Librarians' Christian Fellowship

A discussion paper by the Librarians' Christian Fellowship

Revision of a discussion paper issued in 1996 in response to the review of the Public Library Service in England and Wales Published by ASLIB ( The Association for Information Management) for the Department of National Heritage in 1995.

1. Since the Sunday trading laws were amended, there has been a trend towards Sunday opening of public libraries. The Aslib review of the public library service in England and Wales (1) suggested that Sunday opening should be considered. Sutton Library has opened on a Sunday since January 1996 and reports that Sunday is the second busiest day of the week after Saturday. Sunday opening is a popular feature of Willesden Green Library. The Library Association welcomed the fact that at least six libraries - Brighton and Hove, Fulham, Gateshead, Luton, Stretford and Wolverhampton - opened their doors for the first time on a Sunday during National Libraries Week, November 1997 (2). Reporting that Sunday opening had been spectacularly successful in Essex, resulting in twelve libraries opening every Sunday from October 1999, Essex Library Service invited applications from people wishing to 'join the Sunday superstars' in the Library Association Vacancies Supplement of 13 August 1999.

2. The Independent of 27 July 1999 reported that Culture, Media and Sport Minister Alan Howarth said that public libraries may be compelled to open on Sundays in order to halt the widespread decline in their services.

3. Paragraph 32 of a recent Government consltation paper on standards for public libraries suggests that a library should provide for at least one service point to be open for 60 or more hours per week, and that libraries wishing to operate as University for Industry flagship Learn Direct Centres will have to open for a minimum of 65 hours per week (3). It is quite likely that the extra opening hours will take place on Sundays and, indeed, paragraph 33 of the consultation paper (incorrectly numbered 32) states that library authorities will be required to report in their Annual Library Plans on their policy for opening hours after 1700 hours on weekdays and at weekends, and on the proportion of their aggregate opening hours that fall within this extended period.

4. The 1995 review of the public library service admitted that some people would oppose Sunday opening of public libraries on religious or social grounds but also argued that, for members of some religions and cultures, Sunday would be a more appropriate opening day than Friday or Saturday. The review carefully avoided using the word 'Christians'. In this once 'Christian' country, Christians are now a minority group, although still a sizeable one. However, Christians should be free to practise their religion, and staff should not be required to work on Sundays. This was originally said to be the case for shop assistants when the Sunday trading laws were amended, but it is now known that many such staff are required to work on Sundays (and on other Christian holy days such as Good Friday and Chirstmas Day). In practice, 'freedom of choice' to work or not is really only 'freedom of choice' for those who can afford it. Some people cannot afford to turn down a job simply because it requires them to work on Sundays.

5. Speaking at a Librarians' Chirstian Fellowship conference on 17 April 1999, Rod Badhams gave several examples of people being required to work on Sundays in shops and restaurants. He also quoted two Christian priests:
" One person's freedom to shop means another person's obligation to work. Even if the legislation proposes safeguards against Sunday working, the creation of a commercial climate in which sunday trading becomes a competitive necessity will mean unbearable pressure on individual and organisations." (The Bishop of Manchester, 1993.)
" The Christian situation is an additional outrage on top of the great problems caused by Sunday working. It is simply not true that this is restricted to people who want to do it. People who were employed on the basis that the would not have to work on Sundays are coming under increasing pressure to do so. Others, particularly the lowest paid, are finding it almost impossible to get jobs unless they agree to work Sundays. I have families who now find it difficult to have even an hour a week together - this has to damage family life." (Father John Elliott, Perivale, 1998.)

6. On the fifth anniversary of the Sunday Trading Act, 1994, the Keep Sunday Special campaign issued a report, The changing nature of Sunday, which drew the Government's attention to the price paid for Sunday shopping (4, 5.) The report states that nine million people now spend part of Sunday working and 34% of lone mothers with dependent children work on many Sundays of the year, leaving tens of thousands without the support or supervision of a parent. Dr Michael Schluter, Keep Sunday Special's director, states that the extra convenience of Sunday shopping has been bought at a high price, especially for low income employees, many of whom have no choice but to work if they want to keep their jobs. A Sunday Charter has been launched, approved by leaders of the Jewish and Muslim communities as well as Christian churches, and this is available from Keep Sunday Special, Jubilee House, 3 Cooper Street, Cambridge, CB1 2NZ (Tel.: 01223 566319).

