public libraries as community hubs

PUBLIC LIBRARIES AS COMMUNITY HUBS

Jeanette CastleLibrary and Heritage Services Manager4th May 2011

West Lothian, Scotland• Population 172,080 (2010 mid year estimate)• Mixture of historic towns ( Linlithgow), new

town of Livingstone and ex industrial and mining towns and villages, Bathgate, Fauldhouse

• Birthplace and home of Susan Boyle and birthplace of David Tennant

West Lothian Libraries• 14 Community Libraries• Two mobile libraries• Local History and Information Service Library• Partnership Centres• 66 library staff• Increase in issues, visits and members

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Service Aims

We aim to provide for the learning, information, leisure and cultural requirements and fair and equal access to council and government information for people who live, work or have and interest in West Lothian.

Community Priorities for Public Libraries

• How do we know what people want?– Customer Service Excellence– Community Engagement – Librarian’s outreach work– Listening to our customers – always– Co Production

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Building Community Hubs• Expanding Relevance of Public Libraries• Contributing to key council objectives• Building on staff skill levels and reappraisal of

building utilisation• Cultural shift – creatively engaging and

encouraging active participation• Better for customers!

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Blackburn Connected First Report Card• Unique Service -integrated staff roles• Enquires increased by 38.4%• PC use increased by 57.8%• Issues increased by 1.2%• Outreach work to St John’s Hospital with

advice and support to macmillan centre patients

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Blackburn Connected Success• Positive attitude to change• Exceptional Customer Care skills• Commitment to providing friendly efficient

service• Team spirit which ensures mutual suppot• Ethos that “the customer is never in the wrong

place”

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Carmondean Connected• Creation of a dynamic community hub - library, CIS,

housing, debt advice, employability, college, Community learning and development, health……

• Extension of opening hours• Use of technology - self service issue, cash payment

machine, video link booth.• Increase in pc numbers, coffee area, wifi area• Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Centre.

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Community Hub = Increased partnership working

• New models of delivery Integrated Local History and Information Library in the Linlithgow

County Buildings – creating the first West Lothian Heritage Hub Fauldhouse Partnership Centre Bathgate Partnership Centre New build Armadale Library within the Armadale Community

Centre New build Pumpherston and Uphall Station Community Library Mobile Library redesign

Impact @Carmondean

• Partners come to us – i.e. food coop• Increase in visits, PC use, WiFi use, issues,

enquiries, use by services• Increase in Cancer Information and Advice

Centre drop in numbers– Support groups developing : i.e Laryngectomy

and Bereavement

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Fauldhouse Connected!

Fauldhouse Partnership Centre• Library, access to council services, swimming

pool, health centre, pharmacy, games hall, pharmacy, policy, community rooms…..

• Generically trained integrated staff• Customer service focus• Linking up services – health information

Where Now?• Bathgate Partnership Centre opening

September 2011• Customer Services Integration• Mobile Library Service redesign• Further Technology : RFID, Tellytalk, eBooks,

Virtual Library …• Monitoring Outcomes and Social Impact

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Be a little careful about your library. Do you foresee what you will do with it? Very little to be sure. But the real question is, What it will do with you? You will come here and get books that will open your eyes, and your ears, and your curiosity, and turn you inside out or outside in.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Contact Ushttp://www.westlothian.gov.uk/tourism/libservices/Jeanette CastleLibrary and Heritage Services ManagerWest Lothian Counciljeanette.castle@westlothian.gov.uk