On 5 August 2011 Arts Council England signalled its commitment to the continuation of the Future Libraries programme, in partnership with the Local Government Group (LGG) and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS).

The Future Libraries programme was set up in August 2010 to support library services across the country through the challenging financial climate and to ensure they continued to play a central role in communities. Local councils awarded funding to individual projects to explore new ways in which libraries could meet the challenges they faced.

The first phase of the Future Libraries programme has now concluded. We will build on the achievements of this first phase and continue with the partnership approach for the Libraries Development Initiative, a two-stage programme that will run from autumn 2011 to the end of March 2013.

The first stage of the Libraries Development Initiative will be delivered by the Local Government Group, and will share ideas, learning and best practice from the original programme through seminars and the development of expert guidance. The second stage of the Libraries Development Initiative will be delivered by the Arts Council and will focus on long-term goals, strengthening the sector and encouraging partnerships and innovation at a local level. Further details will be announced in September.

On 1 October 2011 we took over responsibility for supporting and developing libraries as part of the functions we inherited from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA).

While we will not be responsible for providing or funding library services, we will play a significant role in supporting and developing the libraries sector. Continuing discussions with the libraries sector, new in-house expertise and a national overview will enable us to draw an accurate picture of the challenges and opportunities for libraries, and be in a unique position to help drive national cultural policy.

As well as supporting public libraries to develop their cultural offer, we will use our wider remit to promote their information and learning role, and foster better long-term local relationships between libraries, museums and the arts.

In September we published Culture, knowledge and understanding: great museums and libraries for everyone - the document which sets out how we will place museums and libraries at the heart of our organisation. 

Find out more about the Arts Council's new museums and libraries responsibilities.