Millions wasted on attempt to create nationwide UK library website, campaigners claim | Libraries | The Guardian

The UK's beleaguered public libraries have been let down by years of indecision and delays over how to spend millions of pounds in funding earmarked for a nationwide website.

This was among damning criticisms voiced on Saturday by campaigners who have lost patience with the government, the British Library and Arts Council England (ACE) over their longstanding failure to develop a nationwide scheme. The "Single Digital Presence" (SDP) - renamed LibraryOn - was meant to bring together public libraries in one website to enable the public to access collections across the country.

The problem has been that there are 150 library authorities in England alone, each with their own technology and management systems. Government funds have been allocated in various tranches to ACE and the British Library to make it happen.