Response from a dying breed?

Abstract

Comments are presented, based on the experiences of the City Business Library (CBL), a major public business library serving the City of London and other users, on selected results and conclusions of the Business Information Resources Survey 2005 (Foster and Foster, 2005), the annual survey of UK business libraries and information resources. These results have pointed to the declining demand for the services of public business libraries generally, particularly since the advent of business information services on the Internet. The CBL appears to have escaped some of these trends, with both visitor numbers and enquiry figures increasing. The reasons for this success are discussed in terms of: library budgets; library stock; library staff; electronic resources; relations with account managers; human resource issues; and the value of business information services. The CBL is capable of supporting most of its users’ business needs due to the broad base of its budget sources; the budget covers both printed and electronic resources, although there is still a great demand for printed sources, possibly because many City firms have downsized their provision in recent years. CBL staff are proactive in visiting other London public libraries regularly to promote the library’s services and to assess the level of business information provided by each authority. The electronic information services at the Library are freely accessible via People’s Network terminals but access is subject to a number of limitations. The CBL has developed excellent relationships with account managers, who have given much support in turn to the Library because of the nature of the services offered. The CBL has begun to develop its own in-house courses on subjects where staff have identified a need, but where there are suitable external courses, appropriate staff are sent for training. The main strategic priorities in the development of business information services at CBL over the next two years are discussed.