§ Mr. SpringTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the(a) number and (b) percentage of local libraries that have IT capabilities. [90618]
§ Mr. Alan HowarthThe latest statistics on use of ICT in public libraries were collected late in 1997 and showed the following trends in the then 191 UK library authorities:
Percentage Use of computerised book issue and discharge systems 95 Computerised catalogue system 75 Service points with public access to online catalogue 48 Public access to CDRom databases 85 Service points with access to Internet for public use 5 The Library and Information Commission is currently updating these data as part of the development of the Public Library ICT Network, which will link all public libraries, where practicable, to the National Grid for Learning by 2002.
§ Mr. SpringTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much National Lottery money has been spent to date on grants for library ICT projects. [90617]
§ Mr. Alan HowarthLottery funding totalling £70 million for the ICT training of public library staff and the digitisation of material to support lifelong learning will be available through the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) from early 2000. A related £200 million NOF programme for Community Access to Lifelong Learning, focusing substantially on the development of the public library IT network and community grids for learning, will be the subject of consultation later this year.