries re-developed as 'community hubs'

Link to, and work with, other community based agencies

Create shared office space in 5 libraries for local groups

Provide mediated support

A ratio of 1:50 in terms of mediating staff :customers

Excellence

Evaluate user satisfaction

An annual public forum; every three years an independent external marketing assessment

Recognise achievement - staff and users

Develop high local profile awards scheme for loyal membership and service

Develop staff skills and competencies

Bi-annual independent assessment of training needs and

« Previous | Contents | Next »

Page updated: Thursday, September 1, 2005