Agenda item

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services regarding Barbican and Community Libraries services for children and families.

A Member commented on the excellent expansion of outreach from the libraries to young children and their families. She commented particularly favourably on the Dad’s Saturday morning Rhymetime session offered by the Barbican Children’s Library each month. The Chairman highlighted that there were now a total of 2892 Children’s Library members – something which she felt was a fantastic achievement.

A Member questioned whether staff kept any information on attendees of various events run by the libraries in terms of demographics and where attendees resided so that they were able to demonstrate an outreach beyond immediate residents.

The Head of Barbican and Community Libraries highlighted that the statutory provision for the libraries was for those who lived, worked or studied in the immediate surrounding area. She added that the majority of users were, however, City workers and so the outreach here was therefore well beyond City residents. The Committee were informed that demographic data was kept on library users and those attending events and that this data had previously been used by Ofsted where it had been very positively received. The Head of Barbican and Community Libraries concluded by stating that staff at the libraries were already working to do more around collecting and collating this data.

A Member referred to a library in a London Borough that had recently offered members of the community the opportunity to select material only to discover that some of this contained Islamic extremist views. She therefore questioned whether staff were confident with regard to all of the material available at the City’s libraries. The Head of Barbican and Community Libraries reported that staff were very aware of these kind of pitfalls and that the material on display in the libraries was therefore very carefully selected. She hoped that the Committee would be sufficiently reassured by this.

In response to further questions, the Head of Barbican and Community Libraries reported that the mobile library had only operated in the East of the City as an interim measure following the closure of the Camomile Street Library and ahead of the opening of the new Artizan Street library. She added that the libraries did, however, continue to offer home deliveries enabling those who were house bound (either permanently or temporarily) due to age or ill-health to continue to have access to library materials. The Chairman confirmed that many living in the East of the City had joined the new Artizan Street Library as a result of the mobile library.

RESOLVED – That, Members note the report.