Tameside Library Service: Annual Review 2008/9

Read the highlights from the past year in Tameside Libraries, including successful projects and initiatives, building improvements and our performance. If you would like to make any comments you will find our contact details at the end of the review.

Service Delivery

Partnership working and additional funding, from within our own budget and through successful bids have helped shape our achievements over the last twelve months. The National Year of Reading provided the backdrop to a raft of events and activities involving the whole service. Working with colleagues from Children’s Services, School Library Service, Family Learning and Museums and Galleries we put in place a programme to appeal to all members of the community. One of the highlights was a Doctor Who Day at the Central Library in November. Around 1,800 adults and children attended this family event and they enjoyed crafts, competitions and saw characters from the TV series; for the brave-hearted there was an audience with Davros himself! Ten authors, including Stephen Booth, Patricia Scanlan, Penny Jordan and Kate Ellis also visited libraries across the borough attracting over 300 readers. Public feedback from all the events has been very positive and lots of press coverage has been generated.

Money from Extended Schools combined with early planning, assemblies in 39 primary schools, promotion by the Primary Literacy Coordinators and the Children’s Centres ensured that this year’s Summer Reading Challenge was the most successful we have run since the national scheme started in 1998. We had 2,733 starters more than double last year’s total and by mid September 1,545 children had completed the challenge a 200% increase on 07/08. Book issues to children in July were more than 10,000 up on the June total. One of our targets was to increase the number of boys taking part and 1,127 did so, more than 100% increase on last year’s total and more than 1000 children attended the weekly Get Set Go! Activities. This year for the first time the Young People’s Services Coordinator worked with the Accreditations Manager, Secondary Network, Youth Services and T3SC to provide and promote an accredited award for 20 young people who became Team Read volunteers; this was so successful that we will certainly be taking it forward for next year.

Funding from the Department of Children, Schools and Families for Book Ahead, aimed at children 0 – 7 and Boys Into Books has meant that we have been able to organise author visits and more activities, plus a very well attended training session which included 26 colleagues from Early Years Service.

Once again the Tameside Bookstart scheme retained its flagship status and during the year the management of the scheme was successfully transferred to Public Libraries.

Working in partnership with Tameside & Glossop Primary Care Mental Health Service, who funded 90% of the initiative and Derbyshire Libraries we successfully launched our Books on Prescription scheme, ensuring libraries contribution to the council’s health agenda. At the 6 month review in January we were pleased to find that out of the 368 prescriptions given to patients over 250 had followed through and picked the book up from their library. Funding from the Older People’s Partnership allowed us to fund 2 initiatives - a year long creative bibliotherapy project, Book Time For Yourself. For one hour a week books, short stories and poems are read to members of the 5 Book Time for Yourself Clubs, members then participate in discussions about what they have just listened to, in a relaxed non-threatening environment. We have also been able to establish a Lively Library Club in Droylsden following consultation with older people.

Our Local Studies and Archives Service goes from strength to strength. We scored 70.5%, giving us two stars, in The National Archive self assessment, the highest in the North West and the Assistant Local Studies Librarian was awarded CILIP’s McCulla Local Studies Librarian of the Year Award for her contribution to community engagement, social inclusion and cross- sectoral working. The Charles May documents were borrowed for a prestigious exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London and were featured in a powerful radio advert and then in the BBC’s Remembrance Day programme. Family members have since visited the Local Studies and Archives Centre and expressed their pleasure that the documents are held in secure conditions and made available to researchers. Local Studies staff also did research for the Tameside bronze plaque programme and funding from this has gone towards a series of talks aimed at attracting younger people, especially young men to archives and local history, early indications are that these are going well and achieving their objective.

Summer 2008 saw the completion of the 3 year Mancunian Reunion project. The project culminated in the publication of a book and DVD and the staging of an exhibition at Hattersley Community Centre. Every household in Hattersley received a free copy of the book, which had contributions from 79 residents who had moved from Manchester to the estate in the 1960s. The project gained much media interest with the local papers, Manchester Evening News, BBC Radio Manchester and BBC North West Tonight all running stories.

With colleagues from 10 other Greater Manchester Library Authorities, including Blackpool and Blackburn, we launched an exciting new venture called, Ask About Business. This service provides access to information through libraries to support: pre-start and new businesses, existing business, jobseekers, consumers, inventors and business students. It makes business information much more accessible for our customers, either from personal visits or via a professionally developed website. In the present economic climate Ask About Business is helping to make valuable business information freely and widely available to all and shows our role in contributing to the Council’s prosperous society priority.

After much delay the Patient Information Centre was eventually moved to a front of house location in the entrance of the Hartshead Building at Tameside General Hospital. The Centre now provides a combined reception and health information function, and relies heavily on volunteers to deliver the service. The number of enquiries has increased significantly as a result of the move; during April 08- Dec 08 2708 enquiries were taken, 845 more than the corresponding period the year before.

Buildings

This year has seen the refurbishment of Droylsden computer learning centre which included re-decoration, new carpets and notice boards plus new flat screen monitors.

New heating systems have been installed or upgraded in Droylsden, Haughton Green and Hurst libraries, this should make them more energy efficient and cost effective to run.

Consultation has been undertaken with young people and following this Haughton Green junior library has been refurbished. The new look includes new and improved lighting and decoration, new carpets and shelves as well as creating a new teenage area on the mezzanine level.

Training

This year another 13 staff have achieved or are about to complete an ICS award both at Communications and Solutions level. To date there is a 100% pass rate from any staff that have undertaken an award and some staff who have previously achieved an award have now gone on to be coaches for their colleagues.

A member of staff at Tameside Central Library has been recognised for his excellent performance in the Frontline Reader Development training. This training aims to help staff talk to customers about their reading choices, promote book stock, create displays etc.

Led by the Young People’s Services Coordinator we have undertaken some staff training aimed at “making the library a friendly and welcoming place for young people”; this forms part of our contribution to “Fulfilling Their Potential” North West.

Performance

Performance this year has been excellent with many targets being exceeded. Visits to libraries and issues of stock have both increased and of particular note are increases at Hyde, Droylsden, Denton and Hurst libraries. Virtual use of the library service is on an upward trend including renewals and reservations being made via the web catalogue. At present approximately 11% of all renewed items and 10% of in-stock reservations are being made by customers themselves via the web catalogue.

Satisfaction levels with the Information Service remain extremely high, and all key indicators (such as visits, enquiries and usages) are set to exceed the actuals for 07-8. Moreover, the number of compliments logged for this service reflects a very high level of customer care. Additionally, performance figures for the InfoPatient service continue to exceed their 07-8 actuals.

Satisfaction levels with Local Studies and Archives remain extremely high, and all key indicators (such as visits, enquiries and usages) are set to exceed the actuals for 07-8.

The number of PC usages has remained broadly static for the past three years, and the projection for 08-9 suggests a similar out turn. This seems to suggest that the demand for drop-in use remains roughly level, although we are aware of increasing availability of cheap broadband internet, the falling prices of PCs, mobile internet access for laptops and PDAs, and the increasing sophistication of mobile phones as personal internet devices which may affect the requirement of customers to use libraries for this activity.

Contact Information
Send us a Message	Tameside Libraries Information Service Central Library Old Street Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7SG View local map
0161 342 2031
0161 330 4762
07968 993869 (Text Messages)
0161 342 2044