Tameside Libraries - Our Mission Statement

Our Mission is to be a continually improving modern library service that is responsive to the needs of the local community, having at its heart the promotion of reading and lifelong learning in its widest sense, access to digital skills and services, and the provision of facilities which are open, accessible and inclusive and play a significant part in establishing the local community identity.

We will achieve this through our Service Aims which are:

Reading and Lifelong Learning

• We will actively promote reading
• We will help readers to develop their reading choices through the books we provide and a range of events and activities
• We will work with others to support literacy and basic skills
• We will provide materials and resources to support learning throughout life
• We will provide access to information

Click here to read how we currently meet our reading and lifelong learning aims

Digital Skills and Services

• We will make our Computer Learning Centres accessible to all
• We will work with others to provide basic computer training courses for adults
• We will provide access to library services through the website and e-mail
• We will provide access to information online and create local content where necessary

Click here to read how we currently meet our digital skills and services aims

Community Focus and Inclusion

• We will provide libraries which are open and neutral
• We will make sure that buildings are welcoming and accessible
• We will consult with users and non-users to make sure that services are based on the needs of local communities
• We will provide access to 100% of Council services
• We will collect and preserve materials which celebrate local heritage and community identity

Click here to read how we currently meet our community focus and inclusion aims

Click here if you would like to make a comment about our aims or suggest any service improvements

How we meet our reading and lifelong learning aims:

• We have a Reader Development Strategy which is reviewed annually and links to the North West Libraries Time To Read strategy.
• The Reader Development Coordinator takes the lead on promoting reading for pleasure to adults and the Young People’s Services Coordinator and the Service Inclusion Coordinator lead on reading for pleasure for children and encouraging emergent readers respectively. 
  • This is done by working in partnership with library staff to create displays, developing an events and activity programme for adults and children with reading at its heart. Ensuring that Tameside Libraries take part in national and regional reading initiatives, such as Richard and Judy Summer Reads, the Summer Reading Challenge, the October Children’s Book Festival, the BBC RaW campaign and regional Time To Read projects. 
• Our website has links to useful reading and book sites and we encourage the setting up of readers groups in libraries and in the community.
• All our staff are trained to promote books and help customers with their reading choices. We are currently in the middle of a programme whereby all the frontline staff are doing Frontline, a nationally recognised online training programme, as part of our commitment to reading, books and customers.
• Librarians have input into stock selection and are responsible for the editing and maintenance of branch book collections. The Reader Development Coordinator creates special interest circulating collections.
• We have a number of library based readers groups for adults, children and teenagers and support two groups in the community at Age Concern and Vision First. 
• We have an annual programme of events aimed at promoting reading and increasing awareness of libraries amongst children and adults including:
  • Taking part in the Reading Agency's national initiative "The Summer Reading Challenge" aimed at primary aged children. Our aim is to increase the number of children taking part and completing each year. 
  • Holding storytimes and craft sessions during the school holidays for children and families.
  • Inviting all Tameside Primary Schools to bring their Year 5/6 and Year 2 children on a library visit. 
  • Working in partnership with Bookstart Tameside by having "Time for a Rhyme" sessions in all our libraries for children under 3 years old and their parents or carers and supporting the annual Bookcrawl to encourage library membership and to promote the importance of reading to young children. 
  • Visting authors and poets
  • Working in partnership with the School Library Service to promote reading and libraries through primary schools with the annual inter-school book quiz
  • Working in partnership with the Countryside Unit on our Earth Walks programme combining walking and readings.
• We have set up Bestseller collections in response to customer demand and as we refurbish and improve our libraries we are creating Quick Choice areas and experimenting with bringing sections of book stock together to make our libraries easier to use. We also have a request service for books that are not immediately available. 
• We provide books in large print and talking books on cassette and CD. 
• We provide books in Bangla, Gujarati, Urdu, Chinese and Polish and simple dual language books for children. 
• We have a Stock Policy Document that includes benchmarks and quality standards. 
• We have trained staff at all libraries to help customers find accurate up to date information on all subjects.
• We have a well-stocked central reference and information service in the Central Library in Ashton staffed by people skilled in finding information.
• We have an excellent Local Studies and Archive Centre in the Central Library in Ashton. Volunteers from the Dukinfield Branch of the Cheshire Family History Society give advice on family history for beginners once a month at the Centre. We also produce guides to help people exploit the Local Studies collection, these are available online. 
• We provide support materials for local history school projects and the Local Studies Centre welcomes visits from teachers, family history groups and classes as well as individuals.
• We work in partnership with a number of other organizations including: 
  • Skills for Life providers - looking at ways libraries can be involved in basic skills provision and encourage reading for pleasure. We provide support material for skills for life and ESOL students and offer library visits with their tutor. 
  • Tameside's Museums & Galleries Service promoting both reading for pleasure and reading as a way of supporting and enhancing other cultural activities.
  • The WEA who provide "learning for pleasure" classes throughout the year and also contribute to our annual Learn in Libraries Week programme in May.
  • The Neighbourhood Partnerships in Hattersley and Haughton Green and the Regeneration Team in Ashton promoting libraries to job seekers. 
  • The BBC's national promotions such as Read and Write (RaW) and Breathing Places. 
    

