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Funding and governance of library and information services for visually impaired people: international case studies

Part2:Country studies

UK

Governmental responsibility

Five government ministries/agencies have responsibilities in this area: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS),the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), the Department for Education and Skills (DFES), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the department for Communities and Local Government.

Responsibility for library policy and provision rests with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport which is advised in that regard by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, and with the devolved administrations.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport also has policy responsibility for the British Library, which it funds. While the British Library does not have national policy/provision responsibility vis a vis library and information services for the visually-impaired, it does of course have an interest in ensuring that the visually impaired, and indeed all those with disabilities, can access its services.

The Department for Education and Skills is responsible for the funding of libraries in primary and secondary schools but the funding and policy for libraries in universities and HE colleges is the responsibility of the Higher Education Funding Council.

The Department for Trade and Industry has responsibility for intellectual property which remains a major factor in this area of service delivery, both nationally and internationally.

Finally, the department for Communities and Local Government allocates local government spending overall, and local authorities decide which services to invest in, based on their best assessment of local needs.

Various respondents have pointed out that this division of responsibilities and also the fact that policies which are drawn up by one department (DCMS) are dependent on funding from another (Communities and Local Government) reduces the possibility of a national strategy backed up by the necessary funding.