Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 16 May 2012
16 May 2012 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
National Library of Scotland Bill
The bill that is being passed today marks a new era for the National Library of Scotland, bringing its governance into the 21st century and freeing it to continue to be
“the world’s leading centre for the study of Scotland and the Scots.”
That is a quotation from its own website. The bill will also allow the library to remain a major European research library and, as the cabinet secretary has mentioned, to continue to hold its important world-class collections. The bill will strengthen the role of the NLS in safeguarding and sharing knowledge for current and future generations. On the launch of the consultation on the bill, Martyn Wade, the library’s chief executive, said:
“The Library has changed immeasurably since the previous legislation was passed in 1925. The Bill recognises and reflects our role in the 21st century and is very welcome.”
In the past, I have mentioned that I grew up in Motherwell, where we had a Carnegie library. The Carnegie UK Trust has just published “A New Chapter—public library services in the 21st century”, which sets out the findings of the research that it has carried out over the past six months. It provides clear evidence about the current use of public libraries and public attitudes to libraries. The Scottish data are very interesting and show that 76 per cent of those who were surveyed indicated that libraries are “very important” or “essential” for communities.
Service improvement was welcomed by the people who were surveyed: they were interested in online reservation and cataloguing and in building a community facility, including other attractions such as cafes. Many of our communities already benefit from such facilities and from innovations such as e-reader books—which have recently been introduced by North Lanarkshire Council—and information technology provision within libraries.
There is no doubt that the Scottish people and our communities value library services and are comfortable with those services evolving to meet the needs of the 21st century. The innovation and leadership of the National Library of Scotland will be integral to evolving library services for the future. I pay tribute to the e-learning zone on the library’s website, which supports literature and language, creativity, science and technology, history, politics and society, and geography and exploration, thereby supporting education in our communities.
This is an exciting time for the National Library of Scotland. In March, the Scottish Government announced a contribution of £250,000 to the relocation of the NLS’s Scottish screen archive to Glasgow, as part of the planned redevelopment of the Kelvin hall, and the cabinet secretary has mentioned the £2 million that is being provided for refurbishment of the library’s store.
16:35
“the world’s leading centre for the study of Scotland and the Scots.”
That is a quotation from its own website. The bill will also allow the library to remain a major European research library and, as the cabinet secretary has mentioned, to continue to hold its important world-class collections. The bill will strengthen the role of the NLS in safeguarding and sharing knowledge for current and future generations. On the launch of the consultation on the bill, Martyn Wade, the library’s chief executive, said:
“The Library has changed immeasurably since the previous legislation was passed in 1925. The Bill recognises and reflects our role in the 21st century and is very welcome.”
In the past, I have mentioned that I grew up in Motherwell, where we had a Carnegie library. The Carnegie UK Trust has just published “A New Chapter—public library services in the 21st century”, which sets out the findings of the research that it has carried out over the past six months. It provides clear evidence about the current use of public libraries and public attitudes to libraries. The Scottish data are very interesting and show that 76 per cent of those who were surveyed indicated that libraries are “very important” or “essential” for communities.
Service improvement was welcomed by the people who were surveyed: they were interested in online reservation and cataloguing and in building a community facility, including other attractions such as cafes. Many of our communities already benefit from such facilities and from innovations such as e-reader books—which have recently been introduced by North Lanarkshire Council—and information technology provision within libraries.
There is no doubt that the Scottish people and our communities value library services and are comfortable with those services evolving to meet the needs of the 21st century. The innovation and leadership of the National Library of Scotland will be integral to evolving library services for the future. I pay tribute to the e-learning zone on the library’s website, which supports literature and language, creativity, science and technology, history, politics and society, and geography and exploration, thereby supporting education in our communities.
This is an exciting time for the National Library of Scotland. In March, the Scottish Government announced a contribution of £250,000 to the relocation of the NLS’s Scottish screen archive to Glasgow, as part of the planned redevelopment of the Kelvin hall, and the cabinet secretary has mentioned the £2 million that is being provided for refurbishment of the library’s store.
16:35
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-02878, in the name of Fiona Hyslop, on the National Library of Scotland Bill.16:05
The Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs (Fiona Hyslop)
SNP
I thank members of the Education and Culture Committee for their scrutiny of the National Library of Scotland Bill. Throughout the process, members have prov...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
I call Neil Findlay. You have up to seven minutes. Any time that you can save will be gratefully received. 16:15
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
In this era of huge change in information technology, with digital books, online resources, web-based learning, audio books and digital film, the role of mod...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I add my thanks to those of Neil Findlay to Stewart Maxwell and the clerks. Stewart Maxwell has convened the committee with his normal sense of humour, and w...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We now move to the open debate. I regret to tell members that we are short of time, so if they can confine themselves to three-minute speeches, it would be m...
Stewart Maxwell (West Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I thank members for their kind comments about my convenership of the Education and Culture Committee throughout the bill’s passage. I thank in particular the...
Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Over the past couple of centuries, libraries have evolved to become important institutions at the heart of communities across Scotland and the United Kingdom...
Clare Adamson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
The bill that is being passed today marks a new era for the National Library of Scotland, bringing its governance into the 21st century and freeing it to con...
Annabel Goldie (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
When I read the bill as introduced, I had genuine doubt as to the status in law of the proposed new entity. The existing governance was clear: there was a st...
Fiona McLeod (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the Government’s acceptance of an increase in the minimum board size, on which I commented at stage 1.I do not understand the positions of the othe...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
I endorse Fiona McLeod’s concluding comments.We have finally managed to get Marco Biagi off the NLS board in order that he can spend more time with his famil...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
I offer my congratulations to Orkney library and archive, too.16:44
Liz Smith
Con
The debate has been largely consensual, out of a need to ensure that we maintain and enhance one of Scotland’s great national treasures for exactly the reaso...
Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (Lab)
Lab
Scottish Labour, too, welcomes the bill and recognises that reform of the structures that support our National Library is necessary. The fact that the existi...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
I welcome the tone of the debate and the genuine respect that members across the chamber have expressed for the work of the National Library of Scotland.In r...
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
There is far too much noise in the chamber. I ask members to settle down.
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
When I met other culture ministers in Brussels last week, I heard some fascinating insights from Professor Nigel Shadbolt of the University of Southampton ab...