PUBLIC LIBRARY REVIEW
Initial Comments by the United Kingdom Branch of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres [IAML(UK)] on the Review of the Public Library Service by the Department of National Heritage and the Welsh Office.
1. IAML(UK) is the professional association which represents the interests of some 250 institutional and individual members involved in the provision of music library services throughout the United Kingdom. Many of these members represent public authority music libraries and IAML(UK) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the review process.
Printed Music
2. All public libraries in England -and Wales provide printed music in their collections for the benefit of their users. In all cases this means they provide sheet music which can be borrowed and used by customers for the furtherance of their educational, recreational and cultural needs.
3. The provision of this material benefits the full range of public library users from the young student, the amateur musician, the general "music lover", through to those whose livelihood depends on music such as professional musicians and music teachers.
4. By its very nature music is an international product and retains a shelf-life usefulness far exceeding that of most fiction and non-fiction materials held in public library collections. Musicians frequently experience enormous difficulty in finding out if a piece of music has been published, where it can be obtained from, and whether it is still in print. The provision of printed music collections in public libraries to which all members of the community have access, obviates many of these difficulties, facilitates access to music which is not otherwise readily available and enables musicians and students to obtain music which is out-of-print and not otherwise available for them to study and perform.
5. The collections of printed music provided in public libraries are the only access most members of the community have to a broad range of materials which will enable them to pursue their interest and studies and these collections therefore contribute enormously to the sustenance of amateur and professional and educational music making throughout society.
6. Printed music collections in public libraries inevitably consist of a corpus of works which will be found in most public library collections. However, a particular strength of individual collections is the way in which they can, and in most cases do, reflect the interests and demands of local musicians and therefore reflect the level and diversity of music making and study in any particular locality.
7. The majority of the population of England and Wales have no access to retail outlets where they can see a wide (or even narrow) range of music and where they can purchase music for their own use. The number of retail music shops in the commercial sector in England and Wales is extremely small and geographically very haphazardly spread. The provision of printed music by public libraries to the public, especially in rural and suburban areas, is therefore vital if the study, enjoyment and performance of music is to flourish in local communities.
8. For the reasons outlined above, IAML(UK) submits that the provision of printed music by public library authorities should be obligatory and that printed music should be a core element of service provision freely available without direct charge to library users through the public library services of England and Wales.
Performance Sets
9. Many public libraries, particularly in England, provide sets of performance materials which enable choirs and orchestras to rehearse and perform choral, dramatic and orchestral music, the majority of which activity results in the public performance of music which is accessible to all members of local communities.
10. Some public library authorities make a direct charge for these services while many do not. There is currently a debate within the public library service as to whether libraries should charge for these services, and, if charges are levied, at what rate and whether this should be a monetary or voucher-based system. Although this debate is still in progress, there is a common concensus among all parties that the provision of performance sets plays a vital part in the services public libraries provide to their communities and that through such provision public authorities contribute substantially and effectively to the continuance of local artistic and cultural life in the community.
11. There is strong evidence to suggest that if sets of vocal and orchestral music are not made available to amateur choirs and orchestras through the public library service, many of these societies would be forced to close down as the added expense of buying the music or hiring it from commercial sources would make the rehearsal and performance of the music too expensive to be sustained.
12. The provision of sets of vocal and orchestral music often represents a partnership in the provision of music between the commercial and the public sector. Much music, particularly that still in copyright, cannot be purchased and is only available by renting it from the publisher. Public libraries, by providing much of the standard and core repertoire at no or modest cost, enable the scarce financial resources of local music societies to be released for the hire of contemporary works. Through the imaginative programming of standard and contemporary works, performers and audiences maintain and sustain their interest in musical performance and ensure continuing interest in, and support for, a living and vital cultural activity within local communities.
13. While the majority of the music societies which use this service are amateur in status, public music libraries also loan their material to local professional and semi-professional choirs and orchestras and thus the music provided by public music libraries represents not only a substantial investment and support of local amateur cultural activity but also brings the substantial benefits of partnership between the commercial sector of the music industry and publicly funded local authority services.
