Consultation starts on the future of Reading's library service
Council says they want comments on their 'vision' for the next three years
Last updated 13th Aug 2021
A six-week consultation on the future of Reading’s Library Service has started.
Residents are invited to have their say via an online survey and at consultation events taking place locally.
The Council is developing a draft Library Strategy for the next 3 years. The purpose of the strategy is to guide the service to further supporting our communities, being innovative and providing an excellent experience for everyone.
Unlike many local authority areas where libraries have been permanently shut due to budget pressures, the council say they've retained all of its seven library branches and is fully committed to maintaining this approach by making the best possible use of its limited resources.
Focus areas:
Supporting our communities as we recover from the pandemic
Helping Children and Young People
Improving access to online services
Supporting improvements in Health, Wellbeing and Literacy
Bringing arts, culture and heritage to library spaces
The Council is now inviting residents to feedback on these priorities. Residents are also asked to share how they use the library service, what is most important to them and what they would be most interested in using in future. They are invited to comment on Reading Central Library and the Library’s Home Service.
The online consultation is here: www.reading.gov.uk/libraryconsultation
There will be a consultation event at Central Library on Tuesday 24 August between 11am and 4pm. This will offer an opportunity for people to feedback in person and the chance to ask questions about the library service.
Alongside the online survey and the library event, several focus groups are being held during the six-week period, with key groups in Reading.
Councillor Jason Brock, Reading Borough Council Leader, said:
“We know our library service is very much valued by our residents. Despite all the challenges over the past several years, and notwithstanding the extreme circumstances of the last year, we have retained all of our library branches. We want to continue this into the future by making our service the best it can be and shaping it around what our residents want from modern, community-focussed libraries.
“We’ve set out a draft idea of what we hope to achieve and what we think our priorities should be, but we need your help. We want to know more about how you use the library service, what you think of it, where you think our focus should be and what our future goals should be - for example, what improvements would you like to see in the town’s Central library.
The consultation runs until 17 September.
The results of the consultation will be available in the final Library Strategy Report going to the Council’s Housing, Neighbourhoods and Leisure Committee on 10 November 2021.