ABSTRACT
This chapter examines where social exclusion fits into the policy framework, and what impact social exclusion has had on libraries' work. According to Janie Percy-Smith, the term 'social exclusion' originated in the social policy of the French governments of the 1980s 'and was used to refer to a disparate group of people living on the margins of society and, in particular, without access to the system of social insurance'. Library services have been rationalised, reinstitutionalised and, like a 'business', required to demonstrate a degree of utilitarian efficiency. The chapter draws some key points covering broadly the same period as there have been public libraries in the UK, there has been a long history of social policy development, looking at issues around class, poverty and discrimination, albeit with different names. In the UK, tackling social exclusion was one of the very early policy priorities when New Labour came to power in 1997, although it applied to England only.
