Information Scotland The Journal of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland ISSN 1743-5471 Issue contents | Journal contents | About the online edition of the journal April 2004 Volume 2 (2)

Profile: Martyn Wade

Breakout strategy

Martyn Wade discusses the future of the National Library of Scotland.

When Martyn Wade became the new National Librarian in 2002 two requirements were asked of him by the Board of Trustees: “One was widening access and working with other libraries. The other was to review the responsibilities of senior managers. I was asked to do this in nine months. To ensure we did this effectively I proposed the development of a strategy – for the next five years.”

It is this strategy, built upon an earlier review, which has just had its final ‘i’s dotted and ‘t’s crossed following wide consultation. It offers clear direction about the library’s core values and principal functions, and has developed policies based on these. Coming from a public library background, it is no surprise that Martyn sees a key emphasis of the strategy as widening access – making sure that anyone who could benefit from the library’s services can do so, and that the NLS is part of a network of overall library provision in Scotland.

Martyn started his career just south of the border in Northumberland libraries, where he worked from 1973-76. He then moved further south, becoming a Branch Librarian in Sunderland, taking in Sutton and Leicestershire libraries before landing at Cambridgeshire for five years. In 1999 he was appointed Head of Libraries and Archives in Glasgow, staying in the Head post throughout its name changes to finally incorporate Adult and Community Learning, until moving to NLS in September 2002.

Although a change of sectors was “very interesting”, Martyn insists that it hasn’t changed his commitment to the capability of libraries to empower individuals through knowledge, information and learning. “The empowering role is the most important role that public libraries have and this is still behind all my work, in the sense that the NLS is not a public library but one that nevertheless serves the public. I do not see libraries as having a passive, responsive role, but a proactive one. If people are kept informed about what we offer then they can choose to use us when and where they find our services useful.”

As part of the strategy consultation a stakeholders’ survey revealed a certain sense of exclusion from the NLS and its services. A crucial part of the new strategy is a change in emphasis from defining the NLS as a library ‘of last resort’ to one which is arrived at by ‘natural progression.’ Martyn emphasises this point: “People must be aware of when they can use the library, beyond what their local service can offer. Encouraging people to use our services and making it as easy as possible for them, removing barriers, is essential.” This is one reason why the draft strategy was entitled ‘Breaking through the walls.’

As the new strategy is published, Martyn says “It shouldn’t contain any surprises. We can and will make progress in all the outlined areas.” By this he means that there has been lots of good work done in the review, and feedback has been very helpful, but now it is time to get on with implementation. The following five years will see key strategic action outlined in annual corporate plans. Parts of the review have already been put into practice such as the restructuring of senior management, which was implemented last autumn. Other key areas are completing organisational changes, electronic resources, a strategy for the Virtual National Library of Scotland, and widening accessibility.

Along with access, the other overall theme of the strategy is Collections policy. Martyn defines this as “Comprehensively collecting contemporary Scottish material, and helping ensure that the people of Scotland have access to the knowledge of the world – and how to preserve it for future generations.”

It is here that electronic resources will have a key role. Legislation extending legal deposit to electronic materials is now in place, although Martyn believes that it will take up to five years to enact the detail of the new Act and develop new standards for preservation. However, a pilot project with the British Library and National Library of Wales to create a website repository is underway, and work with publishers is ongoing. At the same time, the development of the NLS website into a Virtual National Library of Scotland aims to improve remote access to as much of the collections as possible.

Partnerships and collaboration inevitably feature strongly in the new strategy. “We are not aiming to compete or duplicate what others do,” says Martyn. “But will ensure that our strategy is complementary to the work of others, and that we form a vital part of the country-wide network of services.”

A pilot project with Aberdeen libraries will be examining how working closely with a public library can make the NLS more accessible, and how to make shared resources more readily available. “We are looking at how to make referral a smooth transition, how it works best. We are investigating shared exhibitions, and bringing collections together, for example, digital town plans and how people in Aberdeen can access the expertise of NLS staff. If we are serving the same customers, then how is it best to do this?” says Martyn.

Plans for the buildings include a new Visitor’s Centre. This, in turn, will improve overall accessibility to NLS by displaying high quality exhibitions as a way of leading people into the collections. “Our users cover a spectrum from the curious to the purposive, and our buildings’ infrastructure has to reflect this as well,” says Martyn.

“Every one of our 8 million items is of interest to someone in the country – and we want everyone to be able to use them.”

Martyn Wade is the National Librarian. The NLS Strategy may be downloaded from www.nls.uk

Information Scotland Vol. 2 (2) April 2004

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