The library has to do more and more with less and less

The importance of libraries is greater than ever, but they suffer from a lack of staff and money. We urgently need a clear vision, says a new study.

Since 2016, cities and municipalities are no longer required to have a library. Since then, municipalities have been able to spend the resources that the Flemish government allocated for this on other things as they see fit. How is the strength of the libraries eight years later?

Boekenoverleg, which represents the common interests of the book sector, conducted a study in collaboration with the University of Antwerp, which shows that libraries play a key role more than ever at the intersection of reading promotion, well-being and social cohesion. They encourage people to read and offer a helping hand to those who are not keeping up with the digital revolution. They are also expected to build community and be a meeting place.

To achieve all this, people and resources are needed. But the libraries have to make do with fewer and fewer permanent employees: 42 percent has experienced a decrease since 2015. Only 40 percent of employees who retire are replaced, and often not by staff with an equivalent profile. 82.67 percent of libraries indicate that they would use more volunteers. That is great in terms of community building, but it also requires extra coordination. All these phenomena can negatively affect the quality of service.

85.71 percent also indicate that the total budget, including inflation, has deteriorated. Libraries are more dependent than before on the goodwill and vision of local government. That leads to uncertainty. Sometimes there is a blurring with other services, where the librarian takes on additional roles within the municipality or the library is embedded within broader domains such as culture or leisure. Then it may happen that the library does not end up at the top of the list of financial priorities. Subsidies for e-inclusion often do not end up with libraries, but with local welfare organizations.

Weakened striking power

The biggest pain point is that there is no clear vision of what a library should be. This weakens their effectiveness, the study states. The Netherlands had a similarly fragmented image for a long time, says Willem Bongers-Dek, chairman of the Book Consultation, but has made a change: “The Royal Library has been coordinating the network of public libraries since 2015. 653 Digital Government Information Points bring citizens to libraries, more than 6 million Dutch people use the digital services of the Royal Library. The government is working on a new definition of a ‘full-fledged library’ and there will again be a duty of care. This includes an additional EUR 320 million in the period 2023-2026 on top of the annual subsidies of EUR 492 million. Imagine that in Flanders, while the reading crisis is just as great here. With more tasks and fewer resources, the lack of an overarching library policy is a ticking time bomb that we cannot afford in times of dereading, disinformation and ongoing digital transformation.”