The Department encourages local authorities to consider a range of approaches to support and enhance the delivery of their library services, such as making appropriate use of available technology. A number of library services are using technology to enable access for library users to library buildings outside staffed hours on a self service basis. The systems often include controlled access technology involving CCTV and communication systems. Good practice guidance, from the Libraries Taskforce, encourages library services to undertake a risk assessment before implementing such a service and also advises that it is important that staffed hours meet the requirements of children and young adults who wish to visit the library unaccompanied. In managing the safeguarding of children, library services that use these systems do not allow children under a specified age to access the library at unstaffed times unless accompanied by an adult.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4116", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Northampton North"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Michael Ellis"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-12-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-12-13T13:03:48.407Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-12-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Public Libraries: Children"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure the safeguarding of children in unstaffed libraries.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1463", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Watson of Wyre Forest"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "West Bromwich East"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Tom Watson"} ], "uin" : "199331"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1003802", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1003802/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
DCMS works with the Libraries Taskforce and local and central government to promote good practice and innovation to sustain and improve library services provided by local authorities in England, including in Barnet. Library services in England can help transform lives, communities and society as a whole, including in relation to children by supporting them to develop and enjoy their reading; to learn and study; and to take part in events and activities. For instance, the annual Summer Reading Challenge, run by The Reading Agency, promotes reading for children at their local libraries and has resulted in many thousands of children aged 4 \u2013 11 joining a library and accessing library services.<\/p>
<\/p>
In addition, DCMS provided £3.9 million to the Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone innovation fund to enable library services to trial innovative projects that would benefit disadvantaged people and places in England. These included a number of projects which promoted children\u2019s access to library services.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4116", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Northampton North"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Michael Ellis"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-14T11:46:52.117Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Public Libraries: Children"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of children accessing library services in (a) Barnet and (b) England.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1400", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kevin Brennan"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Cardiff West"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Kevin Brennan"} ], "uin" : "189601"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/746934", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/746934/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Libraries Taskforce\u2019s strategy document, Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016 to 2021, sets out a bold and dynamic vision of how library services in England can help transform lives, communities and society as a whole. This includes more people, including children, benefitting from the range of services provided by libraries. Examples of initiatives to encourage increased access by children to libraries include a voluntary scheme introduced by Hampshire County Council that provides parents with the opportunity to sign up their new born babies to their library at the time of registering their birth. The Summer Reading Challenge which promotes reading for children at their local library has resulted in many thousands of children aged 4 \u2013 11 joining a library.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4051", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for John Glen"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Salisbury"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "John Glen"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-07-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-07-17T15:14:25.273Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2017-06-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Public Libraries: Children"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to bring forward a strategy to ensure that all children have access to local library services.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3973", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Grahame Morris"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Easington"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Grahame Morris"} ], "uin" : "2065"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 3, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }