Corporate report

Single Library Digital Presence Steering Group: terms of reference

Published 9 June 2016

1. Steering Group role

The Steering Group’s role is to:

  • develop, agree, implement and monitor a work programme that includes clear deliverables
  • take forward the recommendations of the Essential Digital Infrastructure for Public Libraries in England report
  • build upon, and add value to, existing relevant good practice, partnerships and other activities
  • create a strong and coherent narrative around the contribution a Single Library Digital Presence (SLDP) would make to public libraries
  • work closely with the members of the Taskforce to ensure the Steering Group’s work remains closely aligned to the Taskforce’s wider priorities
  • identify and agree a process to commission activity that is needed to achieve the Steering Group’s work programme
  • if necessary, set up working groups to lead specific projects, the Steering Group will agree the chair, membership, remit, resource and reporting requirements for any working groups
  • to identify key phases in the programme of work to allow for a review of progress and personnel
  • submit written progress reports to the Taskforce for each of the Taskforce’s meetings (every 2 months), noting that these will inform the overarching 6 month progress report that the Taskforce makes publicly available
  • keep the Taskforce involved, engaged and informed about the work of the Steering Group
  • identify risks to achieving the work programme and put in place appropriate mitigation

The secretariat (provided by the Taskforce team) will be responsible for organising Steering Group meetings and any other meetings deemed necessary to achieve the work programme:

  • the Steering Group meets every 6 to 8 weeks
  • papers will be sent out a week before the meeting
  • notes of each meeting will be circulated to the members within 7 working days and then published on GOV.UK once agreed (and at least within 1 month of the meeting having taken place)

The work programme, resource, membership and terms of reference will be agreed on an annual basis by the Taskforce.

2. Ways of working

The Steering Group will adopt the same principles as the Taskforce, namely to:

  • work in accordance with the principles of the sector’s approach to improvement, in particular, recognising that councils are responsible for their own performance and improvement, and that they are accountable to local communities for their library service
  • harness and develop further councils’ collective responsibility for libraries improvement, drawing upon the contributions of local government and of relevant partners who may bring expertise and different perspectives
  • build upon and add value to existing good practice, partnerships and other activity that is already supporting public libraries
  • be transparent, inclusive and timely

More details on Steering Group members ways of working are set out in Annex A: Ways of working.

3. Membership

The core membership of the Steering Group is:

  • Taskforce chief executive
  • Local Government Association
  • Arts Council England
  • BBC
  • British Library
  • Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
  • Society of Chief Librarians

Additional co-opted members (number and names to be decided) will be invited from across the sector, with a view to getting broad representation and subject matter expertise. The core and co-opted members would be supplemented as required with people brought in to work on specific initiatives.

The chair, in consultation with the Steering Group, will determine additional agreed representatives.

4. Role of Steering Group members

Steering Group members bring their expertise and particular interests from their representative bodies and then work together through the Steering Group to develop, agree, implement and monitor specific programmes of work set out in the agreed priorities for the Steering Group. They then report back to their respective organisations and members as relevant.

Members of the Steering Group are expected to attend each meeting. When a member is unable to attend, they should notify the chair, and supply a briefed and empowered deputy where relevant.

Members must declare to the chair any concerns and/or actual or potential conflicts of interest in matters that might be considered by the Steering Group.

5. Steering Group roadmap

The Steering Group roadmap highlights the key priorities for the Steering Group, setting out the leads for each action and which organisations will provide additional support. It will be developed following the first meeting and all Steering Group members have committed to use this and to keep the secretariat updated on any changes/ additions.

All Steering Group members will update on progress against the agreed priorities, as well as providing information about any new relevant projects that they are contemplating.

Steering Group members will work collaboratively with each other on individual and collective actions.

Any information that is sensitive or confidential will be marked accordingly and not shared beyond the specified organisation(s) / individual(s) as requested.

6. Communication channels

Steering Group members are encouraged to share any significant updates / newsletters that they send to their sector which refer to the SLDP.

The Steering Group secretariat will send any information by email to Steering Group members on an ad-hoc basis. They will also liaise with communications / media representatives from Steering Group member organisations whenever there is a key media milestone for collective action. Any significant media activity will be notified to the Taskforce Communications Sub-Group.

Steering Group members will represent / speak on behalf of the Steering Group when requested (diaries permitting) and will confirm with the Chair any requests to do so.

7. Steering Group members working with external partners

Steering Group members will continue to liaise with their existing external partners. If any relevant partnership arrangements are ‘exclusive’ (for example the partners have agreed to work together on a topic and not involve others), then, without impacting on the partner’s’ independence, this will be shared with other Steering Group members to avoid any unintentional conflicts.

If the Steering Group and any of its members are approached by new contacts relevant to the Steering Group’s priorities they will:

  • scope out the nature of the proposed engagement (this may involve an introductory meeting / call if the purpose is not clear initially)
  • put the contact in touch with other Steering Group members if relevant for example if another member is leading on the particular strand of work
  • if the proposed engagement is significant (eg substantial workload or funding implications) and/or if the proposal is controversial (eg due to the nature of the organisation concerned), consideration should be given to bringing the proposal to the attention of all Steering Group members (via correspondence or at a meeting) to agree a way forward
  • provide regular updates on any resulting work through the roadmap / update at a Steering Group meeting

If Steering Group members plan to approach new partners (eg because they think they may have something to add to a particular priority), in addition to the above, they will confer with Steering Group members to check whether they already have a relationship with that partner and, if so, will look to build on those links where appropriate.

8. Annex A: Steering Group ways of working

The general principles that the Steering Group members will adopt are to:

They will work together:

  • as part of a team towards a common goal
  • co-operatively with others in order to achieve agreed priorities
  • to ensure sector policy issues are discussed to develop shared positions
  • to challenge others constructively and respectfully
  • to share information in a timely manner
  • to communicate clearly and in a consistent manner including highlighting when a piece of work has been delivered by one or more organisations within the membership

The Steering Group will work as partners by:

  • respecting the existing and continuing contribution and roles of Steering Group partner organisations
  • supporting organisations where they lead programme / project development and delivery
  • understanding the impact of policies and activities on those of Steering Group partner organisations

Members of the Steering Group will respect the:

  • knowledge, skills and experience of others
  • and understand the impact of policies on individuals and organisations

The Steering Group will embrace change and:

  • be receptive to new ideas
  • see it as an opportunity and take part in the process
  • challenge assumptions in a constructive way

The Steering Group will foster high performance by:

  • inspiring and motivating others to achieve
  • making effective use of available resources, information and feedback to improve performance

The Steering Group will solve problems by:

  • taking a holistic view when analysing problems
  • identifying opportunities for innovation
  • working creatively to develop innovative and workable solutions

The Steering Group will deliver an excellent service by:

  • clearly identify requirements and manage expectations
  • planning and organising workloads to ensure that deadlines are met within resource constraints
  • seeking to deliver the highest quality of work

The Steering Group will take personal and collective responsibility to:

  • be aware of own behaviour and how it impacts on others
  • take ownership of tasks and ensure they are completed to schedule and agreed standards
  • make timely decisions in line with level of responsibility