Branching Out was developed to draw on the strengths of the library service as providers of access to reading, in order to address acknowledged areas for development:
Strengths
Libraries are used by 58% of the population
Library members are drawn from all social classes and all age groups
People have a high opinion of the library service
Most people can get to a library easily, or the library comes to them (mobiles, hospitals, prisons, special needs and housebound services)
There are nearly 4000 libraries in England and Wales, plus 550 mobile libraries, plus 18,000 service points in hospitals, prisons, old people's homes. There are no other cultural institutions with this geographical spread. In many local areas, the library is the only cultural provider
The library service achieves its success at a low cost - £13 per head per annum
Libraries treat all readers with equal courtesy, whether they want Henry Fielding or Helen Fielding
Library culture is inclusive and open - libraries provide a free, safe, warm environment for individuals to use on their own terms
Libraries have a good record of provision for marginalised groups - the elderly, children, minority languages and community care patients
Areas for development
Library staff have no tradition of, or training in, developing readership among adults
Libraries provide what people ask for but often do not recognise that people can't ask for what they don't know about
Library staff frequently lack confidence in dealing with younger adults (18-30 years)
Fiction management and promotion lack status within the profile of professional library skills, partly because the skills are not sufficiently understood
Libraries cater well for mainstream readers but lack confidence and knowledge in encouraging diversity
Although there is good provision for ethnic languages, library staff lack confidence and knowledge in selecting and promoting Black writers in English, especially Black British writers
Librarians need to develop networking skills at a national level with publishers, booksellers and the media
Libraries need external impetus to prioritise work with readers
