Have your say on the future of library services in Northumberland

People in Northumberland are being asked for their views on the future shape of library services in Northumberland.

 

The county council has launched a public consultation asking for people to submit their comments and ideas of how the service should be delivered in the future.

 

The consultation is open to all, whether they are a regular library user or not, and the council is also engaging with schools in order to get the opinion of youngsters in the county.

 

People have until March to respond to the questionnaire which is available at  https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NCCLibraryConsultation and as a paper copy in all libraries in the county.

 

It is hoped the consultation will help identify the most valued aspects of the service and the barriers to library use across the county. The results of the consultation will help the council focus on how the service is delivered in the future.

 

As a statutory service the council is required to carry out a public consultation exercise if changes to the service are proposed.

 

Cath Homer, cabinet member for Culture, Arts, Leisure and Tourism at the county council said: “Northumberland’s library service has undergone many changes in recent years, however we feel that now is the time to take a thorough look at the service and make sure that it is serving the needs of our communities both now and into the future.

 

“We have been committed, since bringing the service back into the council in 2017, to building a stronger and more consistent service, but we now need to ensure that we understand what people value about their library and what they think we could do more of, or improve.

 

“This consultation will offer people the opportunity to have their say to help us design a library service that works for all. Even if you’re not currently a regular user of the service we want to hear from you to understand what could be done to encourage more people to use their library.”

 

A series of drop-in sessions will also be held for residents to ask questions or provide verbal feedback.

 

At Cramlington library  the sessions will be held on January 13th between 1pm and 6pm and on 21st January between 9am and 1pm.

To find out when and where all the drop-ins will be held go to www.mylibrary.co.uk