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Bexley Library Service Engaging Communities, Enriching and Improving Lives

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Bexley Library Service Engaging Communities, Enriching and Improving Lives Bexley Library Service Engaging communities, enriching and improving lives A Library Strategy and Local Studies and Archives Service Strategy for Bexley 2014 - 2019 December 2014 Listening to you, working for you www.bexley.gov.uk Bexley Library Service - Engaging communities, enriching and improving lives Foreword Libraries play an important role in people’s The Local Studies and Archive Service lives, providing free access to books, plays an important role in preserving and information and resources and engagement providing access to the borough’s historic with the wider world through the internet. collections, revealing inspirational stories for Libraries in Bexley are bright, attractive, and all residents and engaging in successful welcoming spaces. They are accessible and externally funded projects which promote the comfortable places for all members of our borough’s heritage. communities. The aim of a Library Strategy is to provide a Libraries are important because they can vision for the service and to identify a path for make a real contribution to the lives of all the service over the next five years, building residents of the borough. They play a key role on the role libraries are fulfilling and promoting in maintaining and improving the quality of the wider roles libraries can serve. life of the people who live and work in Bexley. They are important places for residents to This Library Strategy has been written at a improve their lives, and develop their cultural time of significant financial pressure, when interests. The information and facilities they local authorities, including the London provide can help people become healthier, Borough of Bexley have to seek new and seek new employment, and be connected to efficient ways to deliver services to residents. communities across the borough, the country It is also a time when there is a marked and the world. They also play a significant national downward trend in people visiting role in providing opportunities for people of all libraries and borrowing books - a change in ages to develop themselves and undertake demand which is clearly evident in Bexley. informal and life long learning. This strategy recognises these issues and proposes how the Library Service will Libraries are important places for young respond, through adopting further new, people, where they can access the internet, efficient and effective approaches to develop their reading skills, grow their delivering benefits to residents whilst knowledge and improve their learning and reducing operating costs. educational attainments. The aims in this Strategy cannot be delivered Libraries are at the heart of our communities. by the borough on its own. The Library They have a key role to play in maintaining Service must work with, and through, a series people’s health and well-being – including of partners. In the coming years I look forward offering safe and engaging places for people to working with them as we strive to fulfil the to go to meet and interact with others, thereby goals set out in the following pages. reducing social isolation. They are also places where residents from all communities can access Council services. Councillor Alex Sawyer, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Leisure 1 Bexley Library Service - Engaging communities, enriching and improving lives Contents Page Foreword from Cabinet Member, Community Safety and Leisure 1 1. Introduction 3 2. Setting the scene 5 3. Understanding the customer profile 2014-2019 7 4. Vision for the Service 9 5. Local Studies and Archive Service 10 6. Medium Term Priorities 2014-2019 10 7. Annual Aims 11 2 Bexley Library Service - Engaging communities, enriching and improving lives 1. Introduction 1.1 The Library Service in Bexley With 10 libraries across the borough and The Local Studies and Archives Service 2 community managed libraries (Bexley continues to seek new ways to promote Community Library and Slade Green and access to the collections through a range Howbury Community Library), the Library of activities and services. The Service has Service provides direct universal access not engaged with local community groups to only to books, audio visual material, IT and deliver a wide range of history projects. While information, but also to local community realising the importance of delivering an events and activities. The Service also accessible onsite facility at the Central Library, provides outreach services including those the Service has also extended its provision to housebound readers, and a wide range of of online digital resources and operates a events and activities including the Summer successful outreach programme. Reading Challenge, toddler times and reading groups. Public access is available to library Over the last few years, the Library and Local services electronically at any time of the day Studies and Archive Services have significantly or night, from any computer with internet developed and promoted many opportunities access. In addition, the Central Library in for volunteering. The Home Library Service Bexleyheath hosts the Local Studies and is run in conjunction with the Royal Voluntary Archives Service which collects, preserves Service and volunteers provide a free book and makes accessible published works and delivery service to any residents of Bexley or archival material that relate to the history and Bromley, who are unable to reach and use heritage of the borough. their local library, providing an often much appreciated opportunity for social interaction. The Library Service has undertaken a major Volunteers also help to provide the annual programme of capital investment over the Summer Reading Challenge and there are a last ten years and nine libraries have been range of other opportunities for volunteers to refurbished. These libraries are attractive, fit- assist with the provision of services across the for-purpose and welcoming environments. A Library Service. new, community managed, library (to replace the current Slade Green Library) opened in Key volunteering roles include “computer October 2014 as part of the Slade Green and buddies” where volunteers provide IT taster Howbury Community Centre and there are sessions in libraries for beginners and also also detailed plans for a new Thamesmead offer trouble-shooting sessions on specific Library as part of the Southmere Regeneration issues. Bexley Libraries also work with Age Scheme. UK to run Older People’s drop in sessions at four libraries and there are opportunities Libraries have been established as focal for volunteering at these sessions as well. points in local communities, offering a wide Volunteers also assist at “Stitch and Sew” range of services. They have been developed sessions at some libraries and help to deliver as Council Contact Points, and they remain Toddlertime and Storytime sessions in a key point of access and day to day contact libraries. to all Council services for residents from all communities. 3 Bexley Library Service - Engaging communities, enriching and improving lives In addition to expanded volunteer The shared service went live in January 2012. programmes, in recent years several There has been no adverse impact on the opportunities have been grasped to maximise frontline service in either borough and its the use of space in the Library Service and consistently high quality of professional input to work closely with external and internal helps to develop the service to meet changing partners to achieve a more integrated customer needs and expectations. Whilst approach to the use of the library buildings, meeting the challenge of delivering a service in recognition of their value as community across two boroughs, the shared service assets. Key partners that currently use library constantly looks at ways to get the best value space to deliver their services include Age UK for money and to use shared resources in the and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. As well as most effective way. maximising use of library space, this approach also benefits customers, who are able to A key achievement in 2013 was the joint access multiple services in a single visit. The procurement and implementation of a range of activities, programmes and services replacement Library Management System on offer has, therefore, been substantially with both boroughs joining the London increased over the last few years, providing Libraries Consortium – a development that new opportunities for residents to use the opens up access to the stock of seventeen library spaces to meet and socialise with London Borough library services to Bexley people who have similar interests, thereby residents. helping to address growing concerns about rising levels of social isolation. 1.3 Community Managed Libraries 1.2 Shared Library Service with London Demand for services and supply of alternative Borough of Bromley services change over time. Over the last decade, there have been a number of key In July 2011, the Bexley Cabinet Member for factors which have had a substantial impact Leisure and Bromley’s Executive Committee on library services. Nationally there has approved the merger of the back office and been falling usage (demand) and reducing management function between the London local authority resources (supply), which has Borough of Bexley and London Borough promoted substantial changes to the library of Bromley Library Services. In Bexley, this market – the most obvious of which are decision was taken as part of its corporate closure of non-core branches, private sector
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