7. Many non-Christians, as well as Christians, like to keep Sunday as a 'special' day when they can be with their family. A strength of the traditional observance of Sunday has been that it not only gave people the benefits of a day without working but also of the same free day for most people.

8. One suspects that the move towards Sunday opening may be inspired by a dubious wish to embrace the commercial values of the 'market place' rather than by a genuine desire to improve services to the public. There seems to be a strong element of 'window dressing' involved (i.e. making one or two highly visible extensions to the service, such as Sunday opening, while the standard of the service as a whole is declining). Library authorities should devote their energies to maintaining existing services and hours of opening rather than introducing Sunday opening. (See also paragraph 11 below).

9. Lord Alton has criticised Tony Blair's decision, when in opposition, to fight for Sunday trading, including the opening of shops even on Easter Day and Christmas Day (6). He argues that this goes to the heart of the debate about how you reconcile rights with obligations and how you protect the vulnerable (families, workers and communities) against exploitation.

10. It is interesting to note that, following consultation with staff, banks decided not to open on Sundays (7).

11. It is very surprising that Sunday opening of public libraries should even be considered at a time when many libraries are having to cope with cuts in book funds and staffing as well as reductions in weekday opening hours. The latest edition of Library and information statistics tables (8) shows a decline in the number of libraries open 45 hours or more per week (well below the 60 hours envisaged in the consultation paper referred to in paragraph 3 above) from the 797 in 1992/93 to 713 in 1997/98. An earlier edition showed that the figure for 1988/89 was 906.

12. Sunday opening has been a fact of life in academic libraries for many years. It is often suggested that students need to be able to use such libraries in order to pursue their studies, but this argument could also be used to justify Sunday opening of public libraries, where a great deal of study takes place. Academic libraries tend to be open for longer hours than public libraries, so that Sunday working could present an even greater problem for Christians.

13. The Executive Committee of the Librarians' Christian Fellowship has consulted widely among its members and given them the opportunity to express their views on Sunday opening of libraries. Although the vast majority of respondents had reservations, often very strong ones, about Sunday opening, a small number felt that some form of Sunday opening might be acceptable as a means of extending services to the public. There was, however, general agreement that staff should not be compelled to work on Sundays, and some surprise that Sunday opening was being considered at a time when existing levels of service were under threat.

14. In conclusion, therefore, we urge that staff, including new staff, should not be required to work on Sundays. Advertisements and conditions of appointment should make clear that, whole staff may be asked to work on Sundays, they will not be required to do so. Hours of work should allow Christians to attend at least one act of worship on Sundays - e.g. somebody working from 10am until 4pm could comfortably attend an evening service. It might be helpful t have legislation which would require employers to enable employees to observe their religious festivals (Christian or non-Christian).

References

1. Review of the public library service in England and Wales for the Department of National Heritage: final report. London: Aslib, 1995.
2. Sunday opening for NLW. National Libraries Week '97 Newsletter, Issue 7,September 1997.
3. Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Libraries Information and Archives Division. Comprehensive and efficient: standards for modern public libraries: a consultation paper. London: the Department, 2000, p. 9.
4. Ashworth, Pat. No rest for Sunday lobby. Church Times, 27 August 1999.
5. Carey, Andrew. Children pay the price of Sunday trading. Church of England Newspaper, 27 August 1999.
6. Alton, David. Signs of contradiction: twelve outstanding people who have changed our world. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1996, p.53.
7. Church of England Newspaper, 19 May 1995.
8. Library and information statistics tables for the United Kingdom 1999. Loughborough: Loughborough University, Library and Information Statistics Unit, for the Library and Information Commission, 1999.

Author: Kenneth G. B. Bakewell, President of the Librarians' Christian Fellowship, Emeritus Professor of Information and Library Management, Liverpool John Moores University.

If you have any comments on this paper, please send them to the LCF Secretary.

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