No not a law firm, three models of future libraries.
Amidst share price fluctuations, Euro zone rescue plans and continuing cuts in the UK job market we are living in a time when funding issues aren’t just feared, they are expected. So at times like this we need a few more success stories.
Having recently taken up swimming I have spent the past six weeks walking to my local pool (which also houses the local library) passing by a building site which has been taking shape into a rather funky gold building. But it was not until I noticed the sign on the library door declaring it closed and reopening in the new build, christened the Deptford Lounge, that I put two and two together.
There has been a fairly high profile campaign surrounding the closure of five libraries in the Borough of Lewisham, Wavelength Library (the new Deptford Lounge) is one of the lucky ones which is not only being retained but upgraded. The other five have all been re-opened as community run libraries (does my Society look Big in this?). In Blackheath a charity, Age Exchange, has led the charge reopening the library temporarily in a local theatre, with a view to creating a purpose-built space to combine the library service with the charity’s existing services.
With service integration in mind this leads me nicely on to The Hive which when it opens next year will house both Worcester City public library and the university library under the same roof, I am told the first of its kind in Europe.
So as the axe swings about our heads let’s all remember how through vision and hard work some groups have been able to adapt and improve public library services to meet today’s challenges.
Well done all!
- Jeremy Clarke
