LISU's regular Public Library Materials Fund and Budget Survey describes in detail how our Public Library Services are faring and their plans for the future. Based upon an extensive questionnaire survey of UK Libraries, it is a compilation of recent spending results, together with budgets for 2005–2006.
Library managers, the book trade, academics and others all need reliable and up-to-date statistics. The results are available just six months after data gathering began and they represent figures from an overall response rate of 86% to the survey.
Details of expenditure and forecast budgets are included under several headings:
Information on these themes is presented in three main sections:
- A commentary, which includes summary tables by type of authority, for each theme, and which calculates overall percentage changes per sector from year to year.
- Summary tables by theme, each table listing every authority under its sector.
- Authority tables, including all the information submitted by each authority.
Themes are summarised by type of authority, namely: London boroughs, metropolitan districts, English unitary authorities, English counties, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Data are presented for the 2003/04 actual expenditure, the 2004/05 original estimate, the 2004/05 actual expenditure, and the 2005/06 budget estimate.
The Public Library Materials Fund and Budget Survey is an important source which takes the pulse at several important pressure points of the entire UK public library system. This volume of extensive and detailed data is a useful management, marketing and study aid. It can be downloaded free of charge by clicking on the link at the top of this page. Print copies are also available from LISU, at a cost of £32.50, inclusive of postage and packing within the UK.