14. Existing collections of performance sets represent a substantial and long- term investment in community cultural resources and all public libraries should be encouraged to continue to provide such services or introduce them where they are not currently provided. This will ensure provision on a more equitable basis than is currently the case. It will also avoid the danger of libraries who see themselves as net lenders of such materials denying access to their collections by other public library authorities, which in turn would deprive amateur music societies throughout England and Wales access to the broad range of repertoire to which they currently enjoy access through the interlending network.
15. For the reasons outlined above, IAML(UK) submits that the provision of performance sets by public library authorities should be obligatory and that their provision should form part of the core element of service provision available to library users through the public library services of England and Wales. IAML(UK) would support the principle that such services should be free of direct charge to music societies at the point of loan.
Music Sound Recordings
16. All public library authorities in England and Wales provide music sound recordings for loan to the public. This is a situation which was not true even five years ago. IAML(UK) has always supported the provision of such materials in public libraries as it is only through listening to musical performances that music can be appreciated and enjoyed by the majority of the public.
17. Recent research indicates that listening to music is an activity even more popular than reading, and the positive educational and recreational value to individuals which results from listening to recorded music is something which is experienced by nearly all members of the public. IAML(UK) would therefore argue that if public libraries are to provide effective services which are relevant to the majority of the community, music sound recordings services should be provided in all public libraries in England and Wales.
18. A particular value of such services is that they enable the public to have access to a far wider range of music than they are able to access by any other means. This is because public libraries build their collections to provide recordings of interest to all sectors of the community , particularly to members of minority communities, and therefore provide a range of material, including out-of-print and specialised recordings, which are not normally accessible to the public. Public library recordings collections therefore represent a valuable gateway for the public to explore and expand their individual musical development and level of appreciation.
19. IAML(UK) would argue that as a matter of principle charges should not be levied for the loan of music sound recordings from public library collections because sound recordings provide as much access to human creative endeavour as does any material in printed form. Moreover there is an anomaly in current public library legislation in that the printed representation of a piece of music in the form of a score cannot be charged for as it is a printed item, whereas for the actual manifestation of a piece of music, ie a recorded performance, a charge can be made.
20. Having said that, IAML(UK) recognises that the imperatives of revenue generation to support public library services and the implications of the rental right provisions of the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act has led to the universal introduction of charges for the loan of music sound recordings in libraries in England and Wales in recent years, and that while this association has severe reservations about the principle of this practice, in practical terms we recognise that the imperatives of local government financing may cause this situation to continue.
21. For the reasons outlined above, IAML(UK) submits that the provision of music sound recordings services by public library authorities should be obligatory and that their provision should form part of the core element of service provision available to library users through the public library services of England and Wales. Impact of European Union Legislation
22. IAML(UK) notes that the implications of the future implementation of recent EU Directives on the harmonization of the terms of copyright protection and rental and lending rights could have a serious impact on the provision of music library printed and sound recordings services if the way in which national legislation is enacted restricts the ability of public library authorities to provide even the level of services which they do at the moment. IAML(UK) has severe reservations about the possible impact of such legislation if it denies libraries the right to obtain and lend materials on which at the present time there are no restrictions. IAML(UK) would urge the Review to investigate the impact of these Directives on the future provision of public library music services and will be pleased to submit further evidence in support of its concerns.
Staffing
23. IAML(UK) strongly believes that effective music library services can only be provided if staff with appropriate training and skills are employed by public library authorities to provide such services.
References
1. Cultural Trends 1992 as reported in the Library and Information Plan for Music: Written Statement, IAML(UK), 1993. ISBN 0 9520703 1 6.
2. Council Directive 93198/EEC of 29 October 1993 harmonizing the term of protection of copyright and certain related rights.
3. Council Directive 9211 OO/EEC of 19 November 1992 on rental right and lending right and on certain rights related to copyright in the field of intellectual property.