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 .
• Designated staff take the lead on promoting reading for pleasure for adults, children and young people, and encouraging emergent readers and minority groups.
  • This is done by creating displays and 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 the Summer Reading Challenge, the Six Book Challenge, relevant BBC campaigns, World Book Day 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.
• We train all our staff to promote books and help customers with their reading choices.
• Librarians have input into stock selection and are responsible for the editing and maintenance of branch book collections. We create special interest circulating collections, often linked to our promotions programme.
• We have a number of library based readers groups for adults and teenagers and currently support one community group for visually impaired people.
• 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 story times 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. We also provide special interest visits, for example - Who’s your favourite - stories, rhymes and activities with favourite book characters and Traditional Stories- stories and rhymes from different cultures.
  • Holding weekly Bookstart "Time for a Rhyme" sessions in all our libraries for children under 4 years old and their parents or carers and running Bookstart Bear Club to encourage library membership and to promote the importance of reading to young children.
  • Hosting author, poetry and writing workshops for both adults and children.
  • Working in partnership with Tameside School Library Service to promote reading and libraries through primary schools
• We have Bestseller collections and Quick Choice displays as well as themed displays 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 CD.
• We provide books in Bangla, Gujarati, Urdu, Chinese and Polish and simple dual language books for children.
• We have a Stock Policy Document 111.38 KB   that is tied into the priority areas of Tameside MBC and Tameside Strategic Partnership and 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-established reference and information service, Tameside Libraries Information Service, located in Tameside 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 twice a month at the Centre. We also produce guides to help people exploit the Local Studies collection, these are available online. 
• We run the Tameside History Club, a programme of talks and events designed to attract new audiences to local history, see our website for details of this seasonal programme
• 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 organisations including:
  • Tameside’s Health Improvement Team and with additional funding provided by them we have 11 libraries with “Get Better Health Information” collections
  • The Primary Care Mental Health Team and the Children and Adolescents Mental Health Services (CAMHS) on our successful Books On prescription scheme.
  • 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.
  • Next Step who provide support to Jobseekers in many of our libraries
  • Tameside's Museums & Galleries Service promoting both reading for pleasure and reading as a way of supporting and enhancing other cultural activities.
  • The Workers Education Association (WEA) who provide "learning for pleasure" and basic IT classes throughout the year.
  • Topaz Wellbeing Centre @ MIND for our Adult Learners Week in May.

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, several libraries also have scanners.
• One work-station in each library has adaptive technology including large keyboard, trackball mouse, screen magnification, copy holder, footrest, wrist rests.
• We provide In Page Urdu and Executive Gujarati software at Tameside 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 have a "computer buddy" volunteer scheme for one to one tuition. The Buddy scheme can provide a general introduction to using a computer or provide help with specific aspects of using Microsoft Office, file management, scanning and using a laptop.
• A growing number of employers including, Asda, B&Q, Boots, Next, John Lewis, Royal Mail and Sainsbury’s will only accept online job application forms. The Computer Buddy service can also assist job seekers who are less confident with computers to: use Word to format a CV and create a covering letter, save a document, search online, navigate web pages, create an email account and attach a document
• 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, check their borrower's record and review and rate books they have read.
• We have an online enquiry service to Tameside Information Service and the Local Studies and Archives Service.
• Our Information Service provides free access to valuable online business information useful to local businesses and business start-ups, jobseekers, consumers and students. For example detailed company information from FAME online database.
• We provide library members with free access to a number of online resources including the Oxford Online resources, the Dictionary of National Biography, Newsstand, Driving Theory Test, and Ancestry.com.
• Our database of local organisations, gives contact information on over 950 groups. This has recently been redeveloped, and is now part of the Council’s What’s On section of the website.
• We have a website specifically aimed at children and young people with links to useful homework sites.
• There are over 22,000 photographs on our Image Archive of local scenes and people.
• An online catalogue of our archive collection and books added since 2005 is available.
• We have an online database of images relating to the Manchester Regiment which contains around 3,000 images and is one of the only online Regimental Image Archives in the country
• We contribute material to regional and national projects to put archive catalogues online. 
• We have an arrangement with the British Library to archive the Tameside MBC website twice annually. This is made available via www.webarchive.org.uk

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 Health Information Service at Tameside General Hospital.
• All Tameside households live within 2 miles of a static library.
• We have good opening hours, including evenings and Saturday.
• We are working towards all our buildings being accessible in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act.
• We have carried out mystery shopping exercises with volunteers who have disabilities to gauge satisfaction with our buildings, services and staff.
• We train all our staff in customer care and equalities and diversity.
• 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.
• We actively support the priorities of the Tameside Strategic Partnership, with specific emphasis on Supportive Tameside, Prosperous Tameside, Learning Tameside and Healthy Tameside.
• Our Local Studies and Archives 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 involve young people in various participation projects including the Libraries Youth Forum, applying for funding to put on activities for other young people, volunteering, buying some stock and mystery shopping.
• 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 and Archives Centre and its collections. The Branch Librarians contact local groups to offer other library visits and activities and we often participate in wider council events for example Chinese New Year celebrations, World Mental Health Week and Older People’s Day
• We work closely with community groups on community archive and heritage projects. We offer support and guidance, a space for meetings, activities and exhibitions in the Local Studies and Archives Centre and take in any materials created as a result of such projects.
• We offer volunteering opportunities especially in Local Studies and Archives, Health Information Centre, the computer buddy scheme, our Book Time for Yourself groups, the Summer Reading Challenge and the Libraries Youth Forum.