How we meet our digital skills and services aims:

• We have Computer Learning Centres in all of our libraries giving access to the Internet, e-mail facilities and Microsoft Office. 
• One work-station in each library has adaptive technology including large keyboard, trackball mouse, screen magnification, copy holder, footrest, wrist rests and Textease basic word processing.
• We provide In Page Urdu and Executive Gujarati Software at the Central Library and Executive Bangla Software at Hyde Library.
• We work in partnership with providers of adult education who deliver basic computer courses for beginners. We also have a "computer buddy" volunteers scheme for one to one tuition in using the Internet, simple Word and setting up an email account. 
• All our staff are trained to provide basic ICT help and assistance and we have “How To Guides…” in each centre covering such topics as – surfing for fun, scanning, saving and inserting pictures, simple website creation and basic CVs/job application hints. 
• Our website gives details of our services, access to our online catalogue and library members can reserve, renew items and check their borrower's record.
• We have an online enquiry service to the Reference Library and the Local Studies and Archives Service.
• Our Information Service provides access to the Fame database for business information. 
• We provide library members with free access to a number of online resources including the Oxford Online resources, the Dictionary of National Biography, NewsUK and encyclopaedias. 
• Our database of local organizations gives contact information on over 800 groups. 
• We have a website specifically aimed at children and young people with links to useful homework sites.
• There are over 19,000 photographs on the Image Archive of local scenes and people. 
• We contribute material to regional and national projects to put archive catalogues online. 

How we meet our community focus and inclusion aims:

• The Library Service is delivered through 13 static service points, an unstaffed library access point in a Community Centre and 2 Home Library Service vehicles. We also provide a Patient Information Service (Infopatient) at Tameside General Hospital. 
• We meet the Government standard for households living within 2 miles of a static library. 
• We have good opening hours exceeding the Government library standard. 
• We are working towards all our buildings being accessible in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act. As resources allow we are improving the environment and layout of the libraries, for example:
  • We have recently refurbished one of our town libraries, which has included modernising the interior, improving access for the disabled and people with prams, new shelving, more front forward display, seating areas, drinks machine, computer centre and an area for readers groups and activities
• We have carried out mystery shopping exercises with volunteers who have disabilities to gauge satisfaction with our buildings, services and staff.
• Our staff have all been trained in customer care and equalities and diversity training in the last two years.
• We have relaxed our joining procedures to make it easier for people with low literacy skills and those without a permanent address to join our libraries.
• We encourage feedback from customers through the Council's complaints system, through regular satisfaction surveys and by the provision of comments and suggestion cards in all our libraries.
• All Libraries have "Your Library" boards where customers can see how we are performing against our targets and how we are responding to their suggestions.
• All libraries take Council payments and customers can request services and be given information about Council services. Four libraries have dedicated staff giving benefits advice. 
• Our Local Studies Centre has always had an emphasis on recording everyday life of ordinary people. As a result of our Oral History Project with local Asian people we have an important collection of recorded interviews with first generation members of the Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani communities. Photographs that were collected as a result of the project are available on the Image Archive and we have published "Here To Stay", a book of memories. 
• We are currently involved in a project in Hattersley called the Mancunian Reunion which involves local people recollecting their move to the estate in the 60s and 70s from Manchester due to the housing clearances, as well as collecting photographs and ephemera that can be added to the Local Studies and Archives collection. A book, DVD and exhibition will also be created.
• Involving young people in various participation projects including buying books, mystery shopping and staff training.
• We are committed to raising awareness of the library service so that local people see libraries as a vital part of their community. We regularly give talks to community groups about the Local Studies Centre and its collections and are contacting local groups to offer other library visits and activities.