Plans to boost borrowing in four Cumbrian communities where library use has been in steady decline have been agreed by the county council's Cabinet today.
The changes, to be introduced in April 2008, will see underused libraries in Ormsgill and Coniston replaced with Library Links (mini-libraries located in shops and other convenient premises) and equally poorly attended branches in Great Broughton and Abbeytown substituted with a more flexible mobile library service.
Figures show that the number of visitors and books issued at these libraries has been falling despite action plans implemented earlier this year following a lengthy public consultation on each branch's future.
None of the libraries are open for more than 11 hours each week and stock in some branches is borrowed on average just once every two years.
An expansion to the Library Links service would also see an entirely new Library Link opened in Broughton-in-Furness.
In addition to the changes and expansion to library services in these communities, the county council's Cabinet has also agreed to discontinue the Carlisle urban mobile library service and restructure mobile library routes across the county which have experienced a 20 per cent drop in lending over the last five years
Under the new 'community led' scheme, which has already been trialled successfully on routes in Allerdale, South Lakeland and Eden, mobile libraries will provide fewer individual stops - enabling them to stay open for longer in places where accessing library services is currently difficult.
The Library Service continues to look for ways to improve and last year began a review of its services, particularly those delivered from mobile libraries and its least used branches.
Special Neighbourhood Forum meetings were used to ask people for suggestions on how to stem falling borrowing at branches in Ormsgill, Abbeytown, Kells, Coniston, St. Bees and Great Broughton.
A package of improvements introduced at the start of this year including better signage, more flexible opening hours and greater access to a wider selection of books and other items, has improved library use in Kells and St. Bees but failed to make a significant impact on potential borrowers in Ormsgill, Abbeytown, Coniston and Great Broughton.
Councillor Roger Bingham, cabinet member responsible for the county's Library Service said: "The changes agreed by Cabinet today will help to boost borrowing from our mobile libraries and communities where traditional static library services have begun to wither on the vine.
"When we announced plans to improve library services in the county's most underused branches at the end of last year, we were very clear that if the changes proved unsuccessful in attracting more borrowers, we would look at making more radical changes this year.
"While the changes introduced in Kells and St. Bees have led to improvements in use, it is clear that despite the best efforts of library staff, this has not been reflected in Ormsgill, Abbeytown, Coniston and Great Broughton.
"Ignoring the problem would have simply led to library services disappearing from these communities altogether through steadily dwindling use.
Councillor Bingham continued: "The discontinuation of the Carlisle urban mobile library will address the anomaly that exists at present where eight in every ten stops made in the city are done so in an area where three static libraries already exist.
"The change will also enable us to provide a better use of the city's rural mobile library in the north of Carlisle where there is currently no static library provision.
"People who are housebound will continue to receive a home delivery service wherever they live in the county.
"Ultimately, this is about making sure that the county council's library service continues to be accessible to as many people as possible."
ENDS
Media enquiries to Mark Graham, Media Officer on 01228-606337
Notes
Library Links bring services closer to home for people. Computers are installed in local shops, sub-post offices and other community premises along with a collection of around 300 popular fiction and non-fiction books which is updated weekly. The computers provide a direct link to the library service and its full catalogue of over 1.4 million books and other items. People can use their Library Link to borrow books in the shop, order books free of charge from the main catalogue and renew existing loans.
The proposals agreed at Cabinet, 4th September (item 13)