10/09/03 - New Chapter for Library

A £125,000 joint extension to Ambleside library and CREDITS community development centre is being opened by Cumbria Tourist Board chair Eric Robson at 1pm on Wednesday September 17.It will provide a 'one-stop shop' for library services, computer training and employment services. The new building has been jointly funded by Cumbria County Council (£50,000) and the CREDITS capital modernisation fund (£75,000). By day it will provide much more space for the Cumbria County Council branch library and in the evenings and at weekends it will also double as an IT training space and meeting room.   

Councillor Tim Heslop, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member with responsibility for cultural strategy, said:   

"This extension is a substantial improvement to the library service for the Ambleside area. It extends the range of facilities provided to something far beyond the lending of books. "By working in partnership with the CREDITS scheme and the Job Centre, the county libraries service has been able to provide a one-stop shop for people wanting material in all kinds of media for leisure and for study, for people seeking training in computer skills and for those seeking employment. "The alterations also make access to the building and to the computer equipment much easier for people with disabilities and provides a welcoming atmosphere for all."   

And Councillor Joan Stocker, Cabinet member with responsibility for education and lifelong learning, said: 

"The updating of the CREDITS centre, along with all the information provided in books and electronic and other media by the library service, is a big advance in helping people in the Ambleside area keep in touch with lifelong learning."   

The extension at the rear of the library is fully accessible to wheelchair users from the car park, with a ramp. It adds about a third more space to the library, with room for reading, writing and talking.   

It contains ten new computer work stations provided through the New Opportunities Fund, the biggest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, with broadband links to the Internet. The work stations have been adapted for use by wheelchair users and special aids are available for anyone who has difficulty with a standard keyboard and mouse. On 29 September 2003 a Jobcentre Job Point will come into service in Ambleside Library and Community Centre following an agreement between the two organisations. This is an easy-to-use, touch-screen computer, which gives access to a database of over 400,000 jobs. Fiona Bloor, manager of the Library and Community Centre says:    

"This will be a really valuable addition to the services we deliver in Ambleside. People who are out of work or considering changing jobs will have a local service, open six days a week, which gives a huge amount of information." 

Information and advice will also be provided for small enterprises from Business Link through its website and leaflets. The Job Point will complement the information provided by the library about lifelong learning and education and careers and the range of computer courses provided by the CREDITS community development centre.   

The CREDITS centre is the only one of more than 60 in Cumbria to be housed in a public library rather than in a school.   

The extension, which can be accessed separately from the rest of the building, is already being hired for meetings by local groups.