A Treasure Chest of Service: The Role of Toy Libraries Within Play Policy in Wales

The report interviewed staff at 18 libraries and found many were hampered by funding and training problems. Only five toy libraries had a full-time dedicated member of staff, five others were staffed by professionals with other responsibilities and four were run entirely by volunteers.

The bulk of income for the libraries was through local authority funding, which the report says is often too short-term, leaving libraries unable to plan ahead, effectively develop services or train staff.

Those run entirely on a voluntary basis struggled to attract new volunteers and many were often run by just one committed individual.

Poor training was a chief concern among those interviewed, with many complaining that the nearest training centres were in England and often prohibitively expensive. The report urges the Welsh Assembly Government to offer free or affordable local training to toy library staff and provide them with long-term, ringfenced funding. Further funding is also being called for to help libraries afford membership to the National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries. The report says non-members are missing out on useful support materials and networking opportunities.